How did my grandparents celebrate the New Year when they were children?

Although the Chinese New Year was poor at that time, it was very folk-custom. Starting from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, people started making sugar melons and eating them as offerings to the Stove Lord. On the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, they cleaned the house, unpacked and washed clothes, etc. Five or six steamed rice cakes and bought some simple new year products, fruit candies, sunflower seeds, peanuts, red dates, etc. On the 27th and 8th, I buy a small amount of fish and meat, and also steam various kinds of steamed buns. That is when the children wear new clothes during the New Year and some old clothes are washed.

The 30th night before the Chinese New Year is also very stressful. You have to put up the Nianhua, window grilles, and Spring Festival couplets, and some even have to light up the fire in the courtyard (representing the new year's prosperity). The adults were most busy chopping and making dumplings after lunch, but the children were the happiest, playing and chasing around the fire all night, setting off cannons and staying up all night. This may be called a night vigil. The first thing the children do on the morning of the first day of the new year is to pay New Year greetings to their elders. The elders take out the New Year's money (2 jiao, 3 jiao, 5 jiao for the rich) that they have prepared and give it to the next generation, and then go around with the adults to pay New Year greetings to relatives and friends.