One, the origin of New Year's Eve

Legend has it that in ancient times there was a monster called Xi, head long horns and ferocious, every last night of the waxing moon at dawn, will come down to devour livestock and harm human life. So every day, the surrounding villages are fearful, in order to avoid the beast of the sunset harm, families will be closed doors and windows, do not dare to make a sound, make a fire to cook.

Once a strong man called the year passed by, see the village in broad daylight without a bit of smoke and fire popularity, dead silence, feel strange, called open the door of a family's room to ask the reason, out of an old man, look panicked, explain the reason to persuade the year Mashan to leave, so as not to be hurt by the "sunset" beasts, the year listened to the old man and said; You put the The village people are gathered, as long as the arrangements I do, tonight each door are pasted on the big red paper, the house lit red candles, yard stacked bamboo, to be "Xiu" beasts come to the bamboo will be ignited, I will be able to "Xiu" beasts killed, and will never be able to do anything about it. After hearing the village people, also all go out of their way, have to do, midnight points, "sunset" beast came on time, screaming wildly to the village to pounce. Into the village but far from finding the atmosphere is different from the past, the door of the family with a large red paper, the house candlelight, "Xi" beast shivered, and suddenly heard from the yard of the family came "bang bang snap snap" sound of the explosion, "Xi "It was afraid of the red color, fire and explosions. At this time, Nian suddenly appeared, waving his sword to kill the "Xi" beast. After the townspeople learned the good news, they have changed into new clothes, put on a new hat, out of the house, each other to say goodbye to celebrate the arrival of good luck, and every family to prepare a good food, thanks to the hospitality of the year. After a few days, the year to leave, families and light bamboo to send off the year. This is the origin of New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Greeting. New Year's Eve is the time when the year passes by, and New Year's Eve is the time when the animal "Yu" is gotten rid of in the middle of the night. The year of sending off is the year of sending off the year of farewell.

From then on, every year on the 30th day of the Lunar New Year, every family would put up red couplets, keep candles burning, and keep watch. Households use fire to burn bamboo, so that the bursting sound, in order to expel the plague God, and go to friends and relatives to say goodbye, after a few days to send the New Year. This custom spread more and more widely, and eventually became the grandest traditional Chinese folk festival. By the Tang Dynasty, firecrackers were also known as "Bakudan", presumably a longer bamboo pole burned section by section, with continuous blasting sounds. Nanchang poet Lai Guan's "early spring" poem: "the new calendar will only be half-paper open, small pavilion is still gathered popping pole ash." Written at the time of the Spring Festival burning bamboo poles of the scene. Later, the alchemist after continuous chemical tests, found that saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal together can cause combustion and explosion, so the invention of gunpowder. Some people put gunpowder in a bamboo tube to burn, the sound is louder, making the fire burning bamboo this ancient custom has undergone a fundamental change. Northern Song Dynasty, the folk have appeared with a roll of paper wrapped in gunpowder ignition, and the difference between single and double ring, renamed "firecrackers", and then changed to "firecrackers".

Two, New Year's Eve customs: New Year's Eve dinner

China as early as the Han Dynasty on New Year's Eve to eat the custom of reunion dinner. In the old days, due to the low standard of living, usually can not do dietary abundance, only to the New Year's Eve can improve, so the quality and content of the New Year's Eve dinner is demanding, the meal should be as rich as possible, one in order to satisfy the craving, and secondly, this sense of fullness heralds the coming year's abundance of food and clothing.

There are a number of interesting legends circulating about the origin of the New Year's Eve dinner. Among them, the more widely circulated, is a story about people working together **** together to resist the "year". Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a vicious beast with a head like a lion and a body like a strong ox, and in winter, when food in the mountains was scarce, it would run out of the mountains and break into villages, injuring people and animals. Therefore, in winter, everyone was frightened and the villages were disturbed. People had to move to a faraway place to escape from the harm of "Nian". Over time, people found that the "year" although fierce, but also afraid of three things: one is the bright red color, two is the bright light of the fire, three is a huge sound. So we discussed, as long as every family has these three things, "year" will certainly not dare to enter the village.

In the winter, the vicious "year" is about to come out of the mountains into the village infestation, the village people agreed with each other, the door of every house are hung with red painted large wooden boards, the door burned brightly on the fire, the night everyone does not sleep, in the house knocking and banging, everywhere making a loud noise. Late at night, "the year" scurried to the entrance to the village, only to see everywhere red, everywhere light, and the loud noise all over the world, very afraid, quickly turn around and hide in the mountains, and from now on no longer come out to endanger the villagers and livestock. Early the next morning, the whole village gathered together, for the expulsion of the beast of victory to congratulate each other. It was a day that was not easy to come by!