Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

The Chinese New Year, or Xuan Tiet, is the most important festival in China. The Lunar New Year usually lasts for 15 days from the first day of the first lunar January, and ranges from January 21 to February 21. During the Chinese New Year, the Chinese will often decorate their homes, parade soldiers, sing traditional folk songs, and host banquets. If you want to participate in the Chinese New Year celebrations, you must pay attention to the following points in order to be able to participate in the festivals and at the same time pay respect to the Chinese tradition.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Preparing for the Lunar New Year

1. 

   Clean the house. This tradition is practiced with the belief that cleaning the house at this time of the year will "wipe out the bad omens, unfortunate" accumulated throughout the old year. The house is cleaned to be ready for the good luck that will come in the new year.
   • Cleanliness and fresh air are also an important part of Tet holiday; Many even get a haircut, or a new one.
   • Are not house sweeping at the beginning of the new year. Because in traditional belief, doing so will "sweep away" the luck you have just received. After the first 15 days, or at least the first few days of the new year if you cannot wait, you will be allowed to clean.

2. 

   
   
   Decorate the house with red color. According to Chinese culture, red is seen as a color or symbol of good fortune and is often used to decorate the new year. The number "8" is also considered a symbol of luck and wealth, as in Chinese the number 8 is pronounced closer to the word "pronounced" - meaning prosperity and wealth.
   • Stick the paper on the window pane The stickers are often paintings depicting pictures of rural life or Chinese mythology, and ordinary people have a tradition of placing windows facing south and north.
   • Displaying pictures and works of art about the New Year. Traditionally, these works have images of well-being and prosperity, including animals and fruit. According to custom, you can stick a picture of a "guarding god" on your door, to help fight off evil spirits and bring blessings to your home.
   • Hang the sentence. You can write your own couplets on the theme of springtime or buy a Chinese calligraphy printed on red paper.
   • Hanging paper lanterns. Lanterns with red stickers are an indispensable part of the new year.
   • Paint your door, door frame, or window glass in red!

3. 

   
   
   Add decorations. Display handicrafts and artworks with food bowls, flowers, and sweets.
   • Leave flowers around the house, like a lotus. The lotus symbolizes rebirth and new development.
   • Place tangerines all over the house.Tangerines with their leaves still intact are a fruit that symbolizes happiness in the new year. Let the tangerines follow an even number and eat them in pairs for good luck.
   • Present a tray with 8 candies. Number 8 is a lucky number. You can leave any kind of candy on your tray, or traditional Chinese sweets made with lotus seeds, longan, peanuts, coconut, cantaloupe seeds, pickled pickles.

4. 

   
   
   Take Mr. Apple back to heaven. Seven days before the Lunar New Year (December 23 of lunar calendar), Mr. Tao will go back to heaven to discuss with Ngoc Hoang about the business and manners of families below the world. So keep the best attitude towards Mr. Tao and prepare offerings including fruit, candy, water, and other foods to worship Mr. Tao. Some people even burned a picture of Mr. Tao to bring him up into the sky through the smoke.
   • In some localities, it is customary for people to leave tofu for two days after worshiping Ong Tao and then eat up the bad smelling residue to prove to Ngoc Hoang that they are very economical when he comes to verify the report. Tao God. You can replace this custom with the delicious tofu portion if you want!
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Part 2 of 4: Celebrate Chinese New Year

1. 

   Dress formally. This is a very good time to wear traditional Chinese clothes. Traditional Chinese clothing (made from silk) can be purchased at Chinatown. Coupled with joy, happiness, luck, prosperity and well-being, red clothes will ensure that you have fully expressed the spirit of the New Year. In addition to red, yellow is also a color used a lot on New Year's Eve, or you can learn to combine both colors.
   • Avoid wearing a whole black tree during Tet. Black represents bad luck, and even death. This is a time of good luck and revival!

2. 

   Go to temple. Chinese people often go to temples or temples to pray for good luck on Tet. They will light their faces and pray. Most temples welcome everyone, not just the Chinese.
   • You can find lucky tattoos near the entrances to temples or pagodas. Pray for a tattoo hex, then shake the tube until a card falls out. A fortune teller will explain the hexagram to you.

3. 

   Firecrackers. Fireworks are usually lit at midnight on New Year's Eve - the transition between the old year is the new year. Firecrackers used in China and Hong Kong often have very loud explosions, and fireworks are mainly lit on the ground. The loud explosions of firecrackers scare evil spirits, preventing them from bringing bad luck.
   • Many people keep fireworks for 15 consecutive days, or at least the first 4-8 days of the new year, before they return to work. In areas inhabited by Chinese people, you will hear a lot of firecrackers, and the atmosphere is very bustling for their new year!
   • It is possible that some localities and countries prohibit individuals from burning fireworks, if so you can watch the official state fireworks.

4. 

   Red packets of money in a red envelope. Adults will give lucky money to children. Sometimes they also give lucky money to employees or friends.

5. 

   Ancestor Worship. To show gratitude and respect for what your ancestors did for you. There are many traditional customs to show your gratitude, such as bow to an ancestor's grave or altar or prepare food and drink to worship your ancestors.

6. 

   Happy chatting with each other. Tet is a time of happiness and luck and also a time to share the joy with each other. Avoid fighting, scuffle, or negative attitudes in the new year. These will bring bad luck.
   • Regularly visit your relatives and friends to celebrate the New Year together.
   • Greet each other with "Gong Xi" greeting. "Gong Xi" means "Congratulations!" Alternatively, you can use a slightly longer greeting, like "Gong Hei Fat Choi" in Cantonese or "Gong Xi Fa Chai" in Mandarin.
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Part 3 of 4: Enjoying Traditional Cuisine

1. 

   Learn how to cook traditional Chinese food. The main party will be held on New Year's Eve, the time before the start of the new year. There may be a lot of traditional dishes, but only a few with special meaning:
   • Alcohol, a traditional Chinese drink, and radish represent longevity.
   • Red chili is the symbol of luck.
   • Rice shows harmony.
   • Fish, chicken, or other small animals are usually whole cooked and cut right at the table. This reminds us of unity and prosperity.

2. 

   Prepare dumplings for the Lantern Festival. Chinese people often make dumplings with different types of filling to eat during this festival (on the full moon day of the first lunar month).
   • Each type of dumpling has a special role in the Chinese New Year celebrations because their shapes resemble those of ancient Chinese gold or silver bars.

3. 

   Prepare the party yourself. If you don't want to book a party at a Chinese restaurant, try cooking your own Chinese New Year celebrations:
   • Processing dumplings. People often use a large amount of cabbage or radish to make the dumpling filling with a sense of prosperity. If you like, you can hide a coin or something in a dumpling cake, and whoever gets it will be the lucky one.
   • DIY spring roll. Spring roll, also known as Spring roll, is named after the Spring Festival (Xuan Tiet). So, this is a great time to eat spring rolls!
   • Cook many fish related dishes. Fish is a symbol of prosperity. Cook fish dishes and not eat them all (the rest are left overnight) - for good luck!
   • Fry cake pot sticker. Pot sticker is a kind of dumpling cake, all kinds of dumplings are very popular in Chinese New Year party.
   • Cook noodles with peanut sauce. Long, chewy noodles are a symbol of longevity and can be served with any sauce.
   • Cook shrimp with Chinese lobster sauce. This is a snack that is served after the main course. There are also plenty of recipes ranging from traditional Chinese dishes to new Sino-American fusion recipes that you can learn.
   • Processing "tea eggs". Although there is no special association with the Chinese New Year, it is the only Chinese dish that has both been used as decorations and as appetizers.
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Part 4 of 4: See Parade

1. 

   Find information about parades in your locality. You can look up information about the Chinese New Year's march online or through local newspapers. Occasionally such parades are held on the first weekend of the new year instead of on New Year's Day, or not even during New Year's Eve.
   • Remember to bring your camcorder, and wear warm if the weather is cold!
   • Good luck if you live near San Francisco, where the Chinese New Year parade is often held, which is Asia's oldest and largest parade.

2. 

   Watch the parade on television or online. In the United States, major parades are typically broadcast on local or regional television. In China, China Central Television (CCTV) annually attracts hundreds of millions of people to watch the Spring Festival Gala at midnight.

3. 

   Watch for special performances. Besides firecrackers, signature dishes, activities, and music, the New Year parade is also an opportunity to see dragon and lion costume dancers perform.
   • Dragon dancers are often very skillful and rhythmic with each other, each holding a long stick to control a long, colorful dragon. The dragon is a common icon in Chinese mythology, and is considered a revered symbol of the nation and its people.
   • The two lion dancers are both dressed in costumes depicting the shape of a large lion. The lion is a symbol of power and majesty in Chinese mythology, but the lion dance is often modeled after comic books, such as the story of a silly monk helping the lion. Look for a piece of lettuce.
   • Both lion dancers dance to the rhythm of traditional Chinese drums.

4. 

   Holding Lantern Festival. On the full moon day of the first lunar month, many games will be held amidst countless beautifully decorated paper lanterns. Some cities also make huge works of art out of many lanterns.
   • Many even write quizzes on lanterns for children to solve.
   • This is the time when the Chinese often eat sweet dumpling filled with a variety of ingredients, often called tangyuan or yuanxiao.
   • Light a candle on this day to bring many deities into your home.
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Advice

• Decorative themes commonly used in China are fish, lantern, lion, dragon, god of fortune, and the zodiac symbol of the New Year.
• There are many ways to celebrate the Chinese New Year, from separate folk festivals during each holiday to the traditions of the localities in each particular region in China. Don't be surprised if you find that each locality has a different custom to celebrate the Lunar New Year, try to learn more about the different forms of New Year's Eve if you go there.
• If you are a believer, pray. Bridge the dead and the various Chinese gods. Traditionally, there will be a number of days dedicated to prayer.
• Some decorative trees bring good luck:
  • Peach blossoms symbolize luck
  • Kumquat and narcissus symbolize prosperity
  • Chrysanthemum symbolizes long life

Warning

• If your country forbids the burning of firecrackers then you should not set off the firecrackers, otherwise you will run into trouble with the authorities. Countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya and the United States are countries that have regulations that completely ban firecrackers or prohibit burning in some areas.