How to Prepare for Chinese New Year at Home
The two main themes while welcoming Chinese New Year are clearing away the bad luck from the past year and preparing homes to welcome the luck of the coming year. Most businesses close for two weeks during the Chinese New Year festival. People are not supposed to cook and clean on the Chinese New Year day when it is time to celebrate. They will have to take care of a few things, prepare for the reunion dinner, and stock up a few things before the celebration begins. Here are a few things you have to do to prepare for Chinese New Year.
Send Off the Kitchen God a Week Before
According to the Chinese tradition, the Kitchen God looks after the well-being and nourishment of the entire family. The popular belief is that God ascends to the heavens to report regarding the family’s behaviour to the emperor- good and bad. A paper image of the Kitchen God is hung above the stove in most families. People take this image down on the appointed day, smear God's mouth with honey, and burn it to send the spirit off to heavens. A new image of the Kitchen God is then hung there in the belief that it would look after the family's well-being the new year.
Stuff Up the Red Envelopes
New Year comes with plenty of opportunities to give and receive gifts. You can request crisp bills from banks and make sure that you have the denominations you need. You can also request money earlier with auspicious serial numbers like plenty of 8s, which would bring luck to the receiver.
Stock the Pantry
Crowds gather along most streets a week before the Chinese New Year since many businesses close for the celebration. People usually focus their shopping on decorations and food. You can stock up the pantry for the reunion party at your place, red envelopes for gifting, decorations, and so on. The popular belief is that the abundance of Chinese New Year would carry forward into the coming year - therefore, make sure that the rice bins are full.
Clean Up Your Home Completely
There will not be any New Year preparations without proper cleaning at your space. Doing a deep-cleaning is very important to put your foot forward for the coming year. Tackle all the items on the to-do-list, or get in touch with a professional service provider like the Sendhelper to make the job easier for you, especially if you and your family members lack time. Hiring professionals at your space before the new year makes tasks like sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, dusting etc. easy for you. Remember that even small cleaning at your space is not allowed on the day of New Year as people believe it would sweep away the good fortune.
Start Cooking a Day Before
If you are looking forward to serving eight or more courses for your guests, you would probably have to start cooking the day before to avoid the last-minute stress and rush. Start preparing the dishes that don’t need cooking before bringing them to the table. You can also start with cold-served dishes that need overnight marination. Above all, starting to cook a day prior would also give you the chance to see if you have everything you need to prepare for Chinese New Year.
Settle the Debts from Past Year
The idea of cleaning also extends to the financial affairs of the family. Pay off your credit cards and settle the debts from the year. Getting your mind ready for the new year is as important as getting your body ready. Clear your thoughts involved with finance and debts to welcome a peaceful Chinese New Year and look forward to the year with a whole lot of optimism.
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