Why do we throw away garbage on the third day of the first lunar month? What should we do on the third day of the first lunar month?

In a country like China that attaches great importance to traditional etiquette and customs, there are many things to pay attention to during the Spring Festival. We just need to follow local customs, which is also to make a good start for the new year.

Why do we throw away garbage on the third day of the first lunar month?

In some places, according to folk customs, throwing out garbage on the third day of the Lunar New Year means sending away the ghost of poverty, so people throw out garbage on the third day of the Lunar New Year .
The ancients believed that on the first and second days of the New Year, people enjoyed a lively time, and the rooms, living rooms and courtyards were often piled with a lot of firecracker scraps, cigarette butts, candy wrappers and other garbage. However, people are not allowed to clean the house during these two days, otherwise it will easily sweep away the wealth, so you can imagine how dirty and messy the house is. It is also because of this that people will start cleaning their homes with high morale on the third day of the Chinese New Year to create a clean and tidy living environment.
Generally speaking, in people's eyes, dirtiness and disorder are symbols of poverty, while cleanliness and tidiness are generally a pursuit of a better life. Therefore, in a sense, cleaning up the garbage in the house actually means saying goodbye to poverty. That is why people call it "sending away the ghost of poverty."

What to do on the third day of the first lunar month

Jiangsu and Zhejiang - Welcoming the Kitchen God and digging wells<br/>In Ningbo, Shaoxing and other places in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the third day of the New Year is called "Little New Year's Day", which is the day to welcome the Kitchen God, meaning to welcome him back from heaven. In the old days in Hangzhou, a "well opening" ceremony was required on the third day of the Lunar New Year. On the first and second days of the New Year, the ancients would let the well ropes, which had worked hard all year, rest. They would seal the well mouth with a red paper strip so that no one could take water from the well. On the third day of the Lunar New Year, a very special ceremony is held to remove the seal.
Shandong - Returning to one's parents' home on the third and fourth days of the first lunar month "Returning to one's parents' home after the Chinese New Year" is a traditional custom of the Spring Festival. In most places, the time for "returning to one's parents' home" is scheduled for the second day of the first lunar month; but in Yantai, Laiwu, Liaocheng and other places in Shandong, "returning to one's parents' home" is on the third and fourth days of the first lunar month. It should be noted that the number of gifts brought to parents must be an even number, and the bride's parents will also prepare rich food and wine to entertain their daughter and son-in-law.
Gansu - Sending off the Kitchen God <br/>In most parts of the rural areas in the northwest, the Kitchen God is sent off on the third day of the Lunar New Year. From the Little New Year, which is the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God is invited back and posted in the middle of the stove, and offerings are placed there. Incense is burned three times a day to offer sacrifices, which means blessing the family with a good harvest in the coming year, and the whole family with enough food and clothing, and surplus every year. On the third day of the first lunar month, the Kitchen God must be sent away.