3.3 activities
3.3.1 On the first day of the first month
3.3.1.1 Set off firecrackers
There is a saying in China that "open the door to set off firecrackers". That is, at the arrival of the new year, the first thing that every household opens the door is to light firecrackers. It's called "opening the door". After the sound of firecrackers, the ground is full of broken red, which is called "full house red" At this time, the streets are full of anger and joy.
According to legend, Nian beast originated from the time when Pangu opened the heavens and the earth, and it was owned by Pangu. I heard that it was as huge as a horse, with a single horn and a long tail, with a big mouth and flying feet, but after it passed away from Pangu, these strange beasts disappeared inexplicably. Some people say that they are a group of very terrible monsters, which will make deafening cries and have fierce and incomparable power; It is also said that they are a group of very loyal pets, and they died one after another with the death of Pangu ... Many people searched for these strange beasts and never came back, and all kinds of magical legends followed.
According to the older generation, these strange beasts lie in the deep seabed, and they will appear on land every 2 years in search of food during the Spring Festival. Many people named them Nian Beast. They each have four different attributes of natural ecology, which are mutually reinforcing. They not only have a long life span, but also have a fierce appearance, extraordinary strength and very agile actions. No one can tame them. Although they are extremely fierce, it is said that they are afraid of the crackling sound of firecrackers, so later people invented firecrackers, but these are just some folklore, and no one can really prove them ...
Firecrackers are weapons used by the ancients to drive away epidemic ghosts. The earliest record is in the book of songs Xiaoya Tingliao, which is called "the light of Tingliao". The so-called "Tingliao" is a torch made of bamboo poles and the like. After the bamboo pole burns, the air in the bamboo joint expands, and the bamboo cavity bursts, making a crackling sound. This is probably the earliest form of "firecrackers".
set off firecrackers to get rid of the old and welcome the new with the crackling sound of firecrackers. Firecrackers are a specialty of China, also known as "firecrackers", "firecrackers" and "firecrackers". Its origin is very early, and it has a history of more than a thousand years. Setting off firecrackers can create a festive and lively atmosphere, which is a kind of entertainment in festivals and can bring happiness and good luck to people. With the passage of time, the application of firecrackers has become more and more extensive, and the varieties and colors have become increasingly diverse. Every major festival and happy event celebration, as well as marriage, building a house, opening a business, etc., firecrackers should be set off to celebrate and make a good luck. At present, Liuyang, Hunan, Foshan and Dongyao, Guangdong, Yichun and Pingxiang, Jiangxi, Wenzhou, Zhejiang and other regions are the famous hometown of fireworks in China. The firecrackers produced have many colors and high quality, which are not only sold well all over the country, but also exported to the world.
3.3.1.2 New Year's greetings
On the first day of the New Year, people get up early, put on the most beautiful clothes, dress up neatly, go out to visit relatives and friends, and wish each other a happy New Year. There are many ways to pay New Year's greetings, some of which are led by the same clan leader to pay New Year's greetings door to door. Some colleagues invite several people to pay New Year greetings; There are also people who get together to congratulate each other, which is called "group worship". Because it was time-consuming and laborious to pay a New Year call at home, some upper-class people and scholar-officials later used famous stickers to congratulate each other, thus developing the later "New Year cards". New Year cards are used to connect feelings and exchange greetings, which are convenient and practical, and are still popular today.
During the Spring Festival, the younger generation should first pay New Year greetings to their elders, wishing them a long and healthy life. The elders can distribute the lucky money prepared in advance to the younger generation. It is said that the lucky money can suppress evil spirits, because "old" and "precious" are homophonic, and the younger generation can spend one year safely with the lucky money. There are two kinds of lucky money, one is to thread colored rope into a dragon shape and put it at the foot of the bed, which is recorded in Yanjing Year; The other is the most common, that is, parents wrap the money distributed to their children in red paper. The lucky money can be given in public after the younger generation pays New Year's greetings, or it can be secretly put under the child's pillow by parents when the child falls asleep on New Year's Eve. It is still popular for elders to distribute lucky money to younger generations.
3.3.1.3 years old
In the old days, the people took this year's success as the weather was cloudy or sunny in the first few days of the new government. Its theory began in Dong Fangshuo's "Year of the Year", which means that eight days after the year, one day is chicken day, two days is dog, three days is pig, four days is sheep, five days is cow, six days is horse, seven days is man and eight days is valley. If the day is sunny, the things that belong to it will breed, and if it is cloudy, the day that belongs to it will not last. Later generations follow their habits and think that the weather is clear, there is no wind or snow for good luck from the first day to the tenth day. Future generations have developed from occupying the age to a series of sacrifices and celebrations.
3.3.1.4 Drink Tu Su wine
Tu Su wine is a kind of medicinal liquor. In ancient customs, the whole family drank Tu Su wine in Yuanri to get rid of unhealthy tendencies. The method of making Tu Su wine is as follows: rhubarb, platycodon grandiflorum, Sichuan pepper, Cinnamomum cassia, cornus, Fangfeng, suspended in a well in a crimson capsule, picked up at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, and boiled with wine for four or five times. In ancient times, Tu Su wine was drunk in a unique way. Most people drink alcohol, always starting from the elderly; But drinking Tu Su wine is just the opposite, starting from the youngest. Perhaps the young people grow up day by day, drinking first to show their congratulations, while the old people drink later to show their retention. Su Zhe, a writer in the Song Dynasty, wrote in his poem "In addition to Japan" that "Tu Su is the last drink every year, and I don't realize that it has been more than 7 years", which is the custom. In ancient times, this unique drinking order often made people feel all kinds of emotions, so it left a deep impression on people.
3.3.1.5 Gathering wealth
It is said that the first day of the first month is broom's birthday, so you can't use a broom on this day, otherwise it will sweep away your luck and ruin your money, which will attract the "broom star" and lead to bad luck. If you have to sweep the floor, you must sweep it from the outside to the inside. On this day, you can't throw water on the garbage, for fear of breaking the money. Today, there is still a custom in many places to clean up the New Year's Eve. On the first day of the New Year, there is no broom, no garbage, and a big bucket is prepared to hold waste water, so that it is not splashed outside that day.
3.3.2 On the second day of the first month
3.3.2.1, I went back to my parents' home
On the second day of the first month (the third day of the first month in northern China), my married daughters took their husbands and children back to their parents' home to pay New Year greetings. When a daughter goes back to her mother's house, she must have a big bag of biscuits and candy, which will be distributed to the neighbors by her mother, just like the scene of the New Year. If there are many daughters in the family, and these daughters don't come back on the same day, then we will have to share them one at a time. The gift is quite thin, just four biscuits. However, it reflects a strong affection, and what is really "courtesy is light and affection is heavy", which expresses the girl's longing for the villagers. When a girl comes home, if she has a nephew at home, her aunt must pay for it again. Although she gave the lucky money on the first day of the lunar new year, this time it has a different meaning. This custom is called "eating day and night" by Chaoshan people. As the name implies, it's just lunch, and the daughter must get back to her husband's house before dinner.
3.3.2.2 Sacrifice to the God of Wealth (North)
In the north, the God of Wealth is sacrificed on the second day of the first month. On this day, both commercial shops and ordinary families will hold activities to sacrifice to the God of Wealth. Families offered sacrifices to the God of Wealth who came on New Year's Eve. In fact, the bought rough printed matter was incinerated. I want to eat wonton at noon this day, commonly known as "Yuanbao soup". Fish and mutton are used as sacrifices. On this day, big businesses in old Beijing all held large-scale sacrificial activities, offering sacrifices with "five offerings", that is, whole pig, whole sheep, whole chicken, whole duck and red live carp, hoping to make a fortune this year.
3.3.3 The third day of the first month
The third day of the first month is the day when Nu Wa makes sheep, so it is called "sheep day". On this day, people can't kill sheep. If the weather is good, it means that sheep will be well raised and people who raise sheep will have a good harvest this year.
3.3.3.1 burning the paper of the door gods
In the old days, the pine and cypress branches and the door gods' notes hung on the festival were incinerated on the third day of the third day, to show that the year had passed and it was time to start business again. As the saying goes, "Burn the door-keeper's paper, and one will seek physiology".
3.3.3.2 Millet Birthday
People think that the third day of the first month is Millet Birthday. On this day, people wish sacrifices and pray for the New Year, and do not eat rice.
3.3.3.3 off-year
is Tianqing Festival. The court festival in Song Dynasty, the first year of Song Zhenzong Dazhong Xiangfu, was handed down to the world because there was a heavenly book, so Zhenzong issued an imperial edict and designated the third day of the first month as Tianqing Festival, and officials and others took five days off. Later, it was called Xiao Nianchao, which did not sweep the floor, beg for fire or draw water, the same as the old dynasty.
3.3.3.4 Post "Red Mouth"
In the south of China, on the morning of the third day of the New Year's Eve, "Red Mouth" (forbidden mouth) should be posted. It is considered that it is easy to have a quarrel on this day and it is not suitable for New Year's greetings. The so-called "red mouth" is usually made of a red note about seven or eight inches long and one inch wide, on which are written some words about peace and good luck (format: "On the third day of the first month of the 1994 year old, the front door of the gods should be nailed and broken, and all the men and women who steal Mars will be lucky"), and one is stuck on the top of the front and back doors, and the other one is placed on the garbage to pick it out and throw it out. These rubbish are accumulated on the second day of the first day of junior high school, and must be cleaned up and dumped together until the third day of junior high school. Otherwise, it is equivalent to the outflow of gold and silver treasures at home. In a word, posting "Red Mouth" is to make people feel that they can go in and out safely all the year round, without quarreling with others or all kinds of unfortunate disasters, and make more money at home and all the best.
3.3.3.5 "Send the Year"
Generally, a ceremony is held at night to send the gods and ancestors back to heaven.
3.3.4 the fifth day of the first month
the fifth day of the first month, commonly known as breaking the fifth.
There is a folk custom of eating jiaozi, which means to make money and treasure. According to the old habit of eating "water jiaozi" (called "boiled cake" in the north) for five days, now some people only eat it for three or two days, and some eat it every other day. However, there is no one who doesn't eat it. In ancient times, it was the case from princes' houses to small houses in streets and lanes, even entertaining guests. Women are no longer taboo, and begin to visit each other to pay New Year greetings and congratulate each other. The newly married woman returns home on this day. Many taboos can be broken after this day when folklore is said to be broken. It is not appropriate to do things on the day of breaking the fifth, otherwise something will happen this year. In addition to the above taboos, the custom of breaking the Five-Year Plan is mainly to send the poor, welcome the god of wealth and open the market for trade.
3.3.4.1 Sacrifice to the God of Wealth (South)
Southerners sacrifice to the God of Wealth on the fifth day of the first month. According to folklore, the god of wealth is the five gods. The so-called five roads refer to the east, west, north and south, which means that you can get money if you go out five roads. Every New Year, people open doors and windows, burn incense and set off firecrackers and light fireworks at : on the fifth day of the first month to welcome the God of Wealth. After taking over the god of wealth, everyone still has to eat road wine, often until dawn. Everyone is full of hope of making a fortune. I hope that the God of Wealth can bring gold and silver treasures home and make a fortune in the new year. It is said that the sooner you meet the road head, the better. The first one you receive is the true god, which is particularly effective, so it is called "grabbing the road head". In some places, it was really "rushing to grab the road" on the fourth day of January, and it became a custom.
3.3.4.2 Sending the poor
On the fifth day of the first month, "sending the poor" is a very distinctive folk custom in ancient China. It means offering sacrifices to poor ghosts (poor gods). The poor wretch, also known as the "poor son", is said to be the son of Zhuan Xu. He is weak and short, and likes to wear rags and drink porridge. In Hancheng, Shaanxi province, people should avoid going out on the fifth day, and they should put fresh meat in a pot to roast, and stir-fry the beans to make them crack and make a sound. They think that this can break the poor and get wealth. In addition, in the old New Year's Eve or the fifth day of the first month, you should eat very full, commonly known as "filling the poor pit". The popular custom of sending poor people reflects the traditional psychology of China people who generally want to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, send away the old poverty and hardships and welcome a better life in the new year.
3.3.4.3 Opening the market
During the Spring Festival, large and small shops are closed from the beginning of the New Year, but open on the fifth day of the first month. It is customary to take the fifth day of the first month as the holy day of the god of wealth, and it is believed that choosing this day to open the market will surely make a fortune. Therefore, on the fifth day of the first month, the shops opened, and in the early morning, golden gongs, firecrackers and sacrifices were made to welcome the god of wealth. Hang red cloth on the signboard to celebrate the opening of the market and drink the wine of God of Wealth. There must be a big carp in the sacrifice, which is a homonym for profit, so it is called "Yuanbao Fish" and "Live Yuanbao Fish". Every morning on the fifth day, there must be people selling gold ingots. Shops compete for them. They thread fish ridges and hang them on beams, with their heads facing inward, and stick gold ingots with red paper on their bodies, which means that they can "make money into treasure".
Qing Jia Lu, written by Gu Tieqing, a Qing dynasty poet, quoted a poem written by Cai Yun, describing the situation of Suzhou people's opening the market on the fifth day of junior high school: "Five days for financial resources, five days for a reward; Beware of meeting God early elsewhere and rushing to hold the road overnight. " Merchants who believe in Guan Di Shengjun should offer sacrifices, set off firecrackers and burn gold paper for Guan Gong on the fifth day of the first month, and ask Guan Di Shengjun to bless a prosperous year. The stock market also opened on this day.
3.3.5 The seventh day of the first month
The seventh day of the first month is the People's Day, which is also called "People's Victory Day", "People's Celebration Day", "Population Day" and "People's Seven Days". It is said that Nu Wa created animals such as chickens, dogs, pigs, sheep, cattle and horses at the beginning of creation, and then created people on the seventh day, so this day is the birthday of mankind. Some people began to observe daily customs in the Han dynasty, and they began to pay attention to it after the Wei and Jin Dynasties. In ancient times, people wore the custom of "Man wins". Man wins is a kind of headdress, also called Caisheng and Huasheng. Since the Jin Dynasty, people have cut ribbons for flowers, cut ribbons for people, or carved gold foil for people to put up screens and put them on their hair. In addition, there is the custom of climbing high to compose poems. After the Tang dynasty, more attention was paid to this festival. Every day, the emperor gave his ministers colorful victory and ascended a grand banquet. If the weather is fine on the seventh day of the first month, the population will be safe and smooth in the first year.
3.3.5.1 Dai Caisheng
The custom of wearing Caisheng every day has a long history. It is recorded in The Chronicle of Jingchu's Age that "the ribbon-cutting is for people, or the gold foil is carved for people, pasted on the screen, and also worn on the head and temples, and flowers are better than each other, and poems are ascended". Cai Sheng is also called Hua Sheng, Hua Sheng and Cai Hua. A kind of headdress, similar to the hairpins on the heads of girls today. It's just that the production process is not as beautiful as it is today. Most of them are made of colorful silk, but also carved with gold foil, cut into the shape of a villain and worn on their heads, not only to commemorate the birth of people, but also to mean "people who want to be human." Women like to use colored silk and paper, which are cut into different shapes, such as Shuang Yan dancing, flowers and spring butterflies playing, and worn in a bun, swaying in the wind, which is lovely. Little people made of gold foil can be pasted on screens or curtains at home to decorate their rooms, or hung on branches, which looks like our wind chimes floating around in the wind today. People have won the lottery one after another, saying that they should change their old state and become new people when they enter the New Year.
Caisheng can also give gifts to each other to express wishes. Generally, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the emperor will give a prize to the bureaucrats, and the ministers who received the prize are quite happy, taking it as an honor to receive the favor of the emperor. In Yan Fu, Jin Fu-xian sang a colorful song, saying, "Four Qi replaced the king, and if you respect the beginning, you will come into being as the times require, and you will set up an image to meet it. If the ambiguity of the light wing is not lifted, Mrs. He is skillful in her work and looks like a letter. "
3.3.5.2 Climbing high to compose poems
The ancients believed that "the master is superior to others", so people should not only wear human figures to win, but also climb high above others. Cao Ming, the king of Wei Dongping in the Three Kingdoms, once climbed Anren Mountain in Shouzhang County on the day of the human, opened a "meeting place" on the top of the mountain and inscribed an inscription on the stone wall. The inscription says: "On the seventh day of the first month, Jue was a human being. Be kind to me and be kind to him. " On every man's day, the emperor not only gave his ministers colorful decorations to win, but also ascended a big banquet for them, chanting poems and enriching them.
Literati and poets are also willing to express their feelings in festivals, so there are many poems about people's day, and only "Odes on Ancient and Modern Years" compiled by Pu Jizhong in the Song Dynasty is included.