Lunar New Year traditions and customs for each day of the holiday, from food to haircuts

Are your loved ones in luck this year? See our predictions for all the zodiac signs in the Year of the Horse. With the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, just around the corner – the first day falls on February 17 this year – families around China have begun preparing for what is one of the most important events in the Chinese calendar. From cleaning to worshipping and buying festive goods, the whole country is gearing up to welcome the Year of the Horse. Among the preparations and festivities are traditions and customs people must observe to ensure an auspicious start to the new year. Many of these practices can be traced back more than 2,000 years, when rituals were performed for bountiful harvests and to ward off misfortune. Having evolved over the millennia, these traditions and customs vary slightly between north and south China. Here are the key ones to observe during the new year. The day before Lunar New Year’s Eve – February 15 Ahead of New Year’s Eve, you will see families busy decorating their homes with red items. Decorating symbols of joy and prosperity – such as Spring Festival couplets, new year drawings, paper cuttings and the character “fu” (fortune) – across doorways and windows is believed to ward off evil spirits and welcome a thriving new year. Interestingly, the character “fu” is pasted upside down on doors or walls in many places. In both Mandarin and Cantonese, “upsidedown” sounds like “to arrive”, so the upside down “fu” means good fortune has arrived. Lunar New Year’s Eve – February 16 In Chinese lore, the Kitchen God has lived in the family kitchen since the previous New Year’s Eve, observing and protecting the household. He returns to report what he has observed to the Jade Emperor on Little New Year (also called the Kitchen God Festival). To ensure a favourable report, families usually hold a send-off ceremony in the evening, preparing abundant offerings, especially sweet items like sugar, sugar cane and honey. The idea is believed to sweeten the god’s mouth, so he can speak only kind words about the family. Today, this custom is still preserved in many rural areas of China. The reunion dinner is a key family gathering. On New Year’s Eve, every family member strives to return home, no matter how far, to share the most abundant and important dinner of the year. Preparation starts in the morning. Each dish is carefully chosen for its auspicious symbolism. For example, fish symbolises “may you enjoy abundance every year”, lettuce sounds like “to generate wealth”, and tofu skin represents “wealth and fulfilment”. Following the dinner, or sometimes during it, you will see elders presenting the younger generation with red envelopes, also known as hong bao in Mandarin, or lai see in Cantonese. Containing lucky money, the packets are believed to protect children, ensuring their safety and well-being throughout the coming year. On New Year’s Eve, houses remain brightly lit, with lights kept on all night long. Families gather, chatting and sharing stories, and staying awake to welcome the new year. This is known as shou sui in Mandarin, which means “to guard the year”. In Chinese folklore, the perpetual light is to ensure the family’s future prosperity and to scare away evil spirits. First day of the New Year – February 17 In the morning, everyone dresses in new clothes to visit friends and family. You might be greeted with xin nian kuai le in Mandarin, or san nin faai lok in Cantonese, as people exchange good wishes for the new year. The visits usually begin with younger family members offering auspicious greetings to their elders to show respect and blessings. After, they go out to extend warm wishes to their neighbours and friends. No one should cut their hair on the first day of the new year. Folklore says that if you do, the uncles on your mother’s side will die. People in some regions still preserve this custom. However, we are encouraged to get a haircut on Dragon Head-Raising Day, which falls on the second day of the second lunar month. Cutting hair on this day is believed to be auspicious, predicting a good start to the new year.

Lunar New Year traditions and customs for each day of the holiday, from food to haircuts

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Lunar New Year dates back 2,000 years and has many customs and traditions. Find out what to do on each day and why

The day before Lunar New Year’s Eve – February 15

Lunar New Year dates back 2,000 years and has many customs and traditions. Find out what to do on each day and why