If the Christmas Eve is the most important time in the native English speaking countries, the Spring Festival Eve (Chu Xi, or Chinese lunar New Year’s Eve) must be the most important time of  the year for the Chinese. This eve means reunion, party, harmony and happiness for nearly all the Chinese people. This year’s Chinese lunar New Year’s eve falls upon January 27.

In fact, the Chinese lunar New Year’s Eve is the last evening of the last lunar month in the Chinese calendar. Chu means getting rid of, driving off or weeding off; and Xi means evening or night. The Chinese phrase refers to the situation that the old is driven off and the new has come. Like the Tomb Sweeping Day, Ghost Festival and Double-Nine Festival, this day also means worshiping ancestors.

This day often arrives on the 29th day or 30th day (note: In Chinese calendar sometimes this month has 29 days and sometimes 30 days) and is the most important day of the year for the Chinese. The festival is the most popular one among many in Chinese folk culture. Each and every family is busy sweeping their house and yard, welcoming their ancestors’ souls to return to their family, and often worships their ancestors with glutinous rice cakes, fruit, nuts and pig and fish meat.

Also, on the eve people paste Chinese gods’ portraits onto their gates, stay up, play computer games, play cards, burn paper money for their family’s gods, make dumplings, or just watch charming TV programs. On this eve each electricity-powered red lantern or bulb will be lit on throughout the whole night. No matter where you go, you will see the dazzling light of lanterns or bulbs, or even sometimes red candles. Fire crackers will be set off to drive off evil spirits and welcome new happy days.