2. House cleaning
掃塵土

Between Laba Festival, on the eighth day of the last lunar month, and Little New Year, on the twenty-third day, families throughout China undertake a thorough house cleaning, sweeping out the old in preparation for the New Year. 從臘八到小年這段時間，中國大部分家庭都會徹底清掃房屋，“辭舊迎新”。

According to Chinese folk beliefs, during the last month of the year ghosts and deities must choose either to return to Heaven or to stay on Earth. It is believed that in order to ensure the ghosts and deities' timely departure people must thoroughly clean both their persons and their dwellings, down to every last drawer and cupboard.
根據(jù)中國民間習俗，鬼魂和神靈都要在臘月選擇返回天上還是留在人間。為了保證“他們”及時離開，人們必須徹底進行清掃，包括個人衛(wèi)生和住所，抽屜和碗柜的犄角旮旯也都要打掃干凈。