新年快樂! [Chinese] New Year's Eve

On Chinese New Year's Eve, families replace the old red scrolls around their doorways with fresh new ones, in hopes that they will bring good luck to the household during the new year. In the afternoon, many families offer food sacrifices to the gods and to their ancestors. They pray to ask the gods for good fortune. Everyone bids farewell to the current year. Each family tries to go to their father's hometown to spend time with his family. Families enjoy a feast with family members on their father's side. The longer this dinner takes, the more good fortune the family will have in the coming year, and the longer the elders of the family will live. (The main themes of Chinese New Year seem to be good fortune for the coming year and hopes for a long life.) Many people eat certain foods, such as fish and oranges, which are specifically believed to bring them good luck/long lives.

After dinner, parents give their children red envelopes with money inside (usually anywhere from $30-$120, American, depending on the family, of course). The red envelopes symbolize wishes of good luck/happiness for their children. Families sit around and talk until midnight, when the new year officially begins. Again, this custom represents the hope for a long life. In Min Nan (a language from SE China), the word "sleep" sounds a lot like the word for "hardship." So staying up late and not sleeping as much symbolizes no/little hardship in the coming year. After midnight, families end the night with firecrackers to welcome the new year in good spirits (this tradition also stems from the legend of Nian). Believers will say additional prayers to the gods in the early hours of the morning, pleading for their blessings.