Celebrating the Chinese New Year's Eve, also known as Chuxi, involves various traditional customs and activities. Here are some of the common customs in English:
1. **Cantonese Dinner**: The family gathers for a special New Year's Eve dinner, often called the "reunion dinner," where traditional Chinese dishes like dumplings (jiaozi), spring rolls (springyuan), and fish (yusheng) are served.
2. **Sweeping the Dust**: This is a literal translation of the Chinese idiom "扫尘" (sǎochén), which symbolizes sweeping away bad luck and inviting good fortune into the home.
3. **Setting Up the Altars**: Families set up altars to pay respects to ancestors and gods, often with offerings of food, tea, and incense.
4. **Wearing New Clothes**: It is customary for everyone to wear new clothes on New Year's Eve to symbolize a fresh start for the year ahead.
5. **Fireworks and Firecrackers**: Fireworks and crackers are set off to ward off evil spirits and attract good luck.
6. **Door Gods**: Red couplets with the images of the two Kitchen God Kings are placed on the doors to protect the family from evil.
7. **Nian Gao**: Eating "Nian Gao," a sticky rice cake, is a symbol of growth and prosperity as "Nian" means "year" and "Gao" means "high."
8. **Red Decorations**: Homes are decorated with red lanterns, couplets, and paper cuttings (cai hong) to bring good fortune and happiness.
9. **Paying Respect to the Kitchen God**: On New Year's Eve, the Kitchen God is typically sent off to the heavens to report the family's actions during the past year, and then welcomed back with a feast.
10. **Prayer and Worship**: Many families engage in prayers and worship at temples or in their homes.
11. **Reunion and Celebrations**: The evening is a time for family reunions and celebrations, often with children receiving red envelopes filled with money.
12. **Wearing Headwear**: Some people wear a red headband, symbolizing health and happiness.
These customs and activities vary depending on the region in China and the families celebrating, but they all contribute to the joy and significance of the Chinese New Year's Eve.
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