Sweep the dust

Sweep the dust for the house. /CGTN Photo

The Xiao Nian is widely marked in the northern areas of China on the 23rd of Layue, but in the southern areas, it is usually marked on the 24th of Layue. There is a Chinese tradition of cleaning the house on the day, which is named "Sweeping the dust".

In Chinese, the character for "dust" is a homophone of the character for “the old”. By giving the house a thorough cleanse on the day, Chinese people believe that this would rid them of their poverty and bad luck from the previous year, so as to welcome a prosperous new year.