The Most Unique Chinese New Year Traditions

Chinese New Year is the time of the year to embrace family members as well as close friends. Just like any other holiday, it focuses the importance on close family relations. But that is not all, as Chinese New Year is also the time to pray for good fortune, protection and luck for the year. It is for that reason that there are numerous traditions that must be practiced during the new year.

Here are the most unique Chinese New Year traditions you should know: 

• Cleaning the House

Chinese people believe that cleaning the house means getting rid of all the bad things that block good luck. Therefore, the tradition of cleaning the house must be done one day before the Chinese New Year. If done on holidays, they believe that it will throw away luck in that year.

• Decorate the Home 

The next tradition after cleaning the house is decorating the house. Chinese people repaint doors and windows; then, they will stick paper with good sentences or words on it. Most of the decorations used are red because the Chinese people believe that the color red symbolizes something that is prosperous, strong, and brings good luck. However, nowadays, some of them mix other colors which also represent good luck.

• Gather with Family and Wear All Red Clothes

Usually many Chinese citizens return to their hometowns to celebrate Chinese New Year with their families. They wear all red clothes and accessories when they gather. The red color symbolizes something that is strong, prosperous, and brings good luck. The red color is also believed to drive away Nian or a kind of beast that lives on the seabed or mountains that comes out in spring or during the Chinese New Year. Nian is believed to have come to disturb humans, especially small children. Therefore, they decorate the house and use red clothes or accessories during Chinese New Year.

• Serve Chinese New Year Dishes

For Chinese people, food served during Chinese New Year must consist of at least 12 types of food. The twelve kinds of food symbolize the 12 zodiac signs in the beliefs of the Chinese people. Besides symbolizing the zodiac, each of these foods also has its own meaning. Chinese New Year special foods are believed to bring luck and prosperity to those who eat them, such as longevity noodles, fish, citrus fruits, basket cakes, dumplings, and others.

• Comply with Food Abstinence

Porridge is a food that is prohibited from being served during Chinese New Year because porridge is considered a symbol of poverty. Apart from porridge, another taboo is turning the fish over while eating it. In Chinese New Year tradition, you are prohibited from taking fish meat at the bottom. They are also required to leave the fish they eat to be enjoyed the next day. They believe that this custom is a symbol of surplus value for the coming year.

• Pray

Prayers for ancestors who have passed away can be done at home one day before Chinese New Year. They do this by lighting incense and candles, and presenting food offerings such as fresh fruit, cakes, meat and drinks. Drinks served are usually in the form of tea and wine.

• Set Off Firecrackers and Fireworks

According to Chinese belief, burning firecrackers and fireworks right on Chinese New Year is a must to drive away bad luck in the previous year and hope for a happier and better new year. The loud sound of firecrackers and fireworks is what Nian is afraid of.

• Lion (Dragon) and Barongsai

Barongsai attractions are very popular and are always eagerly awaited, not only by the Chinese community, but also by the wider community. In Chinese belief, the Liong (dragon) and the Barongsai are symbols of happiness, bringers of good luck, and exorcists of evil spirits. Another purpose of the lion dance is to generate noise. A monster once appeared and destroyed a village in mainland China and frightened the residents there. In the midst of this anxiety, a lion appears which then chases away the monster. However, the monster returned to attack the village residents, so the residents disguised themselves as lions to scare off the monsters. Since then, the lion dance performance is still carried out as a symbol to ward off bad omens when the Chinese New Year celebrations are approaching.

• Distribute Angpao

Family members who are already married and have more fortune will give angpao (envelopes filled with money) to children and relatives who are not yet married. Those who are not married are prohibited from giving angpao. According to Chinese belief, it is feared that a single man or woman who gives angpao will have difficulty finding a mate. The money in the angpao that will be distributed cannot contain the number 4 in it and also cannot be odd. In Chinese the number four sounds like the word ‘dead’, while odd numbers relate to funerals.

• The Yu Sheng Tradition

Yu Sheng is a Chinese New Year food that is served on one plate and eaten together in the middle of the table. The snack contains various vegetables such as cucumber, radish, sliced cabbage, carrots, candied orange and pieces of fish meat. This menu must be presented and eaten with a prayer of gratefulness for the sustenance that has been given. Yu Sheng’s accompanying prayer aims for families who eat Yu Sheng to receive better fortune in the new year. The members sitting at the table will stir the food together and raise it high with chopsticks while saying “Lao Qi” or “Lao Hei”.

• Hanging Deity Accessories on Doors

There are Chinese New Year accessories that are often found on the walls or doors of houses. One of them is known as the mén shén which originated in the Tang Dynasty. This is an accessory for guarding the door which is well known as the ‘God of Doors’. The purpose is to ward off evil spirits in protecting family members.

• Share Chinese New Year Hampers

Chinese New Year is also identical with sharing hampers with family, friends and even co-workers. The hampers usually contain orange fruit, basket cakes, Korean cakes, and pastries. Variants of oranges commonly used range from small oranges of the Santang and Raja types to large oranges of the Ponkam and Lokam types. Now, there are special vegetarian hampers filled with mushrooms, longan, sweets, potato snacks, and abalone mushrooms.

• Expect Rain

Besides the color red, Chinese New Year is also identical with rain. Chinese people often expect rain during Chinese New Year. They consider rain to be a carrier of sustenance and also a blessing, as is the case with Chinese New Year traditions in Indonesia.