Chinese New Year's Eve
chinese new year eve day chinese new year celebrating chinese new year eve always family matter reunion day every ethnic chinese family evolved long period time origin chinese new year eve traced back year ago chinese new year eve originated shang dynasty – bc chinese held sacrificial ceremony honour god ancestor end year zhou dynasty – bc phrase “nian year” appeared certain cultural practice became popular among chinese sending door god burning bamboo first dated chinese new year eve recorded warring state period – bc lüshi chunqiu exorcistic ritual called big nuo 大傩 recorded carried ending day year expel illness qin state derived earlier ritual nuo 傩 origin chinese new year eve later qin unified china founded qin dynasty ritual continued evolved cleaning house thoroughly preceding day chinese new year jin dynasty – ad people started shousui 守岁 tradition new year eve recorded western jins general zhou chus article fengtu ji 风土记 ending year people gift wish calling kuisui 馈岁 people invite others drink food calling biesui 别岁 new year eve people stayed night sunrise calling shousui 守岁 article used word 除夕 chuxi indicate new year eve name still used till day since traditional chinese calendar us lunisolar calendar there fixed date chinese new year eve table date chinese new year eve chinese new year eve practice cluster festival history tradition thousand year many practice china varied people different region different custom practice exists thousand year still used nowadays especially southern china people celebrate chinese new year eve big family meal traditional dish everyone including child drink alcohol family make sacrifice ancestor set seat ancestor lay food pour drink burn joss stick candle family member kowtow ancestor eat dinner family member sit together perhaps talking playing card chinese new year eve people stay late midnight often dawn tradition called shousui simplified chinese 守岁 traditional chinese 守歲 pinyin shǒusuì lit guarding year spring festival gala tv show broadcast live china central television chinese new year eve singing dancing sketch comedy crosstalk usually take month preparation since chinese family could afford television spring festival gala institutionalised crucial practice chinese new year eve every family member sits front tv watching spring festival gala together spring festival gala broadcast midnight everyone front television say happy new year midnight host there ancient myth devil living western mountain people would fall ill come across devil afraid sound bamboo chinese burn bamboo make sound keep devil house chinese new year eve nowadays chinese people still like light firecracker instead bamboo chinese new year eve keeping devil also fun chinese kitchen god regarded ambassador jade emperor chinese family said midnight chinese new year eve kitchen god family go heaven report family deed year chinese new year kitchen god return earth family welcome pasting new picture kitchen chinese new year eve family would invite door god pasting picture front door talisman forbid devil enter family popular door god zhong kui qin shubao yuchi gong different area china chinese new year eve chinese make bow peach wood exorcise devil caused plague date back qin dynasty ghost would harm man ancient afraid asked help drive ghost away entranceguarding god closely related festival peach wood regarded supernatural force ghost could driven away family reunion dinner crucial chinese chinese new year eve feast allows every family member sit together take day preparation every dish chinese new year eve different meaning popular dish spring roll spring roll traditional dish part china people make thin dough wrapper cylindricalshaped roll fill vegetable meat something sweet fried spring roll give goldenyellow color dumpling dumpling traditional food eat north china chinese new year eve southern china people serve dumpling chinese new year eve dinner minced meat pork shrimp chicken beefetc vegetable wrapped elastic dough skin boiling steaming frying common way cook dumpling china glutinous rice cake glutinous rice cake called niangao mandarin sound nian gao good meaning getting higher year year glutinous rice cake made sticky rice sugar chestnut lotus leaf common dish appeared southern chinese family chinese new year eve reunion dinner good fortune fruit tangerine orange pomelo certain fruit eaten chinese new year eve chinese believe eating fruit chinese new year eve bring fortune fruit round shape golden colour lucky sound spoken symbolise fullness wealth longevity noodle longevity noodle represents chinese wish longevity length preparation longevity noodle symbolic eater life longevity noodle longer normal noodle usually fried boiled served bowl chinese give child money gift chinese new year gift chinese new year eve usually put money red pocket hide childrens pillow ancient time chinese money round copper coin square hole middle adult thread coin colourful thread make shape dragon put money beside childrens bed child asleep custom similar christmas gift west money tree legendary tree shed coin shaken chinese new year eve chinese cut pine branch put branch vase tie copper coin shoeshaped gold silver pomegranate flower tree similar christmas tree western country chinese new year eve philippine called bisperas ng bagong taon tagalog chinese new year eve door including cupboard drawer cabinet window must left wide open allow good luck enter chinese filipino eat fish chicken chinese new year eve animal scrounge food chinese filipino want scrounge food upcoming year prepare twelve round fruit orange grape clementine cantaloupe etc chinese new year eve fruit represents month chinese new year included public regular nonworking holiday philippine manila celebrates spring festival wooden dragon including th anniversary manila chinatown featuring manila chinatown solidarity float parade along manila central post office lawton ermita jones bridge led ambassador huang xilian mr m chinatown philippine winner preceded chinese new year eve first incense offering binondo church taoism prayer ritual joss stick including chinese ancestor worship martyr saint china altar binondo chinese parish church midnight minute pyromusical firework witnessed million chinesefilipino friendship bridge chinese holiday chinese xinhua archived original