On the 23rd day of the lunar month, the northern region celebrates the traditional New Year, but did you know it? The year in the southern region is not on this day, but on the 24th day of the lunar month, why is that?
Why is there a difference in the small year of the South by one day? In fact, this is related to the Qing Emperor. Before the Qing Dynasty, whether in the south or in the north, the folk tradition was on the twenty-fourth day of the lunar month.
During the Qing Dynasty, the end of the year was an important time in the emperor's house, and there were many affairs. According to the ancestral teachings, the sacrifice to the heavens must be performed on the 23rd, and then the next day the sacrifice stove is required.
It was a waste of money and manpower to worship the heavens and worship the shrine for two consecutive days, and then Aixin Jueluo made an important decision, which was to combine these two things into one day, which was set on the twenty-third day of the lunar month.
But at that time, only the royal family had this kind of way, and the people still celebrated the New Year on the twenty-fourth day of the lunar month. Slowly, because the northern region is relatively close to the political center, it has also been slowly affected, and it has begun to follow the trend and advance to the 23rd lunar month for the New Year.
Because the transportation was inconvenient at that time, the information transmission was not circulating, and the south was far away from the Son of Heaven, and the information received was relatively slow, so the tradition was still maintained. In the end, it led to the current situation where the north and the south do not celebrate the same day for the new year.
What are the customs of the young year?
Xiao Nian, also known as the Festival of the Stove. On this day, people will suspend all the affairs in their hands, and carry out the ritual of sacrificing the stove and sending the gods according to the custom.
The god of the stove, commonly known as the king of the stove, the prince of the stove, and the priest of the order, is a god that is especially worshiped by the Chinese folk in the New Year's Festival. According to folklore, King Stove has been staying at home since Chinese New Year's Eve the previous year, guarding and supervising the actions of the family. On the twenty-third or twenty-fourth day of the lunar month, the Lord of the Stove will report the good and evil deeds of the family to the Jade Emperor to stimulate their daily self-discipline.
Therefore, when the stove is sacrificed, people will place offerings on the table in front of the statue of the stove king. The most conspicuous of these are:"Sugar melon", this food is sweet and sticky, which means that the king of the stove will say more sweet words.
With the progress of the times and the change of people's lifestyle, the ritual of sacrificing the stove is gradually declining. After sending off the stove prince, people began to carry out dust sweeping activities. "Although there are differences in the timing of the 'small year' between the north and the south, some customs and people's desire to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new year and pray for good fortune are the same. Luo Shuwei said.