In the twelfth lunar month, also known as the wax moon, many Chinese will begin to prepare for the New Year. The month is rich in traditional customs, some of which are an important part of welcoming the New Year. After entering the wax moon, people will begin to sweep the dust, sacrifice the stove, prepare New Year's goods and other customs, all of which are to welcome the arrival of the new year.
Dust sweeping is an important custom for Chinese to welcome the New Year, and it is also one of the most important preparations before the New Year. During the wax moon, people will clean up their homes to remove dust and dirt, symbolizing the arrival of the new year and welcoming the new.
The sacrificial stove is also an important custom during the lunar month. The festival is held on the day of the birthday of the king of the stove, and people pray to the king of the stove for good luck and a good harvest in the coming year. During the sacrifice to the stove, people will place some offerings, such as sweets, cakes, etc., in front of the shrine of the stove king, and light incense to pray for the stove lord to bless the peace and prosperity of the family.
Preparing for the New Year is also an important custom during the lunar month. People will buy a variety of Chinese New Year goods, such as sweets, pastries, firecrackers, etc., during the lunar month to prepare for the Chinese New Year. At the same time, people will also prepare various ingredients for the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, such as fish, meat, vegetables, etc., which means that there is a surplus every year and a good harvest.
In addition to the above customs, there is another question that has been bothering many people: When does the Chinese New Year's Eve come and go? Actually, this question involves the calculation of the lunar calendar and the question of leap years. Since the calculation of the lunar calendar is based on astronomical observations, and astronomy has a high degree of accuracy, errors occur in the calculations. In addition, since the lunar calendar needs to conform to the law of the 24 solar terms, some adjustments need to be made when calculating. These factors can cause the date of the lunar calendar to be skewed, so sometimes there will be no 30th lunar month.
Although the appearance of the thirtieth month of the lunar month is not fixed, it does not affect the enthusiasm of the Chinese for the New Year and the inheritance of customs. During the lunar month, people will prepare New Year's goods, sweep dust, and sacrifice stoves according to traditional customs to welcome the arrival of the New Year. On Chinese New Year's Eve, the whole family will gather together to celebrate the arrival of the New Year by having Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, watching the Spring Festival Gala, setting off firecrackers, etc.