The most powerful weapon to prevent theft or burglary is not a gun or a machete, but a broom. Not a magical Nimbus 2000 that Harry Potter rides to play Quidditch, mind you, but just an ordinary broom bought at any store.

Jusuita, a resident of Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, would be more than happy to tell you about "broom power".

Every Chinese New Year's Eve, she locks the door and props a broom behind it in the upside down position.

"With a broom behind the door, thieves will not see your house," said the 46-year-old woman in all seriousness.

Even though the broom only stands guard for one night, Jusuita said the impact will be felt throughout the year. Believe it or not, but according to her, it really works.

"About five years ago, thieves broke into the houses next door. The neighbor living in the house on my right found her credit cards scattered in front of her home, while the neighbor on my left lost a laptop," she said.

Chinese New Year celebrations are indeed steeped in superstition and tradition.

Before the New Year, Chinese clean their homes to sweep away bad luck and make it ready to welcome good luck.

On New Year's Eve, after revelers have dinner together with the family, they stay awake all night so that their parents will live a long and healthy life. Some spend the night gambling, playing cards or mah-jongg but Jusuita usually waits quietly until midnight passes.

"As for my children, they don't want to stay awake. They usually say they are sleepy and go to bed," she said.

She is not concerned that her 18-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son do not firmly adhere to the tradition as Jusuita is aware that as time passes, things change. During her childhood, she would kneel and recite New Year wishes as long as possible, while children these days do not need kneel and may just say a very short wish.

Jusuita, who was born and grew up in Medan, used to have a much longer celebration.

"When I was a kid, my mother bought us new clothes to wear during the 15 days after the New Year.

"Now I only buy new clothes to wear for two days. For my children, I buy each of them four sets pairs of clothes," she said.

Wearing new clothes from head to toe symbolizes the beginning of the new year and follows the tradition of hoping for good luck for the wearer.

Another woman, Josephine, 34, buys a red shirt to wear at New Year.

"Why red? I guess it is because the color represents joy and fortune," said Josephine, who used to live on the outskirts of Jakarta until she left for Melbourne last year to study.

Just a few days ago while here on holiday, she had a haircut. This is in accordance with the tradition of cutting the hair before the New Year as a symbol of discarding bad luck.

"Actually, it was just a coincidence. I cut my hair because my friends told me it was too long," she said with a laugh.

Trisno, 32, a businessman living in Surabaya, said that when he was a kid he always wore new clothes at the New Year.

"But now it's not a big deal. I don't have to wear new clothes, just as long as the clothes I wear are clean and still good," he said.

On New Year's Eve he, like millions of Chinese across the world, will have dinner with his extended family. There will be various dishes including noodles as the Chinese believe that eating noodles ensure longevity.

"Eating noodles is a must if you want a long life," he said.

According to Jusuita, another important dish is fish, which symbolizes fortune.

She said that after praying at the Buddhist altar in her house, her family used to have dinner together with her parents and their extended family. About 10 years ago, however, they started to eat out. Many classy restaurants offer special New Year's Eve dinner packages.

"A table of 10 with a special New Year menu may cost Rp 10 million (more than US$1,000). I hear that the cheapest one is Rp 2.9 million," she said.

Even though it is expensive, the lavish dinner packages attract many customers as more people prefer to eat in restaurants instead of at home for practical reasons.

"I made a reservation two weeks ago and was told to pay 50 percent of the price as a down payment," Jusuita said.

On Chinese New Year's Day, the Chinese will mark the celebration by visiting the oldest and most senior of their extended family, usually their parents or grandparents.

In the past, wealthy families would invite a lion dance troupe to perform in their house yard. But when former president Soeharto was in power, he banned all forms of Chinese culture, including the lion dance, following the failed coup blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party, which was said to be backed by China -- an accusation denied by Beijing.

After Soeharto stepped down in 1998 in the wake of anti-Chinese riots in the midst of the economic crisis, Chinese-Indonesians were given the freedom to celebrate Chinese New Year in the merriest way.

In Jakarta, lion dance troupes do not perform in private residences but at Chinese temples and at various malls. The deafening sounds of the cymbals and the aggressive movements of the dancers are believed to drive away evil spirits. The beautiful dance always draws the attention of people, including non-Chinese, but for younger people, especially those who are not married, and children, the main attraction is the ang pao, the red envelopes containing money.

Tradition says the amount of money should be of even numbers because odd numbers are associated with cash given during funerals. Trisno does not buy it, saying that what's important is that it contains money, but Jusuita still follows the custom unquestioningly.

"I also give ang pao to my housemaids and driver. Actually, my driver is married but he is not Chinese, so I guess it is OK for him to receive money," said Jusuita.

After all, Chinese New Year is a time not only to have fun, but also to share happiness and fortune.

Gong Xi Fa Cai, congratulations and be prosperous.

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