1. Erecting Lantern Pavilions
Folk tradition calls this "the twelfth day of lantern erection." As the Lantern Festival approaches, village elders begin summoning skilled craftsmen and able-bodied youths to prepare lanterns and make arrangements for the festival's lantern viewing.
A nursery rhyme goes: "On the eleventh, chatter fills the air; On the twelfth, lantern pavilions are erected; On the thirteenth, lanterns are lit; On the fourteenth, lanterns shine bright; On the fifteenth, the moon is half full; On the sixteenth, lanterns are put away."
2. Fire-Roasting Festival
In some southern areas of Shijiazhuang, the custom of roasting cypress branches on the twelfth day of the first lunar month (or the tenth day in some regions) is still observed. At dusk, people light cypress branches in front of their homes. The smoke carries a fragrant scent as families gather around the fire, calling it "roasting cypress."
Burning cypress symbolizes "banishing misfortune," warding off epidemics and evil spirits. People burn all unused household items, then carve the remaining cypress branches into "cypress locks." These are tied with strings and hung around infants' necks to pray for longevity.Homophonically interpreted as "roasting a hundred fires" or "roasting a hundred-year fire," children run through the streets visiting households to "roast a hundred fires," believing this will prevent a hundred illnesses and ensure a year free of calamity.
3. Rat Festival
Legend holds that the twelfth day of the first lunar month is when rats marry their brides, or alternatively, marks the rats' birthday. Thus, people created various "rituals" centered around rats, expressing not only the common folk's hatred for these creatures but also driving away the toil and fatigue of the past year.Han Chinese customs on this day include hiding scissors, collecting old shoes, and pinching mice's mouths.
On Mouse Festival, scissors must not be used. If the "snip-snip" of scissors is not heard, the household will be spared the "gnaw-gnaw" of mice chewing throughout the year.In the morning, children from every household go door-to-door with baskets to collect old shoes, and villagers gladly give away these "evil" (shoes).
4. Dumpling Making
On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, every family makes dumplings. When pinching the dumplings shut, they pinch tightly, commonly called "pinching the rat's mouth," meaning to let it be happy and cause less mischief.People shape the dumplings to resemble mice, complete with mouths, ears, tails, and mung beans for eyes. They say that making dumplings is "pinching the mouse's mouth"—by pinching the mouse's mouth shut, it cannot gnaw on things, and the household will be free of mice for the entire year.
At nightfall, every household drinks millet or corn porridge to "blind the rats' eyes," obscuring their vision. After dinner, people stir-fry peanuts to "fry (stir-fry) the rats' ears deaf."
5. The Day of Lighting the Lanterns
In Hakka customs, the Lantern Festival celebrates reunion with colorful lanterns and decorations. On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, villages gather skilled craftsmen to erect scaffolding and light the lanterns. Since "lantern" (灯) and "male offspring" (丁) share the same pronunciation in Hakka, this day is also known as the Day of Lighting the Lanterns.
Beyond its celebratory meaning, the lighting ceremony signifies the clan's recognition of a newly born male member.Every male child undergoes this rite, which may occur in the year of birth or several years later. Traditionally, lion dancers arrive to celebrate. The host family greets them with two strings of firecrackers and presents sweets, tangerines, and red envelopes as tokens of appreciation.
What other customs mark the twelfth day of the first lunar month? During this period, Beijing traditions include spinning diabolos (symbolizing harmony), spinning windmills (symbolizing joy), and beating gongs and drums (symbolizing peace). People also visit relatives and friends, go on outings together, make lanterns, and rehearse flower festivals...