Days Before The Chinese New Year : The Eve of Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year's eve is another important day. Some of them will be doing last minute cleaning and some would even be buying food and new clothes for the New Year. By this day most of the family members near or far will gather to have a big feast. We Chinese call this Reunion Dinner or "tuan yuan fan" (团圆饭) in Chinese. Reunion dinner is where all family members gather together to have dinner and to strengthen their ties with each other. Some family members might not see each other throughout the year except for this day.

Reunion Dinner
Before the dinner, they must usher back the "Kitchen God" as he has finished reporting the family affairs to the Heaven. Besides that, they have to pray and pay their respect to the house Gods and ancestors as it was believed that a person good fortune depends very much on their house Gods and ancestors. Now we come to the Great Feast, the reunion dinner. On the table are some of the family favorite dishes and a must have dish is the fish.


The fish or "yu" (鱼) in Chinese has the same pronunciation as "extra" (余) in Chinese. Therefore, it symbolizes there are always something good left behind for the new year; example good luck or good fortune.


After the dinner or hours before the new year begins, some Chinese will go to their local temples to pray for good fortune. In temple, there is also a ceremony for them to change their luck with the hope that their will be bless with more good fortune in the new year to come. Lights will be kept on the whole night and all the doors and windows will be open wide for the "old year" to go.


Some will also take this opportunity to pray to the "God of Prosperity" or "Cai Shen" (财神) in Chinese with the hope that they will be financially abundance and blessed in the new year. Most of the family members will stay up as late as they can on the Chinese New Year's Eve.

God of Prosperity"
At midnight, fireworks will fill the air and firecrackers are lid to celebrate the arrival of the New Lunar Year @ to scared away "Nian". Remember ??? Haha. This is the where the Chinese's excitement reaches its climax and you can even hear people wishing each other "Gong Xi Fa Cai" or in other words May you have good fortune.


We almost forgotten to inform you that this year's Chinese New Year's Eve is on the 25th of January 2009 and the New Lunar Year will be the year of the Ox. Here we wish all of you great fortune in the Year of Ox.