Enjoy a feast (Da Ya Ji)

Da Ya Ji was originally a ceremony to worship the Land God, while later means occasionally enjoying a feast. It is divided into "Tou Ya" and "Wei Ya", with the former happens on the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month and the latter on the 16th day of the 12th lunar month. In ancient times, people held fetes to worship the Land God who was able to protect people from unfortune and bring auspiciousness. After the ceremony, people would enjoy sacrificial offerings such as meat and fresh fruits, which is later referred as Da Ya Ji.

Clean the dust

Cleaning the dust means conducting a thorough house sweep. "Every family do the cleaning, sweep away the bad luck." On the contrary, it is believed that if people don't clean the dust in the 12th lunar month, they will suffer from disasters and diseases next year. The activity is usually done on the 23rd and 24th of the lunar month, which is the festival of sacrificing the kitchen god. Do not speak when cleaning dust, because it is said that people make a fortune in silence.

Get Married

According to folklore, at the end of the 12th lunar month, the gods will go to heaven to report on the work of the year. Therefore, there is no taboo on earth at this time. Besides, the farming is not busy, so it is a good time to get married without choosing an auspicious date. So in the old days, people were busy marrying in the countryside during this period.

Paste Windows

Pasting windows is to frame them with new paper. As the saying goes, "Pasting windows for good luck." For the sake of beauty, some people will cut some auspicious patterns and paste them on the windows, so it is also called "pasting paper-cuts". This activity is usually carried out on the 25th day of the lunar month.

Translated by LIU Yu