In the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, the custom is called Lunar New Year. The word "waxing" has its origins very early, according to "Rituals - Suburban Special Adoption" records "Iqi's first for the wax. Wax is also, Suo also, the year December, and gathered all things and Suo entertained also."
Han Ying Shao, "Customs", quoted in the "Rites of Passage": "Sunday wax, Han changed to wax." That is to say, the waxing moon said in primitive society from the hunting period just into the early stage of agriculture, that is, the prehistoric legend of Shennong's era began. According to legend, from the Zhou Dynasty, China's folk have been commonly known as the lunar month of December for the "waxing moon".
Lap, originally the name of the end of the year sacrifice. Han Cai Yong, "Dictator": "Lap, the end of the year sacrifice." Ancient agricultural society, all the customs and habits are inevitably related to agricultural production.
The life of farmers, spring plowing, summer plowing, autumn harvest, winter storage, the first three seasons are busy, only in the winter storage season is relatively free. Therefore, people often hold a grand festival at the end of the year after the big harvest.
Sacrifices to ancestors, the gods of wind and rain and the gods of heaven and earth in order to seek a good harvest in the coming year, to avoid disasters and welcome good luck. The reason for this is that in order to worship the gods and ancestors, you have to hunt wild animals. In addition to the above, the company has also developed a new system of "hunting", which is a system of "hunting", "hunting", "hunting", "hunting", "hunting", "hunting", "hunting", "hunting", "hunting", "hunting", "hunting", "hunting", and "hunting".
Or said: waxing, receiving also, the new and the old handover, so the big sacrifice to report the success also." In the Records of the Grand Historian (史记-秦本纪), there is a record of "the first wax in the twelfth year of the reign of Huiwenjun". Because of the wax festival held in December, so, down the line, in the end of winter and early spring, the old and new at the time of the lunar December called "waxing month".
Lap Sacrifice worship of God according to the literature contains: one for the first stingy God, sacrificing Shennong; two for the Division stingy God, sacrificing Houji; three for the gods of agriculture, sacrificing the gods of the ancient field officials; four for the post table border God, sacrificing the beginning of the field hut, open road, delimitation of the border; five for the cat and tiger God, sacrificed to eat wild rats and beasts, protect the seedlings; six for the Square God, sacrificing dike; seven for the water Yong God, sacrificing ditch; eight for the insect God, sacrificing to avoid pests! The eight are the insect gods to avoid insect pests. Therefore, it is also known as "Lapa".
Legend has it that before the Han Dynasty, although the wax festival in December, but the day is not fixed, sometimes at the beginning of the month, sometimes at the end of the month. Sui Dutaiqing "Jade Candle Baodian" said: "Han to Hundred Days for the wax, Wei to Chen, Jin to ugly." Later, people in order to remember, but also because most people booked in the Hundred Days, the Hundred Days and just the eighth day of the waxing moon, should be on the sacrifice of the eight gods of the waxing, to the Six Dynasties, the day of the line of sacrifice in the waxing moon on the eighth of the day.
Such as the Liang Zong security hours, "Jing Chu chronicle": "December 8 for the day of wax." At that time, if the beasts hunted before the festival is a lot, a moment to eat, clean and wipe the salt, air-drying up, and keep slowly eat, because it is the rest of the Wax Festival, so it is called Wax flavors.
Nowadays, many people do not necessarily understand the origin and meaning of "Lap", but in the winter production and consumption of the custom of Lap, but it is the same throughout the country.
The Lapa Festival is the prelude to the Spring Festival, and from this day on, people prepare for the New Year. It is also known as the New Year in folklore.