There are two old customs that Shanghainese pay more attention to during the Spring Festival. One is to eat New Year’s Eve dinner; the other is to visit the City God’s Temple. Cantonese people attach great importance to the "reunion dinner" on New Year's Eve. In addition to family reunions and family gatherings, they also pray for the safety of the whole family. People who work outside rush back to celebrate the New Year. There is an old saying in Fuzhou, Fujian: "A good boy doesn't make money on New Year's Eve (meaning: a good boy doesn't make money on New Year's Eve)." Even Fuzhou people who travel far away for business and work will definitely return home before New Year's Eve to celebrate the New Year, reunite with their families, and have a reunion dinner. Hubei people pay attention to "three wholes", "three cakes" and "three pills" when eating New Year's Eve dinner. On New Year's Eve in Sichuan, people usually eat hot pot and eat glutinous rice balls on the morning of the first day of the lunar month, which means reunion. [2]

In Henan people’s New Year, “dumplings” are definitely the highlight. It is unimaginable to have a Spring Festival without dumplings. Every New Year's Eve, starting from the morning, every household starts to get busy chopping stuffing and rolling out dough. Depending on the number of people in the family, the dumplings made on this day are not only eaten that day, but also on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, and even in some places on the morning of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. Shaanxi family banquets generally consist of four large plates and eight large bowls. The four large plates are mainly stir-fried and cold dishes, and the eight large bowls are mainly stewed and cooked dishes. During the Chinese New Year, people in Shandong have more abundant food on their dining tables. A variety of seafood such as fried squid, fried scallops, spicy fried razor clams, and parsley stings are also on the table. In addition, there are also jujube dumplings made by steaming red dates into steamed buns, which are also a must-eat snack for Shandong people during the New Year. [2] [8]

Guandong New Year’s Eve Dinner

The New Year’s Eve Dinner is usually the most sumptuous meal of the year among farmers in Guandong in the old days, and it must be prepared by the chef on New Year’s Eve. . There must be fish among the food and wine on the table, which means there will be surplus money and food in the new year, and everything will be abundant. There must also be a bowl of braised meatballs, which represents family reunion.

People in Guandong have always said that "the poor celebrate the New Year, the rich celebrate the New Year, and if you don't eat dumplings, you won't celebrate the New Year." In many farmhouses in the Northeast, firecrackers are set off and dumplings are eaten before the New Year's Eve dinner. But since the eating and drinking of the New Year's Eve dinner is no longer important, Shi Lixue believes: "The New Year's Eve dinner has long gone beyond the scope of 'eating', but lies in the warmth between people, which is warmed by the greetings and warmth of the family. Both Some are nostalgic for the old years that are about to pass away, and some are hopeful for the upcoming new year. ”

Taiwan Region

Taiwanese people are the same as those in other parts of the motherland. The New Year begins on the 16th day of the twelfth lunar month and ends with the Lantern Festival (Shangyuan Festival) on the 15th day of the first lunar month, which lasts for a whole month. "Wei Ya" is the "pioneer" of the Spring Festival activities for ordinary people. On this day, ordinary people in Taiwan will worship the Lord of the Land, and various businesses will also host banquets for their employees on that day to reward their hard work in the past year. The 24th day of the twelfth lunar month is the day to send off the gods. Every household holds a ceremony to offer sacrifices to the stove god and send off the stove god and other gods to heaven. After sending the gods off, every household begins to "clean up" and conduct general cleaning. On New Year's Eve, also called New Year's Eve, family members who go out to make a living have to rush back to their hometown to reunite. If they cannot make it back, the family members will leave a place to put that person's clothes to express reunion. The whole family gathers around the table to eat the most sumptuous meal of the year. There is a blazing oven under the table and some copper coins beside the stove to show warmth like spring and strong wealth.

After eating, the elders will give "New Year's money" to the younger ones, and then the whole family will sit around the fireside, talking and laughing, staying up all night, called "staying up late on the New Year's Eve". On the first day of the Lunar New Year, believers not only worship their ancestors and gods, but also go to the temple to burn gold, incense and offer offerings. When the whole family goes out in new clothes, it is called "traveling" or "spring trip", which means that the more you travel, the more money you can save.