1. Busy Year (Little Year)

The Busy Year begins on the 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month, also known as "Little Year". The Little Year does not specifically refer to a festival, because The customs and festivals known as Xiaonian vary from place to place. The main folk activities during the Little New Year period include posting Spring Festival couplets, sweeping dust, and offering sacrifices to stoves, etc. ? Xiaonian is the beginning and foreshadowing of the entire Spring Festival celebration. There are two main activities: sweeping the year and offering sacrifices to the stove. In addition, there is also the custom of eating stove sweets. In some places, they also eat fire roasting, sugar cakes, oil cakes, and drink tofu soup.

2. On the 28th day of the year

On the 28th day of the year, the old ones are removed and the new ones are put on the new ones. There is a saying in Guangdong, "On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, wash away the filth", which means that on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the whole family should stay at home to clean up, put up New Year red stickers, and welcome the New Year

3 , New Year's Eve

(1) "New Year's Eve" means New Year's Eve, also known as New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve, etc. February 30th, the 29th day of the month). Chu means removal; Xi means night. New Year's Eve means "the end of the month and the end of the year." , people have to get rid of the old year and replace it with the new year.

(2) New Year's Eve is a day to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new year, reunite with the family, and worship ancestors. Because there are three days in the lunar calendar. Ten days and a small month only have twenty-nine days, so the date of New Year's Eve is also different from the twenty-nine and thirtieth days. However, this day is often called "New Year's Eve" regardless of whether it is the twenty-ninth or the thirtieth day. "Ten".

(3) On the afternoon of New Year's Eve, we worship ancestors and have a reunion dinner. After the New Year's Eve dinner, there is a custom of giving out lucky money and lighting lanterns to illuminate the New Year (or stay up on New Year's Eve).?

4. The first day of the first lunar month

(1) The first day of the first lunar month was originally called "New Year's Day". The original meaning of "Yuan" was "head", which was later extended to "beginning". Entering the theme of welcoming the new year, worshiping ancestors, and praying for a good harvest, on the morning of the Spring Festival, firecrackers are set off first to see off the old and welcome the new.

(2) After the sound of firecrackers, the firecrackers are bursting with red. The ground is as bright as clouds and brocade, which is called "Man Tang Hong". People worship gods in the early morning of the first lunar month and worship ancestors in the afternoon. In many places, there is a custom of eating vegetarian food on the first day of the first lunar month and people get up early and put on their most beautiful clothes. , dress up neatly, go out to visit relatives and friends, and wish you good luck in the new year.

5. The second day of the first lunar month

(1) Happy New Year on the second day of the lunar month. God, it’s the New Year’s Eve. On this day, the daughter who gets married must go back to her parents’ home with her husband, so it’s commonly known as the “Welcome Day.” The daughter who returns to her parents’ home must bring some gifts and red envelopes to give to her children, and have lunch at her parents’ home. She must rush back to her husband's house before dinner. ?

(2) When the girl returns home, if there is a nephew at home, the aunt must pay for it again, even though she has already given the lucky money on the first day of the new year. This time the meaning is different. This custom is called "eating day and day" by Chaoshan people. As the name suggests, it is just for lunch. The daughter must rush back to her husband's house before dinner. According to the "Zhushu", the second day of the first lunar month is "Dog Day".

3. The third day of the first lunar month

The third day of the first lunar month is also called Red Dog Day, which has the same pronunciation as "Chikou". People usually do not go out to pay New Year greetings. Legend has it that it is easy to have quarrels with others on this day. Dispute. However, this custom has long been outdated, because it is rare for people to get together during the Spring Festival, and it has been downplayed a lot. ?

4. The fourth day of the first lunar month

The fourth day of the Lunar New Year is a day to worship the God of Wealth. , to greet the gods and receive the gods. According to the legend, the fourth day of the first lunar month is the day when Nuwa makes sheep, so it is called "Sheep Day". On this day, people cannot kill sheep. If the weather is good, it means this day. During the year, sheep will be raised well, and sheep-raising families will have a good harvest.

5. The fifth day of the first lunar month

(1) The fifth day of the first lunar month is the birthday of the God of Wealth according to folk custom. Therefore, you should welcome the God of Wealth into your home and bless your family with wealth in the new year. It means having more than enough every year, and it is also a day to send away "poverty", so there is a saying of "sending the poor out".

(2) At the same time, this day is also commonly known as "Powu", which means that many taboos in the previous few days have ended. Legend has it that the fifth day of the first lunar month is the "Ox Day", commonly known as Po Wu. Folks in the north have the custom of eating dumplings, which means to attract wealth.

(3) In ancient times, this was true from the prince's mansion to the small households in the streets, even when entertaining guests. Women no longer stay taboo and start visiting each other to pay New Year greetings and congratulate each other. Newly married women return to peace on this day. In addition to the above taboos, the five customs of Po Wu are mainly to send away the poor, welcome the God of Wealth, and open markets for trade. ?

6. The sixth day of the first lunar month

The sixth day of the first lunar month is "Horse Day", which is called Liuliu Dashun. On this day, every household has to throw away the garbage accumulated during the festival. This is called giving away to the poor. ? The sixth day of the Lunar New Year is also the market opening day, when shops and restaurants officially open for business, and firecrackers are set off, no less than on New Year's Eve. ?

7. The seventh day of the first lunar month

(1) The seventh day of the first lunar month is a person’s day, that is, a person’s birthday. "Zhanshu" says that starting from the first day of the lunar month, the order in which God created all things is "one chicken, two dogs, three pigs and four sheep, five oxen and six horses, seven people and eight grains", so the seventh day of the lunar month is the human day.

(2) Human Day customs began to exist in the Han Dynasty, and they began to pay attention to them after the Wei and Jin Dynasties. In ancient times, people had the custom of wearing "Rensheng". Rensheng is a kind of headdress, also called Caisheng or Huasheng.

Starting from the Jin Dynasty, people cut ribbons to make flowers, cut ribbons to make people, or engraved gold foil to put them on screens or wear them in their hair. In addition, there is also the custom of climbing high to compose poems.

(3) After the Tang Dynasty, more attention was paid to this festival. Every year, the emperor would give the ministers colorful ribbons to win, and he would also hold a banquet for the ministers. If the weather is fine on the seventh day of the first lunar month, the population will be safe and the going in and out will be smooth. ?

8. The eighth day of the first lunar month

The eighth day of the first lunar month is the start of work day. Distributing start-of-work benefits is the first thing that Guangdong bosses do on their first day at work after the Chinese New Year; It means that everything will be prosperous and prosperous all year round. Legend has it that the eighth day of the lunar month is the birthday of millet. If the weather is cloudy on this day, the year will be poor, and if the weather is clear, the rice harvest will be bumper. ?

9. The ninth day of the first lunar month

(1) The ninth day of the first lunar month is the day of heaven. Legend has it that this day is the birthday of the Jade Emperor, the highest god in heaven, commonly known as "the birth of God". It is said that "Tiangong" is the "Jade Emperor", and Taoism calls it "Four Imperials". He is the highest god in the heaven. He is the highest god who rules the gods of the three realms and ten directions and all the spirits in the world. He represents the supreme "heaven".

(2) The main customs include worshiping the Jade Emperor, fasting to the sky in Taoist temples, etc. In some places, women prepare fragrant flowers, candles, and fasting bowls during the day, and place them in the open air at the entrance of the courtyard and lane to worship the sky and pray for blessings from God. .

10. The tenth day of the first lunar month

(1) On the tenth day of the first lunar month, some areas in the south (such as Dongbian Yong) have the custom of turning on lights and setting up banquets with lights on. It is a custom in Henan that on this day, every family pays tribute to the stone by burning incense. It is believed that "ten" is a homophonic word for "stone". Therefore, the tenth day of the lunar month is the birthday of the stone. On this day, all stone tools such as grinding and grinding are not allowed to be moved. There are even sacrifices to the stone. Afraid of damaging crops. Also known as "Shi Fu Fu" and "Ten Fu Fu"; people must eat steamed buns for lunch, believing that eating buns will bring good fortune within a year.

11. The eleventh day of the first lunar month

The eleventh day of the first lunar month is "Son-in-law Day". This day is the day when the father-in-law entertains his son-in-law. There was a lot of leftover food left over from the celebration of "Tian Gongsheng" on the ninth day of the lunar month. In addition to eating it for one day on the tenth day of the lunar month, there was still a lot of food left over. Therefore, the family did not have to spend any more money and used the leftover food to entertain their son-in-law and daughter. The folk song is called "Eleventh Day" Invite your son-in-law.” ?

12. The twelfth day of the first lunar month

On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, people set up lantern sheds, have lanterns and wine parties, make fasting heads, make Jiaos, standard firecrackers, etc. From now on, people begin to prepare to celebrate the Lantern Festival, buying lanterns, setting up lantern sheds, making Jiao rituals, and making sacrifices. There is a nursery rhyme that goes: "On the eleventh day, we are chattering, at the twelve we are setting up the lamp shed, at the thirteen we are turning on the lamp, at the fourteen the lamp is shining, at the fifteenth it is half a month, and at the sixteenth we are finishing the lamp."?

13. The first month. The 13th and 14th days

On the 13th and 14th days of the first lunar month, there are lion dances, floating colors, wandering gods, and temple fairs. There is a legend that the 13th day of the first lunar month is the "Lamp Head's Birthday". On this day, people will light lamps under the kitchen stove, which is called "lighting the stove lamp". ?

14. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month (Lantern Festival)

(1) On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, customary activities mainly include lantern viewing, lantern parade, boat racing, burning fireworks, and Lantern Festival, etc. . The customs of the Lantern Festival are very distinctive, and the festival period and customs have also been extended and expanded with the development of history. In terms of the length of the festival, it was only one day in the Han Dynasty, three days in the Tang Dynasty, and five days in the Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, the lights were lit from the eighth day of the lunar month until the lights were turned off on the night of the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, a full ten days.

(2) The city is bustling during the day; the lights are lit at night, which is spectacular; especially the exquisite and colorful lights make it the climax of entertainment activities during the New Year.

(3) The Lantern Festival custom has been dominated by the lively and festive lantern viewing custom since ancient times. Today, burning fireworks is also one of the main customs of the Lantern Festival.