Now that we have began our days into the New Year of 2019, the Chinese are starting to prepare for the Chinese New Year.
If you have been visiting supermarkets, you will realise that they have already began selling all the Chinese New Year goodies and products are being packaged in the signature RED packagings.
As the Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar, it changes every year. This year, Chinese New Year 2019 in Singapore will begin on Tuesday, 5 February. This is perhaps why many of the stores are already well underway in its preparations.
Planning for Chinese New Year involves two main themes. First, clearing away all of the previous year’s bad luck. And, second, preparing the home to receive the next year’s good luck.
So today we will learn about what they do one to two weeks prior to the Chinese New Year:
1. Send off the Kitchen God
The Kitchen God is believed to look after a family’s nourishment and well-being. About a week before Chinese New Year, on the 23rd or 24th day of the 12th lunar month, the Kitchen God ascends to the heavens to report on the family’s behavior from the previous year to the Jade Emperor. In most homes, the Kitchen God is honored in the form of a paper image hung above the family’s stove.
2. Stocking up on your goodies
The Chinese New Year is a celebration that is accompanied by delicious food and delicacies. As there is an element of house visiting during this festive season, usually people will buy goodies to welcome their guests.