Explore the most important traditional festival customs from the Twelfth Lunar Month to the First Lunar Month
On Laba Festival, people drink Laba congee, which is a traditional Chinese custom. Laba congee is made from various ingredients, symbolizing harvest and good fortune.
The 24th of the Twelfth Lunar Month is traditionally known as "Dust Sweeping Day". On this day, every household conducts a thorough cleaning, sweeping the house and clearing dust from every corner, symbolizing the removal of bad luck and welcoming the new spring. There's a saying, "On the 24th, it's house cleaning day".
According to folk legend, after the Kitchen God ascends to heaven, the Jade Emperor personally descends to the mortal world on the 25th of the Twelfth Lunar Month to inspect good and evil and determine fortunes for the coming year. On this day, people are cautious in their behavior and speech, striving to make a good impression to gain the Jade Emperor's favor and blessings for the new year.
On the 26th of the Twelfth Lunar Month, there's a custom of "slaughtering pigs and cutting New Year's meat". On this day, people would slaughter their home-raised pigs and divide the meat, partly for their own family's use during the New Year period, and partly to share with relatives and friends. This practice not only ensures sufficient meat for the Spring Festival but also embodies the spirit of mutual help and sharing among neighbors.
In traditional customs, these two days are dedicated to concentrated bathing and laundry, removing the past year's bad luck and preparing to welcome the new spring. There's a saying: bathing on the 26th is "washing for good fortune and prosperity", and "on the 27th, wash away misfortune".
The 28th of the Twelfth Lunar Month is the traditional day for steaming New Year cake. "New Year cake" sounds like "higher year" in Chinese, symbolizing improvement year after year. On this day, every household steams New Year cakes, rice cakes, and other traditional foods to stock up for the Spring Festival and to express good wishes for the new year.
Chinese New Year's Eve is the night before the Spring Festival, when families gather for the reunion dinner and stay up late to welcome the new year. On New Year's Eve, people paste Spring Festival couplets, hang New Year paintings, set off firecrackers, and pay respects to ancestors.
Spring Festival is the most important traditional holiday in China. On this day, people wear new clothes, eat dumplings, set off firecrackers, visit relatives and friends, and give red envelopes to younger generations. It's taboo to sweep the floor on the first day to avoid sweeping away good fortune. People should be mindful of their words and actions, speaking only auspicious phrases.
The second day of the lunar month is when married daughters visit their parents' home. Married daughters bring their husbands and children back to their maiden home, reuniting with parents, bringing New Year gifts, and enjoying family time together.
The third day of the lunar month is known as the "Day of the Red Dog". Folk belief suggests it's not suitable for New Year visits on this day. People usually stay at home to rest or tidy up the house, preparing for the new year's life.
The fourth day of the lunar month is when people welcome the Kitchen God back home. People prepare food and wine offerings, praying to the Kitchen God for a safe, smooth, and happy new year for the family.
The fifth day of the lunar month is for welcoming the God of Wealth, symbolizing good fortune in the new year. On this day, people prepare incense, fruits, and other offerings to respectfully welcome the God of Wealth, praying for prosperity in the new year.
The sixth day of the lunar month has the custom of "Sending off Poverty", symbolizing bidding farewell to poor fortune. On this day, people start to remove festival decorations and resume normal work and life, also symbolizing the end of the festive atmosphere.
The seventh day of the lunar month is "Renri", traditionally believed to be the birthday of humanity. On this day, people eat seven-treasure congee and longevity noodles, symbolizing abundance and longevity. There's a saying, "All things prosper on Human Day".
The eighth day of the lunar month is "Grain Day", a day to worship the God of Five Grains. Farming families prepare various grains for offerings, praying for a bountiful harvest and full granaries in the new year.
The ninth day of the first lunar month is the birthday of the Jade Emperor, commonly known as "Tiangong's Birthday". On this day, people prepare incense, candles, and offerings to worship the Jade Emperor, praying for favorable weather, national peace, and prosperity.
The tenth day of the first lunar month is commonly known as "Stone Birth", considered the birthday of stones. On this day, people avoid activities that use stones, such as knife sharpening or scissor grinding, as a sign of respect.
The eleventh day of the first lunar month is also known as "Son-in-law's Day", when sons-in-law visit their parents-in-law. In the past, newly married couples would bring gifts to the bride's family home on this day to pay New Year's respects, expressing their respect and gratitude to the parents-in-law.
On this day, people start to set up lantern sheds and make lanterns, preparing for the upcoming Lantern Festival. Households also begin to prepare festive foods like tangyuan (sweet rice balls) to celebrate the approaching Lantern Festival.
"Lighting Up" means that on this evening, every household lights up lanterns and hangs them in front of doors or under eaves. Traditionally, people light lamps under the kitchen stove on this day, called "lighting the stove lamp". It's believed that in ancient times, the Kitchen God would descend to inspect the mortal world on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month.
To welcome the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, people light up lanterns on the fourteenth to check if they are in good condition, praying for family harmony and career success in the new year.
This is the first full moon night of the new year, hence named "Yuanxiao Festival", also known as Shangyuan Festival, Yuanxi, Tianguan Festival, Little New Year, or Spring Lantern Festival. It marks the last day of the Spring Festival celebrations, featuring temple fairs, lantern appreciation, lantern riddles, eating tangyuan, dragon and lion dances.
"Walking Off Hundred Diseases", also known as touring, dispersing, or roasting off hundred diseases, and bridge walking, is an activity to dispel disasters and pray for health. This day also marks the complete end of the Spring Festival, gradually returning to normal life rhythms. The moon on this night is also the fullest, as the saying goes: "The fifteenth moon is fullest on the sixteenth".