Lichun festival sees families kick off the new year by balancing eggs

It’s like magic! Six-year-olds Issabelle Chung (left) and Renee Sim, both pupils of Padungan Kindergarten in Kuching, balancing several eggs in an upright position. The Chinese believe that egg balancing is connected with Lichun, the solar term beginning Chinese spring calender on Feb 4 or 5 when the sun is at the celestial longitude of 315°. On this day, fresh chicken eggs can be balanced on their broad end between noon and 1pm due to the earth’s gravity alignment. – ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star

GEORGE TOWN: Thousands of eggs in Chinese homes worldwide are being made to stand on their broad ends on flat surfaces on Friday (Feb 4) to mark the start of Spring, as per the Chinese calendar.

The unique tradition known as Li Chun or "Beginning of Spring" is the start of a new Chinese solar year where people were revitalised and looked forward to a fresh start in the new year.

According to the Chinese calendar, Li Chun falls on either the third, fourth or fifth of February and was the first festival of the Chinese solar year.

This egg balancing act was practiced in many countries including in Malaysia and Singapore.

Another unique tradition by the Chinese on Li Chun was depositing money into their account as a symbol of good luck.

Nowadays the tradition has evolved to the modern practice of depositing money through wire transfer and online.