What's the name of the Spring Festival cleaning?

The general cleaning before the New Year is commonly known as "sweeping the dust".

It is one of the traditional folk Chinese New Year customs in China. According to China folks, because "dust" and "Chen" are homophonic, sweeping dust during the Spring Festival means "welcoming the new year", which is intended to sweep away all "bad luck" and "bad luck".

There is also a folk legend in China that the custom of sweeping dust comes from the tenant farmers in Tongzhou (now Nantong) who welcome the Jade Emperor's annual grain. Previously, the tenant farmers here were busy all the year round, except for paying food and rent.

They prayed that the Kitchen God would say something nice when he wrote a letter on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, so that the Jade Emperor could be merciful and set aside some gifts from the Tiancang before New Year's Eve to reduce the annual grain and let them have a sumptuous reunion dinner.

In order to welcome the gift of the Jade Emperor, tenant farmers have to clean the house inside and outside every year before the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, so as to welcome the annual grain given by God, so that the national custom of sweeping dust in the Spring Festival is passed down from generation to generation year after year.

Basic overview:

After the Stove Festival, preparations for the Chinese New Year officially began. Every year from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month to New Year's Eve, China folks call this period "Spring Festival" or "Dust Day".

Dust removal is year-end cleaning, which is called "house cleaning" in the north and "dust removal" in the south. It is a traditional habit of our people to sweep the dust before the Spring Festival. Whenever the Spring Festival comes, every household should clean the environment, clean all kinds of electrical appliances, remove and wash bedding curtains, sweep six yards, dust cobwebs and dredge culverts in open channels.

North and south of the great river, everywhere is filled with the atmosphere of being willing to engage in hygiene and welcoming the Spring Festival cleanly. The custom of "sweeping the house with dust on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month" has a long history.