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Just as some foods are always served on Imlek New Year, there are other foods that are to be avoided for their perceived bad meanings. One of them is tofu.
Chinese believe that white is the color of death and misfortune, so tofu is never included in the Imlek New Year meal as it might cause bad fortune to fall upon
family members.
2.3 Before Imlek New Year
The happy ceremonial tradition to welcome Imlek New Year usually hold on three weeks. Preparation begin with house cleaning on the 20
th
of twelfth moon and supplier are laid in for the New Year feast.
The Kitchen God is seen of to make His annual report on the family’s behavior on the night of the 23
rd
of twelfth moon. The kitchen God is one’s of the oldest of the household deities. In the household plays dual role, for he does not
only look after the hearth, but has constituted Himself the censor of morals of the family. He is the connecting link between God and man, and seven days before
the New Year, he is dispatched to make His annual report where officials are concerned it as axiomatic in Chinese that every man has got his price and the
kitchen God is no exception to the rule. The family, whose record is about be laid before the all Highest, make
every effort to ensure that a favorable report shall be rendered. A special sticky sweetmeat is part of the sacrifice.
Before New Year, everybody goes around collecting debts in order to clean up his own liabilities. The daughters who have married will send food gifts
to their parents. Chickens are Usually delivered alive. It is bad form to accept
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everything that is sent. The messenger must be rewarded with “Ang Pao” by the recipient. The banquet takes places on the vigil, every housewife will prepare and
make ready the food for several days. At the least day before the New Year, the all generations will reunion to their parents ‘home for dinner although they have
their own family and daughters who have married should return to their parents in law’s home for having dinner.
For some people, the New Year it self is being observed as a fast day on which no meat is eaten, theoretically, only vegetables and beancurd in oli, and no
lard, should appear on the table. In sending food present vegetables dishes are included with this observance. For some families who are not as strict as others in
the absention from meat and including it in the evening meal, but breakfast, the fist meal of the year is usually vegetables.
After dinner, attended by all generation, the children bow to their parents who will give them “Ang Pao”. On the last day of the year, there is a general
clean up all around, in the shape of bath and hairdressing. No one goes to bed on the night of the 30
th
of twelfth moon, but all sit up to welcome in the New Year. After twelfth o’clock on the last day of the year, most of the them will
worship at the temple for begging the safety and lucky. The others will go there the next morning.
2.4 Chinese New Year
