The story of the origin of lucky money
The earliest lucky money appeared in the Han dynasty, also known as winning money. It was not circulated in the market, but was cast as a ornamental in the form of coins, which had the function of avoiding evil spirits. On the front of coins, auspicious words such as "Long live the Millennium" and "Eliminating disasters and evils" and auspicious patterns such as dragons, phoenixes, tortoise snakes and Pisces are generally cast.
There is a story about lucky money. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a little demon named Chong, who was black and white-handed. He came out every year on the night of New Year's Eve to touch the forehead of a sleeping child. After being touched, a child will have a high fever and talk in his sleep, and after the fever has gone down, he will become a demented fool. People are afraid that the special things will hurt their children and stay up all night, which is called "guarding the special things".
It is said that there is a family named Guan in Jiaxing, and the husband and wife have children in their old age and cherish them very much. On New Year's Eve, in order to prevent "adoration" from disturbing children all the time, the children wrapped eight copper coins in red paper, which were unpacked, unpacked and unpacked. After sleeping, the wrapped eight copper coins were put on the pillow. In the middle of the night, an evil wind blew, and the little black man was about to touch the child's head with his bare hands. Suddenly, the child's pillow burst into a golden light and ran away screaming.
So the story spread, and everyone followed suit, wrapping money in red paper for children on New Year's Eve, and I didn't dare to harass them again. Therefore, people call this kind of money "precious money". The pronunciation of "precious" and "old" is the same. Over time, it is called "lucky money".
The elders give their children "lucky money", which represents the blessing for the children in the new year. In fact, it is not necessary to use money to "suppress the age". There are many cases in which children are "suppressed" without money in ancient and modern times. Su Shi, a great writer in the Song Dynasty, gave his son Mai Su an ordinary inkstone, and inspired his son with the inkstone engraved on the inkstone, "It is often warm to enter the road, often surprised to make progress, often thinking about wealth, and often thinking about life with this book."
It may be more meaningful and a good fashion if the elders give their children "old-fashioned things" and "old-fashioned words" that can inspire and guide their healthy growth during the Spring Festival. Students should use their "lucky money" reasonably, have a clear aim and serve their studies better.
Based on the above analysis, we can see that lucky money symbolizes beauty and can bring us good luck. Lucky money can correctly guide children to grow up healthily, which has more special significance and is a good fashion.
The implication and symbol of lucky money
1, shock: Another theory originated from ancient "shock". It is said that in ancient times, there was a fierce beast called Nian, which would come out to harm people, animals and crops every 365 days. Children are afraid, while adults use firecrackers to drive away Nian, and comfort children with food, which is called "suppressing shock". Over the years, it evolved into money instead of food, and in the Song Dynasty, there was a "scare money". According to historical records, Wang Shaozi went south, was carried away by the bad guys, and exclaimed on the way, only to be saved by the imperial car, and Song Shenzong gave him the "gold rhinoceros money for the surprise". Later, it developed into a "lucky money".
2. Avoidance of evil spirits: Han people believe that lucky money is given to children. When evil spirits and demons or Nian hurt children, children can use the money to bribe them and turn evil into good luck.
As for the function of "lucky money", even the official history such as Zi Zhi Tong Jian is "proved". In the twenty-sixth volume of the book, when it comes to Yang Guifei's birth, it is said that "Xuanzong personally looked at it and was pleased to give the imperial concubine gold and silver money." The "washing money for children" mentioned here is not only a congratulatory message, but also an amulet to ward off evil spirits and evil spirits.
According to historical data, from the Han Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, the main purpose of the elders to give lucky money to the younger generation during the Chinese New Year was the same as that of Tang Xuanzong's "giving money to wash children", that is, to ward off evil spirits and get rid of evil spirits.
How much lucky is the lucky money?
The annual lucky money is a unique custom in a place. How much is appropriate? According to the average standard, it is very common to be around 500 yuan, but it should also be based on your own real situation. If you earn more, you can give more, and if you earn less, the key is not to compare with others. According to the survey of CCTV, most people think that it is more appropriate to give the lucky money below 500 yuan, among which 100-200 yuan is the most.
Lucky money indicates good luck in the coming year, but for most people, the best thing is to rely on their own economic strength, and don't deliberately pursue anything. The most basic principle of how much lucky money should be given is to do what you can, and you should avoid punching your face and filling your fat face, because lucky money is only a part of the Chinese New Year custom, to express the expectations of the elders for the younger generation, and to create a festive atmosphere. If you invest a lot of money to save face, you will eventually feel uncomfortable in the Chinese New Year. Isn't it putting the cart before the horse? Therefore, how much lucky money should be given should be measured.
In the amount of money given to lucky money, it is usually a whole hundred, or an auspicious number. Category I: 100, 200, 400, 500, 600, 800, 1000 Category II: 66, 88, 128, 266, 288, 666, 888.