Each Chinese month starts on the day of the new moon so that the full moon comes the fifteenth day of the month. There are 29 or 30 days in each lunar month. They also have twelve months in a year and the new year always starts between January, the twenty first, and February, the twentieth.

 

Before the New Year Day, some traditional Chinese families clean out their houses very carefully. The female family members make many kinds of cakes and other sweet dishes. Everybody buys new clothes for the family feast on the New Year’s Day.

 

The Chinese people believe and hope that the sweet sticky juice cake will keep their kitchens stored with a lot of bread, rice and other food cereals.

 

The religious Chinese go to the temples to burn incense and other fragrant sticks and make offerings to their Gods. Inside the house, bright red banners are stuck on the walls, saying, “May the whole family live in peace!” and also, “May the rice jars be filled to the top which rice!”.

 

Red is a favourite colour with the Chinese. They believe that red colour is for life, strenght and valour.