The Chinese Lunar New Year is the most important festival of the Chinese calendar. It is a time of renewed hopes for a happy and prosperous new year. The celebration continues to build up for two weeks, culminating with festive merrymaking and parades on February 11th. The New Year celebration is lavish with good reason - it invokes the God of Prosperity to usher in wealth and happiness with the new year. Chinese custom calls for all debts to be paid off before the old year ends - to avoid shame and misfortune.
Custom also requires a clean house - sweeping away bad luck and sweeping in good fortune.
A special red envelope called hong bao, with a gift of crisp dollar bills inside. The color red is everywhere - it represents happiness. Gold represents prosperity. Made of rice flour and brown sugar, it is sweet, sticky and round in shape. It is believed that whoever eats Nian Gao will have a better life or achieve a higher position in the new year.