Customs and Celebration of Spring Festival

Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year,is the most important festival in China which is marked by customs, outrageous gift exchange and cerebrations based on Chinese Lunar Calendar. 

List of Chinese New Year Customs and Celebration

Laba

This is a traditions rooted from the Buddhist faith. In Chinese Laba means “gold eight” which is celebrated on the 8th day of the last lunar month. During this day unique rice porridge known as Laba Zhou is eaten.

From the story told, Sakyamuni left home and strived for virtue, which he collapsed because of hunger and tiredness, and a shepherdess passing by saved him and cooked some porridge with glutinous rice and nuts. Then Sakyamuni sat under a bodhi tree in meditation and found Buddhism, so later the believers formed the habit of cooking Laba Zhou to remember it.

In Addition, on the New Year Eve, Laba vinegar is prepared for Jiaozi. Garlic are skinned and put into vinegar, making it have a distinctive flavour as time passes by.

House Cleaning

Before the New Year Celebration, every Chinese household maintain sanitation in their houses by cleaning and sleeping away all the ill fortune to make a way for the incoming good luck. Doors and Windows are coated with red paints and decorate it with paper-cuts and couplets.

Sacrifices offered

Sacrifices are offered to the Kitchen God on the 24th day of the last lunar month. It is believe that during this time, the Kitchen God ascend to the heavens to give a report about the good and bad deeds of every family to Jade Emperor. Traditionally images of the Kitchen god are burned as a symbolic of departure to the heavens.

The Gate Gods

Placing gate gods on the external doors of houses is a tradition which is dated back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).The folktale says two generals, Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong, stood guard against ghosts outside the Emperor Taizhong’s bedroom. In zeal to sharing the protection of the “Gate Gods” paintings of Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong are made and placed on doors.

New Year Eve’s Feast

This is the time all members of the family come together at their parent’s home to have dinner made from Chicken, fish and bean curd. The Chinese New Year Eve’s Dinner means blessing, abundance and richness. While the Southern China people enjoys Nian-gao (cake made of sticky rice flour) the Northern part of China eats Jiaozi, dumpling

Setting off Firecrackers

This is the time excitement reaches its climax Chinese people sit together and watch TV to wait for midnight to come, people light firecrackers everywhere in Beijing and any other cities in China which seems like a war zone. It is believed that the sound and light helps to drive evil spirits away.

Lucky Money and Paying New Year's Visit

Early the next morning Children greet their parents and receive lucky money in red envelopes. This money is only paper and not coins since coins means bad lack for the coming year. Then family starts out to greet from door to door, first relatives and then neighbours which usually take several days, using the word “Gong Xi Fa Cai", and "Xin Nian Kuai Le" meaning “Congratulations and be Prosperous” and "Happy New Year" and with a great deal of exchange of gifts

Lantern Festival

This is an occasion which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. This is an occasions of lantern shows and folk dance which marks the end of the New Year Season which underlying a sincere which of peace and happiness for the family and friends.

During this day Beijing and any other cities in China are glitters in lanterns and colourful streamers. Temple Fairs now feature all kinds of Chinese folk arts and crafts, where you can taste numerous kinds of local snacks, court food and other dishes, and enjoy dragon parade and lion dances, waist drum dancing and other entertainments.