On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month in Fujian, people should wear good clothes, provide livestock and seafood such as pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks and fish, and offerings such as melons, sweets and fragrant tea at home, and then burn incense and set off firecrackers to see the kitchen god off, hoping that he would "say good things from heaven". From this day on, the "New Year" began.
before the new year's eve, people also have to do a comprehensive cleaning and tidy up the courtyard rooms, and they are busy preparing for the new year's goods.
On New Year's Eve, every household often sticks Spring Festival couplets, which symbolize auspicious new year, all the best, lucky money and treasure, on their doors and windows, grain depots, pigsty, well platforms and other places, and then arranges offerings and incense candles on the table in the hall to worship their ancestors and welcome them to "go home for the New Year". From then on, the sound of setting off fireworks and firecrackers rose one after another, which was very lively and continued until the morning of the first day of the New Year's Day.
On New Year's Eve, the whole family will get together to "surround the stove", that is, a family of men, women and children will sit around the stove or hot pot and have a New Year's Eve dinner (or "reunion dinner"). Of course, this meal should be exceptionally rich.
In the New Year's Eve, besides fish balls and meatballs symbolizing family reunion, chicken with the meaning of "starting with a chicken" and leeks indicating "long life", there are various kinds of fried foods, glutinous rice balls and rice cakes with strong local flavor, especially "tortoise bean paste rice cake" (a kind of rice cake made by pressing a wooden mold engraved with the shape of a tortoise and filled with bean paste). In addition, there is a kind of salty radish rice cake, which needs to be roasted and heated before being wrapped with laver. It not only has the function of dispelling meat and flavor, but also contains the wish of "good luck" in the coming year.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, it is quite unique for elders to give their children "lucky money": older children's "lucky money" is pre-wrapped in red paper and handed to them; The "lucky money" of young children is wrapped with red rope in advance and tied into a small collar, which is put around their necks.
On the first day of the first month of the first month, people get up early. After dressing up and washing up, they begin to greet each other, pay their respects and wish each other well, visit relatives and friends or visit the park, etc., which is lively and pleasant. People are generally immersed in the festive atmosphere of joy, celebration, happiness and happiness.
On the second day of New Year's Eve, it is the new son-in-law who takes his wife to visit her husband's family. When the son-in-law comes to the door and the daughter returns to her mother's house, it is naturally more interesting.
the third day is regarded as an unlucky day. People don't go out much, and they eat early and go to bed early at night, which is also a good opportunity to take a break from the noise.
The fourth day is the day to welcome the Kitchen God, and naturally it will be a lively event.
Since the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, many people have started their business, and those who go to work have gone to work.
On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, according to legend, it is God's birthday. Every household should prepare the best wine and food, burn incense and worship, and perform a recital to celebrate God's birthday. This is the last day of the annual Spring Festival.
Since then, the Lantern Festival has been the last scene of the whole Spring Festival. On this day, every family should eat glutinous rice balls and enjoy lanterns according to traditional habits. Under the full moon, all kinds of lanterns compete to shine brightly, and there are activities such as lion dancing, dragon playing and welcoming "drums", which are colorful and dazzling. Especially those children who are full of childlike interest, have been carrying lanterns and chanting songs across the street, like fish swimming at the bottom of the sea, adding icing on the cake to the lively Lantern Festival night!
People's Chinese New Year activities begin with "Tail Teeth" on December 16th of the lunar calendar. On this day, every household should pay homage to the landowner, especially the businessman. In order to make a fortune in the New Year, they should make sacrifices with sacrificial bodies and gold paper, and share the sacrifices with their colleagues to reward their employees. This is called "eating tail teeth". When "eating tail teeth", the employees who are about to be dismissed are pointed at each other by the employer, indicating that they should seek another job next year.
The 24th day of the lunar calendar is the day when people send gods to heaven, just like the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month in southern Fujian. There must be "sweet dumplings" (glutinous rice balls) in the sacrifice, which are stuck at the mouth of the stove, so that the kitchen god can "spread good words to the sky and bad words to one side". On this day, we have to clean up and sweep away all the "bad luck" at home, so as to welcome the New Year.
New Year's Eve depends on the size of December in the lunar calendar. Before it gets late, every family prepares offerings, such as sweet oranges, sweet rice cakes, "spring rice" and "lucky money". "Spring rice" is to insert paper-cut spring characters on the sharp rice. Because "spring" and "leftover" in Minnan dialect are homophonic, which means "there is surplus grain every year, and there is endless food every year". In addition, behind the gate, two sugarcane with leaves are placed vertically, called "perennial sugarcane", which means "firm family luck and good luck".
When eating New Year's Eve, a new charcoal stove and a new sunflower fan are placed under the square table, and the words "Spring" and "Fu" written in red paper are pasted on the fan and the stove. Say auspicious words around the stove, such as "eat red dates, good every year!" " "Eat a new year's meal and earn it every year!" Wait, there must be mustard on the table, called "long-year dish", which symbolizes long life. Some people also want to have "leek" on the table, that is, "leek" and "long" homophonic, symbolizing longevity. Radish is also indispensable, and Minnan dialect calls it "vegetable head", which means "good color head" (good omen). There is also chicken, the homophonic "home" of chicken, and "starting from eating chicken", which can greatly boost the voice of home. The vegetables around the stove are not chopped with a knife. After washing, they are cooked by roots, and they are not bitten off when eating. Instead, they are slowly eaten into the stomach from beginning to end to wish their parents a long life.
after the New Year's Eve dinner, it's to observe the new year. It symbolizes that the younger generation wishes their parents a long life. As soon as the "handover time" (midnight) is over, people gather young and old to worship the gods with red and white rice cakes, and then set off firecrackers to welcome the new year.
During the Chinese New Year, we should also make rice cakes with red turtle, fat rice and vegetable heads. Red turtle rice fruit is shaped like a turtle, dyed red outside and stamped with tortoise shell seal, which symbolizes people's longevity and aging. Every family uses this kind of cake to worship the God who raises everything. If guests come to visit New Year, please eat sweets and sweets, and say different auspicious words according to men, women and children. For example, a child can say to the old man, "Have a sweet meal and wish you a long life!" Peers can say, "Have a sweet meal and wish you a lot of money!"