Chinese New Year’s Eve 2024

Lunar Date: Saturday 30 December 2023
Date in Australia: Friday 9 February 2024
Public Holiday?: Yes
Suitable for Gift-Giving?: Yes

New Year’s Eve, also known as the last night of the lunar year, is the last night of the lunar year. This special night symbolizes bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the arrival of the new year. New Year’s Eve has a profound cultural connotation, and it is an important day for Chinese people to worship their ancestors, just like the Qingming Festival, Ghost Festival, and Double Ninth Festival, which are all traditional Chinese festivals for ancestor worship. New Year’s Eve holds a special place in the hearts of the people, and no matter how far away from home, those who have left their hometowns will return home on this day to reunite with their families, spend New Year’s Eve together, bid farewell to the past, and welcome the new spring.

Origins of the Festival

New Year’s Eve, also known as the night of Sui Chu, is followed by the arrival of the new year. This festival originated in ancient times when people celebrated the end of the year, worshiping their ancestors. Ancient books record: “Heaven and earth are the foundation of life; ancestors are the foundation of the human race.” This sentence expresses that heaven and earth are the cornerstone of life, ancestors are the fundamental basis of the human race, and ancestor worship is a custom of inheriting filial piety. The earliest mention of “New Year’s Eve” can be found in the “Feng Tu Ji” written by Zhou Chu during the Western Jin Dynasty. Later, the day before New Year’s Eve was called Little Chu, or Little New Year’s Eve; New Year’s Eve was called Big Chu, or Big New Year’s Eve. According to the “Lu’s Spring and Autumn Annals – Late Winter Records,” ancient people used drumming to drive away plague ghosts on the day before the new year, called “Da Nuo,” which was also one of the New Year’s Eve customs at the time. New Year’s Eve is usually called the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, but in reality, due to the characteristics of the lunar calendar, New Year’s Eve may be the thirtieth or twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, and whichever day it is, it is the last day of the lunar year.

Customs and Traditions

New Year’s Eve Dinner

New Year’s Eve is of great significance to the Chinese people. On this day, people prepare to welcome the new year and enjoy the reunion dinner. The family is the cornerstone of Chinese society, and the annual reunion dinner demonstrates the mutual respect and love among family members, which strengthens family relationships. The gathering of families provides comfort and satisfaction to parents, and it is a joyful thing for the elderly to see their children and grandchildren gathered together, sharing the happiness of family love, and finally getting a return for their past care and upbringing. For the younger generation, this is also a good opportunity to express their gratitude to their parents.
The New Year’s Eve dinner is the liveliest moment of the family gathering during the Spring Festival. On the big night, a table full of sumptuous dishes is served, and the family gathers together to share the reunion dinner. There are main dishes, cold plates, stir-fries, and snacks on the table, usually accompanied by hot pot and fish. The boiling hot pot symbolizes a prosperous year, and the word “fish” is homophonic with “surplus,” implying “having surplus every year.” Other foods such as radish (commonly known as turnip), lobster, and explosive fish are also served, symbolizing prosperity, like “raging fire cooking oil.”

The tradition of New Year’s Eve dinner varies by region, with distinctive characteristics in the north and south of China. Northerners have a tradition of eating dumplings during the New Year, which is a custom handed down from ancient times. Due to geographical and climatic reasons, the north still experiences a cold winter during New Year’s Eve and the Spring Festival, and there are limited choices for ingredients, so dumplings are the main dish for the celebration. In the southern region, especially in coastal areas, the climate is mild with an abundance of fruits and vegetables throughout the winter, allowing for more diverse food choices. Rich in water resources, the southern region boasts a wide variety of aquatic products, providing a diverse range of ingredients that make southern festival meals even more colorful and diverse.

Pasting Spring Couplets

Spring couplets, door gods, window flowers, New Year’s paintings, and the character “Fu” (blessing) are collectively known as “Nian Hong” (New Year’s red). The tradition of pasting New Year’s red is an ancient Chinese custom, expressing people’s hopes for a happy life and good wishes for the future.

Setting off Firecrackers

There is a saying in Chinese folklore: “Set off firecrackers when opening the door.” That is, at the beginning of the new year, the first thing every household does upon opening the door is to set off firecrackers, using the sound of the firecrackers to drive away the old and welcome the new year. Firecrackers are a unique type of Chinese firework, also known as “baozhu” or “paozhu.” Setting off firecrackers creates a festive and lively atmosphere, serving as a form of entertainment during the festival, bringing happiness and good fortune to people.
Regarding the development of firecrackers, the “Tong Su Bian Pai You” records: “In ancient times, firecrackers were made by setting fire to real bamboo, so Tang Dynasty poetry also referred to them as ‘exploding poles.’ Later, people made firecrackers by rolling paper, which were then called ‘exploding bamboo.'” Over time, the use of firecrackers became more widespread, and their varieties and colors became increasingly diverse. Setting off firecrackers has become a form of entertainment with national characteristics, and people set off firecrackers during the Spring Festival to celebrate the new year.

Honoring Ancestors

In ancient times, the custom of honoring ancestors was widespread. People believed that the heavens and the earth were the sources of life, and ancestors were the sources of our bloodlines. Honoring ancestors is a manifestation of passing on filial piety. The rituals vary by region, and the ways of worship also differ. Some people visit ancestral graves, some go to ancestral halls to worship ancestors, while most people place ancestral tablets in the main hall of their homes and offer various sacrificial offerings. Participants in the ritual worship in the order of age, offering incense and kneeling.

Staying Up All Night

Staying up all night on New Year’s Eve is a traditional custom with a long history. The main manifestations of the custom are lighting the New Year’s fire, the whole family gathering together, guarding the “New Year’s fire” without extinguishing it, waiting for the moment to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and ushering in the arrival of the new year. On New Year’s Eve, every household keeps their lights on, known as “burning lamps to illuminate the year” or “lighting the year’s fire.” All houses must light lamps and candles, and even the space under the beds must be lit, called “illuminating emptiness.” It is said that after such illumination, the family’s wealth will be abundant in the coming year. In ancient times, customs varied between the north and south of China. In the north, staying up all night was the main custom, referred to as “enduring the night” (staying up all night). For example, the “Local Records” mentioned that on New Year’s Eve, people would send gifts to each other, known as “giving the year”; family members of different ages would gather and offer blessings, known as “sharing the year”; staying up all night until dawn was called “guarding the year.” In some places on New Year’s Eve, the whole family would gather together, enjoy the New Year’s Eve dinner, light candles or oil lamps, sit around the stove and chat, staying up all night, symbolizing driving away evil and diseases, and looking forward to a lucky and auspicious new year.

Hanging Lanterns

Hanging red lanterns during the New Year is an ancient Chinese custom, with red symbolizing celebration and round lanterns symbolizing reunion and harmony. Red lanterns represent peace, auspiciousness, and prosperity. Chinese lanterns, collectively known as “lantern decorations,” can be traced back to the Western Han Dynasty, about 1,800 years ago. Every year around New Year’s Eve, people hang red lanterns symbolizing reunion to create a festive atmosphere. On New Year’s Eve, when people stay up all night, red lanterns are hung at the entrance of the house, the main room is lit with fire, candles or oil lamps are lit, and the whole family sits together and gathers.

New Year’s Money

New Year’s money is an important custom during the New Year. After the New Year’s Eve dinner, elders will give prepared New Year’s money to the younger generation. It is said that New Year’s money can suppress evil spirits and help the younger generation safely pass through the year. New Year’s money symbolizes exorcism, protection, and auspiciousness in folk culture. The initial purpose of New Year’s money was to suppress evil spirits. People believed that children were susceptible to the influence of evil spirits, so New Year’s money was used to suppress and ward off evil. Historically, New Year’s money took various forms. Generally, it was given by elders to the younger generation during the New Year’s countdown to symbolize suppressing evil spirits, and to show the care and blessings of the elders for the younger generation. Another form was given by the younger generation to the elderly, where the “year” in New Year’s money refers to age, symbolizing longevity for the elderly. The earliest New Year’s money, which can be traced back to the Han Dynasty, was also called “victory money.” It was not circulated in the market but was cast in the form of coins as ornamental objects with the function of warding off evil.

Giving New Year’s money during the New Year reflects the care of elders for the younger generation and the respect of the younger generation for the elders. This is a folk custom that strengthens family ethical relationships.

Festival Taboos

As New Year’s Eve approaches, people celebrate the festive season and the harvest while also bathing, changing clothes, and cleaning to expel diseases and drive away evil. The following are some New Year’s Eve taboos passed down through folklore:

1. Do not paste the character “福” (fortune) upside down. The main entrance is an auspicious place, so the character should be pasted upright. Usually, the character is only pasted upside down in places like water tanks and trash cans.
2. If your front door faces your neighbor’s front door, hang two Chinese knots on the outer door frame of your own house to pray for good luck and avoid disasters.
3. Avoid pouring dirty water, throwing trash, discarding miscellaneous items, sweeping the floor, sprinkling water, or urinating and defecating anywhere. It is said that doing so can offend the gods, and if the gods get angry, they will bring disasters.
4. Whether or not you stay up all night, the lights in the house should be kept on all night to symbolize a bright future in the coming year.
5. Remember to pay off debts before the New Year. If debts have already been incurred, do not go to collect them from the debtor during the first to the fifth day of the new year.
6. Avoid saying inauspicious words or phrases.
7. During the New Year period, fish is an indispensable dish, symbolizing “abundance every year.” When eating fish, keep the head and tail uneaten, representing not only having enough food and clothing in the coming year but also having surplus.