The Chinese New Year's Eve is a traditional Chinese festival with a long history, leading to the formation of many taboos. So, is the New Year's Eve considered as the start of the new year? What taboos should be paid attention to on the eve of the Lunar New Year? With a fresh start for the new year, if you want to know more about the content of the lunar new year, you can check out the exclusive 2019 Spring Festival special article presented by Huayi Network.

Is the New Year's Eve the Start of the New Year?

The New Year's Eve refers to the evening of the last day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar. It is connected to the first day of the new year (the first day of the first lunar month). The word "Chu" in "Chuxi" means "to remove, change, or alternate." The meaning of "Chuxi" is "end of the year and month," and people always get rid of the old and welcome the new, which means that the old year ends here, and the new year starts anew. Therefore, the activities during this period revolve around getting rid of the old and welcoming the new, and seeking blessings while eliminating disasters. The New Year's Eve is usually called "the thirtieth day of the year," but due to the reasons of the lunar calendar, the date of the New Year's Eve may be the twenty-ninth or the thirtieth day of the year-end, but regardless, it is the end of the lunar year.
"The last day of the year" is called "Sichu," and the night of that day is called "Chuxi." It is connected to the first day of the new year, hence referred to as "end of the year and month, approaching the end of the year," and it is the eve of the new year, an important time when the old and new years meet, known as "the Year's End." Because the New Year's Eve often falls on the twenty-ninth or thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, it is also called "the thirtieth day of the year." On the day of Sichu, people pay particular attention to it, and all families are busy cleaning their homes, removing the old and welcoming the new, decorating with lanterns, and welcoming ancestors back home for the New Year. On that night, the family must do three things: worship the ancestors, have the New Year's Eve dinner, and stay up late.

What Taboos Should Be Pay Attention to on the Eve of the New Year?

Taboo One:
 "It is not allowed for people to come on the night of the thirtieth day of the year." On the night of the thirtieth day, ordinary families will have a "big reunion," and relatives who are far away will travel thousands of miles, through wind and snow, to return home and have the New Year's Eve dinner together. This meal is called "New Year's Eve dinner" in the south, and in the north, since people eat noodles, they have dumplings. A folk song says: "On the thirtieth day, the whole family enjoys eating dumplings." On the night of the thirtieth day, the family reunites, outside is blowing wind and snowing, inside is bright with lights and warm. The windows are cleaned thoroughly, water droplets roll down from the glass. Occasionally, the sound of firecrackers can be heard. Every family enjoys the joy of family life, full of happiness. To ensure a happy family meal, people generally don't want outsiders to suddenly enter, whether they come to talk, visit, or collect debts, they will disturb the family's happy gathering. Therefore, on the night of the New Year's Eve, everyone except the "family members" is refused.
Taboo Two:
 "Married daughters cannot look at their parents' lights on the night of the thirtieth day." "On the night of the thirtieth day, married daughters cannot look at their parents' lights, looking at the parents' lights will cause the death of the parents' family," this rule is quite strict, but it has its reasons. In the past society, men were dominant; married daughters often had conflicts with their in-laws. If a woman who has become a wife (especially one from a wealthy and powerful family) keeps going back to her parents' house, then the in-law family would not be able to maintain a big reunion. To ensure the reunion of the in-law family, this custom was passed down, and although the reason is "baseless," it plays a role in bringing people together and maintaining harmony.
Taboo Three:
  "Do not cut your hair in the first month." In old Tianjin, barbers started working early on the thirtieth day, cutting hair and braiding, washing and cutting men's hair, working all night until the morning of the first day. At that time, most barbers were from Baodi, and as soon as it was light, they packed up and returned to their hometown, so there would be no barber available for cutting hair again. This is to urge people to complete all cleanliness work before the new year.
Taboo Four:
 "Do not break anything." It is not allowed to break things during the New Year. If something is broken, say quickly: "Break (year) break (year) safe." This is a reminder to people not to be overly confident during the New Year, but to be careful and seek good luck, which is a psychological suggestion without any other meaning.
Summary: Through the content of the above article, we know some of the taboos that need to be taken seriously and avoided regarding the New Year's Eve. We hope these contents can provide some warnings for everyone. Please take them seriously. Wishing everyone a happy and auspicious year!

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