Chinese New Year's Eve is one of the most important customs of our Chinese New Year. Our ancestors began this tradition from the Western Jin Dynasty, when people would gather together to drink and chat on Chinese New Year's Eve until dawn, hoping that the new year would have a good omen.
Speaking of the origin of this year-keeping, it really has a history. The earliest time was in the Western Jin Dynasty, when people had a lot of activities on Chinese New Year's Eve. It is recorded in the book "Chronicles of the Terroir" that people will give gifts to friends and relatives on Chinese New Year's Eve, which is called "giving the New Year";Everyone will also eat and drink together, which is called "farewell year";Then everyone drinks and blesses together, which is called "dividing the year";In the end, everyone does not sleep, and keeps vigil together until dawn, which is called "vigil".
This custom of keeping the year began to rise during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, when many literati and writers wrote poems and essays to describe this custom. Among them, there is a particularly famous saying, that is, "One night is two years old, and five watches are divided into two years." This means that people light candles or oil lamps on Chinese New Year's Eve and keep vigil all night, hoping to get rid of all the bad things and hope for a good start to the new year.
This custom has been passed down to the present day and has a history of thousands of years. Every Chinese New Year's Eve, every household will be lit up, and the family will sit together, chatting, watching the Spring Festival Gala, making dumplings, eating Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, and waiting for the arrival of the New Year. This warm atmosphere and the company of family make people feel the warmth and happiness of home.
Therefore, when we Chinese celebrate the New Year, keeping the New Year is an indispensable traditional custom. Not only to welcome the new year, but also to reunite with the warmth and happiness of the family. I wonder if your family also has such a tradition?
Chinese New Year's Eve