Keeping the new year's eve is one of the activities of the old customs, and the custom of keeping the old age has a long history. The earliest existing documents can be found in the local customs of the Western Jin Dynasty: on New Year's Eve, all parties give gifts to each other, which is called "the year of giving back"; Wine and food are invited, which is called "not old"; Young and old get together to drink and wish a complete song called "age division"; Everyone stays up all night, waiting for the dawn. This is the so-called "Shounian".
Since the Han Dynasty, the time for the alternation of the old and new years is generally at midnight. On New Year's Eve, men, women and children will be brightly lit and get together to watch the New Year. Therefore, the traditional folk celebration of New Year's Eve usually begins with the New Year's Eve dinner. This New Year's Eve dinner should be eaten slowly, and some people have to eat it until late at night. The traditional Spring Festival celebration is to stay up all night until dawn the next day.
Keeping the old age is a kind of disappointment for the old year and a good expectation for the coming year. Influenced by China's culture, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai and other Southeast Asian countries also have the saying of keeping old on New Year's Eve.