The Spring Festival generally refers to New Year's Eve and the first day of the first month. However, in folklore, the Spring Festival traditionally refers to the period from the Lunar New Year festival on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year or the Zaos offering on the 23rd or 24th day of the Lunar New Year until the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar.
Common Chinese Spring Festival customs include:preparing New Year's goods, posting New Year's red, sacrificing to the stove, dusting, hanging New Year's paintings, sticking window flowers, posting lucky words upside down, New Year's Eve dinner, paying homage to New Year's Eve, letting off firecrackers, putting on new clothes, eating dumplings, keeping the New Year's eve, dancing with the dragons, getting the New Year's money, eating dumplings, opening the door to the firecrackers, paying homage to New Year's eve, watching the fireworks, stepping on stilts, haunting the lanterns, and lion dances, among other customs.
I think in the Spring Festival of the many traditional customs worthy of mentioning there are 8 , the following with me to see it:
? One of the Chinese New Year customs: watching the Spring Festival Gala?
Watching the Spring Festival Gala is a modern custom handed down, the Spring Festival Gala is a variety show, but with the passage of time, every year, the Spring Festival Gala has become an essential custom, although the Spring Festival Gala has always been said to be more and more unattractive to watch, but people still pay close attention to the dynamics of the Spring Festival Gala. Spring Festival Gala is the abbreviation of Spring Festival Gala, which refers to the Spring Festival Gala organized by CCTV. It is a party held every year from New Year's Eve to the beginning of the second year, and is called the Spring Festival Gala because it is held during the traditional Spring Festival.
Looking at the origins of the Spring Festival: The Spring Festival Gala in the broadest sense can be traced back to 1956. At that time by Zhang Junxiang as general director, Xie Jin, Lin Nong, Cen Fan, Wang Yingdong as director, produced by the Central News Record Film Studio, the Spring Festival Gala. According to the content of the movie, the then Central People's Broadcasting Station broadcasted the performance live to the whole country. Many masters of the time appeared in the movie, such as masters of Yueju Opera Xu Yulan and Wang Wenjuan, master of Jieju Opera Xinfengxia, master of Peking Opera Mei Lanfang, master of comedy Hou Baolin, people's artists Lao She and Ba Jin, and performance artist Zhao Dan. CCTV's Spring Festival Gala has been on the air since New Year's Eve 1979, and in 1983, the first live broadcast of the Spring Festival Gala was officially broadcast on CCTV.
It started as a variety show broadcast live on CCTV on New Year's Eve to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and was later broadcast live on CCTV's Chinese International Channel, Military-Agriculture Channel, CCTV's English-language news channel, CCTV's Spanish-language international channel, and CCTV's French-language international channel. In addition, from 2008 to the present, the HD channel also conducts the video broadcast of the rehearsal; CCTV.com, PPLIVE, China Network Television and other online new media will also be broadcast at the same time.
The Spring Festival Gala, as a TV program watched by hundreds of millions of Chinese and overseas Chinese***, has witnessed the historic changes since China's reform and opening up. In the last century, the standard of living of the Chinese people was only at the point of just solving the problem of subsistence level, and there was no room to focus on their own culture and other aspects of improvement. As a result, the Spring Festival Gala, as the most widely covered television program, can be said to be a household name during this special period of time in the Spring Festival, and on New Year's Eve the whole family **** with the Spring Festival Gala has become a must-have item. Since then, watching the Spring Festival Gala has become one of the customs of the Spring Festival, and the Spring Festival has the custom of observing the New Year's Eve, the Spring Festival Gala has become one of the ways of entertainment in the process of observing the New Year's Eve as a family, and the family to watch the Spring Festival Gala can also promote the relationship between each other.
? The second Chinese New Year custom: hanging lanterns?
Thirty days, every family has a custom of hanging lanterns, the Spring Festival hanging red lanterns to symbolize the meaning of reunion, to create a festive atmosphere. Later, lanterns became a symbol of Chinese celebrations. After generations of lantern artists inheritance and development, the formation of colorful varieties and high level of craftsmanship.
Legend has it that after Jiang Ziya sealed the gods, but since there is nothing to do with the duties, only a certain god to play a substitute when traveling. On New Year's Eve, all the gods returned to their positions, but Jiang Ziya had no place to go, the people see him poor, on the head of the high pole to light a lamp, so that he squatted under the lamp for a night. Over time the custom of hanging lanterns was formed.
? Chinese New Year custom No. 3: Eat New Year's Eve dinner with the door closed?
And in some parts of the South to close the door to eat New Year's Eve dinner, this is also a long-standing custom, it is said to be still and one of the Eight Immortals Tie Qiao Li related.
When I was a child, I heard my grandfather tell a story that in the south, there are many places to eat New Year's Eve dinner, the door should be closed, and only after eating and cleaning up the dishes can the door be opened. This is also a symbol, Grandpa said this means "closed door to make money, open the door is very lucky".
Grandpa also said that closing the door for New Year's Eve dinner, folklore is to coax Tie Qun Li. We all know that Tie Qiao Li is a well-known immortal figure, its one of the Eight Immortals. This man was a cripple but an immortal, and the Jade Emperor also assigned him the task of checking on the people's situation when he reached the last day of the year. So every year on New Year's Eve at meal time, Iron Knuckle Li would disguise himself as a beggar, and then go from house to house to beg. Then the begging to show the Jade Emperor to see one by one, so who is poor, who is rich, it is clear at a glance. The Jade Emperor was also very fair. For some rich families, the Jade Emperor would let them receive certain punishments, such as disasters, so as not to make them too rich. For the poor people, the Jade Emperor would be merciful and let them get rich a few more times to avoid being too poor.
Then the story spread among the people, and there was a very shrewd businessman who thought of a way to close the door during the New Year's Eve dinner, and the family didn't talk loudly, and then opened the door after the meal was finished and cleaned up. This time Iron Li came, has eaten clean, the table is nothing. Iron crutch Li came in a open, this family is too poor, so it is merciful, so that this family a few more chances to get rich. So many people know this method, have to learn up, so this method spread, everyone learns one by one, and close the door to eat the New Year's Eve dinner custom has been passed down and has continued to this day.
However, the farmer believes that the reason why in the South the custom of eating New Year's Eve dinner with the door closed is mainly because on New Year's Eve a lot of meals will be cooked, and in the winter time the weather is relatively cold. If you leave the door open, so that the meal is easy to be cooled by the north wind, which will affect the taste and flavor, and secondly, it is also not good for the body, easy to cause stomach pain!
? Chinese New Year custom No. 4: "closed door firecrackers"?
New Year's Eve night after sacrificing ancestors and deceased parents, the family closed the door to the reunion dinner, to put "closed door firecrackers", generally put 1-3 firecrackers, which hangs a gun means that all the unpleasantness of the old year are sent away, and then the family sat around together! Then the family will sit around and keep watch until the New Year's bell rings.
There is a story in Taizhou about "shutting the door with firecrackers" to drive away Japanese invaders, who were gathering off the coast of Taizhou. Although they have been beaten up by the Qi family army, dogs can't change their habit of eating shit, and they are preparing to attack Taizhou in the darkness of the night on the 30th night, when the army and people are partying and the defenses are lax. Ladies and Gentlemen, you should know that thirty nights are reaching for the stars, and the bandits' sneak attacks, especially those without a clear target, are indeed easy to win.
To eleven o'clock in the evening, the robbers' boat approached the Taizhou Bay, and looked from afar at the shore of a quiet piece of these robbers, one by one, thinking that they can again rob a loaded home. Who knows, they smiled crooked mouth has not had time to close when, suddenly the shore of the cannon roar, fire in the sky, this kind of earth-shattering battle scared the Japanese robbers piss, while with a crying voice 吚 wala shouted "the ants dig that ants, the ants dig that ants," while panicked and turned the ship, hurry to escape.
The sound of cannons on the shore is still rising and falling, has continued until dawn, scared out of their wits Japanese robbers hiding in the outer sea shivering, but they can not dream of, to make them scared out of their wits just General Qi let the people burn the shuttering of the cannons. From then on, Taizhou people thirty night put the door cannon custom, so passed down.
? The fifth of the Spring Festival custom: keep the New Year's Eve?
The custom of "keeping watch over the year" comes from a legend. This is also one of the most commonly heard legends, every New Year's Eve, the ancient times, there is a ferocious beast, scattered in the mountains and dense forests, people call them "year". It is hideous, ferocious nature, specializing in eating birds and beasts, scales and insects, a day to change a flavor, from knocking insects have been eaten to the living, so that people talk about the "year" color change. Later, people slowly grasp the "year" of the activities of the law, it is every three hundred and sixty-five days scurrying to the crowd of people living in the place to taste a mouthful of food, and the time of the infestation are in the dark, until the rooster breaks the dawn, they will return to the mountains and forests to go.
Calculating the date of the "New Year" rampage, the people will be this terrible night as a pass to brake, called "New Year's Pass", and came up with a whole set of New Year's Pass approach: every night, every family is ahead of time to do a good job of dinner, extinguish the fire! Net stove, and then all the chicken coop cattle pen tethered to the front and back doors of the mansion are sealed, hiding in the house to eat "New Year's Eve dinner", because this dinner has the meaning of bad luck and uncertainty, so organized very sumptuous, in addition to the whole family to eat together to express the harmony and reunion, but also have to be in the meal before the sacrifice to the ancestors, praying for the blessing of the gods of the ancestors, and the gods of the ancestors, and the gods of the ancestors. After dinner, no one dares to go to bed, sitting together and chatting.
People put the "year" rampant this night, as a pass to stay up, in order to kill time, the family reunion and talk, there is a prayer for the meaning of the night. After a long time, the custom of New Year's Eve is formed.
? The Chinese New Year custom of the sixth: to worship the New Year?
Bai Da Nian is one of the oldest traditional customs of Chinese folklore, an exchange of affection between relatives during the Spring Festival, a way for people to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new, and to express their good wishes to each other. Welcome to the New Year is the first day of the New Year to visit friends and relatives to pay tribute to each other. The original meaning of the word "New Year's Eve" was to greet the elders for the new year, including kowtowing to the elders, congratulating them on the new year, and asking them to live a good life. When there are friends and relatives of the same generation, they should also bow to congratulate them. On the first day of the New Year, people get up early, put on new clothes, go out to visit friends and relatives, pay respects to each other, wishing good luck for the coming year. Worship a variety of ways, some of the patriarch led a number of people to go door to door to pay tribute to the New Year; some colleagues invited a few people to pay tribute to the New Year; there are also get together to congratulate each other, known as the "reunion worship".
To the Song Dynasty, friends and relatives will send each other posters to congratulate, which is the early New Year's card. In the Ming Dynasty, the design of New Year's cards was more perfect and exquisite, not only the name and address of the sender, but also "Happy New Year" and blessings were written on the card. With the development of the times, the custom of paying New Year's greetings has been adding new contents and forms. Now people in addition to the inheritance of the previous way to pay tribute to the New Year, and the rise of ritual SMS to pay tribute to the New Year and telephone to pay tribute to the New Year and so on.
? Chinese New Year customs of the seventh: back to his mother's home?
The second day of the Lunar New Year back to his mother's home is the Han Chinese New Year customs. A married daughter will bring her husband and children back to her mother's home to pay tribute to the New Year, commonly known as "son-in-law day". On this day, the daughter must bring some gifts and red envelopes to distribute to the children in her mother's home and have lunch in her mother's home. Often the family chooses to take a family photo on this day.
When the girl returns home, if there are nephews in the family, the aunt must pay out of her own pocket again, even though she has already given the money on the first day of the new year, but this time it means something different. This custom, the Chaoshan people called "eclipse day". As the name suggests, it's just a midday meal, and daughters must make it back to their in-laws before dinner.
The custom of returning to one's mother's home comes from the folklore of ancient transportation inconvenience. In ancient times, most daughters married out, very few opportunities to go home, then visit parents way, the common is back to the door, in addition to the newlyweds after three days or so, the back is the second day of the first month of the year is suitable to go back, but also be made back to the door, the reason why the day, because the first day to stay in the husband's family to help entertain guests, and the year 30 or the end of the month of Lunar New Year is not very suitable for returning to the mother's home, so to the Spring Festival on the second day, you can So on the second day of Chinese New Year, you can bring gifts and visit your mother's house with your husband, and sometimes you have to bring enough red envelopes to give to the children of your relatives. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, it has become a very distinctive traditional Han Chinese New Year custom.
? The Chinese New Year custom of eight: the Lantern Festival?
The 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the traditional Lantern Festival, also known as the Festival of Lights. The old Beijingers preferred to call the Lantern Festival the "Lantern Festival". The first time I saw this, it was a very good time for me to go back to my old life. It turns out that in ancient times, this "Lantern Festival" and "New Year's Eve", people most valued, and always make it a lively and bustling, the most typical is the "Haunted Flower Fair "
The Lantern Festival, like New Year's Eve, is the most important festival for people, and it is always celebrated with a lot of excitement.
The Lantern Festival is also known as the Festival of Lights, Lantern Lantern custom from the Han Dynasty, to the Tang Dynasty, the more prosperous activities to enjoy the lights, the palace, hanging lights everywhere on the street, but also to establish a tall lamp wheel, lamps, lamps, and lamps, the Tang Dynasty, the great poet Lu Zhaolian was in the "fifteenth night to see the lamp" in this way to describe the Lantern Festival lanterns in the Lantern Festival "catching the Han suspected that the stars fall, according to the building seems to be hanging moon.
The Song Dynasty attached more importance to the Lantern Festival, more lively lantern-appreciation activities, lantern-appreciation activities to be carried out for five days, the style of the lamp is also more abundant. Ming Dynasty to 10 days of continuous lantern viewing, which is China's longest lantern festival. Although the Qing Dynasty lantern appreciation activities only 3 days, but the lantern appreciation activities on a large scale, unprecedented, in addition to burning lamps, but also fireworks to help.
The Lantern Festival period and festival activities, is with the development of history and extend, expand. On the length of the festival, the Han Dynasty only one day, to the Tang Dynasty has been three days, the Song Dynasty is up to five days, the Ming Dynasty is since the eighth light, until the night of the first month of the seventeenth before the lights, the whole ten days. and the Spring Festival, day for the city, lively, night lights, spectacular. In particular, the delicate, colorful lights make it the culmination of entertainment activities during the Spring Festival and the last custom of the Spring Festival.
Customs and activities of the Spring Festival vary from north to south, but one thing is basically the same, that is, the family reunion, visiting friends and relatives, visiting elders, etc., may we will be able to these full of strong affection and good wishes of the custom of the heart, and pass it on from generation to generation.