Very early on the first morning of the year the head of each household goes outside his dwelling and offers paper and incense, tea and wine, to the New Year.
There is a custom of going out for a walk before dawn, ch‘u hsing (出行), or ch‘u t‘ien fang (出天方). If any one is met, no words pass, and what one hears is an indication of what his year will bring of good or bad luck, peace or quarrelling. This custom is also spoken of as chieh hsi shên, to welcome the pleased spirit. The almanac tells the direction in which the spirit may be met.
Picture gods of wealth are taken round from door to door and sold for a few cash, the vendor using lucky words and good wishes for the year.
People mutually pay calls, pai ta nien, on the 2nd of the moon, and receive and give cakes and sweetmeats.
On the 5th, newly married people go to visit their relatives, pai hsin nien. The 5th of the first moon is also known as p‘o wu (破五), breaking the fifth, after which a good many people begin work and business.
At the New Year season everyone wears his best, and everyone tries to have something new for fear of otherwise becoming a beggar during the year. Flour balls or t‘ang yüan (湯元) are eaten so that worldly affairs may be good "all round." Dough strips are eaten by almost everyone and are a favourite kind of present, because it "eats long," which may mean long life or abundance of wealth. In the same way stale rice is often eaten at this time, as it is a good omen of plenty in the barns for the coming year. Beggars are often given money on their first asking, as an omen that money will be easy during the year. See under Superstitious Dread.
Gambling, tu po (賭博), is one of the many curses that come to an idle Chinese population. Up to the 5th, no one pretends to try to stop it. After that date an official proclamation forbids it, but everyone knows this is merely for official self-protection in case of trouble; nearly everyone gambles at this season from the highest officials down to the poorest of the people, and many youths are ruined by it.
