As the Lunar New Year approaches, the Lingnan Flower Market in Liwan, Guangzhou, is in a state of jubilation. A dazzling array of fresh-cut flowers, potted plants and auspicious mandarins decorate the stalls, and citizens come to choose their favourite flowers to add a touch of spring to their homes on the occasion of the arrival of the Year of the Dragon. And today, February 2, is the traditional festival of our country "Xiao Nian", every household began to be busy in the festival ceremonies such as sacrificial stoves and dust sweeping, so as to welcome the grand prelude to the Spring Festival.
Tracing the historical origin of the difference between the north and the south of the small year date, it is not difficult to find the traces of cultural integration and historical evolution behind it. Before the Qing Dynasty, both north and south celebrated the New Year on the 24th day of the lunar month. However, in the Qing Dynasty, the north was influenced by the palace worship ceremony, and changed the small year to the twenty-third day of the lunar month, while the south followed the ancient system and continued to retain the tradition of the twenty-fourth lunar month. This difference is not only a difference in time, but also a unique display of the interweaving and collision of regional cultures.
At the same time, there are also differences in the dates of small years in various places, such as some areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai regard the 24th of the lunar month and the night before Chinese New Year's Eve as "small years", while some areas of Hainan and the surrounding areas of Nanjing choose the 15th Lantern Festival of the first month as the "small year". Despite the differences in customs, people's good wishes for the new are always the same.
During the New Year, traditional customs such as sacrificing stoves, sweeping dust, pasting window flowers, and writing Spring Festival couplets have become an indispensable ritual for every family. Through these activities, people not only expressed their summary and gratitude for their hard work in the past year, but also their expectations and longings for life in the coming year.
As the New Year's bell is about to ring, the citizens of Guangzhou will usher in a different astronomical event - "the first dawn of the Year of the Dragon". According to the forecast, at 6:39:41 a.m. on February 10, Guangzhou citizens will have the opportunity to witness this magnificent scene, 23 minutes and 12 seconds earlier than the actual sunrise time. At this moment, although the sun has not yet jumped out of the horizon, the particles and dust in the upper atmosphere scatter sunlight, making the sky gradually brighter and the ground scenery recognizable, bringing people hope and vitality for the new year.
It is worth mentioning that the duration of dawn varies with latitude. From just 20 minutes in the equatorial region to a long time in the high latitudes, the dawn is like a magical painter in nature, using light to outline a picture of the morning light and the beauty of the changing seasons brought about by the rotation of the earth.
Whether it is the difference in the date of the new year in the north and south, or the arrival of the dawn, it is a concrete embodiment of the rich and diverse culture of the Chinese nation. On the occasion of the jubilant New Year of the Dragon, we not only feel the continuation and inheritance of traditional customs, but also experience the beautiful gifts that nature has given to human beings. Here, let us look forward to more warm stories happening under the dawn of the new year, and more good wishes will be passed on in the spring breeze, triggering in-depth thinking and discussion in the whole society on the protection and inheritance of traditional culture and the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. My sense of ritual for the Year of the Dragon