Must I buy new clothes for New Year’s Eve dinner, or are clean old clothes acceptable?

Before the reunion dinner, I suggest bathing and changing into clean clothing to welcome the new year with the intention of leaving the old and beginning anew. Newly purchased clothes are unnecessary. Washing existing clothes and changing into them is fine; the custom need not force you to buy a new outfit.

This was our family habit from childhood. My mother prepared mugwort water for cleansing before we changed and ate the reunion meal. Later, hearing other teachers discuss this practice resonated with me because that was how I had always celebrated. This is my family experience, not a requirement that everyone boil the same water.

Renewal also includes tidying the home. Thank unused items for their past companionship, then recycle, donate, or dispose of them. Things you cannot yet let go can first be arranged neatly. Gold and silver symbolize prosperity, but should fit your actual life, with discretion about displaying wealth. Greater extravagance and spending do not necessarily bring greater luck.