Houses are thoroughly cleaned and decorated with fruit-bearing kumquat trees and flowering peach branches. New clothes are bought. Everyone gets a haircut. Outstanding debts are settled. Bosses pay bonuses to their staff.
Families visit temples to pay respect to their ancestors.
It is also the time for buying presents and visiting relatives. The biggest family dinner of the year is celebrated on the 28th day of the lunar calendar, this year two days before Lunar New Year on January 22. Chinese dumplings and eggs imply wealth, since they have the shape of ancient Chinese gold or silver ingots. Youngsters receive gat shui chien, a special lai see packet, and get to visit the colourful flower markets. They are also obliged to stay awake until at least midnight, in the belief their lives would otherwise be shortened.