Han nationality 15 major festivals:
Spring Festival, Shangyuan Festival (Lantern Festival), Huachao Festival (Flower God Festival), Shangsi Festival (Daughter's Day), Cold Food Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese Valentine's Day, Zhongyuan Festival (Ghost Festival), Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival, Winter Solstice Festival, Laba Festival, Kitchen Sacrifice Day (off-year) and New Year's Eve.
There are nearly 50 traditional festivals of Han nationality.
● The first month
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The first day: Spring Festival (Yuanri, New Year's Day, Yuanzheng, Yuanchen, Yuanshuo, Zhengdan and Zhengshuo)
Establish the Spring Festival (on the Spring Day)
The seventh day: People's Day
Eighth day: Valley Day
The ninth day: Sunlight Festival
Day 10: Earth Day Festival
Fifteen: Lantern Festival (Shangyuan Festival, Lantern Festival)
Twenty: Tianchuan Festival
Twenty-five: Filling Festival
Dark day: the first month is dark.
● February
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The first day: Zhonghe Festival (Sun Birthday)
The second day: Spring Dragon Festival (Dragon Head Rise, Dragon Head Festival, Land Meeting, Spring Club Day/one of the Spring and Autumn Club Days)
Twelve: Flower Festival (Flower Festival, the birthday of the God of Flowers)
Fifteen: Butterfly-flapping Club
Nineteen: Guanyin Birthday
Vernal Equinox Festival (on the vernal equinox)
● March
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Grade 3: Shangsi Festival (Daughter's Day)
Cold food festival (105 days after the winter solstice and one or two days before Qingming Festival)
Tomb-Sweeping Day (on Qingming Day)
● April
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Eighth day: Bathing Buddha Festival (Sakyamuni's birthday)
Long summer Festival (Summer Day)
Eighteen: Bixia Yuanjun Festival
● May
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Fifth day: Dragon Boat Festival (Duanjie, Duanwu, Duanyang, Zhongwu, Pujie and Tianzhong)
Thirteen: Rain Festival (Guan Gong Sharpening Day)
Twenty: Dragon Divide Festival
Summer solstice festival (Chao Festival, on summer solstice day)
● June
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The sixth day: Ten Days Festival (June 6th, Sun Insect Festival, King Insect Festival, Mother's Day)
Nineteen: Guanyin Club
24: Lotus Watching Festival (Lotus Birthday)
● July
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The seventh day: Chinese Valentine's Day (Begging for Qiaojie Festival)
Fourteen: pulling in autumn
Mid-Yuan Festival (Bonin Festival, Ghost Festival and Gua Festival)
Twenty-nine: Ground Burial Festival
● August
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The first day: Tianjiu Day (Tianji Day)
Fifteen: Mid-Autumn Festival
● September
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The ninth day: Double Ninth Festival
Nineteen: Guanyin Club
● October
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The first day: Cold Clothes Festival (clothing-giving Festival and Ghost Festival) (this table was compiled at the end of, so it is counted)
Fifteen: Xiayuan Festival (Xiayuan Shuiguan Festival)
● November
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Winter solstice festival (on the winter solstice day)
● twelfth lunar month
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Seventh day: exorcism day
Eighth day: Laba Festival
Sixteen: coccygeal segment
Twenty-three: Day of Sacrificing Kitchen (off-year)
New Year's Eve
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It is difficult to know when the custom of Chinese New Year originated, but it is generally believed that it originated from the activities of offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors at the end of the Yin and Shang Dynasties. The first month of the lunar calendar (1 month) is the beginning of a year, and in the first or middle of the first month, most of the time just happens to be the beginning of spring (a small part of beginning of spring is in the late twelfth lunar month), and now it is named Spring Festival; The final determination of the specific time of the festival is believed to be related to the minimum impact on agricultural work at this time. The last day of the lunar year (the 30th day of the lunar month and the 29th day of the lunar month) is called "New Year's Eve". On New Year's Eve, the whole family get together for dinner (the last meal of the lunar year). After the dinner, there are customs of staying up late and giving lucky money, which means keeping the first day of the next year from the last day of the lunar year. Therefore, this festival is also called Chinese New Year.
According to the solar calendar, the Spring Festival swims from 1 month 2 1 day to February 20. Beginning of spring is on February 4th or 5th.
Small year and big year
In the folk, especially in rural areas, there have been habits of small years and big years.
Off-year, that is, on the 23rd (or 24th) of the twelfth lunar month (see the explanation on the discussion page), send the kitchen king to heaven (cremate the painting of the kitchen king) and report to the Jade Emperor the performance of his family in the past year. In order to make the kitchen god speak well, we should offer candied melons, and paste sugar on his mouth when seeing him off, so that he can speak well in heaven. To welcome the kitchen king back on New Year's Eve is to invite (buy) a new painting of the kitchen king (with the kitchen king and his wife's milk on it) for the kitchen. A pair of couplets is usually posted on both sides of the painting: Heaven says good things, and the lower world keeps peace. Horizontal batch: the head of the family.
The New Year begins on the last day of the twelfth lunar month. It is generally believed that until the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month, there is also a saying that the first month is the New Year.
Holiday date
The "legal holiday of the Spring Festival" stipulated by the mainland is from the first day to the third day of the first lunar month (1 day to the third day). Nevertheless, many places (especially non-state-owned units) will not officially go to work until the eighth day of the first month.
China-influenced countries around China, such as South Korea, have the Korean word "Seollal?" (Korean for "New Year"), a legal holiday; Vietnam, known as "New Year's Day", has the same legal time as China, and it is also the first to third day. Although different countries have different appellations, their customs are similar.
Chinese new year customs
Laba: On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, it is a traditional festival of the Han nationality, as a signal that the "New Year's Eve" is coming. As a tradition, we drink Laba porridge and make Laba garlic on this day. See Laba Festival.
Sacrificing a stove is to send the kitchen god to heaven in the next year.
Sweep the dust,
Put up Spring Festival couplets and New Year pictures,
Please, worship and send God,
Burning incense and candles,
Hanging lanterns, lighting candles in lanterns, and the flame of candles jumping, are really beautiful. If you put a light bulb, it will be much worse.
Worship ancestors,
Beating gongs and drums,
New year's eve, keeping the old age,
Set off firecrackers,
Happy new year,
Lucky money,
Walking on stilts, dancing dragon lanterns,
Family reunion. People who go out to study and work should go home to reunite with their parents and celebrate the New Year together.
The legend of "year"
According to legend, in ancient China, there was a monster called Nian, which had long tentacles and was ferocious. Nian lived at the bottom of the sea for many years, and climbed ashore every New Year's Eve, eating livestock and hurting people's lives. Therefore, every New Year's Eve, people in villages and villages fled to the deep mountains to avoid the harm of "Nian" animals.
On New Year's Eve this year, people in Taohua Village were taking refuge in the mountains, when an old beggar came from outside the village. He was walking on crutches, with a bag on his arm and elegant silver whiskers, and his eyes were on Matthew. Some villagers sealed windows and locked doors, some packed their bags, some herded cattle and drove sheep, and people shouted hiss everywhere, which was a scene of panic. At this time, who has the heart to take care of the begging old man? ; Only an old woman in the east of the village gave the old man some food and advised him to go up the mountain quickly to avoid the "Nian" beast. The old man smiled and said, "If my mother-in-law lets me stay at home for one night, I will definitely drive the" Nian "beast away." The old woman was surprised to look closely, and saw that he was handsome, energetic and extraordinary. But she continued to persuade and begged the old man to laugh without saying a word. Mother-in-law had no choice but to leave home and take refuge in the mountains.
At midnight, Nian beast broke into the village. It found that the atmosphere in the village was different from that in previous years: the old woman's house in the east of the village had red paper posted on the door, and the candles in the house were brightly lit. "Nian" beast shook all over and gave a long cry. "Nian" glared at her mother-in-law's house for a moment, and then screamed and rushed over. As we approached the door, there was a sudden explosion in the courtyard. Nian trembled and dared not go forward again. It turns out that Nian is most afraid of red, fire and exploding. At this time, my mother-in-law's door was wide open, and I saw an old man in a red robe laughing in the hospital. "nian" was frightened to disgrace and fled in confusion.
The next day was the first day of the first month, and the people who came back from refuge were very surprised to see that the village was safe and sound. At this time, the old woman suddenly realized and quickly told the villagers about the promise of begging the old man. Villagers flocked to the old woman's house, only to find red paper on her mother-in-law's door, a pile of unburned bamboo still exploding in the yard, and a few red candles in the house still glowing ...; In order to celebrate the auspicious arrival, ecstatic villagers put on new clothes and hats one after another and went to their relatives and friends' homes to congratulate and say hello. The story soon spread in the surrounding villages, and people knew the way to drive away the "Nian" beast.
Since then, every year on New Year's Eve, every family has posted red couplets and set off firecrackers. Every household is brightly lit by candlelight, and it is better to wait for the new year. In the early morning of the first day, I have to say hello to my relatives and friends. This custom spread more and more widely, and became the most solemn traditional festival in China.
The first day of the first lunar month, also known as the lunar year, is commonly known as "Chinese New Year" and "New Year". This is the most grand and lively traditional festival among Chinese people. The Spring Festival has a long history, which originated from the activities of offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors at the beginning and end of the Yin and Shang Dynasties. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the first day of the first month was called Yuanri, Yuanchen, Yuanzheng, Yuanshuo, New Year's Day, etc., commonly known as the first day of the first month. In the Republic of China, it was changed to the Gregorian calendar. The first day of the Gregorian calendar was called New Year's Day, and the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar was called the Spring Festival.
The Spring Festival is coming, which means that spring is coming, Vientiane is reviving, vegetation is renewed, and a new round of sowing and harvesting season is about to begin. People have just passed the long winter when the plants and trees are dying in the ice and snow, and they have long been looking forward to the day when spring blooms. When the new year comes, it is natural to welcome this festival with joy and singing.
For thousands of years, people have made the annual custom celebrations extremely colorful. Every year, from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month to the 30th, people call this period "Spring Festival" or "Dust-cleaning Day", which is a traditional habit of our people.
Then, every household prepares new year's goods. About ten days before the festival, people are busy shopping. The new year's goods include chicken, duck, fish, tea, wine, oil sauce, roasted seeds and nuts in the north and south, and fruit with sugar bait. They should also prepare some gifts when visiting relatives and friends during the New Year. Children should buy new clothes and hats to wear during the New Year.
Before the festival, a New Year message with red paper and yellow characters should be pasted on the door of the house, that is, Spring Festival couplets written in red paper. Colorful New Year pictures with auspicious meanings are posted in the house, beautiful window grilles are cut out by ingenious girls and pasted on the windows, red lanterns are hung in front of the door, and the characters of fortune, door gods and so on can be pasted upside down, and passers-by are blessed when they think of it. All these activities are to add enough festive atmosphere to the festival.
Another name for the Spring Festival is Chinese New Year. In past legends, Nian was an imaginary animal that brought bad luck to people. New year's eve. The trees are withered, and the grass is not born; After the new year, everything grows and flowers are everywhere. How can the year pass? It is necessary to use firecrackers, so there is the custom of burning firecrackers, which is actually another way to set off the lively scene.
The Spring Festival is a joyful and peaceful festival, and it is also a day for family reunion. Children who leave home should go home to get together during the Spring Festival. The night before the Chinese New Year is the 30th night of the twelfth lunar month, which is also called New Year's Eve and reunion night. At the turn of the old and the new, observing the new year is one of the most important activities. On New Year's Eve, the whole family stays up all the time, gets together and drinks, and enjoys family happiness. In the northern region, it is customary to eat jiaozi on New Year's Eve. jiaozi's practice is to mix noodles first, and the word harmony is the combination. Jiaozi's dumplings are homophonic, which means to get together, and also means to make friends at a younger age. In the south, there is the habit of eating New Year's cakes, which are sweet and sticky, symbolizing the sweet life and step by step in the new year.
When the first cock crow rings, or the New Year's bell strikes, firecrackers are ringing in the street, and the noise is one after another. Everyone is beaming. The new year begins. Men, women and children are dressed in festive costumes. First, the elders in the family are given New Year's greetings. During the festival, children are also given lucky money, having a reunion dinner. On the second and third days of the second year, they begin to visit relatives and friends, pay New Year greetings to each other, and say congratulations on their new happiness and wealth.
The warm atmosphere of the festival not only permeates every household, but also fills the streets and alleys all over the country. In some places, there are customs such as dancing lions, playing dragon lanterns, performing social fires, visiting flower markets and visiting temple fairs. During this period, lanterns were all over the city and tourists were all over the street. It was very lively and unprecedented, and the Spring Festival didn't really end until after the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month.
The Spring Festival is the most important festival of the Han nationality, but more than a dozen ethnic minorities, such as Manchu, Mongolian, Yao, Zhuang, Bai, Gaoshan, Hezhe, Hani, Daur, Dong and Li, have also had the custom of the Spring Festival, but the form of the festival has its own national characteristics and is more meaningful.
The Origin and Legend of Spring Festival
The original meaning of the concepts of Spring Festival and Year comes from agriculture. In ancient times, people called the growth cycle of the valley "Year", and Shuo Wen He Bu said: "Year, the valley is ripe. In the Xia and Shang Dynasties, the Xia calendar came into being, with the moon's full and short period as the month, and a year divided into twelve months. Every month, the day when the moon is not seen is the new moon, and the first day of the first month is called the beginning of the year, which is also called the year. The name of the year began in the Zhou Dynasty, and it was officially fixed in the Western Han Dynasty and continued until today. However, the first day of the first month in ancient times was called "New Year's Day". Until the victory of the Revolution of 1911 in modern China, in order to conform to the farming season and facilitate statistics, the Nanjing Provisional Government stipulated that the summer calendar should be used among the people, and the Gregorian calendar should be implemented in government agencies, factories, mines, schools and organizations, with the first day of January of the Gregorian calendar as New Year's Day and the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar as the Spring Festival.
In the traditional sense, the Spring Festival refers to the sacrificial rites from La Worship on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month or on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, with New Year's Eve and the first day of the first lunar month as the climax. During the Spring Festival, a traditional festival, the Han nationality and most ethnic minorities in our country have to hold various celebration activities. Most of these activities are mainly about offering sacrifices to gods and buddhas, paying homage to ancestors, getting rid of the old and spreading the new, welcoming the new year and praying for a good harvest. The forms of activities are rich and colorful, with strong national characteristics.
The Spring Festival originated from La Worship in primitive society of our country. It is said that when the wax is exhausted, people kill pigs to sacrifice to God and pray for good weather and good harvests in the coming year. People painted their faces with vermilion, decorated their wings with birds, and sang and danced. As for the "Spring Festival", it was first seen in "The History of the Later Han Dynasty Yang Zhen": "There is no snow in winter, and there is no rain in the Spring Festival."
1On September 27th, 949, New China was founded. At the first plenary session of China People's Political Consultative Conference, it was adopted to use the world-wide Gregorian calendar era, and January 1st of the Gregorian calendar was designated as New Year's Day, commonly known as the Gregorian calendar year. The first day of the first lunar month is usually around beginning of spring, so the first day of the first lunar month is designated as the "Spring Festival", commonly known as the lunar year.
One of the legends of the Spring Festival: staying up for the new year.
Keeping the old year is the custom of staying up late to welcome the new year on the last night of the old year. It is also called keeping the old year on New Year's Eve, and its common name is "endure the new year". Exploring the origin of this custom, there is an interesting story circulating among the people:
In Archaean times, there was a fierce monster scattered in the mountains and forests. People called them Nian. Its appearance is ferocious, its nature is ferocious, and it specializes in eating birds and animals and insects. It changes its taste every day, from kowtowing insects to living people, which makes people talk about "Nian". Later, people gradually mastered the activity law of "Nian", which is to go to places where people live in concentrated communities every 365 days to taste fresh food, and the haunting time is after dark, and when the cock crows at dawn, they return to the mountains.
Having determined the date when the Year of the Year raged, the people regarded this terrible night as a gateway, which was called the Year of the Year, and came up with a whole set of ways to close the New Year's Day: every household cooked dinner in advance on this night, turned off the fire and cleaned the stove, then tied up all the cowpens, sealed the front and rear doors of the house, and hid in the house to eat the "New Year's Eve", because this dinner was uncertain. In addition to asking the whole family to dine together to show harmony and reunion, it is also necessary to offer sacrifices to ancestors before eating, pray for the blessing of ancestors, and spend the night safely. After dinner, no one dares to sleep and sit together to chat and be courageous. It gradually formed the habit of staying up on New Year's Eve.
The custom of observing the age rose in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and many scholars in the Liang Dynasty had poems about observing the age. "One night is even two years old, and the five hours are divided into two years." People light candles or oil lamps and keep vigil all night, symbolizing driving away all evil diseases and looking forward to good luck in the new year. This custom has been passed down from generation to generation.
The customs and habits of all ethnic groups
Han nationality-On the first day of New Year's Day, people don't sweep the floor, throw water outside, go through the back door, beat and scold children, and congratulate each other on good luck and prosperity in the New Year.
Manchu-When the New Year's Festival approaches, every family cleans the courtyard, and stick grilles, couplets and blessings are written. On the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, every family erected a lantern pole more than six meters high. From the first day to the sixteenth day, the red light was hung high every day. It's better to wrap jiaozi in New Year's Eve, and pay attention to pleats. When you cook jiaozi, some of them are wrapped in copper coins, and those who eat it have good luck. Worship twice in the Spring Festival and once in the evening of New Year's Eve to bid farewell to the old year; Worship again on the first day of the new year to welcome the new year. Before the Spring Festival, there will be competitions such as vault and camel jumping. There is also a lantern festival on the fifteenth day of the first month.
Korean-every family sticks Spring Festival couplets, cooks all kinds of sumptuous meals and eats "eight treasures rice". On New Year's Eve, the whole family stays up all night, playing gayageum and playing the flute. At the dawn of the first day, people put on festive costumes to pay New Year greetings to their elders. During the festival, men, women and children indulge in singing and dancing, pressing springboard and tug of war. On the fifteenth night of the first month, a traditional celebration gathering was held. Several elected old people boarded the wooden "moon-gazing frame", accompanied by long drums, flutes and suona singing and dancing.
Oroqen-On New Year's Eve, the whole family sits around and has dinner. Tasting delicacies, drinking wine and eating New Year's dinner. Young people salute and kowtow to their families and close relatives and elders. At midnight, people hold birch bark boxes or iron boxes around the stables several times, wishing the six animals prosperity. On the first day of junior high school, I paid a New Year greeting to each other in new clothes. Young men and women get together to dance in groups. There are hunting dances, "red fruit" dances and "black bear fighting" dances.
Hezhe nationality-On New Year's Eve, everyone is busy cooking New Year's dinner, cutting window grilles and pasting lanterns. On the first day of junior high school, girls, women and children put on new clothes embroidered with clouds, went to relatives and friends' homes to pay New Year greetings, and entertained guests with a "fish feast". Raw fish with hot and sour flavor, crispy fried fish hair and salmon seeds. Folk poets offer poems and tell stories to people. Women play "touch the paste" and "throw bones". Teenagers compete in skiing, skating, shooting grass targets, and crossing the grass.
Mongolians eat jiaozi and set off firecrackers, just like Han people. In addition, we should eat "hand-held meat" on New Year's Eve to show family reunion. In the early morning of the first day of junior high school, the younger generation offered a "farewell toast" to their elders. Then the young men and women got on the shuttle horses and rode on yurts, kowtowing to their elders first, then drinking and dancing, and then the men and women took advantage of this opportunity to hold horse races.
Naxi nationality-people visit relatives and friends in the first month of the first lunar month and take turns to be guests. Young and middle-aged men organize lantern festivals and compete with other villages. Cities and villages all hold lantern festivals, which show their own national stories, such as Aniumei Joking, The Old Birthday, The Night Pearl of Social Opera, The Lion Rolling the Hydrangea, The Phoenix Dance and so on.
Tibetans-On New Year's Eve, a grand "God Jumping Meeting" was held, and people wore masks to sing and dance to show that they would get rid of the old and welcome the new, eliminate evil and bring down happiness.
Yi people-During the Spring Festival, people gather to dance "A Xi jumps over the moon". In some villages, men take water and cook on the first day of the New Year's Day, so as to give women a rest and express their condolences to them for a year's hard work.
Miao people-call the Spring Festival "Hakka Year", every family kills pigs and sheep, bakes wine to celebrate the harvest, and hopes that the weather will be good and the crops will be plentiful in the coming year. It is also necessary to sing "Song of Spring", with lyrics to the effect of longing for spring, longing for spring, cherishing spring and holding spring.
Bai people-Bai people began to worship each other and give gifts on New Year's Eve. New Year's Eve vigil. After midnight, young men and women rushed to fetch water to show their diligence. In the morning, the whole family drinks sugar water soaked with rice flowers to wish a sweet life. Everyone may visit places of interest together, or play dragon lanterns, dance lions and beat the overlord whip.
Zhuang nationality-On the eve of New Year's Eve, a fire will be lit on every family's fireplace, and it will not go out all night, which is called "welcoming the new fire". Folk custom is to wrap zongzi for the Spring Festival. During the festival, we will also organize a variety of national cultural and sports activities to celebrate, such as singing "tea picking", dancing lion dragons, carrying pole dances, making gongs, playing top, playing ball games and performing local operas.
Jing people-on the first day of the first year, they should take incense sticks to worship at the well, which is called "buying new water". On the first day of the first day, Tibetan women should carry back "auspicious water" from the river before dawn. It is believed that the new water in the first day of junior high school can bring good news and good luck, and can keep good luck for a year.
Dongxiang people-like to have a soil war during the Spring Festival to show their love for the land where they raised themselves.
Qiang people-every household should make all kinds of fried flour calves, lambs, chickens and other sacrifices to worship ancestors and gods. During the New Year, they should drink wine and sit around the altar. The oldest person sings "Opening the Altar", and then suck it from left to right with a straw about two feet long.
Ewenki people-on the first day of the first month, pay New Year greetings to each other, especially to their elders and relatives. On the first night of New Year's Day, men, women and children gather in a big house to have fun. Generally, the elderly call this entertainment party, and the women start dancing or singing first, and then everyone, regardless of gender, dances.
Daur nationality-At dawn on the first day of the first month, women prepare breakfast, men burn incense and worship the gods, pray for the gods and gods to give them peace and prosperity, worship the gods, toast their elders and kowtow to accept the old man's greetings. After eating dumplings and putting on new clothes, close relatives of men and women gather together and are led by the elders to carry out various entertainment activities according to their seniority.
Hani people-women are busy making Ciba on New Year's Eve, and young people go up the mountain to cut bamboo and build a swing frame. No matter men, women and children, they all like to play on swings during the Spring Festival.
Buyi people-On New Year's Eve, the whole family sat around the fireplace and stayed up all night. At the dawn of the New Year's Day, the girls rushed to the river to fetch water. Whoever picked the water first was the most hardworking and happy person, which also heralded a good year.
Yao nationality-during the festival, people get together and watch the funny and unique "farming drama". One person plays the role of cow, one person plays the role of plow farmer, one person plays the role of expanding hoe farmer, and three people dance and sing to celebrate the bumper harvest of agriculture; Young men and women gather on the lawn around the village, playing lusheng, playing yueqin, singing folk songs and looking for the right person.
Jingpo nationality-held a "shooting" competition during the Spring Festival. On the morning of the first day of junior high school, people gathered in the stadium. The girls hung their embroidered purses on the top of bamboo poles. The shooter hit the thin thread hanging the purses to be a sharpshooter, and the girls awarded the sharpshooter a bowl of sweet rice wine.
Lahu nationality-the first to fifteenth day of the first lunar month every year is the "Tower Expansion" festival of Lahu nationality in Yunnan (Spring Festival in Lahu language). On New Year's Eve, every household should make glutinous rice cakes symbolizing the sun, the moon and the stars, offering sacrifices to the sun, the moon and the stars, hoping that the weather will be good and the crops will be plentiful in the new year. From the first day to the fourth day, young men and women rushed to the spring to meet the new water symbolizing purity and happiness. At the same time, take gifts to visit relatives and friends.