Doors and windows are given new coats of paint, and paper cutouts with the themes of 'happiness,' 'wealth' and 'longevity' are used as decoration around the home. Special flowers and fruits are also often used as symbolic decorations for prosperity and good fortune. Offerings of food may also be left at the altar of ancestors. New Years' Eve is carefully observed, with all members of a family dining together. There is also served a vegetarian dish with a special seaweed called fat choi, a word similar in sound to that for prosperity.
Noodles accent the wish for long life.
Every light in the house is supposed to stay lit for the whole night. At midnight, the sky erupts in a colorful display of fireworks and firecrackers. In some Chinese neighborhoods, mandarin oranges are also exchanged as offerings of good will and good fortune. The New Year is a time of reconciliation. Old grudges are set aside, and the atmosphere is marked by warmth and friendliness.