過年習俗:從小年到元宵

December 23 of Chinese Lunar Calendar (Little New Year)

臘月二十三——小年

Custom: Worshiping the Kitchen God

習俗：祭竈

As the legend goes, there is a kitchen god in each house who is responsible for the kitchen and oversees 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 auspicious life.

民俗傳說中，每家都有一位竈神掌管飲食，也記錄一家人的言行。每年的臘月二十三，竈神要返回天庭彙報每家每戶一年的大小事，所以祭竈的主題就是“拉攏竈神”。在廚房內擺放些又甜又粘牙的食物，如湯圓、麥芽糖，這樣竈神的嘴被這些好吃的粘住後，就能少彙報些壞事，各家才能天降吉祥。

December 24 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

臘月二十四

Custom: Dusting

習俗：掃塵

After worshipping the kitchen god, people begin to thoroughly 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.

祭竈後，人們便開始大掃除，掃塵除災，以迎祥納福。掃塵亦有辭舊迎新之意，求的是萬象更新的新年新氣象。

December 25 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

臘月二十五

Custom: Pasting Window Paper and Making Tofu

習俗：糊窗戶、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.

紙糊窗戶的時代已經過去了，所以如今的習俗已經被擦玻璃取代。而豆腐音同“頭福”，被視爲能夠爲新年帶來福氣的好食材。

December 26 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

臘月二十六

Custom: Preparation of Meat and Shopping for the Spring Festival

習俗：割年肉、置年貨

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

在物質不豐富的年代，大多尋常人家要到年節期間才能吃得豐富一些。割年肉主要指準備春節的肉食，實際上也代表各種年貨可以從這一天開始置辦，如魚、肉，以及菸酒瓜果和禮品、裝飾等。

December 27 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

臘月二十七

Custom: Bathing and Going to the Market

習俗：洗浴、趕集

According to the traditional folk customs of the Han ethnic 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.

漢族傳統民俗中，在這天要洗澡、洗衣，以除去一年的晦氣，迎接新年。而趕集則能提前感受過年的熱鬧氣氛。

December 28 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

臘月二十八

Custom: Leavening Dough and Pasting Spring Couplets

習俗：發麪、貼春聯

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

準備了肉食和配菜後，人們也要準備主食。北方以麪食爲主，會在春節期間發麪蒸饅頭或是做麪條。這一天也是人們貼春聯、貼年畫的日子。春聯上簡潔的文字，年畫上喜慶的圖案都體現着人們迎接春節的心情，也意味着春節帷幕被正式拉開。

December 29 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

臘月二十九——小除夕

Custom: Paying Tribute to Ancestors

習俗：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 gratitude and yearning for their ancestors.

過年的準備工作將在今天全部完成。祭祖則是今天的主要活動，以表達人們對先祖的感恩與思念。

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 climax 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.

大年三十是中國農曆的最後一天，又稱“除夕”，寓意辭舊迎新。這一天對每一箇中國人來說意義非凡，正如同平安夜在西方人眼中一般。除夕夜也是整個春節的高潮。這一天中，每一個時段都有約定俗成的講究，幾千年來，延續至今。

January 1 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

正月初一

Custom: New-Year Visits and Collecting Fortune

習俗：拜年聚財

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 taboo to use broom or take out trash, otherwise, you might sweep away good fortunes and suffer financial losses.

拜年依舊是大年初一的重要活動。另外，由於這天也是“掃把星”的生日，因此正月初一忌用掃帚，或倒垃圾，否則就會掃走運氣、破財。

January 2 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

正月初二

Custom: Married Daughters Return to Parents’ Home

習俗：回孃家

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.

今天是出嫁女兒回孃家的日子，因丈夫也要同行，所以也稱“迎婿日”。這一天，回孃家的女兒、女婿要帶上禮品和紅包，分給孃家的孩子們。但他們要在晚飯前趕回婆家。

January 3 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

正月初三

Custom: Staying at Home

習俗：忌出門

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 obsolete. It is a rare opportunity for people to get reunited during the Spring Festival, so less and less people follow this tradition.

按照習俗，人們在初三通常不會外出拜年，傳說這天容易與人發生爭執。不過這個習俗早已過時，現在人們難得春節團聚，因此恪守這一習俗的人也越來越少。

January 4 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

正月初四

Custom: Worshiping the God of Wealth

習俗：祭財神

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.

正月初四是祭財神的日子。過去，老闆想將某人“炒魷魚”，這天就會不請他來拜神，而對方也就心知肚明，會主動辭職。

January 5 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

正月初五

Custom: Breaking Five

習俗：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".

正月初五俗稱“破五”，即“趕走五窮”，包括“智窮、學窮、文窮、命窮、交窮”。舊時人們在清晨放鞭炮，邊放邊往門外走，傳說如此便可將一切不吉利的東西都轟出門外。

January 6 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

正月初六

Custom: Opening for Business

習俗：宜開業

After lighting 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 smoothly".

商戶在這天開張營業，而且要大放鞭炮。另外傳說這一天最受歡迎的是年滿12歲的男孩子，因爲12是6的二倍，寓意“六六大順”。

January 15 of Chinese Lunar Calendar

正月十五

Custom: Having Sweet Dumplings and Lighting Sky Lanterns

習俗：吃元宵、放天燈

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, glutinous rice dumplings, often stuffed with white sugar, rose petals, sesames and so on. The stuffing and round shape symbolize 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個月圓之夜。因這一天還有觀燈的悠久傳統，故又稱“燈節”。 元宵或湯圓是正月十五必吃的美食：以白糖、玫瑰、芝麻等爲餡，用糯米粉包成圓形，寓意甜甜蜜蜜、團團圓圓。過完元宵節，春節也就落下了帷幕。