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The fifth day of the first lunar month is known in some Chinese New Year traditions as Po Wu (破五), often translated as “Breaking the Five.” Customs reported for the day include eating dumplings, setting off firecrackers, cleaning, and welcoming the God of Wealth. The meaning and observances vary by region and household, so no single account describes everyone’s practice.
What does Po Wu, or “Breaking the Five,” mean?
Po Wu refers to the fifth day of the first lunar month. A Beijing Tourism Network guide explains the name through the idea that some New Year restrictions observed during the first days could be relaxed after the fifth day. The English wording varies: “Break Five” and “Breaking the Five” are both used. Beijing Tourism Network
Accounts also differ on what “the five” represents. The Shanghai International Services Portal lists five bad things driven away with firecrackers: evil, monsters, disaster, sickness, and poverty. Separately, an informational document filed with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2024 describes “five Poverities”: deprivations of wisdom, learning, culture, fate, and relationships. These are distinct explanations from different sources, not one settled list. Shanghai International Services Portal; 2024 FARA filing
What customs are associated with the fifth day?
Eating dumplings
Beijing’s guide describes dumplings as a popular fifth-day food custom and says they are sometimes associated with “pinching the mouth of evildoers.” Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency also includes dumplings in its account of the day. These are reported customs, not a requirement for observing Po Wu. Beijing Tourism Network; Taiwan National Immigration Agency
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Setting off firecrackers
The Shanghai portal describes firecrackers as a way to drive away the five bad things in its account. Taiwan’s immigration authority describes them as part of sending away poverty. These explanations express the symbolism of the custom; they do not mean firecrackers literally remove misfortune. Shanghai International Services Portal; Taiwan National Immigration Agency
Welcoming the God of Wealth
The Shanghai portal and the 2024 FARA-filed informational material both associate welcoming the God of Wealth with the fifth day. Accounts of when the deity is welcomed can differ, so this should be understood as a custom described in those sources rather than a universal schedule. Shanghai International Services Portal; 2024 FARA filing
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Cleaning and relaxing taboos
Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency describes cleaning and the lifting of taboos as fifth-day practices. Beijing’s guide notes that taboos differed by region and gives sewing and cooking as examples of activities restricted in some accounts. Whether and when such restrictions apply depends on local and family tradition. Taiwan National Immigration Agency; Beijing Tourism Network
Putting away household ritual items in Macao
A 1988 account from Macao’s Cultural Institute describes household altars and related items being put away on the fifth day, followed by cleaning the home. This is a historical, place-specific description, not evidence of a custom shared by all families. Macao Cultural Institute, January/February/March 1988
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Did businesses reopen on the fifth day?
The Beijing Tourism Network guide describes shops reopening on the fifth day after closing from New Year’s Day. Treat this as a reported older custom in that guide, not a universal business schedule or a claim about what shops do today. Beijing Tourism Network
Why do accounts of the day differ?
Sources describe customs from different places and periods, rather than one uniform observance. The Beijing guide explicitly notes regional variation; the Shanghai portal and Taiwan’s immigration authority offer examples from their respective contexts, while the Macao account documents local household practice in 1988. Taiwan’s Bureau of Cultural Heritage listed cultural park activities spanning the second through fifth days of Lunar New Year in 2026, but that annual listing does not establish a nationwide official program for the fifth day. Beijing Tourism Network; Shanghai International Services Portal; Taiwan National Immigration Agency; Macao Cultural Institute; Taiwan Bureau of Cultural Heritage
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When is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year?
It is the fifth day of the first lunar month, so its Gregorian date changes from year to year. To give the corresponding civil-calendar date for a particular year, check a reliable calendar conversion for that year rather than assuming a fixed date.
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