Little yearsAs of our countryTraditional festivalsOne of them, although not as well-known as the Spring FestivalMid-Autumn Festivaland Qixi Festival, but it is a highly valued festival in the family and community. everLittle yearscan be seen as overNew Year's DayThe "rehearsal", people from this day began to prepare New Year's goods, dust sweeping and sacrificial stoves, pinning on the good wishes of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, and receiving blessings. Little yearsOne peculiarity is that it is the only one in China that distinguishes between the north and the south datesTraditional festivals
The custom of different dates for the sacrificial stoves in the north and south has a long history. The custom of folk sacrificial stoves originated from the ancient custom of worshipping fire. In the Spring and Autumn period, there were already onesVestaThe concept, thoughVestaThe body is small, but it is the existence of the steward, so the custom handed down from ancient ** is to be worshiped wellVesta。In the Han and Han dynasties, sacrificesVestaIt has developed into an important ritual and has become one of the most important festivals of the time. The difference from today is that the sacrificial stove was not there at that timeWax MoonTwenty-three or twenty-four, but held in the summer. During the Northern Song Dynasty, people began to think that "Chinese New Year" not only refers to an hour or day, but a period of timeWax MoonThe twenty-fourth entered this time period from the beginning, so the twenty-third became a part of the New Year's Festival, so it was merged with the sacrificial stove. The merger of the festival and the sacrificial stove has enriched the customs of this festival. By the end of the Southern Song Dynasty,MongolianYesWax MoonTwenty-three sacrificesVulcanWith the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, this custom also spread to the Central Plains. However, since the history of the Yuan Dynasty is not long, plus onlyMongolianInWax MoonTwenty-three sacrificesVulcan, so until the Ming Dynasty, most of them are toWax MoonTwenty-four forLittle yearsTarget. By the time of the Qing Dynasty, due to the Qing Dynasty's imperial palace embracing shamanism, withMongolianThe customs are similar. The situation in the imperial palace of the Qing Dynasty wasWax MoonTwenty-three sacrifices onceVulcanWax MoonTwenty-four sacrificesVesta。Emperor Yongzheng saw that the two festivals were very close to each other and similar in form, so he willWax MoonTwenty-three was changed to sacrificial stove and passLittle years。Under the influence of imperial power, the princes and nobles of the south and the local ** paid special attention to keeping in line with the royal family. In this way, the ** follow the rules of the court, over twenty-three;The folk keep the tradition, over twenty-four. As a result, the saying of "three officials and four people" was formed. So far in the northern region of great influence,Little yearsGenerally, yesWax MoonTwenty-three;And in some places in the south, especially HakkaCulturearea, more accustomed toWax MoonTwenty-four overLittle years。Despite the fact that the north and the south have tooLittle yearsThere are differences in time, but some customs and activities are consistent with people's desire to break with the old and make a new one, and to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new.
1. Eat stove sugar
Little yearsIt is the companion of the year, and legend has it that it was incarnated as a turtle and presented the Luo Shu to Dayu, and the pattern on the Luo Shu is known as the origin of the Book of Changes, the first of China's ten thousand classics. The Kun hexagram of the I Ching is exactlyLittle yearsThe embodiment of "the terrain is kun, and the gentleman is virtuous". per yearChinese New Year's EveAfter that, the New Year will return to the Big Dipper Palace to retreat and accumulate auspicious energy untilChinese New Year's EveNight (Wax MoonTwenty-nine or thirty). And every yearWax MoonTwenty-three, the New Year will be sentLittle yearsFirst go to the human world, learn about the replenishment of people who need auspicious energy, and report to the big year. Little yearsIt's a lover of sugar, so tooLittle yearsEating stove candy becameFolklore。People hope that by eating stove candy, they can attract special auspiciousness and blessings, as well as welcomeNew Year's DayGood luck.
After the 23rd, there are only six or seven days before the Spring Festival, and the preparations for the end of the year are even more intense. People will do a thorough cleaning and sweeping, commonly known as "sweeping". The purpose of this custom is to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new, and to remove the bad luck. Every home will be carefully cleaned to ensure that the windows are bright and clean. Including painting walls, scrubbing glass, pasting windows, pasting New Year's pictures, and so on. Sweeping is about cleaning all corners of your home thoroughly, usually by first covering your bed and other furniture, and then sweeping the walls up and down with a broom. This is followed by scrubbingTables and chairsand rinse the ground. After the house, every shop and house was renovated, and the atmosphere of festive joy and joy was everywhere.
3. Cut window grilles
In all the preparations, cut and pasteWindow grillesis the most prevalentFolkloreOne of the activities. Window grillesThe content is varied, there are various images of animals and plants, such as magpie Dengmei, swallow wearing peach willow, peacock playing peony, lion rolling hydrangea, three sheep Kaitai, two dragons playing pearls, deer crane Tongchun, five bats holding longevity, rhinoceros looking at the moon, lotus year with fish, mandarin ducks playing in the water, bangs playing golden cicadas, and two immortals and so on. ClippingWindow grillesThe purpose is to add to the festive atmosphere, implying good luck and happinessNew Year's Day
In summary,Little yearsAs ChineseTraditional festivalsOne of them, although not as well-known as other festivals, is highly valued in families and communities. Little yearsAlthough there are differences between the north and the south, people's desire to break the old and create the new is the same as the joy of welcoming the Spring Festival. Little yearsCustomary activities such as eating stove sugar, sweeping dust and shearsWindow grilles, all carrying traditionsCultureThe rich connotation andFolkloreThe crystallization of wisdom shows ChinaCultureThe breadth and profundity of the