Wishing you glory and prosperity! Chinese New Year is right around the corner.
A new year is a natural time for reflection. However, it might be best to focus on the things you can’t see — the invisible microbes living around us during this pandemic. Especially when celebrating Chinese New Year and coming into contact with more people than usual. With this in mind, here are six things that you should know before celebrating this upcoming big event!
Make a list of things you need to do before the holiday begins
If you're planning on staying in town for Chinese New Year, besides having some self-love time, you might consider inviting some friends over for a potluck dinner or barbecue to ring in the new year together.
If you're like most people, you might have a lot more to do than usual over the coming days, and you may feel overwhelmed by all your commitments. That's why this is a good time to take a step back and review the Chinese New Year to-do list.
Spring Cleaning
Before the big Chinese New Year, everyone usually cleans up their homes and offices. If you want to take it to another level, here are a few things you should know about the "Spring cleaning" custom:
Clean your front door. This is believed to bring good luck to your house, and also symbolizes the cleaning of your own path in life. Use a broom or dustpan, and make sure all the corners are clean.
Clean up the kitchen. The kitchen is where we prepare our food. Cleaning the kitchen is like cleaning your stomach and your heart—it means that you're preparing yourself for a bright new life ahead of you! Make sure everything is clean in there, especially the stovetop, sink, and cupboards.
Clean your desk drawer. Do you have too many things in your desk drawer? It's time to clean it out! Put everything that's not necessary away; if you don't use it this year, why would you need it next year? You can toss out old receipts, coupons that are no longer valid, old magazines and newspapers, or whatever else is just taking up space.
Avoid overdoing it with decorations
Use traditional symbols on decorations and food. The Chinese New Year is a time for renewal and prosperity, so decorating with red and gold items will help bring good luck into your home or office.
The most important thing to remember is that the celebration of the Chinese New Year is all about family, not decoration. So don't go overboard with the decorations, because it's all about showing your love for your family.
Plan ahead for travel
It's a busy time of year for air travel and train travel, so be sure to book your tickets well in advance if you're traveling during Chinese New Year.
If you're driving, make sure your vehicle is in good shape for travel, and plan ahead before the trip for the family reunion. The holiday traffic and road conditions might be frustrating, but always put the safety of everyone in your car first by controlling the situation.
Check out our little tips to help you sleep better in a strange bed: Vase Creation Organic Stress Relief Pillow Mist, which promises every slumber as if you're home.
Get your house ready for guests
It's a time to celebrate with friends and family. If you're having Chinese friends or family over, here are some things that you might want to know:
Visit your house before they arrive. Clean up any clutter and make sure everything is in order. If there are specific items you want them to see, arrange them nicely beforehand.
Place a wad of red cash (hongbao) in with their regular greeting card. Red is the color of prosperity and happiness, so it's an auspicious way to begin the year.
Prepare some food for your guests. There are many options, but seafood is especially popular — it symbolizes wealth and success for the coming year. You can also serve dumplings (jiaozi), which symbolize togetherness and family unity; noodles, which represent long life; or oranges, which represent success in business or academic projects.*
Lastly, Make sure you have enough seating space for all the guests who will be visiting your house.
Sanitize everything!
We should take proper care of our hygiene during Lunar New Year since there are more germs around us due to the increased contact between people. Sanitize your house in the days leading up to the Chinese New Year.
Take care of hygiene using hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer or hand disinfectant gel can be used as an alternative to handwashing with soap and water in public areas during the Chinese New Year reunion as it kills 99.9% of bacteria after only 15 seconds of application on skin surfaces.
The monthly subscription for Vase Creation hand sanitizer is finally here! Easy and money-saving!
On New Year's Day, people say that hand sanitizer with alcohol brings good luck because it kills germs and viruses. So if you go around giving out hand sanitizer as a gift on Chinese New Year's Day, it is said that you will bring good friends to your house and prevent sicknesses from entering your home.
The celebration of Chinese New Year is a tradition that has spread across the globe. It’s a time to honor the past and celebrate the future, and it’s an opportunity to reconnect with friends and family. These are all reasons to participate in this unique holiday—a time filled with laughter, smiles, and joy.
Vase Creation team wishes you and your family health, happiness, peace, and prosperity.