The twelfth month of the lunar calendar is called "Lan Yue" (腊月), which is the last month of the lunar year. After this month comes the New Year. So, what is the significance of Lan Yue? Many people today like to refer to the Chinese almanac to decide on the appropriate activities for the day. Visit HuaYi Network to check out the auspicious events for the Lunar December of 2018.

What month of the lunar calendar is Lan Yue?

Lan Yue refers to the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, also known as "La Yue." Lan Yue is a month of sacrifices. According to historical records in China, "La" refers to the final sacrifice of the year, marking the end of the year. The ancient people had the custom of holding sacrificial activities during the transition between the old and new years, so Lan Yue is considered a month of sacrifices.
In addition to being called La Yue, Lan Yue is also known as Tu Yue, Ji Dong, Mo Dong, Can Dong, Mu Dong, and Jia Ping Yue. In China, there are sacrificial activities in all four seasons, but winter sacrifices are the most grand. Therefore, there are many customs and sacrificial activities in Lan Yue.

What are the taboos or customs of Lan Yue?

Do not move house in Lan Yue
It is a common belief in rural areas that you should not move house in Lan Yue, because it is a month of sacrifices with many important days. Lan Yue emphasizes bringing wealth into the home. Moving house at this time is considered unlucky, and there's even a saying that moving house in Lan Yue will bring poverty.
The most important reason is that during the Spring Festival in rural areas, various deities, such as the Kitchen God who ascends to heaven on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, return to the human world on New Year's Eve. If you suddenly move house in Lan Yue, they might not find their new home upon returning, leading to unhappiness and possibly causing problems throughout the year, making it an inauspicious time.
The water jar should not be full on New Year's Eve
In the past, in rural areas, there was no tap water, and on New Year's Eve evening, many people would queue up by the well to fetch water.
Rural women must complete all washing and cleaning tasks during the twelfth lunar month before the Spring Festival. They would steam buns, make baozi, fry fish, fried noodles, fried dough sticks, fried flatbreads, fried fish, fried yellow croakers, fried tofu balls, fried tofu slices, boil pig heads, steam sausages, and make frozen foods, among other things. They wanted to prepare enough food to last until after the Lantern Festival.
One major reason for this is to have leftover food for the New Year, symbolizing a prosperous life and having surplus every year.
To be honest, the water used to cook dumplings on New Year's Eve was already filled in advance. The water buckets were also full, and people had to be careful when washing their faces and brushing their teeth. If someone wasted too much water, they might need to go out to fetch water before the first day of the New Year, which would certainly make the person in charge upset.

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