Lunar New Year's Eve has different concepts and dates in different places. It is the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month in the north and the 24th of the twelfth lunar month in some areas in the south. Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai call "the 24th of the twelfth lunar month" and "the night before New Year's Eve" Lunar New Year's Eve. Some ethnic minority areas in southwest and north China celebrate New Year's Eve. It is the 15th day of the first month in Nanjing and the 16th day in some parts of Yunnan. People call it off-year, which means the end of a year. New Year's Eve dates are different in different parts of China. Historically, there are four more meaningful days before New Year's Day-Winter Solstice, Worship to Kitchen God (1February 24th), New Year's Eve (the day before New Year's Eve) and New Year's Eve (New Year's Eve).

In the Song Dynasty, in order to save time, the Lunar New Year's Eve and Kitchen God were merged into the Lunar New Year's Eve and placed on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. In the Qing dynasty, it changed again, because December 23 of the lunar calendar is the day when Manchu people worship their ancestors. Therefore, the royal family of the Qing Dynasty stipulated that December 23 of the lunar calendar was a small year, which was gradually popularized. Therefore, the Lunar New Year's Eve in the north became1February 23, and most areas in the south became1February 24, and Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai kept the original date.

The Qing emperor began to offer sacrifices to the gods in Kunning Palace on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. In order to save money, the emperor also offered sacrifices to the kitchen god. Later, the royal family and Baylor followed suit and sacrificed stoves on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. Since then, officials and people have had different off-year lives.

In the folk, there is a tradition of "three officials, four boats and five", that is to say, the official's off-year is the 23rd lunar month, the private family is the 24th lunar month, and the houseboat is the 25th lunar month.

Before the Southern Song Dynasty, the north was the political center, which was greatly influenced by bureaucracy, so the off-year was mostly the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. On the contrary, the south is far from the political center, and the off-year is the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. Residents along the lake and the sea retain the tradition of boating, and the next year is set on the 25th of the twelfth lunar month.

Nanjing urban area is a special area, which is due to the tyranny of Judy after she usurped the throne in the Ming Dynasty. At that time, people held the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month of Yongle, and they all missed the leniency of the Zhu Yunwen era.

Therefore, in Nanjing, Lantern Festival becomes a small year.

Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan area in the southwest and some northern Hui areas regard the first day of the first month as New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve becomes New Year's Eve.

2. Customs

(1) King of the People

In ancient times, on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the court used antelopes to offer sacrifices to stoves, and this ritual of offering sacrifices to stoves continued until the end of the Qing Dynasty. Folk offerings such as honeydew melon, Guandong sugar and sugar cake are used to worship the stove; Sacrifice the horse of Kitchen God with clear water forage. According to legend, on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God rode to the Jade Emperor to report good and evil. At the end of 23rd, every household should erect poles and hang lanterns in the courtyard, and the male host will bow down, willing to cover up the evil and promote the good. Women are forbidden to be priests, and women can only sweep the kitchen in the back room. After the sacrifice, take down the statue of Kitchen God and burn it with the paper ingot.

(2) cleaning the dust

Sweeping the dust is sweeping the year, in fact, it is cleaning up the family environment. Northerners call it "sweeping the house"; Southerners call it "dust removal". Traditionally, every household gets up at dawn on this day, cleaning houses and windows, washing clothes, scrubbing pots and pans, and carrying out thorough sanitation cleaning. According to the records in the Notes on Collection and Interpretation, this custom can be traced back to more than 3,000 years ago, when it was a religious ceremony to drive away epidemic ghosts and pray for well-being. After "dust" and "Chen" are homophonic, so sweeping dust means sweeping away old things, which means both the old dirt in the courtyard and the unhappiness encountered in the old year.

(3) cut the window grilles

In all the preparatory work, window cutting and stick grilles are the most popular folk activities. There are all kinds of animal and plant stories here, such as plum blossoms of magpies, peach willows of swallows, peony of peacocks, rolling hydrangeas of lions, playing pearls of three sheep (Yang), playing pearls of two dragons, Toona sinensis of deer cranes (Liuhe Tongchun), longevity of five bats (Fu), moon-gazing of rhinoceros, Nianyu of Lotus (Lian) (the rest) and swimming of Yuanyang.

(4) Post Spring Festival couplets

After the New Year, every household should write Spring Festival couplets. People pay attention to it, and God will stick it, and doors will stick it, and things will stick it, so Spring Festival couplets have the largest number and the most complete content. The couplets in front of the statues are particularly particular, and they are mostly words of admiration and blessing. The couplets on the gate are the facade of a family, which is particularly particular, lyrical or scenic.

(5) When taking a bath

After the 23 rd day of the twelfth lunar month, adults and children should take a bath and have their hair cut. There is a folk saying that "if you have money, you can cut your hair to celebrate the New Year". Luliang area pays attention to washing feet on the 27th of the twelfth lunar month. Mother-in-law and your son washed their feet with boiling water tonight. 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. As the saying goes, if you don't wash your feet, pus will harm water for seven months.

(6) Suitable for marriage

After the age of 23, people think that the gods have gone to heaven and everything has been forgiven. You don't have to choose a date to marry a daughter-in-law and prostitution. This is called rushing to get married. Until the end of the year, there will be many wedding ceremonies. The folk song is "busy marriage in the countryside, Yichun posts tease spring scenery." Sisters talk privately in front of the lights. This year is the bridal chamber.