Day Three

Today is considered to be the Birthday of the Pig. It is an ominous day in the Chinese New Year calendar, so the only outing planned by the Huang family is to go grave visiting, where they will remember their child’s maternal grandfather, who passed away late last year.

Traditionally, families who in the past 3 years have suffered from the death of an immediate relative will not visit the homes of friends or family as a form of respect to the dead. The third day of the New Year is often allocated to grave-visiting instead. Some people do not leave their houses at all, as it is believed evil spirits roam the earth this day and hence it would be bad luck to be outdoors.

Some businesses which had been closed during the prior festivities will be reopened and prayers will be held in which the business owners will ask to be blessed with prosperity during the upcoming year. Other Chinese businesses will not open until after the fifth day due to the unlucky spirits mentioned above.

Traditionally, the third day of Chinese New Year is regarded to be an ominous day, with people avoiding the need to go outside. There are many time honoured taboos, which include cleaning the house, lighting a fire, arguing, drawing water from a well and visiting friends or family.

During the modern era, fewer and fewer of Shanghai’s inhabitants people believe in such superstitions, with there appearing to be a large number of people who are treating this day as a normal holiday to spend time with their families.