The celebrations of Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year) stretch over 15 days and begin with preparations of up to one month prior to the start of celebration.
 

One Month Before

On the 24th day of the 12th month of the Lunar calendar is Xiao Guo Nian (meaning “Little New Year”), which is when the festivities begin. It’s believed that on this day the household deities report to Yu Huang or “Jade Emperor”, the supreme ruler of Heaven and Earth. Special food offerings are provided for Zao Jun (“Kitchen God”) so that he may speak well of the family. Although it is not allowed in Singapore today, it is customary to then light firecrackers to bid farewell to the deities. It is also during this time that spring-cleaning begins.
 

Spring-cleaning

The home is swept clean prior to the Chinese New Year celebrations and traditionally bamboo leaves are used in the belief that this would drive out evil spirits. It is also a taboo to sweep on Lunar New Year’s Day itself since it’s believed that you will allow good luck be swept away in the process. Festive decorations and symbols such as pots of kumquat and flowers are put up to brighten up the home. Red scrolls and posters with auspicious sayings are also placed at the doorway. New clothes and an accompanying hairdo are must-do’s during this period as well.
 

New Year’s Eve

The family reunion dinner and ancestor worship are the two most important highlights of the celebrations on the eve of the New Year. The New Year is traditionally ushered in at 11:00 pm but modern families, especially in Singapore, have adopted the12:00 am timing.

The spirits of ancestors are invited to join in the family’s celebrations too. Before family members sit down to a reunion dinner, it is customary for them to worship their ancestors with an offering of food, fruits, tea and flowers. The form of worship may differ according to an individual’s religion. But in traditional Chinese homes, members pray before ancestral tablets, which are believed to be the homes of the ancestors.
 

Reunion dinner

The reunion dinner is an annual feast when family members reaffirm the love and respect that bind them together as a unit. It is known as tuan yuan (also known as wei lu, meaning “gathering around the family hearth”). Traditionally, all sons return to their parental homes for the occasion and married daughters share the tables of their husband’s families. For this meal, the best food is served regardless of whether the family is rich or poor, since the Chinese believe that having plenty of food during tuan yuan would bring the family great material wealth in the new year. Tuan yuan delicacies include abalone soup, chicken, mushrooms, duck, fish, chap chye (“mixed vegetables”), roast pork and steamboat.
 

New Year vigil

Children are encouraged to stay awake till midnight and beyond to send off the “old” year and welcome the “new”. Many children do this to wish their parents a loving Happy New Year early in the morning. Also, some Chinese believe that the longer the children keep awake, the longer their lives or the lives of their parents. In return, the young ones get hong bao, traditional red packets containing money, before going to bed.
 

Welcoming God of Wealth

It is also common among the more traditional Chinese to offer joss sticks to welcome the God of Wealth and by praying at temples. Many consult the almanac for the most favourable hour and direction to receive this deity, usually between 11:00 pm and 6:00 am the next morning.
 

First Day (New Year’s Day)

The first day of the New Year is known as Yuan Dan . It is the first of 15 days marked out for visitations, with close and senior family members visited on this first day.
 

Second Day

The second day is traditionally a time for married women to visit their maiden home and renew ties with their family. During this period, known as Thoa Ya, the God of Wealth is welcomed. This and the 16th day (known as Wei Ya) are the best “feast” days for employees. On the work front, the Wei Ya feast is not only a sumptuous meal for employees but also a bonus for their hard work during the year. Besides being a reward for a year of work, the bonuses are to make workers happy as grim faces are a taboo during the festival.
 

Third Day

Known as the “Loyal Dog Day”, the third day is a day of rest. No visits are made nor are visitors received, as it is believed that evil spirits roam the earth this day and it would invite bad luck to be outdoors. Thus conservative Chinese businesses do not open until after the fifth day.
 

Seventh Day

The seventh day is Ren Ri or Yan-Yat (meaning “Birthday of Man”, “Day of Man”, “Day of Humanity” or “Everyman’s Birthday”). In early times, the urban Chinese based their forecast of the country’s condition for the year on this day’s weather. Customs in celebrating the day vary from place to place. In Singapore and Malaysia, yu sheng or “raw fish” is served.
 

Ninth Day

The birthday of the Jade Emperor falls on the ninth day. The Jade Emperor is also known as Yu Huang or Yu Huang Ta Ti, and is identified as the God of Heaven by the majority of the Chinese. He is said to have been born several millennia before our era as the offspring of the king and queen of the kingdom known as Kuang Yen Miao Yo.
 

Fifteenth Day

The 15th day marks the first full moon of the New Year. It is known as Yuan Xiao Jie, meaning “first night of the full moon” (Hokkiens call it Chap Ngor Mei, meaning “15th Night”). Another reunion dinner is held with lanterns and oranges being a large part of the celebrations.