What are some New Year customs in your hometown? What ritualistic things do you do during the Chinese New Year?

1. Hanging ceremonial lanterns

Hanging of ceremonial lanterns begins on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month. Ceremonial lanterns are actually red lanterns. Each household made those ceremonial lanterns themselves, using red paper and bamboo strips woven into a cage shape. There are regulations for making ceremonial lanterns. Only the oldest person can do it, and we juniors are not allowed to participate. This is a custom that means the coming year will be prosperous.

2. Set off small firecrackers

From the day when the ceremonial lanterns are hung, children also start to set off small firecrackers. This time is not the kind of red firecrackers used to start the new year. , it's the kind of toy cannon that explodes with a "pop" sound. We call it the Spider Cannon. At night, we use the small fireworks that spray out, which are about one meter high, but they don't last long. The sound of "呲呲..." is like the whispering of small sparks, and the children want to Get involved in this beautiful conversation and enjoy the blooming joy.

3. New Year’s Eve dinner

On New Year’s Eve, every household wakes up at seven o’clock in the morning. All the adults have to do is prepare the New Year's Eve dinner in the evening. Everyone is smiling and busy. The children have already put on their new bright red clothes. They will not play anywhere else today and will stay at home. The adults were busy working until night, and the children were also watching until night. The reunion dinner is very important to every family, and Chinese people must eat chicken during the New Year. My uncle and sister-in-law have already cooked the chicken. Shredded chicken, braised chicken with mushrooms, and braised duck with chestnuts are essential.

The whole family had a reunion dinner and discussed the summary of this year and plans for next year. There is no need for fancy words at this time, even plain words can be embedded in the heart. The adults and children happily ate the food on the table, with love in their laughter and joy in their eyes.

4. Staying up late

The reunion dinner lasts from seven o'clock to about nine o'clock, and it is over. The family sat around the TV, drinking tea, chatting and eating snacks, having fun. After that, it’s time to stay up late on New Year’s Eve. Accompanied by the joyful songs and laughter of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, firecrackers crackled after eleven o'clock, which were firecrackers to see off the old and welcome the new. It is an old rule to set off firecrackers. Whose house makes the sound will be prosperous in the coming year. The whole county was filled with the sound of firecrackers and the smell of gunpowder. The elderly and children of every household walked out of their houses and went to the open space in the courtyard to set off fireworks. One after another, colorful fireworks bloomed in the sky, bright and beautiful. The children cheered one after another, conveying the happy atmosphere of welcoming the new year.

After midnight, the night finally quieted down, and people who had had a happy day finally calmed down. Some old people will sit there until two or three in the morning, saying that they can keep their wealth and good luck by staying up late this way.

On the first day of the New Year, when people open their doors, they are greeted by the fresh and refreshing breath of the New Year. When I walked out, I saw that the ground was covered with red velvet carpets - they were the debris of the firecrackers set off on New Year's Eve. Stepping on the thick "red carpet", a different kind of joy ripples in my heart.

New Year’s Eve in my hometown is so lively. I can’t help but think of a few words: Thousands of families celebrate reunion, see off the old and welcome the new. If you mistakenly mistake a red light for a red face, you will have good luck again next year.