Cleaning the House Families clean their homes in the days leading up to the Chinese New Year to sweep away bad luck and make room for new blessings and prosperity.
Decorating Homes in Red Red symbolizes prosperity and good fortune. Homes are adorned with red lanterns, paper cuttings, and spring couplets to invite luck and ward off evil spirits.
Family Reunion Dinner A key tradition on Chinese New Year's Eve, families gather for a festive dinner featuring foods like dumplings, fish, and sticky rice cakes, all symbolizing prosperity and unity.
Lighting Firecrackers or Fireworks Firecrackers and fireworks are set off to scare away evil spirits and bad luck, with louder explosions believed to bring greater prosperity, especially for businesses.
Wearing New Clothes and Wishing Others Good Luck Wearing new clothes, especially red, symbolizes a fresh start and invites prosperity. People also greet each other with auspicious phrases like "gongxi" to wish for good fortune.
Dragon and Lion Dances Traditional dragon and lion dances are performed in Chinese communities, believed to drive away evil spirits and bring blessings of wealth and luck.
Red Envelopes (Ang Pao/Hong Bao) Red envelopes filled with money are given to children and unmarried family members as a symbol of blessings for health, longevity, and prosperity.