December 23 of Chinese Lunar Calendar (Little New Year)

腊月二十三——小年

Custom: Worshiping the Kitchen God

习俗：祭灶

As the legend goes, there is a kitchen god in each house who is responsible for the kitchen and oversees¹ the conduct of the family. On this day, the kitchen god returns to Heaven to report the conducts of the family to the Emperor of Heaven. Therefore, worshipping the kitchen god aims to "please him." People put out some sweet and sticky foods, such as rice dumplings and malted sugar. In this way, the lips of the kitchen god will stuck together, and he cannot report any wrong doings of the family. Thus the family can lead an auspicious² life.

民俗传说中，每家都有一位灶神掌管饮食，也记录一家人的言行。每年的腊月二十三，灶神要返回天庭汇报每家每户一年的大小事，所以祭灶的主题就是“拉拢灶神”。在厨房内摆放些又甜又粘牙的食物，如汤圆、麦芽糖，这样灶神的嘴被这些好吃的粘住后，就能少汇报些坏事，各家才能天降吉祥。

December 24 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

腊月二十四

Custom: Dusting

习俗：扫尘

After worshipping the kitchen god, people begin to thoroughly³ clean their houses to sweep away bad luck and welcome good luck. Dusting shows the good wish of putting away old things and welcoming a new life, making everything look fresh in the new year.

祭灶后，人们便开始大扫除，扫尘除灾，以迎祥纳福。扫尘亦有辞旧迎新之意，求的是万象更新的新年新气象。

December 25 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

腊月二十五

Custom: Pasting Window Paper and Making Tofu

习俗：糊窗户、磨豆腐

The times for pasting window paper are gone. Nowadays, the tradition is replaced by cleaning windows. Tofu is homophonic with "Toufu (first fortune of the year)", so it is considered as a good food which brings happiness.

纸糊窗户的时代已经过去了，所以如今的习俗已经被擦玻璃取代。而豆腐音同“头福”，被视为能够为新年带来福气的好食材。

December 26 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

腊月二十六

Custom: Preparation of Meat and Shopping for the Spring Festival

习俗：割年肉、置年货

When there was insufficient⁴ food in the past, the majority of ordinary people could enjoy a comparatively lavish⁵ feast only during the Spring Festival. Besides meat and fish, people also start to purchase cigarettes, wines, fruits, gifts and festive⁶ ornaments⁷ on the day.

在物质不丰富的年代，大多寻常人家要到年节期间才能吃得丰富一些。割年肉主要指准备春节的肉食，实际上也代表各种年货可以从这一天开始置办，如鱼、肉，以及烟酒瓜果和礼品、装饰等。

December 27 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

腊月二十七

Custom: Bathing and Going to the Market

习俗：洗浴、赶集

According to the traditional folk customs of the Han ethnic⁸ group, people should take a bath and wash their clothes to get rid of bad luck from the past year and welcome the new year. Besides, people also go shopping to enjoy the exciting atmosphere of the Spring Festival in advance.

汉族传统民俗中，在这天要洗澡、洗衣，以除去一年的晦气，迎接新年。而赶集则能提前感受过年的热闹气氛。

December 28 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

腊月二十八

Custom: Leavening¹⁰ Dough¹¹ and Pasting Spring Couplets

习俗：发面、贴春联

Besides meat and side dishes, people also prepare cooked wheaten food for the Spring Festival. People in north China mainly eat noodles. They leaven⁹ dough, steam buns or cook noodles during the Spring Festival. Today, people also paste spring couplets andnew year paintings. With concise¹² texts and festive patterns, people show their welcome for the Spring Festival. In addition, these activities indicate that the Spring Festival begins.

准备了肉食和配菜后，人们也要准备主食。北方以面食为主，会在春节期间发面蒸馒头或是做面条。这一天也是人们贴春联、贴年画的日子。春联上简洁的文字，年画上喜庆的图案都体现着人们迎接春节的心情，也意味着春节帷幕被正式拉开。

December 29 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

腊月二十九——小除夕

Custom: Paying Tribute to Ancestors

习俗：祭祖

Preparation for the Spring Festival should be completed today, the day before New Year`s Eve. Worshipping ancestors is the major event on this day, by which people express their gratitude¹³ and yearning¹⁴ for their ancestors.

过年的准备工作将在今天全部完成。祭祖则是今天的主要活动，以表达人们对先祖的感恩与思念。

December 30 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

大年三十——除夕

December 30 of Chinese lunar calendar, also called "Chuxi" (Chinese New Year`s Eve), is the last day of the year according to the lunar calendar. It means saying goodbye to the last year and welcoming the new year. Chuxi is to Chinese people what Christmas Eve is to Westerners. And it`s also the climax¹⁵ of the whole Spring Festival. There are many customs in every period of time on this special day and those customs have been well observed for thousands of years.

大年三十是中国农历的最后一天，又称“除夕”，寓意辞旧迎新。这一天对每一个中国人来说意义非凡，正如同平安夜在西方人眼中一般。除夕夜也是整个春节的高潮。这一天中，每一个时段都有约定俗成的讲究，几千年来，延续至今。

January 1 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

正月初一

Custom: New-Year Visits and Collecting Fortune

习俗：拜年聚财

Visiting relatives is still considered a major event on the first day of the first Lunar month. Also, it is the birthday of "broom", so it is taboo¹⁶ to use broom or take out trash, otherwise, you might sweep away good fortunes and suffer financial losses.

拜年依旧是大年初一的重要活动。另外，由于这天也是“扫把星”的生日，因此正月初一忌用扫帚，或倒垃圾，否则就会扫走运气、破财。

January 2 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

正月初二

Custom: Married Daughters Return to Parents’ Home

习俗：回娘家

Married daughters visit their parents with their husbands on this day, so this day is also called "welcome son-in-law day". The couple must bring some gifts and red envelopes along with them, and give them to children from the wife’s side of the family. They have to return husband’s family before dinner.

今天是出嫁女儿回娘家的日子，因丈夫也要同行，所以也称“迎婿日”。这一天，回娘家的女儿、女婿要带上礼品和红包，分给娘家的孩子们。但他们要在晚饭前赶回婆家。

January 3 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

正月初三

Custom: Staying at Home

习俗：忌出门

According to custom, people should not pay visits to others on the third day of the first lunar month as it is very likely to quarrel with others on this day. However, this has already become obsolete¹⁷. It is a rare opportunity for people to get reunited during the Spring Festival, so less and less people follow this tradition.

按照习俗，人们在初三通常不会外出拜年，传说这天容易与人发生争执。不过这个习俗早已过时，现在人们难得春节团聚，因此恪守这一习俗的人也越来越少。

January 4 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

正月初四

Custom: Worshiping the God of Wealth

习俗：祭财神

It is the day for worshipping the God of Wealth. In the past, if an employee was not invited to worship the God of Wealth with the boss, he/she had to resign according to the unwritten rule.

正月初四是祭财神的日子。过去，老板想将某人“炒鱿鱼”，这天就会不请他来拜神，而对方也就心知肚明，会主动辞职。

January 5 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

正月初五

Custom: Breaking Five

习俗：破五

It is the day to "drive away five ghosts of poverty" (Poverty in intelligence, knowledge, literacy, fate, and friendship). People light firecrackers in the morning from inside to outside of their houses to scare away all the "ghosts".

正月初五俗称“破五”，即“赶走五穷”，包括“智穷、学穷、文穷、命穷、交穷”。旧时人们在清晨放鞭炮，边放边往门外走，传说如此便可将一切不吉利的东西都轰出门外。

January 6 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

正月初六

Custom: Opening for Business

习俗：宜开业

After lighting¹⁸ firecrackers, shops reopen for business on this day. It is said that boys of the age of 12 are the most welcomed as the number of "12" as double of "6", which means "everything will go well smoothly¹⁹".

商户在这天开张营业，而且要大放鞭炮。另外传说这一天最受欢迎的是年满12岁的男孩子，因为12是6的二倍，寓意“六六大顺”。

January 15 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

正月十五

Custom: Having Sweet Dumplings and Lighting Sky Lanterns

习俗：吃元宵、放天灯

As the first full moon night in the new year, the fifteenth day is also called Lantern Festival, named after the long-time tradition of appreciating lanterns. One should not miss Yuanxiao, glutinous²⁰ rice dumplings, often stuffed with white sugar, rose petals²¹, sesames and so on. The stuffing and round shape symbolize²² sweet life and reunion. Lantern Festival draws the curtain of the entire Chinese New Year celebration.

正月十五是新年的第一个月圆之夜。因这一天还有观灯的悠久传统，故又称“灯节”。 元宵或汤圆是正月十五必吃的美食：以白糖、玫瑰、芝麻等为馅，用糯米粉包成圆形，寓意甜甜蜜蜜、团团圆圆。过完元宵节，春节也就落下了帷幕。