Taboo on the Chinese New Year Day.

There are some taboo on the Chinese New Year Day.
•Since everybody is in a festival mood under a joyful and hilarious atmosphere, people shouldn't argue each other. Also parents shouldn't scold or punish the children. Otherwise, you will have more argument in the new year.
•Women shouldn't use knife or shear in the kitchen, which indicates evil, anger, danger and cutting out the luck. As a result, women don't cook new dishes on this day, people eat meals from the leftover.
•Breaking dish plate, bowel or cup means bad money luck coming. In case that happens, then Chinese put all broken pieces in a round container until the coming trash day.
•A married women should go back to her mother home, otherwise her mother family will get poorer.
•To sweep the floor or dump the trash will take away the wealth and luck from the house.
•Don't have a lunch nap at noon, otherwise people will be lazy year long.
•To wash the hair will wash your good luck away.
•Don't wear in black or white to visit friends, because black and white are funeral color in China
•People shouldn't visit friend's house, if they have a family member newly past away.
•Don't eat rice porridge in the morning breakfast, otherwise you won't get rich because only poor people eat rice porridge in the past.
•Don't eat meat in the morning breakfast, because many gods who are vegetarians arrive New Year Day festival in the morning.
•Don't wake up people by calling their names, otherwise that sleeping person needs people's push all year long.
•Don't eat unnecessary medicine, otherwise you will become unhealthy this year.
•Don't wash clothes, because New Year Day is the birthday of the god of Water.
•If someone owes you money, do not ask for the money back on this day. Otherwise, you will do it often in the rest of the year

After dinner, that's a exciting time for the children. They are waiting for New Year's Hong Bao, which is a Red Envelope containing the brand-new money. Adult or parents will hand out the Red Envelopes to children, unmarried immediate family and their parents before going to the bed. Children will put all Red Envelopes under the pillow when sleeping. They said children can sleep well without bad dream and become richer next year. The family expense increase sharply during Chinese New Year period. Usually, Chinese receive year-end bonus about one or two month salary pay. (The lucky one can even have one year salary) from the company before Chinese New Year holiday. Therefore most family can afford a better food, clothing and decoration for Chinese New Year. Banks will prepare many brand new bills for people to exchange. That's why all the lucky money in the Red Envelope are brand-new.

The Second Day of Chinese New Year Festival - The Day of Son-In-Law
Many Chinese families worship the God of Land every 2nd and 16th lunar day. This is the first time of the year to worship the God of Land with animal offerings and ask for safety and luck. Some Chinese will eat dumpling because its shape like ancient Chinese money - gold ingot.
The big event for this day is that a married woman can return her mother home. Usually, the newlywed woman's brother will come to take her sister home in the morning. The husband must escort his newlywed wife to see parents-in-law. Certainly, the married woman needs to prepare Red Envelopes for her parents, nephews and nieces. The lunch time is their reunion dinner. The married couples will leave after 3:00 PM. Long time ago, married woman will bring back a pair of sugar cane and a pair of chicken. Sugar cane stands for the sweet marriage life. The chicken stands for more children.
Some married women's parents past away, then they either stay husband house or return to her eldest brother's home.
If every married woman returns her mother home on the 2nd lunar day, then the husband house might be without women's hands to entertain his married sisters. Therefore, some married women return home on the third lunar day.

The Third Day of Chinese New Year Festival - The Red-Dog Day and Mice Wedding Day
The third lunar day of the year is Red Dog day according to Chinese Farmer's Calendar. Red Dog is the name of the God of Anger, who brings bad luck to people. So people don't like to go out on this day, otherwise they can lose temper easily and have argument with others. Actually, After 2-day celebrating, eating, drinking, playing, gambling, many people are tired and might get up very late. They said that if people want to work on this day, they won't get much progress. Therefore, the Red Dog day is a good excuse for people need a rest.
They also said that people should turn off the light and go to bed early, because the night is the Mice's Wedding Day and we shouldn't disturb them. The other saying is we want to make it dark, so mice have difficulty to making the wedding, which can slow down mice's breeding. In the old farmer society, people will leave a few of rice or cake in the corner of a room for the mice at night.
Anyway, to get up late and turn in early is for those people who were busy to prepare for Chinese New Year festival since last December have a chance to take a break.
Some people bring trash, which accumulates since Chinese New Year Eve, outside the house on this day. They said that's to sweep out the Poor Spirit from the house.
The 4th Day of Chinese New Year Festival - Welcome the God of Stove Back
On the 24th of 12th lunar month, The God of Stove went back the Heaven to report his duty. The God of Stove will return the house on the 4th lunar day of Chinese New Year.
Since the Heaven is far away from the Earth, it will take almost a day for The God of Stove to travel down to Chinese family's kitchen. The God of Stove must leave the Heaven in the morning. He should arrive people hose in the afternoon. Therefore, the Welcome Ceremony will be in the afternoon. This same to the Farewell day, Chinese prepare animal sacrifices, fruit, food, cake and wine to worship The God of Stove. After the Welcome Ceremony, Chinese family will explore firecracker to welcome The God of Stove back into the house.



The 5th Day of Chinese New Year Festival - Open Business Day - Welcome the God of Wealth

After 4-day vacation, people are ready to go back to work. Most of companies will open business on the 5th lunar day. Many Chinese always select an auspicious hour from Chinese Farmer's Calendar to open the company door. Religious company owners will worship the Gods of Wealth with animal sacrifices before opening business. After the ceremony, they will explode a long firecracker to get people's attention. Today, some cities ban the firecrackers, people play the recoding sound of firecrackers from tape or DVD players.

The lion dance team will parade on the street with the sound of drums, cymbals and firecracker. They are waiting the stores to invite them to have a lion dance for the opening business. Then lion dance team wish the store have a prosperous business to bring in wealth and treasure all year long. So they will be rewarded a Red Envelope from the store owner after the performance.

Sometimes, we can see someone wearing the God of Wealth's mascot to ask Red Envelope from the opening stores. Many store owners are reluctant to give away the Red Envelope. But no store wants to expel the God of Wealth away.

The exploding sound of the firecracker tells people the company is ready for business and ask people to come into the door. Usually the first customer might get a Red Envelope from the store owner. It's very important that a company cannot fail the first transaction of the year.

The New Year Greeting Party of schools, big corporations or government departments should be held on New Year Day. But many people don't want to spend valuable time on the New Year day; so many organizations move the New Year Greeting hours on this day.

Also, the 5th lunar day is a trash day. All trashes collected from the New Year Day Eve, finally, can get rid of it from the house. Everything should return to normal.

Who is the God of Wealth? There are more than one the Gods of Wealth


The 6th Day of Chinese New Year Festival - Clear-Water Master Day (The God of Pig Day)

This day is the death anniversary of the Clear-Water Grand Master. The Master was a monk in Sung dynasty. He prayed for rain many times to save people during the drought. He persuaded people to build many bridges and to plant trees. Many miracle events happened after his death. Once he lived at Clear-Water Rock Mountain. So people call him Clear-Water Grand Master. His temple will have a big ceremony on this day. Many people are still on holiday vacation and will go to attend the ceremony.

In the agriculture society, before the the toilet age, Chinese farmers called someone to clean the manure pit every 3 to 5 days. This is the day to clean the manure pit.

In Taiwan, there is a contest for the title of the God of Pig at the temple of Clear-Water Grand Master. The heaviest pig can win the title. The 2007 winner pig was close to 2000 lbs. All the contest pigs will be killed, haircut, colored and shown their back on the truck. Because the God of Pig is so heavy, the owner can sell pork for more than a million Taiwanese dollar.

The traditional Chinese opera will be invited and perform on the street for days to celebrate this special festival.


The 7th Day of Chinese New Year Festival - The Human Day

According to Chinese genesis, the goddess with snake body (2852-2738 B.C.) created chicken on the first day of the first lunar month, dog on the 2nd day, sheep on the 3rd day, pig on the 4th day, cow on the 5th day, horse on the 6th and human on the 7th day.
She made many human using mud mixed by yellow soil and water. Also she taught human about the marriage; so human can reproduce themselves. Therefore, the 7th lunar day of the year becomes the human's birthday.

Almost no Chinese celebrate on this day. Some people just eat pettitoes with angel hair noodle. The long noodle stands for longevity. Once, Chinese ate seven vegetables (celery, shepherd's purse spinach, green onion, garlic, mugwort and colewort) on human day, which can repel the evil spirits and sickness away.



The 8th Day of Chinese New Year Festival - The Completion Day

The holiday for government and business company ends on the 5th lunar day. But some people take long days off until 8th lunar day. The Completion Day means people should return from the holiday vacation and go back to work. All the meat and cake prepared for Chinese New Year should finish on this day. Everything should back to normal.
The 8th lunar day of the first month is also the birthday of Yen-Lo King, who is 5th king of Legendary Hell in 5th palace.


The 9th Day of Chinese New Year Festival - The Birthday of King of Heaven - Jade Emperor

According to Taoism (Daoism), the Jade Emperor lives in the 33rd heaven and governs 33 heavens; so he is the king of heavens. Jade Emperor is a vegetarian. To celebrate his birthday, Chinese prepare three bundles of long noodle, three tea cup with green tea, five different kinds of fruit and six different kinds of dry vegetables to worship Jade Emperor. But people also prepare five animal sacrifices, different sweet cakes and turtle cake (turtle is a symbol of longevity) on a different table for Jade Emperor's guardian soldiers.

To show the sincerity, many people take bath on the 8th lunar night, then wait for the first minute of 8th lunar day to begin the ceremony with their clean body. After the ceremony, Chinese explode the firecrackers. That's why we can hear the scattered sound of fire crackers from midnight to sunrise. The temple of Jade Emperor will be crowded as the Chinese New Year day since the night of 8th lunar day for those people unable to hold the worship event at home. For the same purpose, Chinese always pray for better luck, safety, health, love or money, when they visit the temple.


The 10th Day of Chinese New Year Festival - The Eating Day

On the next day of the Jade Emperor's birthday, there are many food left from the birthday's ceremony. People have to take care all the vegetable, animal scarifies, cakes and fruit on the 10th lunar day of the year.


The 11th Day of Chinese New Year Festival - The Break Day

There is no special event on the 11th lunar day. Some families will invite daughter and son-in-law back to the house to enjoy the final meal left from Jade Emperor's birthday feast.




The 12th Day of Chinese New Year Festival - The Diarrhea Day

Many people keep eating with greasy food from Chinese New Year Eve for 11 days. They might have a trouble for diarrhea on this day. For some people have to begin to prepare the Lantern Festival, which is on the 15th lunar day.


The 13th Day of Chinese New Year Festival - The Death Anniversary of General Kuan Yu

All the festival food probably is gone on the 13th lunar day of the year. People just eat something simple on this day. This day is also the death anniversary of General Kuan Yu. Some Chinese will visit the temple of General Kuan to pray for safety and money luck.

Kuan Yu was a general in Three Kingdom period, (2211-263 AD), after late Han Dynasty. He killed a bad guy and disguised himself with a red face when young. He helped his friend and tried to recover Han Dynasty. People remembered his brave and skillful in fighting, righteousness, loyalty to friends, faith and act of justice. But he ended with a beheaded general. After his death, his spirit wouldn't die and his divine image appeared on the sky several times. People worship General Kuan Yu to repel evil spirit away. Also, some Chinese treat General Kuan as a God of Wealth. This is because General Kuan won hundreds of battles and business people want to won the battle on the business deals.


The 14th Day of Chinese New Year Festival - The Lantern Decoration Day

The day before the Lantern Festival, the Lantern Display stage will be building on the open square in the front of temples. People will bring their designed lantern to the display stage for the competition. A dedicate delicate lantern might take more than a month to complete. The ancient lantern has a candle inside to keep it bright. Candle might cause a fire. Today's lantern is lighted up by the electricity. Therefore people need to test the lantern at night. If any performance on the Lantern Festival will have rehearsal on this day.

Before adult made lanterns for children on the 14th lunar day. Now children can go to the store to find and buy their own lantern. The most popular lantern is always related to the Chinese horoscope animal of the new year.





The 15th Day of Chinese New Year Festival - The Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival is called Yuan-Xiao Festival in China. This is because Chinese eat Yuan-Xiao on this day. Yuan-Xiao just look and taste like Tang-Yuan (See Winter Solstice - Tang-Yuan Day) . The difference is the way they made.

The Lantern Festival is also called San-Yuan (upper period of the year) Festival in Taoism. This day is the birthday of the Heaven Officer who blesses human luck. So many people have a worship ceremony at home and some go to Taoism temple pray for luck.

Yuan-Xiao Festival is a traditional Chinese festival going back to the Han Dynasty of over 2000 years ago. There is a story about the Lantern Festival. A beautiful heavenly bird flew down a village and was killed. The God of Heaven was very anger and wanted to burn down the entire village on the 15th lunar day. One wise guy advised every family hang candle lanterns around the house, carried lantern on the street, burn fire outside to explode the firecracker at the 15th lunar night. The soldiers of the God of Heaven saw the the village was on fire from the heaven, and returned back to the heaven. The village survived and people keep the lantern activity on this day every year.

Today, not too many children carry the candle lanterns on the night of 15th lunar day. But lantern displays are shown in the town center square or next to the temple. The most popular lantern is the animal symbol of the Chinese calendar year. The gods, saints and fairy of Taoism or historical figures are popular and common subjects.

Besides the lantern display, a traditional riddle games will be held in the temple. The questions are related with to the lantern displays, news or popular persons in town. When the game begins, the person who figures out the answers first, can win a price.

Lantern laser show, flying sky lantern, mass firecrackers, fireworks and music concerts are essential activities. The events continues all night long. After Lantern Festival night, people need to back to the normal life. Students will end of the winter vacation around this day.