The Spring Festival is China's grandest traditional festival, in folklore also circulates a lot of legends about the Spring Festival, these legends are not enough evidence, but for the origin of the Spring Festival to add the color of myth. Below I take you to the specific understanding.
Legends of the Spring Festival
1, the fight for flowers to rule the world
In Shaanxi Guanzhong area of folklore, there are legends and stories about the Spring Festival. Legend has it that the Jade Emperor sent Maitreya Buddha from the Heavenly Palace down to earth in order to rule the earth. This was known to Rulai Buddha, thought, I count the Lord Buddha miles, why not let me go? So, to find the Jade Emperor reasoning, the Jade Emperor heard, speechless, had to say: "discuss and then say it." The Jade Emperor thought of a way to solve the problem by discussing the empty space.
He invited Maitreya Buddha and Rulai Buddha, put two pots of flowers in front of the two Buddhas, said: "These two pots of flowers, you two each service a pot, whose flower first, who will go down to manage the earth." Rulai Buddha's mind, thick ideas, know that the Jade Emperor must favor Maitreya Buddha, because he guessed that the Jade Emperor is afraid of the words hard to take back, only to service flowers as an excuse to do this matter. In front of these two pots of flowers, I'm afraid the Jade Emperor has secretly made arrangements, so also came up with a small plan. He took the opportunity of Maitreya Buddha's closing his eyes to give thanks, and quietly switched the two pots of flowers. The next day, Rudraksha's flowers bloomed, so Maitreya Buddha only managed one day on earth, which was the first day of the first month. Legend has it that Maitreya Buddha's heart was good, and on this day he let people eat well, wear good clothes and sleep well, and thus people were happy and exuberant on the first day of the first month.
Later, in order to honor Maitreya Buddha, people called this early spring, the time of the two Buddha's handover as "Spring Festival". Some people say, because at the beginning of the Buddha for stealing and changing flower pots left a blind blind phenomenon, until now, the earth there is still petty theft.
2, posting spring couplets and door god
In ancient Chinese mythology, there is a ghost world, among which there is a mountain, the mountain has a cover three thousand miles of the big peach tree, the top of the tree there is a golden chicken. Whenever the golden rooster crows early in the morning, the ghosts that have wandered out at night will be rushed back to the ghost world. The gate of the Ghost Realm was situated in the northeast of the peach tree, and by the gate stood two godmen named Shentan and Yubi. If a ghost did something harmful at night, the gods would immediately find it, catch it, tie it up with a rope made of mango reeds, and feed it to the tiger. Therefore, all the ghosts in the world were afraid of Shentian and Yubi. So the folk used peach wood to carve into their likeness and put it in front of their house to avoid evil and prevent harm. Later, people simply carve the name of God Tantui and Yubi on the mahogany board, thinking that this can also suppress the evil to go to the evil. This peach wood board was later called "peach charm", and later formed the traditional habit of sticking the door god in the Spring Festival.
3, to drive away the beast
Legend has it that in ancient China there was a monster called "Nian", with a long head and horns, fierce and unusual. "It lived at the bottom of the sea for many years, and only climbed ashore on New Year's Eve, devouring livestock and harming human lives. Therefore, every New Year's Eve, the people of villages and hamlets fled to the mountains to avoid the harm of the beast.
This New Year's Eve, Peach Blossom Village, the people are supporting the old and young to take refuge in the mountains, from the village came a begging old man, see his hand on crutches, arm with a bag, silver beard flowing, eyes like a star. Folks have sealed the windows and locked the door, some packing, some cattle and sheep, everywhere people shouting and horse neighing, a scene of panic in a hurry. At this time, who has the heart to care for the old man begging. Only the east end of the village, an old woman gave the old man some food, and advised him to go to the mountains to avoid the "year" beast, the old man stroked his beard and laughed: Granny, if you let me stay at home for a night, I must be the "year" beasts out of the way. The old woman looked closely, see his hair, hale and hearty, extraordinary. But she still continue to persuade, begging the old man smiled but did not say. The old woman had no choice but to leave her home behind and take refuge in the mountains.
In the middle of the night, the "New Year" beast broke into the village. It found that the atmosphere in the village was different from that of previous years: the old lady's house at the east end of the village had a big red paper on the door, and the house was brightly lit. "The beast shivered and gave a strange cry. "Nian" stared angrily at the old lady's house for a moment, and then pounced on her with a wild cry. Near the door, the yard suddenly came "bang bang pop" sound, "year" trembling, no longer dare to come forward. It turns out that Nian is afraid of the color red, fire and explosions. At this time, the mother-in-law's house door is wide open, only to see an old man wearing a red robe in the yard is laughing. The "Nian" was shocked and fled in a panic.
The next day was the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, and the people who had returned from their refuge were very surprised to see that the village was safe and sound. It was only then that the old woman realized what she was doing, and rushed to the townspeople to tell them about the old man's promise to beg. Villagers flocked to the old lady's home, only to see the old lady's home with red paper on the door, a pile of unburned bamboo in the yard is still in the "snap" explosion, a few red candles inside the house is still sending the afterglow of ...... ecstatic villagers in order to celebrate the advent of good luck, have to change the new clothes and wear a new hat! The first time I saw this was when I was in the house of a friend and family member to say hello. This incident soon spread in the surrounding villages, people know the way to drive away the "New Year" beast. From then on every New Year's Eve, families stick red couplets, firecrackers; household candles brightly, to keep the night. Early in the morning on the first day, but also to go to friends and relatives to say hello. This custom is more and more widely spread, and has become the grandest traditional festival of Chinese folklore.
4, the Spring Festival to pick up the God of Fortune legend
Folklore is that the fifth day of the first month is the God of Fortune's birthday, after the first day of the year, to pick up the God of Fortune. The night before the God of Fortune's birthday, each family organizes a banquet, for the God of Fortune congratulations. On the God of Wealth, there are many folk legends:
Song Dynasty Cai Jing rich, folk legend has it that he is the God of Wealth, he was born in the first month out of the five, so the people take him as the God of Wealth to sacrifice to put. After Caijing was deposed, the folk another God of Wealth, when the Song Dynasty's national name for Zhao, change to the God of Wealth gave a Zhao Xuan Tan name to worship. Xuan Tan face like a pot, holding a steel whip, riding a black tiger, extremely powerful. In addition to Zhao Xuan Tan is honored as the "God of Fortune", the folk there are "partial God of Fortune" God of Fortune, "God of Fortune" God of Fortune and "God of Fortune" God of Fortune and "God of Fortune" God of Guan Sheng. "Guan Shengdi Jun's saying.
Customs of the Spring Festival
Buying New Year's goods
Chinese New Year's Eve culture has a long history, and a variety of New Year's Eve customs were derived from different parts of the country. Although customs are not the same everywhere, but the preparation of New Year's goods, New Year's gifts is almost the whole country "New Year's must". To purchase New Year's goods, including food, wear, wear, use, stickers (New Year's red), send (New Year's) gifts, etc., collectively known as the "New Year's goods", and the process of purchasing New Year's goods is called "do New Year's goods". The process of procuring Lunar New Year's goods is an important activity of the Chinese people during the Spring Festival.
Sacrificing the stove
The folk sacrifice of the stove, originated from the ancient custom of worshipping the fire. As the "interpretation of the name" said: "stove. Create also, create food also." The duty of the god of the stove is to control the stove fire and manage the food, which was later expanded to examine the good and evil on earth in order to send down blessings and disasters. Ceremony of Zaos has a history of thousands of years in Chinese folklore, and the belief in Zaos is a reflection of the Chinese people's dream of having more than enough food and clothing.
Posting Spring Festival Couplets
The 28th, 29th or 30th day of the year, every family "posting red" (red is a collective name for Spring Festival Couplets, door gods, New Year's Eve paintings, fortune words, crosses, window grills, etc., which are red celebratory elements of New Year's Eve, and therefore collectively called "red"), and the "red" is the most popular form of Chinese New Year. ("Nianhong"). Posting the New Year's red is a traditional Chinese New Year's custom, which reflects the customs and beliefs of the people, adds to the festive atmosphere, and sends people to the New Year new life's beautiful expectations.
(1) Spring Festival couplets: According to the Jade Candle Canon, Yenching Yearly Record and other literary works, the original form of spring couplets is what people call "peach symbols". Another source of spring couplets is the spring stickers, the ancients in the spring day more stickers "Yichun" two words, and gradually developed into spring couplets. Spring Festival couplets, also known as the posting of door pairs, spring stickers, couplets, pairs, peach symbols, etc., which is a unique form of literature in China, with neat, couplets, concise, sophisticated text depicting the background of the times, expressing the best wishes. Every Spring Festival, whether in urban or rural areas, every household has to select a big red Spring Festival couplet posted on the door, for the festival to increase the festive atmosphere.
(2) stickers: The Spring Festival hanging stickers in urban and rural areas is also very common, heavy ink and colorful New Year's paintings to thousands of families added a lot of prosperity and joy of the festive atmosphere. Nianhua (New Year) paintings are an ancient folk art of China, reflecting the simple customs and beliefs of the people and holding their hopes for the future. With the rise of woodblock printing, the content of New Year's paintings was not limited to monotonous themes such as door gods, but became colorful.
(3) Window Decorations and the Character "福":In folklore, people also like to put all kinds of paper cuttings on the windows - window decorations. Window flowers not only set off a festive atmosphere, but also decorative, appreciative and practical in one. At the same time, some people in the house door, wall, lintel pasted on the large and small "Fu " characters. Folk will also be "Fu" word fine as a variety of patterns, patterns have the star, peach, carp jump Dragon Gate, the five valleys, the dragon and phoenix, and so on.
"Year" is a harvest, but also a sowing; it is an end, but also a beginning; it is a decrease, but also an increase; it is a joy, but also a hope.