除夕(chú xī)

The eve of the Spring Festival is called “除夕夜chú xī yè”. Since the Chinese New Year falls on the first day of the 1st lunar month of the Chinese calendar, Chinese New Year’s Eve generally falls on the 30th day of the 12th lunar month of the Chinese calendar. Therefore, Chinese New Year’s Eve is also called “大年三十dà nián sān shí”, “大年” refers the New Year, and “三十” means “thirty”. The ancient Chinese character for “夕” depicts the shape of the moon, representing the evening. The character “除” means “to get rid of”.

Therefore, “除夕” means “to get rid of the old and make way for the new”. The last evening of each year is the one with which people are most reluctant to depart. Therefore, on this evening, the entire family sits down together to chat and enjoy a “New Year’s Eve family dinner (年夜饭 nián yè fàn)”. The family spends the final evening of the year together and welcomes the new year.