What are the Chinese New Year customs in Hong Kong? Is it the same as the mainland?

In recent years, very few Hong Kong people have traditionally put up Chinese New Year couplets and paintings at home during the Lunar New Year. Instead, they put up spring scrolls in some stores or at home to wish for "prosperous business" and "peace and prosperity". In spite of this, the original intention of posting spring scrolls is the same as that of posting spring couplets and New Year's paintings, which is to take its auspicious meaning and hope that everything will go well in the coming year, and that it will be peaceful and safe.

On the eve of New Year's Eve, families get busy with cleaning their houses, getting rid of old things, and shopping for new year's goods. On New Year's Eve (the night of the 30th day of the Lunar New Year), it is a day of family reunion, when families have a Lunar New Year's dinner together. The dishes of the New Year's dinner are usually very rich, chicken, duck and fish, fresh meat and vegetables, everything. Most of the dishes have auspicious meanings in their names. After the New Year's dinner, people usually go to the New Year's market to buy some New Year's flowers, which adds to the atmosphere of the New Year. In addition, many parents will hand out New Year's money to their children, encouraging them to behave well and work hard at their studies and jobs.

In addition, lion dances and dragon lanterns are also seen in some villages and walled villages in the New Territories, and large-scale lion dances and dragon lanterns are hard to see on the streets of downtown on New Year's Day. As for the discharge of firecrackers, firecrackers, etc. in Hong Kong is prohibited, but since 1982 every year on the second day of the Lunar New Year night, in the Victoria Harbour will hold a grand fireworks display, which has become this decade to welcome the spring of a program.

Hong Kong is known as the "Gourmet Paradise", and there are many Chinese New Year customs related to food, and most families will have a "Lunar New Year dinner" during the Lunar New Year period, which is usually a feast at home, where the whole family gathers on New Year's Eve to enjoy the Dinner. After dinner, the first choice for a major program is believed to be the flower market, during the Lunar New Year, Hong Kong and Kowloon have a number of New Year's Eve markets, including Victoria Park's flower market is the largest and most lively. Hong Kong people are accustomed to the family after dinner to visit the flower market, New Year's Eve is even more crowded, shoulder to shoulder, everyone together to celebrate the festival.

In Hong Kong during the Lunar New Year, the happiest people are the children who receive "lai see", and during the Lunar New Year, you can hear the laughter of the "lai see" everywhere. "Lishui" was originally "good things", to take the big luck wide good intentions, but also become the Spring Festival with relatives indispensable custom.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, people begin to celebrate the New Year formally, they begin to paste spring couplets (wai chun), New Year's paintings, dragon dances, lion dances, and so on, and will go to friends and relatives to pay tribute to the New Year. In addition, there are a lot of New Year's foods, such as rice cakes, fried golden-colored oil horns, fried piles, and eggs.

There are many taboos and customs for the New Year:

First day: Chicken Day - in the old days, on New Year's Day, a chicken was painted to ward off evil spirits and pray for good luck (because "chicken" harmonizes with "good fortune");

First two days: Dog Day

The third day of the year: Sheep Day - "red mouth", easy to have a quarrel, should not pay New Year's visit; Tian birthday, sacrifices to the field;

The fourth day of the year: Pig Day - sacrifices to the God of Wealth, the boss wants to fire someone, not to If the boss wants to "fire" someone, he should not invite him to worship the god;

Christmas 5: Ox Day - the fifth day to break many taboos, the birthday of the God of Wealth on the five roads, the custom of "receiving the God of Wealth";

Christmas 6: Horse Day - the day of "sending the god", the New Year's Eve to the God of Wealth paper horse burned, the shop sent to the On the sixth day of the month, the God of Wealth is burned, and the store resumes business.

Charter 7: People's Day - the birthday of the people, and the custom of gathering for meals and drinks, setting off fireworks and firecrackers, and the "birthday of fire".

Chuhai: Valley Day - the stars down to the world, so to sacrifice the stars, temples often set up altars on this day to sacrifice the stars, to receive charity;

Chuhai 9: the birthday of the sky - the birth of the Jade Emperor, held a grand sacrifice to the sky;

Chuhai 10: the birthday of the stone - all the mill, pestle and mortar stone utensils are milled, pestle, grinders and other stone utensils are taboo to move, burn incense to worship stone utensils.