The first lunar month marks the beginning of the New Year and is the most significant month for the common people. A folk custom holds that events occurring during this month are seen as "omens" foretelling the fortune of the entire year. It is precisely because of this traditional culture that many taboos exist during the first lunar month. Today, we'll share with you some of the old customs of the first lunar month.
Taboos of the First Lunar Month(First to Eighth Day of the First Lunar Month) Traditional Taboos on New Year's Eve Commonly known as "New Year's Eve" or "Chuxi," this marks the final day of the previous year. Stay awake all night on New Year's Eve. Avoid going to bed too early. Speak auspicious words; refrain from using profanity. Refrain from relieving oneself until after sunrise. Avoid breaking or shattering objects.
Breaking bowls, plates, cups, or dishes on this day signifies "broken fortune" for the year. To remedy this, wrap the broken pieces in red paper while reciting auspicious phrases like "Peace and Safety Year After Year." Place them on the ancestral altar for several days to avert misfortune.
Do not keep wet clothes over the New Year!
Avoid encountering funerals, as this is considered inauspicious and symbolizes impending disaster in the coming year.
Customary taboos on the first day of the Lunar New Year:
1. Married daughters must not return to their natal homes. It is said that doing so on the first day will bring ruin to their parents' household...
2. Avoid eating congee, meat dishes, or taking medicine for breakfast.
3. Avoid calling someone by name to wake them up.
4. Avoid paying New Year's greetings to those still asleep.
5. Avoid taking medicine. Avoid handling knives or scissors.
6. Avoid handling needles or coins.
7. Avoid splitting firewood with an axe.
8. Avoid borrowing money.
9. Avoid breaking furniture (plates, bowls, wine sets, and other fragile items), as it is believed that breaking furniture brings bad luck throughout the year.
10. Do not take a nap during the day.
11. Avoid dumping dirty water, garbage, or sweeping the floor.
12. Avoid having others take items from your pockets.
13. Avoid demanding repayment of debts.
14. Avoid washing clothes.
15. Avoid visiting households with recent bereavements during New Year greetings.
16. Avoid moving house or papering windows, as these are considered inauspicious.
17. Avoid consulting doctors, as it symbolizes enduring illness throughout the year. Doctors also avoid house calls during the first month, deeming it unlucky.
18. Avoid eating congee. Consuming congee on this day foretells being caught in rain during travels, or even heavy rains washing away farmland. Moreover, congee symbolizes poverty; eating it on the first day may lead to a year of hardship.
19. Do not change or wash clothing or bedding.
20. Avoid wearing new clothes that are damaged.Children wearing new clothes that are damaged during the first month is considered unlucky.
21. Avoid getting a haircut. A folk saying goes: "No haircuts in the first month, or you'll cut your uncle's life short."
21. Do not give an odd number for New Year's money. Elders giving New Year's money to juniors must give an even amount; otherwise, it is inauspicious.
22. Sweeping or emptying trash is strictly forbidden, as it sweeps away the household's fortune and wealth. If sweeping is necessary, remember to sweep from outside in!
23. Avoid using knives, scissors, needles, or thread. Any mishap may invite misfortune or ruin, or potentially sever one's financial luck.
24. Avoid breaking objects. Breaking dishes on the first day of the New Year signifies "broken fortune" for the year. To remedy this, wrap the broken pieces in red paper while reciting auspicious phrases like "Peace and Safety Year After Year." Place them on the ancestral altar for several days to avert misfortune.
25. Avoid taking afternoon naps. Men who nap this day risk their fields collapsing; women who nap may cause their stoves to cave in. This ancient belief discourages laziness.
26. Refrain from washing clothes, as the Water Deity's birthday falls on the first and second days of the lunar month.
27. Avoid lying in bed while offering congratulations, as legend holds it may lead to prolonged bedriddenness!
28. Refrain from hitting, cursing, or crying to preserve auspicious omens.
29. Steer clear of unlucky words like "break," "death," "illness," "lose," or "defeat";If inadvertently violated, neutralize potential ill effects by spitting or declaring "childish words carry no blame."
30. Settle all debts before the New Year. If debts carry over, creditors must not visit from the first to the fifth day of the New Year, lest misfortune follow throughout the year!
31. Avoid killing living creatures.Killing living creatures inevitably involves bloodshed, which is an inauspicious omen and may invite disasters like accidents, wars, or bloodshed.
32. Avoid crying. Crying is considered a "bad omen," signaling illness or misfortune.
33. Additionally, avoid children using foul language, young people fighting, or family members bickering. Should any such incidents occur, relatives, friends, and neighbors will intervene to stop them.
Customs and Taboos for the Second Day of the New Year:
When visiting one's maternal home, one must not arrive empty-handed. Gifts brought to the maternal family must be in even numbers, as odd numbers are considered inauspicious. Good things should come in pairs.
Taboo speech during the God of Wealth ritual. In the past, peddlers would sell images of the God of Wealth door-to-door. Those unwilling to purchase should only reply that they already have one; it is taboo to say "no" to avoid misfortune.
Customs and Taboos for the Third Day of the New Year:
The first three days of the New Year are considered the beginning of the year, with taboos largely identical to those of the first day. Additionally, the third day is commonly known as the "Red Dog Day," when it is inauspicious to go out or host banquets.It is essential to extinguish lights and retire early. Customs and taboos for the fourth day of the Lunar New Year: This marks the day when the Kitchen God returns to the mortal world. As he will conduct household inspections, every family must remain at home, prepare abundant offerings of fruits, burn incense and candles, and set off firecrackers to show reverence.
Customs and Taboos for the Fifth Day of the Lunar New Year:
Known as "Breaking the Fifth" or "Fifth Poverty," this day marks the end of previous restrictions, hence also called "The Fifth Day Breaks the Barrier." It is taboo to visit relatives or friends, but cleaning and disposing of trash is permitted, symbolizing "sending poverty away." As the "Day of Five Busy Tasks," digging the ground is forbidden, as it may invite disaster.Eat dumplings, avoid lotus root, and refrain from combing hair.
Customs and Taboos on the Sixth Day of the First Lunar Month:
The sixth day carries no restrictions, being considered an auspicious day. People may freely entertain guests or visit others. Traveling and shopping are also favorable activities.
Customs and Taboos for the Seventh Day of the First Lunar Month:
Known as the "Human Day," legend holds that clear weather signifies good health, while rain foretells disease and plague. Avoid sewing, administering punishment, or disciplining children. Also called the "Seven Calamities Day," many activities are inadvisable, especially long-distance travel.
Customs and Taboos for the Eighth Day of the First Lunar Month:
Known as the "Day of Grain," symbolizing harvest abundance. As the holiday concludes, people return to work, exchanging auspicious greetings like "Great Fortune!" and "Wishing You Prosperity!"
Other First-Month Taboos and Customs
Sayings vary widely, customs differ by region, but all seek good omens and auspicious blessings.Dongfang Shuo's divination text states: "Eight days after the New Year, the first day belongs to the rooster, the second to the dog, the third to the sheep, the fourth to the pig, the fifth to the ox, the sixth to the horse, the seventh to humans, and the eighth to grain." This signifies that heaven and earth first gave birth to the rooster, followed by the dog, pig, sheep, ox, horse, and finally humans.Thus arose the saying: "On the first day of the first lunar month, do not kill chickens; on the second day, do not kill dogs; on the third day, do not kill sheep; on the fourth day, do not kill pigs; on the fifth day, do not kill cattle; on the sixth day, do not kill horses; on the seventh day, do not administer punishment."
First Day: Chicken Day — In ancient times, auspicious paintings were posted on New Year's Day to ward off evil and bring blessings.
Second Day: Dog Day — Visiting relatives to pay New Year's greetings or paying respects to ancestors.
Third Day: Sheep Day — Known as "Red Mouth Day," prone to quarrels, thus unsuitable for visiting relatives. Also called "Field's Birthday" and "Grain Day."
The custom of visiting one's maternal home on the second day of the first lunar month.
In traditional Chinese culture, the first lunar month holds many fascinating customs. For instance, the practice of returning to one's maternal home on the second day of the New Year often raises questions: Why not the first day? What customs accompany this visit? Today, China Food Network explores the traditions surrounding this second-day homecoming.
Why Return to the Maternal Home on the Second Day?
Why must it be the second day, not the first?Superstitious beliefs hold that departed ancestors return home from heaven at year's end to partake in offerings. If ancestors see "outsiders" in the home, they may refuse to enter, as married women were considered "outsiders." Thus, married women were forbidden to spend New Year's Eve or the first day of the new year at home.In the past, brides returning to their natal homes faced numerous taboos, primarily concerning the bride's conduct during the visit. After returning, the bride's status had changed—she was now part of her husband's family—so her natal family often kept a watchful eye on her.This visit carries specific rules: gifts must be in even numbers, never odd, typically four items. The parents cannot accept all gifts; some must be brought back to the husband's home during the next visit. The visit is limited to lunch; the daughter must return to her in-laws' home before dinner. If nephews are present, the aunt must give them red envelopes.Returning to the maternal home isn't limited to the second day of the Lunar New Year; some regions observe it on the third day. In places like Shaanxi and Henan provinces, there's even a custom of returning on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, tied to the wheat harvest and threshing season. A folk rhyme goes: "After the wheat is gathered and threshed, which daughter wouldn't visit her mother?"