The first day of the Chinese New Year, which is called Yuan Dan (元旦), is one of the most anticipated days of the festival. After the meal, it is a tradition for family members to Shou Ye (守夜), meaning to stay up past midnight as this is believed to delay ageing and increase life expectancy for the elders. On the eve of Chinese New Year, families get together, also known as Tuan Yuan (团圆), which means “gathering around the family hearth” as a show of family solidarity. This explains why it is common to find them, alongside other flavourful goodies, in almost every home during the festival. The red colour of bak kwa represents good luck. In olden times, love letters were used by lovers to communicate messages of affection and the consumption of this pastry would symbolise that the words are taken to heart. Pineapple, also called Ong Lai in Hokkien means the “coming of fortune”. These snacks have significant meanings as well. A Chinese New Year celebration is hardly complete without feasting on pineapple tarts, love letters and barbecued pork slices (bak kwa). When it comes to Chinese New Year goodies, there are some delights that have found their way into the hearts of many Singaporeans. Leading up to Chinese New Year, it is a common practice to put up chun lian (春联), spring couplets of auspicious characters. And as much as most would love to keep their house clean throughout the festival, it is considered bad luck to sweep the floor or tidy the house during Chinese New Year as it symbolises sweeping away one’s wealth. Over time, it has evolved into the modern activity of spring cleaning.
But what is little-known is that it started as an exorcism ritual to expel illnesses. It is a well-known practice and typically involves cleaning the house, sweeping away dirt and removing unwanted items right before Chinese New Year. Common Practices of Chinese New Yearīefore the term “decluttering” became trendy in recent times, there was spring cleaning. On one particular Chinese New Year’s Eve, an old man came to the village and frightened away the Nian with loud sounds from drums and firecrackers, bright lights and the colour red, all of which the Nian was said to be afraid of.Īs time passed, more customs and practices have come to be associated with the celebration of Chinese New Year. These practices find their roots in the ancient legend of the mythical beast called the Nian (年).Īccording to folklore, on the eve of every Chinese New Year, the Nian would descend upon the nearby village and devour livestock and villagers.
Marked by lion dance performances with thunderous drum beats, the lighting of firecrackers and generous splashes of the colour red, Chinese New Year is traditionally celebrated in a roaring, vibrant manner. Because of this, it is also known as Lunar New Year. Chinese New Year is a 15-day celebration that starts on the first day of the Lunar calendar and ends on the fifteenth.