From the Chinese New Year to the catastrophe Why are young people increasingly reluctant to return to their hometowns for the New Year?
From "Chinese New Year" to "Catastrophe": Why are young people now gradually fleeing?
Since ancient times, China has had a grand traditional festival, symbolizing reunion, harmony, and a new beginning. Many young people who come out of the countryside and struggle in the city will never be separated from their hometown for the memory of the Chinese New Year. However, slowly, they found that the Spring Festival no longer had that simple happiness and expectation, but was full of pressure and challenges, and even a little similar to "catastrophe". Behind these changes, what kind of society and mentality are there?
01 Memories of the New Year.
When I was a child, the most lively and joyful was the Spring Festival. Every Spring Festival, relatives and friends from afar will return to their hometowns from afar to spend the festival with us. While the adults are busy buying New Year's gifts, cleaning the house, and pasting Spring Festival couplets, our children are looking forward to wearing new clothes, setting off firecrackers, and receiving red envelopes.
At that time, the atmosphere of the New Year was very strong. The elders of the family will slaughter pork and mutton early and put on a variety of delicacies. We set off firecrackers, set off firecrackers, and had fun in the courtyard. In the evening, the family gathered around the TV, eating melon seeds, eating candy, and watching CCTV's Spring Festival Gala. At that time, our material conditions were not very good, but there was a strong love and happiness between us.
In addition to family reunions, we also held a lot of interesting traditional activities. For example, there was a large-scale opera performance, which attracted a lot of villagers. This can not only enrich our festival life, but also deepen our understanding of traditional Chinese culture.
02 Financial pressure: red envelopes, New Year's goods and gambling "three mountains".
However, as the days passed, I found that during the Chinese New Year, that simple happiness seemed to slowly disappear. First of all, we can't ignore the fact that we are facing a huge economic pressure. During the Spring Festival holiday, for those of us young people who came out of the countryside and struggled in the cities, the financial burden of the Spring Festival was very heavy. Expenses such as red envelopes, New Year's gifts, and banquets for relatives and friends are usually not less.
Especially when it comes to red envelopes. When we were young, we were all very happy to get a red envelope from an old man; Now, it's us handing out red envelopes. Not only to the juniors, but also to the old people. Under such financial pressure, people have a fear and escape mentality for the Spring Festival.
In addition to the Spring Festival red envelopes and Spring Festival gifts, the problem of "gambling money" in the rural Spring Festival is also worrying. In the countryside, gambling has become a "form of entertainment" that every family must play. However, this kind of "entertainment" often makes many people's hard-earned income for a year go up in a matter of days. This kind of gambling not only makes the atmosphere of the Spring Festival more depressing, but also a financial disaster for many families.
03 Mental stress: marriage and marriage**, workplace contrast and social anxiety.
In addition to economic difficulties, there is also mental tension, which is also a major reason why young people do not dare to return to their hometowns for the holidays. In the countryside, during the New Year's holidays, relatives and friends will ask about some private matters, such as marriage, marriage, work, income, and so on. Such a question is both embarrassing and mentally taxing.
In terms of marriage and marriage issues, due to various factors, many young people have not been able to achieve their wishes, which is also a common social pressure in rural society. Some people may also be isolated and become a lonely person, which makes the atmosphere of the Spring Festival seem particularly eerie and dreary. Again, comparing work to wages is very worrying. In the countryside, people tend to compare your job and your salary to other people in your village. Such a comparison, not only has no value, but will make a person lose self-confidence and self-esteem.
In addition, social anxiety is also one of the main factors that many young people are reluctant to return to their hometowns for the holidays. Living in the city for a long time, many people are accustomed to independent and free socialization. However, after returning home, they have to face a complex social environment and etiquette. Such social anxiety not only makes people feel very uncomfortable, but also makes people have a fear and avoidance of the Spring Festival.
The Loss of Four Years of Taste: Folklore Activities and the Hollowing Out of Rural Culture.
In addition to the economic and mental pressure, the lack of New Year's flavor is also a major factor that causes young people to be reluctant to return to their hometowns for the holidays. With the change of time, the pace of urbanization is accelerating, and many of the customs and cultural activities of the Spring Festival are slowly disappearing.
The long-awaited fireworks, lion dances, and temple fairs that I have been looking forward to since childhood are now difficult to see; On the contrary, mobile **, electronic devices such as TVs have become people's mainstream leisure mode. Such a change makes the atmosphere of the Spring Festival more and more flat. The "hollowing" of rural culture has made a large number of traditional cultures fail to inherit and carry forward. With the influence of factors such as migrant work, education, and urbanization, the traditional culture of rural areas is gradually losing its successors and audiences.
05 New choices for the urban Spring Festival: freedom, affordability, family affection, friendship.
Faced with various pressures and challenges from their hometowns, many people decided to stay in the city for the Chinese New Year. During the festive season in the city, people can not only choose to participate in various activities and leisure forms independently, but also enjoy various conveniences and discounts.
Shopping malls**, park fairs, friends gatherings, etc., these are very interesting and affordable. In addition, in the city, the Spring Festival can pay more attention to the feelings, friendships and interactions between family members. Meet up with three or five friends for a meal, watch a movie, chat, and enjoy the fun of family. Such intimate communication makes people feel very warm and comfortable, and it also makes the connotation of the Spring Festival richer.
Another advantage of spending the New Year in the city is that you avoid the complicated social and etiquette of the city. During the Chinese New Year, we are free to choose the method we want, without having to follow those old customs. Such comfort and warmth make us more able to experience the joy of the Spring Festival, and also make us cherish the moment of gathering with relatives and friends more.
06Explore new ways to celebrate the Spring Festival to balance the economy and feelings.
We are not trying to completely deny the existence of the Rural Spring Festival. After all, hometown is where we grew up and where we spend most of our time with our relatives. However, in the face of enormous societal pressures and challenges, it is necessary to find a new way to deal with this problem.
To do this, we can adopt a "rural-urban rotation" approach, taking into account the influence of cultural, economic and other factors in each region. Secondly, we can broaden our horizons and increase our knowledge through novel forms such as tourism and the Spring Festival; At the same time, it advocates the concept of simple and environmentally friendly New Year, reduces unnecessary consumption and pressure, and makes the Spring Festival return more to its nature and meaning.
On this basis, it is necessary to actively inherit and develop China's excellent traditional culture. Despite the passage of time, many of the customs and culture of the Spring Festival are still very valuable. By participating in traditional Chinese cultural activities and learning traditional handicrafts, the atmosphere of the Spring Festival becomes richer and more connotative.
In short, the Spring Festival is a time of celebration, reunion, and celebration, and it is also a "catastrophe", which is both tense and tested. As a young person in the new era, we must have the courage to embrace this new life and find a new and better form of the New Year.