Setting off firecrackers: On the morning of the Spring Festival, when you open the door, set off firecrackers first, which is called "setting off firecrackers". After the firecrackers, the ground is broken red, which is the so-called "full house". At this time, the streets are full of anger and joy.
Happy new year: on the first day of the new year, men get up early, put on their most beautiful clothes, dress neatly, go out to visit relatives and friends and wish each other a happy new year. There are many ways to pay New Year's greetings, some of which are led by the same patriarch from door to door. Some colleagues invited several people to pay New Year greetings; Others get together to congratulate each other. This is called "group worship". Because it takes time and effort to pay New Year greetings at home, some elites and scholars later congratulated each other with famous cards, thus developing the later "New Year cards".
When paying New Year greetings during the Spring Festival, the younger generation should first pay New Year greetings to their elders and wish them health and longevity. The elders can distribute the lucky money prepared in advance to the younger generation. It is said that lucky money can kill evil spirits, because "old" and "special" are homophonic, and the younger generation can spend a year safely with lucky money. There are two kinds of lucky money, one is to put colored rope in the shape of Jackie Chan at the foot of the bed, which was recorded in Yanjing year; The other is the most common, that is, parents wrap the money distributed to their children in red paper. Lucky money can be given in public after the younger generation pays New Year's greetings, or it can be secretly put under the child's pillow by parents when the child falls asleep on New Year's Eve. It is still very popular for elders to give lucky money to younger generations.
In the past, people regarded this year as the result of fine weather in the first few days of the new government. Its theory began in Dong Fangshuo's "Year", which means that eight days after the year, one day is chicken day, two days are dogs, three days are pigs, four days are sheep, five days are cows, six days are horses, seven days are people and eight days are valleys. If it is sunny, things that belong to it will breed, and if it is cloudy, the days that belong to it will not last long. Later generations follow their habits and think that the weather is sunny from the first day to the tenth day, and there is no wind or snow for good luck. Later generations developed from the occupation era to a series of sacrifices and celebrations.
Drinking Tu Su wine and Tu Su wine is a kind of medicinal liquor. In the ancient custom, the whole family drank Tu Su wine on January Day to eliminate unhealthy tendencies. Tu Su wine is made by hanging rhubarb, platycodon grandiflorum, Zanthoxylum bungeanum, Cinnamomum cassia, Cornus officinalis and Saposhnikovia divaricata in a well, picking them at the end of Yuan Dynasty and cooking them with the wine for four or five times. In ancient times, Tu Su wine was drunk in a unique way. Most people drink alcohol, always starting from the elderly; But drinking Tu Su wine is just the opposite, starting with the smallest. Perhaps young people grow up day by day, drinking first to congratulate them, and old people drinking late to retain them. Su Zhe, a writer in the Song Dynasty, wrote in his poem "In addition to Japan" that "it has been more than 70 years since Tu Su drank the last drink every year", which is a custom. In ancient times, this unique drinking order often caused people to have various emotions, so it left a deep impression on people.
It is said that the first day of the first month is the birthday of a broom. You can't use a broom on the first day of the first month, otherwise it will sweep your luck and break your fortune. If you must sweep the floor, you must sweep it from the outside to the inside. Until today, many places have the custom of cleaning before New Year's Eve. On New Year's Day, don't put brooms, don't take out garbage, prepare a big bucket of waste water, and don't spill it outside that day. You can't smash furniture during the New Year. Breaking it is a sign of bankruptcy. You have to say "Peace through the years" or "Flowers bloom on the ground, wealth and splendor" as soon as possible.
On the second day of New Year's Day, the married daughter goes back to her parents' house and asks her husband to go with her, so it is commonly known as "husband-welcoming day". On this day, the daughter who goes back to her mother's house must bring some gifts and red envelopes, which are distributed to her neighbors by her mother, just like the scene of the New Year. If there are many daughters at home, and these daughters don't come back on the same day, then we must share one at a time. The gift is quite thin, just four biscuits. But it reflects the deep affection, the real "courtesy is light and affection is heavy", and expresses the girl's miss for the villagers. When the girl goes home, if there is a nephew at home, menstruation has to pay again. Although she gave lucky money on New Year's Day, this time it had a different meaning. This custom is called "eating midnight snack" by Chaoshan people. As the name implies, it's just lunch, and the daughter must get back to her husband's house before dinner.
Sacrifice to the God of Wealth (North) In the north, the God of Wealth is sacrificed on the second day of the first month. On this day, both commercial shops and ordinary families will hold activities to worship the god of wealth. Families offered sacrifices to the God of Wealth who arrived on New Year's Eve. In fact, the bought rough printed matter was incinerated. I want to eat wonton at noon this day, commonly known as "Yuanbao soup". Fish and mutton were used as sacrifices. On this day, big businesses in old Beijing held large-scale sacrificial activities, offering sacrifices with "five sacrifices", that is, whole pig, whole sheep, whole chicken, whole duck and red live carp, hoping to make a fortune this year.
The third day of the first month is the day when Nu Wa herded sheep, so it is called "Sheep Day". On this day, people cannot kill sheep. If the weather is good, it means that sheep will be raised well and sheep farmers will have a good harvest this year.
Burning Door-god Paper In the old society, the pine and cypress branches hanging on the New Year's Festival were burned together with the door-god stationery on the third day to show that one year had passed and it was time to start business again. As the saying goes, "if you burn the janitor's paper, one will seek physiology."
Xiaomi Birthday People think that the third day of the first month is Xiaomi's birthday. On this day, people hope to sacrifice and pray for the new year, and do not eat rice.
In the early years, it was Tianqing Festival. The court festival in the Song Dynasty, the first year of Song Zhenzong Dazhong Xiangfu, was spread all over the world because of the gobbledygook, so Zhenzong issued an imperial edict, which designated the third day of the first month as Tianqing Festival, and officials and others had five days off. Later, it was called Xiaonian Dynasty, which did not sweep the floor, beg for fire or draw water, just like the old dynasty.
Sticking "Chikou" is also called "Red Dog Day" on the third day of the New Year's Eve, which is homophonic with "Chikou". In the south of China, on the morning of the third day of New Year's Eve, a "red mouth" is posted. I think this day is easy to quarrel and not suitable for New Year's greetings. The so-called "red mouth" is usually a red note about seven or eight inches long and one inch wide, on which are written some words of peace and good luck (format: "On the third day of the first month of 1994, the front door of the gods should be nailed down, and every man and woman who steals Mars will be rewarded"). One is posted on the top of the front and back doors, and the other is picked out and thrown out on the garbage. These rubbish are all piled up on the second day of the first grade, and they should be cleaned up and dumped together by the third grade. Otherwise, it is equivalent to the outflow of gold and silver at home. In a word, sticking a "red mouth" is to make people feel that they can go in and out safely all year round, will not quarrel with others, and will not encounter all kinds of unfortunate disasters, and make more money at home and all the best. I don't usually go out to pay New Year's greetings. It is said that it is easy to quarrel with people on this day. However, this custom has long been out of date, because few people get together in the Spring Festival now, and it has faded a lot.
The fourth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar is the day of offering sacrifices to the god of wealth. In the past, the host wanted to "fire someone", so he was not invited to worship God on this day. The other party knew it well and packed up and left. There is also a legend that Kitchen God will come to check the household registration this day, so it is not advisable to travel far.
The fifth day of the first month, commonly known as breaking the fifth.
There is a folk custom of eating jiaozi, which means to make money and cherish it. According to the old habit of eating "dumplings" once every five days (called "boiled cakes" in the north), some people only eat them for three or two days, and some eat them every other day. However, there is nothing you can't eat. In ancient times, this was true from the royal residence to the small houses in the streets and even entertaining guests. Women no longer taboo, began to visit each other and congratulate each other. Newly married women go home on this day. Many taboos can be broken after folklore tells them on this day. It is not appropriate to do things on the day of the break, otherwise something will happen this year. In addition to the above taboos, the custom of breaking Mayday is mainly to send the poor, welcome the god of wealth and open the market for trade.
Sacrifice to the God of Wealth (South) Southerners sacrifice to the God of Wealth on the fifth day of the first month. According to folklore, the God of Wealth is the Five Gods. The so-called five roads refer to the east, west, north and south, which means that you can get money when you go out of five doors. Every new year, people open doors and windows, burn incense, set off firecrackers and fireworks to welcome the god of wealth at 0: 00 on the fifth day of the first month. After receiving the god of wealth, everyone still has to eat road wine, often until dawn. Everyone is full of hope of getting rich. I hope the god of wealth can bring home gold and silver treasures in the new year and make a fortune. They say the sooner you meet the end of the road, the better. The first one you receive is the true god, which is particularly effective, so it is called "grabbing the road". In some places, the fourth day of January is really "grabbing the road" and it has become a custom.
Sending people to poverty on the fifth day of the first month is a very distinctive custom in ancient China. It means offering sacrifices to poor ghosts (poor gods). Poor guy, also known as "poor boy", is said to be the son of Zhuan Xu. He is weak and short, and likes to wear rags and drink porridge. In hancheng city, Shaanxi Province, people should avoid going out on the fifth day, and roast fresh meat in a pot, and stir-fry beans to make them crack and make a sound. They think that they can break the poor and get rich. In addition, in the old New Year's Eve or the fifth day of the first month, you should eat very full, commonly known as "filling the poor pit". The popular custom of sending the poor reflects the traditional psychology of China people who generally hope to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new in the new year, send away the old poverty and hardships and welcome a better life.
During the Spring Festival, shops of all sizes closed together from the first day of the lunar new year, but they opened on the fifth day of the first month. People are used to taking the fifth day of the first month as the holy day of the god of wealth, thinking that choosing this day to open the market will definitely make a fortune. The stock market also opened on this day.
Tianjin people should "catch up with the five poor" after the fifth day of junior high school, including "poor in intelligence, poor in learning, poor in literature, poor in life and poor in friendship" People get up at dawn, set off firecrackers and clean up. Firecrackers are set from the inside out, and as soon as they are set, they go outside the door. It is said that anything unlucky will be blown out. On this day, the popular folk food custom is to eat jiaozi, commonly known as "squeezing people's mouths". On the fifth day of Tianjin, every household eats jiaozi, and the chopping board should jingle so that the neighbors can hear it, to show that they are chopping villains.
On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, shops and restaurants officially opened their doors and set off firecrackers, no less than on New Year's Eve. Legend has it that the most popular boy on this day is the boy who is over 12. Because 12 is twice as much as 6, it is called 666 Dashun. On this day, every household should throw out the garbage accumulated in the festival, which is called sending it to the poor.
The seventh day is people's day, which is people's birthday. Also known as People's Victory Day, People's Celebration Day, Population Day and People's Seven Days. Legend has it that Nu Wa created chickens, dogs, pigs, cows, horses and other animals at the beginning of creation, and then created people on the seventh day, so this day is the birthday of mankind. Some people began to observe daily customs in the Han dynasty, and they began to pay attention to it after the Wei and Jin Dynasties. In ancient times, people had the custom of "men winning". Men's victory is a headdress, also called Cai Sheng and Watson. Since the Jin Dynasty, people cut the ribbon for flowers, cut the ribbon for people, or carved gold foil for people to hang a screen and wear it in their hair. In addition, there is the custom of climbing high and writing poems. After the Tang Dynasty, more attention was paid to this festival. Every day, the emperor gave his ministers colorful victories and boarded a grand banquet. If the weather is fine on the seventh day of the first month, the population will be safe and smooth in the first year.
On this day, people will eat "box vegetables" (a kind of cooked meat food) with spring pancake rolls and spread pancakes in the yard to smoke the sky.
Eating Qibao soup is a soup made of seven kinds of vegetables. Eating it in people's days can bring good omen. It is said that it can dispel evil and cure diseases. Different places have different products, different fruits and vegetables and different meanings. Mustard, cabbage, leek, spring vegetables, celery, garlic and thick-petalled vegetables used in Chaoshan, Guangdong; Hakka people use celery, garlic, onion, coriander and leek to match fish. Spinach, celery, onion and garlic, leeks, mustard greens, shepherd's purse and Chinese cabbage are used in Taiwan Province Province and Fujian Province. Among them, celery and onion are smart, garlic is good at calculating, and mustard makes people live longer.
Sending Vulcan to Shandong Peninsula is also called "sending Vulcan" on the seventh day of the first month. The child chooses a wooden stick about two meters long and binds it with wheat straw. This is the so-called Vulcan. At dusk, one end of Vulcan is lit at home, and the children run away from home with the other end of Vulcan until it burns out. This activity means to send Vulcan out of the house, and there will be no fire in the house within one year, which is very safe.
According to the "gauntlet", from the first day, the order of God's creation was "one chicken, three pigs, four sheep, five cows, six horses, seven people and eight valleys", so the seventh day was a human day. On this day, Hong Kong people like to eat their first bite of porridge, so-called harmony, I hope it is the top few high schools in science exams. Everyone should be respected every day. Even the government cannot execute criminals on this day, and parents cannot teach their children a lesson on this day.
The eighth day of the eighth lunar month is Xiaomi's birthday, also called Shunxing Festival. It is said that the stars are in the lower bound and the stars in the sky are the most complete. If the weather is fine this day, it indicates a bumper rice harvest this year and the sky is overcast.
Shunxing, also known as sacrificial star. On the eighth night of the first month, no matter whether people go to the temple to burn incense to worship the star king (Shunxing), every household will hold a ceremony to worship Shunxing after the stars appear in the sky. When offering sacrifices to heaven, put a "golden lamp" (yellow snuff) on the desk, stove, threshold and pot. And lit it, called "snuff", meaning to avoid evil. After the sacrifice of the stars, the whole family got together for the Lantern Festival.
Pray for release There is a "release" activity on the eighth day of the first month, which is to take some fish and birds raised at home outside and release them into the wild.
In the Ming Dynasty, Dong Liu recorded in The Scenery of the Imperial Capital: "On the eighth day of the first month, birds, fish and shrimp in pots, snails and mussels were released in Shixing Lane. Luo tang qian, monks speak Sanskrit, thousands of people are opposite, and feathers are flying in the air. Evil falls on the house, but when they move, they leave. Things like water are thrown into the bamboo shoots and bait of Jinshui River in the imperial city. "
The release on the eighth day of the eighth lunar month not only embodies the ancient people's morality of respecting nature and living in harmony, but also expresses people's good wishes for the prosperity of all things in the world at the beginning of the new year.
The tenth day is Stone's birthday. On this day, no stone tools such as grinding and grinding can be moved, and even stones must be sacrificed. In Yuncheng, Shandong and other places, there is a saying that God lifts stones. At the beginning of Kuya, people frozen a crock on a smooth stone. On the morning of the tenth day, the nose of the crock was tied with a rope and carried by ten boys in turn. The stone didn't fall to the ground, which indicated a bumper harvest that year.
The tenth day is Stone's birthday. On this day, no stone tools such as grinding and grinding can be moved, and even stones must be sacrificed. In Yuncheng, Shandong and other places, there is a saying that God lifts stones. At the beginning of Kuya, people frozen a crock on a smooth stone. On the morning of the tenth day, the nose of the crock was tied with a rope and carried by ten boys in turn. The stone didn't fall to the ground, which indicated a bumper harvest that year.
After the eleventh day of the first month, people began to prepare for the Lantern Festival. From the twelfth day of the first month, they began to buy lanterns and set up light sheds. The nursery rhyme goes like this: "Eleven chirps, twelve light sheds, thirteen people turn on the lights, fourteen lights are on, fifteen lines and a half months, and sixteen people put out the lights." The fifteenth day of the first month is the Lantern Festival, the first full moon night in a year, and the night when spring returns to the earth, also known as Shangyuan Festival. The custom of burning lanterns on Lantern Festival can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. It is essential to eat Lantern Festival and glutinous rice balls on this day. The first month of 16th night is Children's Day. All the children took out their lanterns and collided with others, and then smiled and watched others' lanterns catch fire. This is called "touching the lamp". What is important is that this year's lanterns can't be left until next year, and they must be destroyed by "touching the lanterns".