It is said that "the Spring Festival is the season of memory", and for many rural people in the current society, the meaning of this sentence is particularly profound. At the end of the year, the "homesick lamp" is lit, and the whole village seems to have become a "waiting room" for the people. 
Lao Mi was touching the traces of cigarette ash left by his old man when he was smoking in bed, and fell into a mystery - this has been 11 Spring Festivals without him. Although Huang Caoyuan is 86 years old, he still stands in front of his house every day to "standard" and wait for his children to return, and there is a red envelope of 530 yuan on the coffee table he made himself. Even though the words he embroidered on his embroidered shoes three months ago had begun to blur, he still worked as usual, for fear of delaying the opportunity to reunite with his children. 
For the elderly in rural areas, the significance of the Spring Festival is far more than a national holiday, and the first item on the wish list is that the family will have a happy New Year. Whether it is old rice or yellow old, they don't care whether the food inventory and arrangement in the house are as comprehensive as the people in the city - as long as the family is happy to sit in front of their house and stick to the New Year's picture to tell fortunes and talk about the day, this is the most rare Spring Festival. 
In many cases, however, this simple wish, which the children do not seem to be able to grasp, is destined to become a castle in the air. The inextricable thoughts in my heart were carefully woven into the ground under my feet by the old people. No matter whether it is cold or hot, they seem to be waiting for the figure of straightening up and saying goodbye before school to return against the light, so the whole village is covered with a layer of gentle gold. 
For the Zhang family, preparations for the New Year often begin quietly at the beginning of the lunar month. At the base of the wall, the remains of the fireworks and cannons that were picked up began to be piled up, and in the far distance of the courtyard were placed a bright pink "Fu" banner sewn by Mrs. Zhang herself. The sound of cannon salutes is incessant, as if urging people to speed up the pace of the festival. 
As soon as the twentieth day of the lunar month arrived, the Zhang family began to vacate the front yard to place a full New Year's goods. Colorful sweets and nuts are wrapped in festive colors. The resounding sound of "clang" in the courtyard is the busy sound of gourmets making "dough". When these pancakes and pastries are fragrant, it means that the joyful Chinese New Year is one step closer. 
Early in the morning of the thirtieth day of the Chinese New Year's Eve, the children got up early to prepare for the Spring Festival couplet. The family, old and young, compete for the most favorite pair from the Spring Festival book carefully kept by Mrs. Zhang. Paste the beautiful couplet, and then paste the gold paper of the god to bless the peace, which means that the good luck of the new year has come to the door. 
The dinner on this day was the most sumptuous and tempting, and the best ingredients in the countryside were brought into full play by the masters of the Zhang family. The children ate red in the urging of the old mother to "add vegetables and vegetables", as if they wanted to eliminate the year's longing and fatigue before the New Year. When night falls, fireworks bloom in the sky, and the family congratulates each other on the New Year, this is the New Year's picture scroll that the Zhang family is most familiar with. 
In the past two years, the village has successively introduced a series of new rules for the Chinese New Year, the most important of which is that fireworks and firecrackers are strictly prohibited. Elder Wang, the village head, patiently explained at a villagers' meeting that this was mainly due to two considerations: on the one hand, setting off fireworks would inevitably produce air pollution;On the other hand, improper use can easily cause safety accidents such as fires. For the sake of the overall environmental quality of the village and the health of the villagers, this decision had to be made. 
In addition, since last year, the village has completely banned large-scale gatherings such as picnics and dinners, mainly for epidemic prevention. Wang Lao pointed out that in recent years, there have been frequent epidemics, and occasions with large gatherings are the most likely to lead to the spread of the virus. Although the villagers wanted to hold a singing and dancing party to welcome the New Year, the overall public health situation was important, so they had to reluctantly cancel it. 
All gambling activities are also prohibited in the village. Gambling is illegal, but many villagers will roll dice to gamble as soon as their heads are hot. Wang Lao said that the village must crack down on such behavior, so as to avoid family disputes and public security cases that affect the people's peace in the New Year. In addition, coal burning is also prohibited to prevent air pollution and safety hazards.
These new regulations may make some villagers dissatisfied, but the vast majority of people still understand and support these measures. After all, the Spring Festival is not just a form, but also a content;It's not about scale, it's about quality. Only the happiness of each family is the true happiness of the village.
At first, the new rules in the village had a big impact on many villagers, after all, the tradition of setting off fireworks was broken. "There are no fireworks in the New Year, it's like mourning, how boring!Zhang San's family is firmly opposed to this new regulation. However, under the repeated explanations of the village committee, everyone also understood that this was an expedient measure to protect the environment and prevent safety accidents. In the end, I accepted it.
Xiao Wang's family just held a picnic party last year, and originally planned to hold it again this year, but I didn't expect the rally to be banned. However, thinking of the repeated state of the epidemic, Xiao Wang could only dispel this idea, and instead prepared a singing and dancing program at home. "As long as everyone is safe and healthy, happiness is the most important thing.
Mrs. Li's family originally had a habit of gambling. When she heard that gambling would be cracked down, she put away the tables and chips in a foolish manner. "Gambling is a thing, if there is no degree, it is really bad, I play small cards, the kind that does not gamble money. In general, after a period of adaptation after the introduction of the new regulations, the villagers have basically digested these changes. After all, the regulations still focus on the overall situation and protect the interests of the people.
And the simple and enthusiastic character of rural people has not changed, even if they can't celebrate with great fanfare, the reunion of every family is their New Year's flavor. In addition to complying with the village's new public regulations, the villagers themselves also paid attention to some safety details during the Chinese New Year. For example, the epidemic still exists, and the Li family has also prepared a lot of masks, rapid screening reagents and other epidemic prevention supplies for the New Year. "Wear a few masks when you go out to pay New Year's greetings to prevent contact with infection. Elder Li reminded his family to always take precautions.
Lao Xu's family caused a small fire last year due to electrical problems. This year, I deliberately inspected the wiring in the house and found that several fuses needed to be updated to ensure electrical safety. "During the Chinese New Year, it is necessary to use electricity frequently for cooking rice and stew, and it is necessary to check the electrical circuit. Xu Lao taught his children to pay attention to these details of life. In addition, there was a fire in the village last year caused by careless cooking. Therefore, Mrs. Zhang strictly requires everyone to keep an eye on the whole process when cooking to prevent fires.
She also cleans the flue regularly for fear of danger from accumulating fumes. "These places may seem small, but they are related to the safety of the life and property of the whole family. Mrs. Zhang emphasized repeatedly. In addition, there is also training in the village to teach villagers how to use dry powder fire extinguishers and other basic fire extinguishing knowledge. "As long as you pay attention to these details, I am sure that everyone can have a safe and warm year. The village chief concluded at the end of the training.
Speaking of the Spring Festival, who remembers what the village was like ten years ago. Perhaps only Old Man Zha can still remember the movie projector he invited from the county seat at a great price, which became the focus of attention of the whole village at that time. However, in the hearts of the villagers, the significance of the Spring Festival has never been higher than this external form.
The family sat around the huge round table, happily fighting the landlord and playing chess, which was the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner of the Bai Xiangguo family. does not show off the pomp, but feels the strong emotions between the family. This so-called "New Year's flavor" is more heart-warming than any foreign commodity. Li Mao remembers that when he was a child, he always played homemade firecrackers while eating dumplings made by adults. Now that I think about it, the happiest thing is not the fireworks, but the kind smile on my mother's face.
Now that Li Mao has become a father himself, he realizes the true meaning of this. On the surface, the preparations and etiquette for the New Year are undoubtedly very important;But Zhang Jun understands that it is only external. The essence of the Chinese New Year lies in the spiritual fit, and this fit does not depend on the external environment. So even if the conditions are simpler, the family is full of happiness when they get together.
Form and content, outside and inside, it takes time for people to understand. Although the flavor of the New Year in the village is different from the past, it also makes people feel the more essential flavor of the Spring Festival. This change is also a reflection of the sublimation of the meaning of the Spring Festival. It is not only the New Year's cargo box, but also the spiritual world of the villagers.