Chinese New Year 2021: Day by Day Schedule

Lunar New Year is the biggest festival for the Chinese community. The season starts from the twenty-third day of the twelfth Lunar month, and each day calls for a specific thing to do. Singaporeans celebrate it for more than a month, and many of them follow a day-by-day schedule for preparing and doing different activities. If you would like to know more about the day-by-day schedule of the Chinese New year, this article can help you.

February 4, 2021 (23rd Day of Twelfth Lunar Month) - Worship of the Kitchen God

Chinese community dedicates the twenty-third day of the twelfth Lunar Month to worship the Kitchen God. According to their beliefs, the Kitchen God goes to the Jade Emperor and reports about the daily affairs of Chinese families, and the Emperor rewards the family based on this report. People will sacrifice food such as candies and beans to God to flatter him as per their beliefs. They believe that safety and peace will come to their family when God reports good things about the family.

February 5, 2021 (24th Day of Twelfth Lunar Month) - Home-Deep Cleaning

This day is dedicated entirely for house-cleaning as per the Chinese traditions. Chinese people clean all the nooks and corners, beddings, curtains, furniture, and such items thoroughly on this day. They welcome the Lunar New Year in a clean environment; according to their beliefs, dusting means cleaning away old things. Hire Sendhelper’s professional cleaners to deep-clean and declutter your home as part of your preparations for the new year. Deep cleaning or often called spring cleaning is part of the Chinese New Year day by day schedule.

February 6, 2021 (25th Day of Twelfth Lunar Month) - Preparing Bean-Curd

Chinese families prepare bean curd on this day with the belief that the Jade Emperor will visit their families to check if the report about them is true. Therefore, people prepare and eat bean curd to show the Emperor that they live an impoverished life.

February 7, 2021 (26th Day of Twelfth Lunar Month) - Buying Meat

The ancient Chinese people lived poverty-stricken lives, and they could only afford to eat meat during the Lunar New Year festive season. Purchasing pork and pigs to reserve for the festival was the main activity for them during such days. Although the times have changed and meat has become more affordable now, people still respect and follow the custom of purchasing meat on this day.

February 8, 2021 (27th Day of Twelfth Lunar Month) - Bathing and Shopping

People dedicate this day entirely for shopping for necessary items for the festive season. They go to the streets and bazaars to shop for toys, fireworks, couplets, red envelopes, clothes, and so on. They also go looking for eateries to treat guests who visit their homes during the festive season. People will also wash all the clothes in belief that it will remove all the bad luck of the previous year - it is a folk custom.

February 9, 2021 (28th Day of Twelfth Lunar Month) - Pasting Paper-cuts

People usually paste paper-cuts of Chinese letters and other decoratives on their windows; they also prepare steamed bread on this day at their homes. Although a few supermarkets and shopping centres might be open during the festival, people purchase the necessary items before the holidays. Most Chinese families start to prepare food right from the first day of the lunar month.

February 10, 2021 (29th Day of Twelfth Lunar Month) - Worshipping Ancestors

Worshipping ancestors is a family affair in Chinese households. Many people go and worship their ancestors at their tomb on this day. They offer joss sticks to serve as a greeting and communication to the departed.

February 11, 2021 (30th Day of Twelfth Lunar Month) - New Year’s Evening

Lunar New Year’s evening is one of the most important and happy days for every Chinese family. The day usually begins with people pasting couplets, pictures of Gods of Gates and New Year at homes and offices. Although many such practices have changed, people still follow the custom of pasting couplets - it helps to create a festive atmosphere in families.

The most common festivals of the New Year evening include having a family reunion dinner and watching the Chinese New Year TV Gala by staying up all night. The reunion dinner at families has a lot of significance for the Chinese families since it is the time when all members of the family reunite together. People prepare dumplings when the season approaches, and it is the main dish for dinner. Nian Gao is another food prepared and served for dinner in many Chinese families. Besides these two, people also prepare other Chinese New Year dishes such as spring rolls and fish. Many places will strike bells during midnight, and people usually set off for fireworks during that time.

February 12, 2021 (1st Day of First Lunar Month) - Chinese New Year

Setting off firecrackers is the first thing Chinese people do on this day to drive off bad luck. They will then have the first meal of the year, and it is given much importance, just like the reunion dinner on the New Year’s evening. People serve dumplings and hope for good fortune in the future since dumplings have the shape of gold ingots used as currency during ancient times. They also choose to eat noodles as it is a symbol of longevity according to the local culture.

Chinese New Year day is a day when people send blessings to the senior members and extended relatives. Adults also gift red envelopes to children after having meals. With the advancement of technology, the methods of giving out blessings and money have changed. People now exchange greetings through emails, text messages, and phone calls.

February 13, 2021 (2nd Day of First Lunar Month) - Worshipping God of Wealth

People dedicate the second day of the first Lunar Month to worship the God of Wealth. On this day, married daughters visit their parents as well as relatives. Even though people visit their parents at any time they want nowadays, the custom of visiting on this day remains.

February 14, 2021 (3rd Day of First Lunar Month) - Staying Home

The third day of the first Lunar Month is known as Goat Day. People can kill sheep and goats on this day, according to Chinese beliefs. Families don’t visit each other on this day as they believe there are chances for fighting on this day.

February 16, 2021 (5th Day of First Lunar Month) - Eating Dumplings

The fifth day of the first Lunar Month is called Po Wu as per the Chinese traditions. On this day, people enjoy eating dumplings and setting off firecrackers.

February 18, 2021 (7th Day of First Lunar Month) - Birthday of Human

According to Chinese mythology mankind was created on this day. Therefore, the day is for celebrating the birthday of humanity. Chinese people use seven kinds of vegetables and rice porridge at their homes to celebrate this day.

February 26, 2021 (15th Day of First Lunar Month) - Lantern Festival

The fifteenth day of the first Lunar Month is the first full moon day after the big event of the Chinese New Year season. The Lunar New Year festivities come to an end on this day, and people get back to their usual routine from the next day. Lanterns of different shapes and sizes are flown. Some places will also have a costume parade with various kinds of performances such as Yanko dance, lion dance, boat shows, and more. 

They serve foods such as dumplings and glutinous rice balls made out of rice on this special day and wrap up the Chinese New Year schedule on a good note.

Looking for professional help to deep clean your home?

Book deep cleaning services on the Sendhelper app to avail the services of 5-star cleaning professionals at home. Make sure to clean and organise your space in the first week of February to not fall behind the Chinese New Year schedule.