Entering the New Year, celebrating the New Year, taking a bath in pomelo leaves, observing the New Year's Eve, honoring ancestors, opening the gate, paying homage to the New Year, visiting relatives, eating the New Year's Eve meal, and leaving the New Year's Eve.
On the 25th day of the 12th month of the lunar calendar, when the Nianjie is entered, the Hakka people of Meizhou intensify their preparations for the New Year, and those who have been out of the country have to rush back home to celebrate the New Year. After entering the New Year's boundary, children should be taught not to curse and not to speak unlucky words. Before and after the New Year's boundary, we should choose an auspicious day to sweep the dust and clean the house. To clean tables and chairs and benches, wash and dry bedding and mosquito nets, clean for the New Year. This time some service industry charges, but also have to start prices.
The 30th day of the Lunar New Year, also known as New Year's Eve, is the day when the atmosphere of the New Year is the most enthusiastic and joyful. On the morning of this day, families worship Bodhisattvas and gods. On New Year's Day, the halls of each family should hang up the ancestral portraits, in front of the door posted on the bright red spring couplets, barn door, livestock pen in front of the furniture beds and water tanks should be pasted on the side of the red paper strips, known as "sealing the year", also known as "on the red".
Adults and children should take a bath, put on new clothes, clean for the New Year. The halls of each family should be furnished with tables of offerings, incense, chicken, fish, meat, fruit, etc., in honor of the ancestors. On the evening of New Year's Eve, we have a reunion dinner with plenty of dishes. Several pairs of chopsticks and bowls are placed on the table to show that the ancestors are invited back to celebrate the New Year together. Before the meal, wine is sifted for the ancestors and spilled on the floor, and then the meal begins. During the meal, old people and children eat chicken legs to show respect for the old and the young.
Pomelo leaves picked in the morning, after noon, every family will be put into the pot of pomelo leaves in the water to boil, each person has to wash pomelo leaves hot water bath, the intention is to dirt, "poor gas", "bad gas" wash away, clean into the new year. Washed pomelo leaf bath will be replaced with new clothes, new hats, new socks, new shoes, from head to toe a new look, change the dirty clothes the same day to wash clean. Therefore, taking a pomelo leaf bath contains the meaning of getting rid of the old and bringing in the new. This custom has been diluted year by year.