What does one do for Chinese New Year:

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BEFORE Chinese NEW YEARS EVE
Clean the entire house to get rid of any ill-fortune associated with the past year and make room for incoming good luck.
Pay all your debts
Resolve differences with relatives, family members, friends, business associates
Prepare meals for New Years Eve and New Years Day
Decorate your house with plastic firecrackers to frighten away evil spirits and the bad luck they might bring.
Decorate your home with live blooming plants to symbolize rebirth and new growth.
Display oranges and tangerines to symbolize abundant happiness and a candy tray with eight varieties of dried sweet fruit to start the new year sweetly.

Chinese NEW YEARS DAY ( Sunday, February 14, 2010 )
The events that occur on New Years Day may have an impact on the rest of the year so be careful with your words, your deeds, what you eat and whom you greet.
Don’t wash your hair or you will wash away any good luck for the new year
Wear brand new clothes
Wear the color red for joy and happiness.
Don’t wear white or black as they are colors of mourning.
Greet your relatives, neighbors, and friends and wish them well.
Don’t greet people in mourning.
Give red envelopes with lucky money to children and unmarried people.
Don’t sweep the floor or clean or you may sweep away your luck.
Don’t say the number “four” (which sounds like the Chinese word for death)
Don’t use knives or scissors or you may cut off fortune.
Don’t lend money or you will be lending all year.
Don’t borrow money.