WHAT ARE THE TRADITIONS AND RITUALS OF CNY?

The Chinese New Year, or CNY, is a time for families to celebrate. It’s an opportunity to reconnect and get the new year off on the right foot. However, what are some of the traditions and rituals that are common among people here?

A lot of people might think that CNY is all about money because of how it’s celebrated. While it is true that many events happen during this celebration, they are some rules that guide the activities.

Find out some traditions and schedule of CNY in this blog post!

DAY-BY-DAY SCHEDULE OF CNY

23^rd day of 12^th lunar month (Jan. 25, 2022) – Worship Kitchen God

24^th day of 12^th lunar month (Jan. 26, 2022) – House Cleaning

25^th day of 12^th lunar month (Jan. 27, 2022) – Make Bean Curd

26^th day of 12^th lunar month (Jan. 28, 2022) – Buy Meat

27^th day of 12^th lunar month (Jan. 29, 2022) – Shopping & Bathing

28^th day of 12^th lunar month (Jan. 30, 2022) – Make Steamed Bread

29^th day of 12^th lunar month (Jan. 31, 2022) – New Year’s Eve

1^st day of 1^st lunar month (Feb. 1, 2022) – Chinese New Year

2^nd day of 1^st lunar month (Feb. 2, 2022) – Worship God of Wealth

3^rd day of 1^st lunar month (Feb. 3, 2022) – Stay at Home

5^th day of 1^st lunar month (Feb. 5, 2022) – Eat Dumplings

5 POPULAR CNY TRADITIONS

• Avoid unlucky words

No one wants to hear negative connotations on New Year’s Day. Do not use words related to death, disease, poverty, ghosts, etc. People resort to euphemisms when they need to talk about such a topic.

• Avoid number 4

During the lunar new year, avoid unlucky numbers consisting of 4 and 40, as 4 appears like death in Chinese.

• Avoid taking medicine

It is taboo to brew herbs and take medicine on the first day of Lunar New Year. Otherwise, it is believed that he/she will get sick all year round.

In one place, a sick person breaks a gallipot after midnight on New Year’s Eve and believes that this habit will drive away next year’s illness.

• Don’t sweep or take out garbage

On the new year, don’t sweep, as sweeping is interpreted as pushing wealth away. Taking out garbage symbolizes getting rid of the good luck or fortune from the house.

• Stay at home on the third day of CNY

The third day of CNY, in Chinese, is called Goat Day, when people are not allowed to kill sheep or goats. In parts of China, people don’t visit one another on this day as it is believed that fights are more likely to occur.

Happy CNY!