Spring Festival couplets, as a unique cultural and artistic expression of the Chinese nation, carry people's infinite longing and expectation for a better life, so they are deeply loved and warmly welcomed by the people. Tracing its history and development, we can find that the Spring Festival couplets have gone through several important stages.
In ancient times, due to the backwardness of productive forces and the limitation of scientific and technological level, people's understanding of nature was very limited. In the face of natural phenomena and natural disasters, as well as life-events such as birth, old age, sickness and death, people often blame it on divine punishment or demonic behavior. In order to seek psychological and spiritual comfort and balance, people began to become superstitious about the power of the gods, hoping that they would be able to subdue demons and exorcise demons to keep them safe.
So, in ancient times, there was a legend of the two brothers Shen Tu and Yu Lei catching demons and feeding tigers. During the Spring Festival, people will make two peach figures and place them in front of the door to pray for peace and ward off disasters. Later, the peach charm gradually replaced the peach man and hung it on the door to ward off evil spirits and drive away ghosts. Later, the Dragon King of the Tang Dynasty wanted to harm Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Qin Shubao and Wei Chigong stepped forward and drove away the Dragon King in front of the door. Since then, these two heroes have become the door gods revered by the people, and their images are engraved on peach charms and hung next to the door to keep them safe.
In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the Later Shu lord Meng Chang wrote on Chinese New Year's Eve "New Year's Day, the festival number Changchun." This couplet is recognized as the first Spring Festival couplet in the true sense of our country's history. Since then, Spring Festival couplets have gradually emerged and become popular in China. During the Ming Dynasty, the founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang vigorously promoted and advocated the use of Spring Festival couplets, stipulating that every household should write Spring Festival couplets on red paper and paste them on the door. Failure to comply with this provision will result in appropriate penalties. This initiative has greatly promoted the development and prosperity of Spring Festival couplets in China.
Over time, the content and form of the couplets have also undergone many changes. However, no matter how it evolves, the good wishes and festive atmosphere carried by the Spring Festival couplets remain unchanged. It is not only an important part of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation, but also people's ardent expectation and sustenance for a better life.