Chinese traditions for health, happiness, and fortune on New Year’s Eve.

Sweep it away

It’s time to clean house, put away or store things that no longer make you feel joy. Be sure to not sweep out the front door or you will risk sweeping away fortune or family. Always sweep from the entrance to the center of the room, collect the dust and carry it out the back.

Family Meal Time

It’s the time of year to enjoy a family meal. Reconnect with relatives is the most important part of the Chinese New Year. If one of your family members can not make it, place an empty chair at the table to symbolize their presence.

Let’s talk food:

Whole fish. Because the Chinese word for fish sounds like the word for abundance. You should leave the head and tail on to be sure you get a good start and end to the year as well.
Dumplings and spring rolls. Both are said to look like gold ingots. The more you eat, the more wealth you’ll earn in the new year.
Noodles. The traditional longevity noodle is a continuous looping strand, but any long noodle will help you live a long life.
Oranges, tangerines, and pomelos. The Chinese names for oranges and tangerines sound like the words for success and luck, while the word for Pomelo implies continuous prosperity.

It’s Midnight open those doors and windows

Open the windows and doors at midnight. Let the old year blow out of the house just as the new year blows in. Firecrackers and fireworks usher out the old and welcome the new.