The breakfast on the first day of the first lunar month is taken seriously as it is the first breakfast of the year. Wenling and Sanmen natives love bean flour soup with millet bread and steamed sponge cake; Linhai natives like tangyuan, a glutinous rice congee; some Huangyan district natives eat dough and rice dumplings. Vegetarian food is commonly favored. On this day, people often say something pleasant like “wishing you good health and longevity” to acquaintances passing by.

It is said that people do not have rice for lunch on the first day of the first lunar month, but have rice cakes, pasta and mixed soup instead in order to have a peaceful, comfortable and harmonious year. In some places, people don’t drink thin soup all day long or they will be showered afterwards. It is deemed that people will be showered outside their homes if they eat rice soup on the first day of the lunar year. Linhai natives do not eat rice before the eighth day of the first lunar month.

Tiantai county natives like eating rice porridge on the first day. According to Tiantai’s Festivals of Chinese Customs Annals, eating rice porridge is done in order to “pray for five blessings.”

There are many other taboos on the day: no sweeping, no handling knives, no needlework, no work, no business, no swords, and no fights. The hatred between people is swept away this day. It is forbidden to use the well because a legend says that the well god regards one year as a day, so the first day of the year is the morning of that day. The well surface is a mirror for her to dress up and she will get angry if the water surface is disturbed, and then give no blessing. Nowadays though taboos are not generally followed.

In Taizhou, natives originating from the south of Fujian province and Wenzhou usually go out on the second day of the first lunar month, visiting their relatives and friends with gifts. Children often visit their grandfathers, uncles and aunts; sons-in-law visit their parents-in-law; some bring gifts to the seniors of the same clan and old friends. The older generations give red envelops with gift money in to the younger generations.

The second day is regarded as “funeral day” in Taizhou. People who were bereaved the previous year have to arrange spirit tablets and mourning halls at home for relatives and friends to offer sacrifice with candles and spiritual money. The visits of relatives and friends is called “worshipping the tablet”.

In case no spirit tablet is arranged, it is necessary to post in obvious places at the entrance of lanes and roads and wall doors notes like “no tablet, not receiving spiritual money” to notify others.

People who were not bereaved last year do not entertain visitors. People dropping despite the custom will be deemed ominous, or even rejected.

According to Folk Customs of Yuhuan Annals, written in the Qing Dynasty under Emperor Guangxu’s reign (1871-1908), there are records of “arrangements of spirit tablets in the New Year,” ”relatives and friends worship” and “the host extending gratitude to guests with food,” which proves that the custom has a long history in the coastal areas.

People who arrange home sacrifice on the second day of the first lunar month will withdraw the spirit tablet on the third day, namely the “ending of sacrifice”. Some may distribute food to younger generations.

On the third day of the first lunar month, the custom requests “visiting newly built graves”. It is an extension of the home sacrifice on the second day. It is commonly referred to as “visiting the living first and then the dead”. The ceremony is the same as that of the tomb sweeping during the Qingming Festival. A “jiu zi bowl” is commonly used, containing mung bean cakes, chicken cakes, meat, fish, tea and more. According to the old custom, people worship graves according to seniority. In addition, people put soil on the grave and put spiritual money on it.

The fourth day of the first lunar month is a day for welcoming the Kitchen God. People send off the Kitchen God before New Year’s Day. On the fourth day, however, people prepare animal sacrifices and sweet wine, burn paper horses and post portraits of the Kitchen God to welcome the god back. On this day, people originating from the south of Fujian province prohibit drying clothes on the bamboo pole, because they fear this may hinder the god from coming down to earth. Women’s underwear is the biggest obstacle. Only after the welcome ceremony is done can people draw water from wells and carry water. According to the old customs, Wenling and Yuhuan natives have to insert the incense and burn spiritual money in front of the raised platform around the well before drawing water from it. The above custom was gradually discarded after the establishment of the PRC, although a few villages still retain it.

It is boisterous on the eighth day of the first lunar month. The custom of “visiting eight temples” once prevailed in Tiantai, Huangyan district, Linhai, Xianju county and other counties. In Huangyan district, children in the villages set off firecrackers.

After the eighth day, the folk activities for celebrating the New Year come to an end.