Off-year, a traditional festival in China, is also called "Lunar New Year Festival", "Kitchen God Festival" and "Kitchen Sacrifice Festival". Folk activities in off-year mainly include sweeping dust and offering sacrifices to stoves. China is a vast country with great differences in customs. Due to different customs, the days called "off-year" are different. Most areas in the south are on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, and most areas in the north are on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai call "the 24th of the twelfth lunar month" and "the night before New Year's Eve" off-year.
Off-year is usually regarded as the beginning of a busy year, which means that people begin to prepare new year's goods, sweep dust, offer sacrifices to stoves, etc., and prepare for a clean and good year, expressing people's good wish to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, welcome the auspicious and accept the blessings. Sacrificial stoves have a history of thousands of years in our country, which is a reflection of China people's dream of "having enough food and clothing".
Folk off-year custom
1, cut window grilles
Off-year is usually to prepare for the Spring Festival, and window cutting is the most popular folk activity. Window grilling is an ancient traditional folk art in China, and it is one of the paper-cut varieties. There are stories of various animals and plants, such as the magpie climbing the plum blossom, the lion rolling the hydrangea, the three sheep (Yang) opening the Thai, the two dragons playing with pearls, the lotus (Lian) having fish (the rest), the Yuanyang playing with water and the two immortals, and so on.
2. Bathing
Adults and children should have baths and haircuts. There is a folk saying that "there is money and no money, and the Chinese New Year is celebrated with a haircut". Luliang area pays attention to washing feet on the 27th of the twelfth lunar month. This evening, mother-in-law and your son washed their feet with boiling water. Adults should also help a girl who is not sensible to scrub her feet clean, leaving no dirt. There is a folk saying that on the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, your mother-in-law washes your feet. A common saying that if you don't wash your feet, pus will harm water for seven months.
3. Marriage
After off-year, people think that the gods went to heaven, all is forgiven. There is no need to choose a date to marry a daughter-in-law or a prostitute, which is called rushing to get married. Until the end of the year, there were many wedding ceremonies. Folk songs are "busy marriage in the countryside, and Yichun posts tease spring scenery." Sisters talk privately in front of the lights, and this year is the bridal chamber.