Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, is one of the most significant traditional festivals for the Chinese people.
From the meaning of the Lunar New Year to ancient traditional customs and the stories and taboos that have been passed down to this day, every detail embodies deep traditional culture and people’s reverence for the Heavens and deities.
Read on for a tour through the rich customs of the Chinese New Year, exploring their meanings to come to an understanding of this important and mysterious traditional festival.
What Is the Meaning of the Chinese New Year?
The Chinese New Year, as a traditional and vibrant festival, not only symbolizes new beginnings but also carries rich cultural traditions and profound historical origins, including family reunions and ancestor worship. It also represents people’s hopeful wishes for the coming year.
With the development of globalization, the festive atmosphere can be felt everywhere. However, for the Chinese, the Chinese New Year is not just a festival; it is a sense of belonging to home and family. It is a precious time to temporarily slow down and reunite with family, expressing gratitude and blessings.
For this special occasion, as the saying goes, “Whether rich or poor, go home for the New Year.” No matter where people are, they make efforts to return home, enjoying the warmth of family bonds, chatting with relatives and friends about life, envisioning the future, bidding farewell to the old year, and welcoming the arrival of the New Year together.
The Auspicious Meanings Behind Traditional Customs
The Chinese New Year is the most important festival for the Chinese people. While there are various ways to define the moment of entering the New Year, the real start is usually considered to be on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, known as Xiaonian or “Little New Year.”
From this day onward, households enter a busy phase of preparing for the Chinese New Year. The first to fifth days of the first lunar month mark the most lively and festive celebration period, and the successful conclusion of the Lunar New Year is usually on the 15th day, known as the Lantern Festival. This day is celebrated after enjoying round and full yuan xiao (sweet dumplings) to complete the festival.
Below are some important days and associated traditional customs during the Chinese New Year.
● The 23rd day: Sticky Candy Melon
On the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, known as Xiaonian or “Little New Year,” the most important traditional custom is worshiping the Kitchen God. Legend has it that each household has a Kitchen God who observes and records the good and evil deeds of every family member.
On the 23rd day, the Kitchen God ascends to Heaven to report to the Jade Emperor. Based on the Kitchen God’s report, the Jade Emperor decides the family’s fortune for the coming year. Therefore, people attach great importance to worshiping the Kitchen God.
With that said, how do we worship and send off the Kitchen God, so that the Kitchen God would speak more good words for our family and bring more blessings from Heaven? What is the relationship between the Kitchen God and candy?
Let’s listen to Grandmaster JinBodhi’s detailed explanation.
● The 24th day: Cleaning the House
The 24th day of the 12th lunar month is the day to sweep away dust. To avoid offending the gods, people choose this day after sending away the deities to thoroughly clean their homes. This signifies bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, getting rid of unknown misfortune and bad luck.
However, if there is an altar for Buddha or deities in the house, there is one thing that should not be cleaned. Grandmaster JinBodhi says that the ashes in the incense burner represent the family’s merit and virtue, so they should not be discarded; instead, they should be collected in a bag.
In Tibetan Buddhism, ashes can be used to create a protective boundary. For example, one can recite mantras over the ashes and sprinkle them at the four outside corners of the house, keeping away any evil spirits.
● The 28th day: Kneading Dough and 29th day: Steaming Buns
These two days are dedicated to preparing a lot of staple foods, with steaming being the primary cooking method, symbolizing prosperity. For example, steamed buns and steamed rice cakes are prepared, and they are suitable for offering to ancestors and sharing with family and friends during the New Year.
It is believed that from the first to the fifth day of the New Year, cooking food using fire is prohibited, according to old customs. Additionally, “kneading” the dough symbolizes various auspicious meanings, such as becoming prosperous and successful.
● New Year’s Eve: Worshiping Ancestors, Staying Up Late, Welcoming the New Year
New Year’s Eve, also known as the 30th of the 12th lunar month, could be the 29th day of the 12th lunar month if the 29th of the month is the last day of the year. In any case, New Year’s Eve is the last day of the lunar year, symbolizing bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.
On this day, families typically paste up red couplets, Fu (Blessing) characters, and Door Guardians in the early morning, symbolizing peace and auspiciousness and prayers for good luck in the New Year. Every year, Grandmaster JinBodhi releases handwritten couplets, Fu characters, and Door Guardians designed by Bodhi Meditation to share with the public, hoping to bring about auspicious blessings.
To learn about the origin of Door Guardians and the stories of how they ward off evil spirits, feel free to listen to Grandmaster JinBodhi’s teaching.
While celebrating the joyous arrival of the New Year with family reunions, it’s essential not to forget about the ancestors. In Northern China, it is customary to perform ancestor worship at the gravesite on the afternoon of the last day of the lunar year and invite them to spend the New Year at home. If the family is in a different location, distance offering can also be conducted.
For guidance on the methods and considerations of making offerings to ancestors, please refer to Grandmaster JinBodhi’s recommendations.
On New Year’s Eve, people set off firecrackers, making dumplings, having New Year’s Eve dinner, and staying up late to welcome the New Year; it is the warmest and happiest time for families. The beautiful fireworks not only add joy and a festive atmosphere to the Lunar New Year, but the crisp explosion noises also drive away evil spirits and obstacles from the old year, symbolizing a peaceful and auspicious welcome to the New Year. Some people even change into new clothes on New Year’s Eve to welcome a fresh start. New clothes are usually in shades of red because red signifies blessings and warding off evil spirits. Especially for those in their zodiac birth year and those who clash with their tai sui, they have to wear red at Chinese New Year. Grandmaster JinBodhi has a special explanation about the significance of red during the Lunar New Year in a live broadcast. Wearing the “Dragon Rises” red T-shirt designed by Grandmaster JinBodhi in the Year of the Dragon brings blessings and protection from Heavenly protectors, warding off evil spirits and ensuring safety.
● The first to the fifth days: Following Customs for a Good Start
The first day of the first lunar month is New Year’s Day, suitable for getting up early to start the year with auspicious greetings. At home, it is natural for the younger generation to greet the elders, and the elders give red envelopes to the younger ones, symbolizing warding off evil spirits. Going out to visit relatives and neighbors to exchange sincere blessings is known as “going on a spring stroll.”
The second day, known as “Welcoming the Son-in-Law Day,” is when married daughters return to their parents’ homes with their husbands and have lunch. They need to return to their own homes before dinner because of the custom of not leaving the house empty during the Lunar New Year.
The third day, commonly known as “Red Dog Day,” is believed to be a time when the god in charge of legal disputes descends to the human realm, making it unsuitable to go out for New Year visits. The third day also has the custom of “sleeping in and going to bed early,” so it is a day suitable for resting at home.
The fourth day marks the return of the gods to the human realm, also known as “Welcoming the Gods Day.” There is a custom that tells us to “send gods early, welcome gods late.” Therefore, people usually send the gods back to Heaven on the morning of the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month and then welcome household gods, the God of Kitchen, the God of Wealth, etc., back home on the afternoon of the fourth day.
The fifth day is known as “Breaking the Fifth,” where people set off firecrackers and open doors and windows, symbolizing the removal of some Lunar New Year taboos. The fifth day is also the day when businesses resume work, and shops reopen. Bringing the God of Wealth back a day early signifies a prosperous business and financial prosperity for the New Year.
Why do we paste up couplets and set off firecrackers during the Chinese New Year?
Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a monster called “Nian” which had the head of a lion and the body of a fish, covered in scales, and which was extremely fierce. It usually hid in the deep mountains, only coming out to hunt every New Year’s Eve, destroying crops, devouring livestock, and even attacking villagers, bringing enormous disasters to the village. The villagers lived in constant fear, especially as the year’s end was approaching.
Finally, one year later, the villagers decided to gather to devise a plan to counter the monster. Suddenly, a wise old man appeared and revealed three weaknesses of the monster: fear of red, fear of light, and fear of loud noises. So, on that New Year’s Eve, every household closed their doors and windows tightly, affixed red paper to their doors and windows, lit torches around their houses, and continuously beat drums and gongs. When the Nian arrived at the village, it was frightened by the sudden brightness and loud noises, turning and fleeing. From then on, it dared not invade the village again.
Therefore, every New Year’s Eve, people paste up red couplets, hang up red lanterns, and set off firecrackers and fireworks. On one hand, this is to commemorate the wisdom and courage of the ancient people who successfully repelled the monster. On the other hand, it is in the hope that these actions will bring good luck and ward off evil spirits, welcoming a year of auspiciousness and peace. Over time, these customs have evolved into indispensable cultural elements of the Chinese New Year.
Extra Reading: New Year Custom Stories – The Origin of Door Guardians
Chinese New Year Taboos
During the Chinese New Year period, in addition to traditional celebrations, it is customary to avoid certain taboo behaviors to ensure good luck and prosperity in the coming year.
The main Chinese New Year taboos include:
- Avoid sweeping or taking out the trash from the first to the fourth day of the Lunar New Year to prevent the loss of good luck and wealth.
- Avoid cutting hair in the first month. There is a saying: “Cutting hair in the Lunar New Year will lead to the death of a maternal uncle.” Although this may not literally prove true, the implication is dangerous, so it is best to avoid haircutting.
- Avoid saying inauspicious words, crying, and engaging in conflicts, as well as partaking in any negative conversations or actions.
- Avoid visiting friends and relatives empty-handed. When visiting friends and family to wish them a Happy New Year, it is best to bring gifts or red envelopes as a sign of respect and blessings.
- Avoid taking medicine, especially on New Year’s Eve and the first day of the Lunar New Year.
- Avoid breaking furniture. If something is accidentally broken, it should be quickly remedied with auspicious words, such as “peace and safety every year.”
Regarding the details and reasons behind Lunar New Year taboos, you can listen to Grandmaster JinBodhi’s explanations.
Bodhi Meditation | Understanding Chinese New Year Customs for a Prosperous Year
Chinese New Year is a festival with a long history and rich traditions. However, with the constant changes in society and culture, the ways people celebrate the Lunar New Year have become diverse, and traditional customs seem to be less emphasized. In fact, traditional customs are not just memories of the past; they connect the past and the future, combining tangible and intangible energies. They are the precious experiences accumulated by generations of people who wish to avoid misfortune and seek blessings, and they contain the wisdom of our ancestors.
Therefore, during such a significant festival as Chinese New Year, Grandmaster JinBodhi especially reminds everyone to try to follow traditional customs, especially avoiding behaviors that are considered taboo at this time. It is essential not to test fate in case of brings disastrous consequences upon oneself and loved ones. On the contrary, by respecting these customs, showing reverence to the Heavens and deities, and honoring ancestors and parents, along with having a heart full of gratitude, performing good deeds, and accumulating merits, one can naturally receive blessings and protection from gods and ancestors. In this way, one can promote family prosperity and wealth, and usher in a year of good fortune.
