CNY, Day Three: Go to Bed Early, Eat Chive Boxes

Day three of Chinese New Year week has arrived! Read on to find out how local Beijingers like myself manage this day.

1. Eat Chinese Chive Boxes

People believe chive boxes can wrap all the vegetables firmly inside, which means good fortunes will not slip away when eating these treats. Chive boxes are also extremely popular in the north, with fillings like garlic chives, eggs and sesame oil inside.

If you’ve never had one of these before, I recommend heading to a place called Culiangrenjia, where they offer some decent chive boxes with a thin dough skin and plenty of filling.

2.Go to bed early

Legend says that the third day of the New Year is when rats get married and have children. The ancients believe that when rats get married, they would also hold their wedding ceremonies with the lights on just like humans. In an attempt to interrupt these weddings, people would turn off all their lights and go to bed early on this day.

The tradition has lasted to this day, so remember to go to sleep early if you don’t want rats to have children and steal all your food!

3.Stay in your room

You might think that people would go out a lot during Chinese New Year, but this isn't true on this particular day.

In fact, people avoid going out on the third day of New Year, because they think that it is very likely they'll get into an argument with someone. Because of this, people believe this is a good day to take some rest and chill at home.

So, why not start binge watching that TV show you’ve always wanted to watch but never had the time?

Read: CNY, Day Two: Worship the God of Money and Eat Wontons

Images: Unsplash, Dianping, 畅谈民俗点滴，百家号