The customs of the Spring Festival
? 1. Go to the old and welcome the new?
The last day of "year old" is called "year old" and that night is called "New Year's Eve". It is connected with the beginning and end of the new year, and is called "New Year's Eve, the end of the poor month". This is New Year's Eve, and it is also an important time node to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. "New Year's Eve" refers to the eve of New Year, also known as New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve and so on. That is, the last night at the end of the year. During this period, the theme of the activity is to get rid of the old cloth and update the new cloth. Since ancient times, there have been customs such as posting New Year's greetings, offering sacrifices to ancestors, having a family reunion dinner, and observing the old age, which have a long history. New Year's Eve is a time to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, to reunite the whole family and to worship the ancestors. Together with Tomb-Sweeping Day, July 30th and Double Ninth Festival, it is called the four traditional ancestor worship festivals in China.
On New Year's Eve, people pay special attention to taking off old cloth to welcome the New Year. Every household is busy cleaning the courtyard, decorating and welcoming their ancestors home for the New Year. The sacrifices are rice cakes, three sacrificial meals and three teas and five wines. New Year's Eve has a special meaning in the hearts of China people. On the most important day at the end of this year, no matter how far away, the wanderers have to rush home to reunite with their families, say goodbye to the old year with firecrackers and set off fireworks everywhere to welcome the new year.
? 2. Worship God and ancestors?
Sacrificing ancestors on New Year's Eve is one of the important customs of China New Year. The Chinese nation has a tradition of being cautious and independent and pursuing the future since ancient times. It will never forget to worship its ancestors and repay their kindness. On New Year's Eve, people will put on dishes, pour wine and hold a grand sacrifice ceremony to express their memory of their ancestors and pray for their blessing. This traditional custom has been handed down from generation to generation. Ancestor worship not only covers all the ancient traditional festivals in China, but also is the eternal theme of folk festivals in China.
There are many forms of ancestor worship, some of them go to ancestral halls to worship ancestors, and most of them put ancestral tablets in the main hall in turn at home to place offerings, and then worshippers worship them in order of age. Worship ancestors, mostly fish bowls, filled with high bowls, quite ringing.
? 3. New Year's Eve?
New Year's Eve is one of the customs of New Year's Day, also known as New Year's Eve, reunion dinner, reunion dinner and so on. Especially the New Year's Eve dinner. The New Year's Eve dinner originated from the ancient sacrificial ceremony at the end of the year, and it is a reunion dinner after offering sacrifices to the gods and ancestors. Reunion dinner is the highlight of the year ago, which is not only colorful, but also very meaningful. Worship the gods and ancestors before the reunion dinner, and eat after the worship ceremony. Generally, there are chicken (representing a plan), fish (more than enough every year), oyster sauce (good for the market), Nostoc flagelliforme (rich), yuba (rich), lotus root (smart), lettuce (rich) and raw garlic (calculated). China people's New Year's Eve dinner is a family reunion dinner, which is the most abundant and important dinner in a year.
? 4. lucky money?
Lucky money (called "gift giving" in Guangdong) is one of the customs of the Spring Festival. Lucky money is distributed by the elders to the younger generation. After dinner, the elders should distribute the lucky money prepared in advance to the younger generation. It is said that lucky money can kill evil spirits, and the younger generation can spend a year safely with lucky money. In some families, parents will put their children under pillows after they fall asleep at night. Giving lucky money in the New Year reflects the care and sincere blessing of the elders to the younger generation. Lucky money has the meaning of exorcising evil spirits and keeping peace in folk culture. The original intention of lucky money is to suppress evil and drive away evil, because people think that children are easy to sneak around, so they use lucky money to suppress evil.
? 5. Shounian?
Keeping the old age, also known as abolishing the old age, keeping the old age fire and keeping the old age fire, has a long history and is one of the folk activities in China. On New Year's Eve, the main features of folk activities are lighting and keeping fire. Every room should be brightly lit all night, and the whole family will be reunited to welcome the arrival of the New Year. On New Year's Eve, burning lamps and candles all night is called "waste". It is said that after this pass, the family's wealth will be enriched in the coming year. In ancient times, the north and the south had different customs. In some places, the custom of keeping old is mainly to stay up all night, that is, to keep vigil all night; For example, Zhou Chu of the Jin Dynasty wrote "Local Records" and said: On New Year's Eve, everyone gives gifts to each other, which is called "giving the old"; Young people and old people get together and wish a complete eulogy, called "age division"; Sleeping all the year round, waiting for dawn, is called "guarding the age." In some places, on New Year's Eve, the whole family get together, eat New Year's Eve, light candles or oil lamps, sit around the fire and chat, and keep vigil all night, which symbolizes driving away all evil diseases and looking forward to good luck in the new year.
? 6. Happy New Year?
Paying New Year's greetings is one of the ancient activities. In the morning of the first year of the new year, welcome the new year, worship vegetarianism and worship the "Year God". "Sui", also known as "country" and "Tai Sui", is an ancient star name and a god of folk belief. At the age of 60, according to the chronology of cadres and branches of 60 Jia, there are 60 people. There are old gods on duty every year. The old man on duty that year was called "Tai Sui", who was the master of the year and was in charge of the good and bad luck of the world. For example, in the Three Commandments, it is said that "the husband is too old, the one-year-old Lord, and the head of the gods". Paying New Year greetings is the oldest traditional Chinese New Year custom, which is still popular in Guangdong, especially Wuchuan. On the first day of the new year, the traditional customs of greeting the new year, offering sacrifices to God and receiving blessings have been passed down from generation to generation.
Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival in China, and it is also a day for family reunion. Show the fine traditions of our nation through different customs, share and love, pray for a happy, safe and healthy New Year, and make everyone happy in the Spring Festival! I wish you all a happy New Year and all the best!