The origin of New Year's Eve:

According to legend, in ancient times there was a monster named "Xi" who specialized in harming people, especially beautiful girls. "Xi" appears and disappears, only coming out after the sun goes down and disappearing after midnight. No one knows where it lives. The common people hated it, but there was nothing they could do about it.

A hunter named Qilang was extremely strong, his arrows were flawless, and his hunting dogs were also very powerful. Seeing that the villagers were being harmed by "Xi", he was determined to get rid of "Xi". He took his dog and searched for "Xi" everywhere for a year. It was already the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month. He came to a town and saw people happily preparing to celebrate the New Year. He thought that this town was big, crowded, and had many girls, so maybe "Xi" was coming.

He discussed with the people in the town and said that "Xi" was most afraid of noise, so he asked everyone not to sleep when it was dark, but to find more loud things to put at home, and to knock hard whenever there was any movement. So as to scare "Xi" out and get rid of him.

That night "Xi" did come. As soon as he broke into a house, the family started knocking pots and pots, and then the whole town followed suit. "Xi" was so frightened that she ran around, but was seen by Shichiro. "Xi" started fighting with Qilang and the dog. "Xi" was unable to do what he wanted and wanted to escape, but his hind legs were bitten by a hunting dog. Qilang took the opportunity to shoot "Xi" to death with an arrow.

Since then, people have called the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month "New Year's Eve". On this night, every household will watch the New Year's Eve and set off firecrackers to drive away bad luck and welcome happiness and auspiciousness.

New Year’s Eve customs:

①New Year’s Eve dinner

The New Year’s Eve dinner is also called the reunion dinner. The dishes of the New Year’s Eve dinner for northerners often include dumplings, fish, and rice cakes. , long-term dishes, etc., because the dumplings are shaped like gold ingots, it means wealth; the fish dish cannot be finished, and it has the auspicious meaning of "more than every year"; rice cakes mean "promotion every year"; eating long-term dishes means It has the connotation of longevity. In South China, there are many dishes such as chicken, roasted pork, nostoc, oysters, etc., because "notai, oysters" and "good fortune" are homophonic. A typical New Year's Eve dinner in Jiangnan must include fish and a hearty soup pot.

②Spring couplets

Spring couplets are also called door pairs, spring posts, couplets, couplets, peach charms, etc. They describe the background of the times and express their emotions with neat, dual, concise and exquisite words. Good wishes are a unique literary form in our country. Every New Year's Eve, every household, no matter in the city or in the countryside, selects a pair of red Spring Festival couplets and sticks them on the door to add a festive atmosphere to the festival.

③Sacrificing ancestors

Sacrificing ancestors is the first important event on New Year’s Eve. In many places in our country, on this day, people will put rich meals at home, light incense and candles, and parents will lead their children and grandchildren to worship. In some rural areas in Shanxi, on the evening of New Year's Eve, incense and candles will be lit in front of the ancestors' statues, fine wines will be poured, and dishes will be served. The whole family will hold a grand sacrificial ceremony to express the feeling of "being cautious in pursuing the future." After the ancestors had eaten the New Year's Eve dinner, people began to enjoy it.