New Year's money, also called red envelopes, Cantonese is called Li Shi, some areas in Jiangsu are called "New Year's copper" or "waist money", and some in Jilin are called "pocket money".
Among China's long-standing traditional festivals, the Spring Festival is undoubtedly the grandest and full of a strong sense of ceremony. Among them, the elders are issued to the younger ones"New Year's money"It has become an indispensable link. This time-honored custom is like a historical poem, exuding a brilliant and far-reaching cultural charm. With the help of historical documents and folklore, this article reveals the simple and deep emotions and symbolic meanings hidden behind the New Year's money.
According to historical records and legends, the New Year's money can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty. People at that time often suffered from the name on Chinese New Year's Eve"Shame"The ghosts and gods invaded, causing the child to be frightened and even injured. However, a resourceful family adopted a clever defensive method of wrapping copper coins in red paper and placing them under children's pillows. Red represents auspiciousness, and copper coins can ward off evil spirits and eliminate disasters. When"Shame"When it came, the copper coin burst out with dazzling light and successfully scared away"Shame"to make the New Year a smooth experience for the children. Since then, people have followed suit, and the custom of squeezing money has developed. After because"Shame"with"years old"Homonym, which gradually evolved to be called today"New Year's money"。
In addition to symbolizing the love and care of parents, the New Year's money also contains rich cultural connotations. First of all, it symbolizes the new year"Safe and healthy"It means that the elders hope that the younger generations will stay away from disasters and grow up healthily; In this way, the elders educate the younger generations of gratitude and filial piety, and realize that personal growth is inseparable from the hard work of relatives and the sense of social responsibility; In addition, compared with the copper coins of the past, today's New Year's money has added elements of financial education to help children develop a good habit of cherishing their belongings and planning reasonably.
In today's society, New Year's money has changed from physical gold coins to polite paper red envelopes or convenient electronic forms, but its deep cultural heritage has not changed. No matter when and where, as long as the Spring Festival comes, every family will give the children the New Year's money full of love in accordance with traditional customs. This kind of behavior conveys the blood connection of the family and promotes good morals.
Although the history of New Year's money has been around for thousands of years, its unique cultural value has endured. On the occasion of the New Year, the red red envelopes of the New Year, like the warm sun guiding the way home, the warm atmosphere ripples in our hearts, so that we deeply experience the warmth of home, the preciousness of family affection and the continuous inheritance of excellent traditional Chinese culture.