Five Traditions That Should Not Be Missed During Chinese New Year

For many people, the Chinese New Year symbolizes new hopes. Everyone wants to gather with family and wish for the next year. Chinese New Year is also very lively in Indonesia. We can see many Chinese New Year traditions celebrated around us. So, what are Chinese traditions that cannot be missed?

Clean Up Before The Chinese New Year Celebration
In the Chinese tradition, cleaning up just before the Chinese New Year celebrations has a very important value. The cleaning activity is multifunctional. Aside from being prepared to make the house clean and comfortable for celebrations on D-day, cleaning up the house one day before Chinese New Year also means we are trying to get rid of the bad luck left in that place. The hope is that after all misfortunes have been "cleansed," all that remains is good luck fortunes for the big family.

According to this philosophy, in Chinese belief, we don’t allow to clean up the house one day after the Chinese New Year celebration. It is believed that if we clean up after the celebration, it is the same as we "sweep" the fortune that has just been obtained on Chinese New Year. So, we need to remember well the right time to clean the house up in the Chinese New Year celebration.

Yu Sheng Traditions and Other Chinese New Year Foods
Lately, there is a tradition brought by 19th-century Chinese fishermen that has become a trend in Indonesia. The tradition of eating with Yu Sheng to celebrate Chinese New Year began to be found in many Chinese families in Indonesia. Various foods such as salmon, salads, carrots, plums, sesame sauce, served cold in the middle of the table. Then after praying, all family members will eat together to enjoy the dish.

In addition to the Yu Sheng tradition, the Chinese New Year tradition is also synonymous with some foods such as basket cakes and moon cakes. If you don't want to bother making your own, you can also buy this variety of Chinese New Year foods online. Don't forget to use PermataKartuKredit when shopping. Besides collecting reward points, PermataKartuKredit also gives us many promos at various merchants.

Liong and Barongsai performances
Like celebrations with other Chinese traditions, Chinese New Year also often shows liong and lion dance (barongsai) performances. In public places that hold Chinese New Year festivals, liong and lion dance performances are used to attract visitors. Almost everyone, from children to adults, can enjoy the show.

Liong and lion dance performances have their own meanings. In the belief of Chinese descent, this show symbolizes happiness. Liong and lion dance are thought to be able to ward off evil spirits who like to disturb humans. By expelling this evil spirit, we hope to get a lot of fortune in the future.

Ang bao Sharing
Chinese New Year tradition is inseparable from the tradition of ang bao (red envelope) sharing. Married couples traditionally have to share their ang bao with relatives who are still unmarried. Even though they are adults, as long as they haven’t gotten married, they still need to be given ang bao. Ang bao tradition is usually given in the form of money in a red envelope. For those who are still children and teenagers, they always look forward to the Chinese New Year. When they gathered together, they will get ang bao in quite a large amount.

Living outside of the city? No problem. With the WhatsApp Gift feature from PermataMobile X, we can still send ang bao to the loved ones.

Returning to the Hometown (Mudik) 
Chinese New Year is practically a "Lebaran" (the Indonesian name for the post-fasting holiday of Idul Fitri) for those who celebrate it. Because of the tradition of having to gather with family, so many decided to make an annual trip (mudik)  to their hometowns. Usually, Chinese New Year will be celebrated at the parents' house. Or if there are no parents, then it is celebrated at the house of the "elder" family members.

When going home to the hometown, large families will gather together and converse with each other. With various Chinese New Year foods and cakes, this moment is often awaited by all family members. The Chinese New Year tradition that is also often celebrated when a family gathering is lighting a variety of firecrackers and fireworks. Besides being more lively, it is also a symbol of happiness and good fortune for large families.

Those were some of the Chinese New Year traditions that are still frequently practiced in Indonesia. Basically, the main purpose of all these traditions is to wish blessings and good luck to all family members. From credit cards to mobile banking services, PermataBank is always ready to help meet all our holiday needs.