The day between the night of the 20th day and the 30th day of the first lunar month is the day for blessing and worshipping.
People are busy during the day. They begin to prepare the oblations at the midnight and get the sacrificial altar ready before dawn and early next morning, they begin to worship and pray for good fortune. Later the whole family sits down together and begins to drink wine. Since the wine is that has just been offered to Buddha, it bears the blessings from God All members of the family drink it and feel
very happy.
The eve of the Spring Festival is the time for a family reunion. The family sitstogether, eating and drinking, with the wine drunk at this event called xinsuijiu (wine for a new year). The atmosphere is happy with bright red gatepost couplets and bright lights inside rooms. If someone is unable to return home for the reunion, a seat will be retained for him/her with a pair of chopsticks and a cup filled with
wine. In this way, people show that they are thinking of their family members who are far from home. One more pair of chopsticks and a cup may also be added to the table if the family is longing to have a child.
The local custom in Shaoxing on Lantern Festival (the 15th of the first lunar month) is, besides a jubilant lantern display, everybody drinks yellow rice wine at night and eats dumplings with sweet fillings.
In ancient times, before and after every 20th of the first lunar month, Shaoxing people had a custom to "invite" out the tablets of their ancestors from a cabinet to worship and place them back after worshiping and when the celebration for the New Year was over. In the two
activities, wine was something people would not miss.
