Happy Chinese New Year! It’s Time for Some Cleaning
The new year offers all of us an opportunity to clean out negativity and any distraction, and focus on doing something new.
I tried calling my parents recently, but they told me they were too busy to talk. “Why are you so busy?” I asked. My dad answered matter-of-factly, “We are cleaning the house to prepare for the Chinese New Year!"
If you haven’t noticed, another Chinese Lunar New Year is fast approaching. February 10 will be the first day of the Year of the Dragon. The Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in Chinese culture, and it’s a period full of rituals and traditions, one of which is to do a deep cleaning of the entire house.
Cleaning the house for the New Year, also called Spring Festival cleaning, is quite different from any ordinary cleaning. First, it usually (or my parents will use the word “must”) happens on a day called Xiaonian, or the 23rd of the 12th month in the Chinese lunar calendar. This date is also called the “Kitchen God Festival.” In ancient China, people believed that the Kitchen God would go up to heaven on this day and report to the Emperor in Heaven about all the good and bad each person of each family had done in the year. The emperor would then decide what rewards or punishments each person deserved.
Thus, thinking of the kitchen god like Santa Clause, he knows whether you have been good or naughty. But unlike Santa Claus, the Kitchen God is a tattletale. To ensure the Kitchen God only said good things about them, the Chinese people decided to clean the house on this day to show how diligent they were, and they also made offerings made of sweets to the Kitchen God as some last-minute bribe.
The Chinese people also believed cleaning the house would eliminate bad luck and evil spirits from the past year and make room for good luck and blessings in the new year. Therefore, the spring festival cleaning must be thorough. I remember that on the day of Xiaonian, my mom always ensured we wiped every nook and cranny in the house; all the windows and mirrors were spotless, and we mopped and swept the floor multiple times. Only after everything in the house seemed flawless could we start our New Year decorations, including putting red papercuts on windows we had just cleaned.
My mom was always the one who took on the most heroic task: laundry. There’s no washing machine or water heater. She had to watch everything, from our clothes to beddings, to table clothes and curtains, by hand in ice-cold water. Since we had no dryer either, Dad set up ropes in our tiny apartment so we could hang the laundry, hoping they would be dry by New Year’s Eve.
Besides cleaning the house, it is also a tradition that people should clean themselves before New Year’s Eve. When I was growing up in China, most people lived in tiny apartments with no indoor showers, and hot water was hard to come by. Some local governments and state-owned enterprises built commune showers for their employees, which are regarded as an excellent employment benefit.
The commune showers operated several times a week for limited hours in the early evening (males and females went at different times). Usually, several dozen people cram into it. Petty fights often erupted over limited shower heads and insufficient hot water. I used to hate going to the commune shower because not only was there little privacy, but some people could be so mean while still naked!
One of the challenges of living in the West is maintaining all the Chinese New Year traditions. Still, after speaking to my parents, I considered it a divine intervention. So, I vacuumed the floors in the house, which was about the extent of my spring festival cleaning. Thankfully, there are several bathrooms and plenty of hot water in the house (thanks to free-market capitalism), so I never have to relive the nightmare of a communal shower.
One of my friends, Linda, always says that the Chinese New Year offers those who already fall behind their New Year’s resolutions a second chance to start over. I’m not into making New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I believe that self-improvement, whether physically, mentally, or spiritually, is a process that requires daily devotion.
Focusing on self-improvement often mandates a different type of cleaning: giving up a bad habit, getting rid of distractions, staying away from people who bring negative energy, or letting go of relationships that no longer uplift you.
The Chinese New Year offers me an opportunity to clean out some negativity and distraction in my life and focus on doing something more meaningful and productive. My heart is filled with gratitude and excitement for the Year of the Dragon! Oh, I decided to write another book. Stay tuned!
Happy New Year, everyone. May the Year of the Dragon bring you and your family good health and fortune!
The Year of Dragon Special!
The Chinese New Year is on February 10th. A special 20% discount for the first year is available for those who become paid subscribers during the Chinese New Year celebration. The offer ends on February 24th, 2024.Please click here or copy and paste this link to your web browser: https://helenraleigh.substack.com/bc58f616 .
Helen, 新年快乐!我在这里祝你和家人龙年大吉, 万事如意, 年年有余,健康快乐!🧧🧧🧧 Thank you for the wonderful wisdom and countless blessings you impart to the many people who are inspired by your courage and strength. I can't wait to read your new book. I have a feeling it's going to be awesome!👏