Legendary stories of the Spring Festival

The stories are generally closely related to the productive life of primitive mankind, who desperately wished to know nature, and so took themselves as the basis for imagining that everything in heaven and earth had life and will, just like human beings. The following is my compilation of the Spring Festival legend story, I hope to help you!

Chinese New Year Legends Part 1

Driving away the New Year Beast

According to legend, in ancient China, there was a beast called "Nian", with a long tentacled head, fierce and unusual. "It lived deep under the sea for many years, and only climbed ashore on New Year's Eve to devour livestock and hurt people. Therefore, every New Year's Eve this day, villages and cottages of people help the old and the young to escape to the mountains, to avoid the "year" beast of harm.

This New Year's Eve, Peach Blossom Village, people are supporting the old and young to take refuge in the mountains, from outside the village came to a begging old man, see his hand on crutches, arm with a bag 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 realized 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 of explosions, "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 door of the mother-in-law's house was wide open, only to see an old man wearing a red robe in the yard laughing. The "year" was shocked and fled.

The next day was the first day of the first month of the Chinese New Year, and the people who came back were very surprised to see the village safe and sound. At this point, the old woman realized, rushed to the townspeople to tell the old man's promise of begging. 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 emitting the afterglow of ...... ecstatic townspeople 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 "year" beast.

From then on, every year on New Year's Eve, home red couplets, firecrackers; household candles bright, to keep the year. Early in the morning on the first day, but also to go to friends and relatives to say goodbye. This custom is more and more widely spread, into the Chinese folk the grandest traditional festival.

Legendary stories of the Spring Festival Part 2

The fight for flowers to rule the world

In Shaanxi Guanzhong area folk, there are stories about the Spring Festival legend. Legend has it that in order to govern the earth, the Jade Emperor sent Maitreya Buddha from the Heavenly Palace down to 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." Borrowing to discuss the empty space, the Jade Emperor would like to think of a way to solve the problem.

He invited Maitreya Buddha and Rudraksha Buddha, put two pots of flowers in front of the two Buddhas, said: "These two pots of flowers, you two each service a pot, who's 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 out of the mouth is difficult to take back, only to service flowers as an excuse to do this. In front of these two pots of flowers, I am afraid that 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 is good, this day he lets people eat well, wear well and sleep well, thus the first day of the first month of the year people are happy and excited to spend the day.

Later, in honor of Maitreya Buddha, people called this early spring, the moment of the two Buddha called "Spring Festival". Some people say, because when the Buddha for stealing to change the flower pots left a blind blind phenomenon, until now, there is still petty theft on earth.

Legends of the Spring Festival Part 3

New Year's Eve vigil, also known as the "boiled year", is the last day of the old year (New Year's Eve) night does not sleep, stay up to meet the new year's arrival of the custom. Why do people stay up all night to keep watch? There is an interesting story circulating in the folklore about the origin of this custom. Legend has it that in the ancient times, there was a fierce beast, hideous in appearance, ferocious in nature, scattered in the mountains and dense forests, people call it "year". Legend has it that the beast eats everything, whether it is birds and animals or living people. So people talk about "year" color change. "Year" came, trees withered, no grass, heaven and earth a gray; "Year" a pass, everything grows, flowers and grass, heaven and earth a prosperous. Later, people gradually mastered the "year" 's activities, it is every three hundred and sixty-five days or so to run to the crowd of people living in the place of rampage once, and generally appear after dark, until the cock crows at dawn, will return to the deep forests to go. Although people have calculated the time of "Nian" rampage, there is still no way to eliminate "Nian", so people can only regard this horrible night as a hurdle to brake, called "Nian Guan", and Come up with some ways to pass the New Year's Eve: every night, every family do a good job in advance after dinner to put out the fire, and then all the livestock into the circle tethered, and then the front and back doors of the yard are sealed, and finally the family hid in the house to eat "New Year's Eve dinner". Because this night, life and death are unpredictable, so this "New Year's Eve dinner" is also more sumptuous, in addition to the whole family to eat together to express the harmony and reunion, but also in the meal before the offering ancestors, praying for ancestors, gods blessing, and safely through the night. This night, no one dare to sleep, all sitting around chatting together to prevent the "year" beast attack, which gradually formed the habit of New Year's Eve to stay up to keep the New Year's Eve.

The custom of the New Year's Eve vigil, which shows people's farewell to the passing years of love, but also to the upcoming New Year's hope that the meaning of the good.

Legends of the Spring Festival Part 4

Legend has it that in ancient times, a young man named Wannian saw that the festival was very chaotic at the time, and had the intention of trying to set the festival in order, but struggled to find a way to calculate the time. One day, he went up the mountain to cut firewood tired, sitting under the shade of a tree to rest, the movement of the shadow of the tree inspired him, he designed a measurement of the sun and shadow counting the time of day sundial, measuring the time of day, and later, the drip of the spring on the cliffs of the mountain inspired his inspiration, he made a five-tier funnel pot, to calculate time. Over time, he realized that every 360 days or so, the four seasons would rotate and the length of the day would repeat itself. The king of the country at that time was called Zu Yi, and he was also often distressed by the unpredictability of the weather winds and clouds. Wannian knew, took the sundial and funnel pot to see the emperor, to Zuyi clear reasoning for the operation of the sun and the moon. Zu Yi listened to the dragon's face, felt reasonable. So left Wannian, in front of the Temple of Heaven to build the Sun and Moon Pavilion, built the sundial and funnel kiosk. And hope to measure the sun and moon laws, project the accurate morning and evening time, create the calendar, for the benefit of the people of the world.

Once, Zu Yi went to find out the progress of the Ten Thousand Years Test Calendar. When he ascended to the Altar of the Sun and the Moon, he saw a poem engraved on the stone wall beside the Temple of Heaven:

The sun rises and the sun sets three hundred and six times, and the cycle begins again from the beginning.

The grass and trees wither and prosper in four seasons, and there are twelve rounds in a year.

Knowing that Wannian had created the calendar, he climbed up to the Sun and Moon Pavilion to see Wannian in person. Wannian pointed to the sky and said to Zuyi, "It is the fullness of the twelve months, the old year is over, the new spring begins again, I pray that the king of the country to set a festival". This is said to be the origin of the Spring Festival.

Winter and spring, year after year, Wannian after a long period of observation, careful projection, developed an accurate solar calendar, when he presented the solar calendar to the successor of the state ruler, has been full of silver beard. The king of the country was y touched, in order to commemorate the achievements of Wan Nian, the solar calendar named "Wan Nian Calendar", Wan Nian as the sun and moon life star. In the future, people hang a picture of the Longevity Star on New Year's Day, which is said to be in honor of the highly respected Wannian.

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