Year after year, full of rituals
The so-called sense of ritual is to make ordinary and monotonous things different, so that a certain day and a certain moment are different from other times. In other words, it's a beautiful moment to celebrate, and Chinese New Year is such a day.
The Spring Festival originated from primitive beliefs and the worship of nature, and evolved from the ancient New Year's first prayer rituals. The continuation of this kind of activity contains a profound historical heritage and carries a rich cultural connotation.
The Spring Festival in the modern sense is the most important traditional festival for the Chinese. It is not just a simple festival, but also a life ritual deeply rooted in the hearts of Chinese. The performance of this sense of ritual, from the preparation before the Spring Festival, to the celebrations during the festival, to the closing after the festival, is full of solemnity and sacredness of the sense of ceremony.
Some people say that in the modern era of abundant materials, the flavor of the New Year has faded, and many rituals have slowly disappeared. On the face of it, there may be some truth to this. But the sense of ritual of the New Year is related to the heart. The flavor of the year is actually the taste of humanity. The traditional formal New Year's flavor has indeed faded, but the substantive emotional New Year's flavor has not changed.
When we were young, we celebrated the New Year in the work unit, and the unit would distribute chicken, fish, meat, vegetables, etc., and even the Spring Festival couplet, the unit would send someone to help write it. The lively scene of distributing New Year's goods, the sense of gain in my heart, makes people feel the strong flavor of the New Year. This is the unit's care for the life of employees, which is a form of visible ritual, which reflects the importance of the work unit to the Spring Festival. This was mostly the case in the workplaces of that era.
Times have changed, and now the material conditions are abundant, and there is no longer a scene of distributing New Year's goods during the New Year. On the surface, the taste of the New Year is light. However, the core of the sense of ceremony, the unit's care for employees has not changed at all. Every year, the unit will issue some annual fees, and this year's annual fees have already been hit on the salary card. Even the salary for February has been paid in advance. Although the price is very high now, the New Year's fee can be used to buy chicken, fish, meat and eggs. It can be seen that the ritual sense of the Spring Festival has not changed at all.
The ritual activities of the Spring Festival have formed a common mentality of the Chinese people. The basis for forming this mentality is the high recognition of traditional culture and customs by Chinese.
According to the information released by the transportation department, the number of vehicles completing the Spring Festival transportation this year will reach 9 billion. "If you have money but no money to go home for the New Year", this is not a lie. This is a highly consistent expression of the Chinese sense of ritual during the Spring Festival. Every year when the Spring Festival comes, stations, docks, and airports are full of people going home for the New Year. This is the desire of the heart, and it is an unstoppable force.
A lifestyle with a sense of ritual is based on the expectation and yearning for a better life. The Spring Festival is a festival full of blessings and hopes. Writing Spring Festival couplets is a written form of placing good wishes.
Spring Festival couplets are a typical traditional culture. The Spring Festival couplets contain a strong New Year's flavor and blessings, and they are also a custom to express wishes and longing for a better life. Such as "the five grains are abundant, people and animals are prosperous", "the spring flowers are blooming, the world is full of blessings", "the years are safe, step by step", "welcome the spring to receive blessings, the smile is always open", "all wishes come true, everything is good", "blessing is like the East China Sea, longevity is better than Nanshan", "the title of the gold list, the future is like a bright future" and so on. These couplets are all expressions of blessings and wishes.
A wish is a light in the heart, and every wish is full of power. Every wish is a seed of hope. Sow hope, enrich your heart, and reap the benefits.
The ritual Spring Festival customs can be said to be the cultural genes of the Chinese and the spiritual driving force of the strong integration force of the Chinese nation. Traditional culture, rooted in the hearts of the Chinese, is the foundation of folk customs, people's hearts and public opinions, and is where the charm of Chinese civilization lies.
In the traditional Spring Festival, every household will make various preparations in advance, such as cleaning the house, pasting Spring Festival couplets, hanging lanterns, and preparing New Year's goods. These preparations are the importance and anticipation of the Spring Festival.
Someone said: "Don't be too tired during the New Year, don't wipe the glass and don't wash the ,..."Chinese New Year doesn't really matter. Most of the people who say this are older people. On the surface, there is some truth to this statement, but from another point of view, it is a lazy and perfunctory attitude towards life. People who are bored will find the Chinese New Year more and more boring. A person who loves life and has a passion for life will never hold this view. From the perspective of cultural inheritance, the New Year with a sense of ritual has a subtle impact on children, which is to enrich children spiritually and to educate children with actions.
The values and cultural context of the Chinese nation are based on the blood and affection of the family. The Spring Festival is a time for family reunions. Enjoy Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, ** Spring Festival Gala, New Year's Celebration, New Year greetings, etc. through the Spring Festival, so that relatives can feel the warmth and happiness of home.
Even if Chinese go to the ends of the earth, there is an invisible line of family affection in their hearts. The ritual of the Spring Festival, especially the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner on Chinese New Year's Eve, the familiar taste and the companionship of family affection, is the warmest and happiest moment. This is an important reason why the Chinese have a particularly strong sense of Spring Festival rituals.
On Chinese New Year's Eve, families will watch together for the New Year. In this process, parents will give their children New Year's money to wish them a safe, healthy and smooth growth. The observance of Chinese New Year's Eve and the pressure of money is one of the important rituals of the Spring Festival. This is not only a love and blessing for children, but also an important way to pass on family culture and values.
The times are developing, and some families have been replaced by WeChat red envelopes in the form of New Year's money. Although the form has changed, the meaning of blessing peace has not changed at all.
New Year's greetings are also an important ritual of the Spring Festival. During the Spring Festival, people will greet each other and express their blessings and care for each other. During New Year's greetings, people bring gifts or red envelopes as a sign of friendship and respect. Such rituals not only enhance the emotional connection between people, but also promote social harmony and stability. With the development of the times, the form of traditional New Year's greetings is evolving, and the form of SMS, WeChat, and **New Year's greetings has appeared. Although the form of New Year's greetings has changed, the purpose and meaning of New Year's greetings are the same. They are all blessings and care, connecting feelings, and also implying expectations and blessings for a good New Year.
A few days ago, relatives and friends in my hometown called me, saying that during the Spring Festival this year, the village in my hometown invited a troupe to sing a big opera. They wanted to invite me back to my hometown for the Spring Festival to feel the lively atmosphere of the Chinese New Year in the countryside. To be honest, I'm really impressed. It's not that I want to watch acting, but I miss the lively scene of the New Year in the countryside. This is the information age, and common operas can be seen on TV or mobile phones.
In today's rural areas, theatrical performances are still very active. During the Spring Festival, there are many kinds of literary and artistic activities in rural areas, and they are in various forms. For example, in my hometown, there are annual activities such as playing water margin (martial arts juggling) and bodhisattva (worship to the gods). These customs, which are aimed at enriching the cultural life of the masses, have created a strong atmosphere for the Spring Festival. Through the acting activities, the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival is increased, and the sense of identity and belonging to traditional culture is enhanced, thus creating a unique sense of Spring Festival rituals.
The Spring Festival across the country is filled with a festive and peaceful atmosphere. Different regions and different nationalities will participate in the celebration together. This ritual of common celebration strengthens the sense of national identity and cohesion. The celebration of the Chinese New Year has spread to Chinese communities around the world. Many friends from abroad also happily participated in it. The charm of Chinese traditional culture is also loved by more and more foreigners.
Spring Festival is a grand celebration in the lives of Chinese. In the past few days of spring, I often go to the Nanqi Goods Market, which is a place where the worldly fireworks are very strong. The market was crowded, and the citizens carrying New Year's goods were shoulder to shoulder. Occasionally, you can see Chinese red and red lantern decorations in some communities, which are the taste of the New Year.
It's still the New Year, and the taste of the New Year seems to be much lighter than when I was a child. In fact, the Spring Festival has not changed, it is still full of rituals, and it has become our attitude towards the years.