The Spring Festival, the most solemn traditional festival of the Chinese nation, has carried people's good wishes and infinite hopes for the new year since ancient times. On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, it is the day of receiving the king of the stove, every household is busy opening wells to get water, welcoming the god of the stove, and there is also the custom of eating cakes, which means that the rise is rising, all revealing a vision and yearning for the future. However, behind all these seemingly lively rituals, it is not difficult to find some questions worth pondering.
First of all, let's talk about the custom of this "king of the stove". According to legend, the king of the stove is the little god of the family, in charge of the kitchen fireworks, and on this day every year, he has to go to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor the good and evil things of the family for a year. Therefore, on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, people prepare clear water cakes and respectfully welcome the return of the stove king. This custom is undoubtedly an expectation for a harmonious and happy life in the family. However, we can't help but ask, does such a tradition really exist in the hearts of modern people? Or has it just become a form of commemoration, an empty shell passed on for the sake of inheritance?
With the development of the times, the pace of people's lives has accelerated, and many ancient traditions have gradually been marginalized or even forgotten. In this context, the Spring Festival has become an important time node, giving people the opportunity to stop and look back at those traditional cultures that are fading away. However, we must realize that the inheritance of culture should not only stay in superficial imitation and repetition, but also should be the inheritance and development of spiritual connotation.
Let's talk about the custom of eating cakes during the Spring Festival. Cake, because its sound is the same as "high", means that step by step, year by year, better than year by year. Such an implication is undoubtedly positive, it reflects people's expectations for life and positive attitudes towards the future. However, we should also be aware of the consumerist tendencies behind this implication. There are all kinds of rice cakes and pastries in the market, and merchants take this opportunity to hype up and guide consumers to buy. Unconsciously, people may be seeking more material satisfaction than cultural experience.
Mr. Lu Xun once said: "Real culture is not an antique put on the shelf, nor a plaything for people to enjoy, but the power to live in life." The same applies to our Chinese New Year customs today. What we should think about is how to truly integrate these traditional customs into modern life and become a force to enhance our spiritual realm, rather than simply becoming a commercial act or a form of commemoration.
In this era of rapid change, what we need more is a deep understanding and creative transformation of tradition. On the basis of respecting tradition, we should explore new forms and new contents suitable for contemporary society, so that traditional culture can radiate new vitality in the new social environment. For example, through educational and cultural activities, the younger generation can understand the cultural significance and historical stories behind the Spring Festival customs, and stimulate their interest and love for traditional culture.
At the same time, we should also pay attention to the adaptability of traditional customs in modern society. With the development of science and technology and the progress of society, some traditional customs may need to be appropriately adjusted and reformed to adapt to the lifestyle and values of modern people. For example, as environmental awareness increases, we can use more environmentally friendly materials in the ceremonies of the stove king, reducing the consumption of natural resources.
Next, we need to reflect on the significance of the Spring Festival custom in modern society. In ancient society, the Spring Festival was a symbol of the production activities of the agricultural society, and it was a kind of compliance and respect for the laws of nature. And in modern society, is the meaning of the Spring Festival still so clear? In the process of urbanization and industrialization, people's production activities are no longer limited by the laws of nature.
In addition, some activities in the Spring Festival customs, such as setting off firecrackers and paying New Year's greetings, also face environmental and safety challenges. Setting off firecrackers not only causes air pollution, but also poses a fire hazard; New Year's greetings, on the other hand, may become formalized due to the alienation of human relations in modern society. These problems require us to make appropriate innovations and adjustments while inheriting traditional culture.
In short, the Spring Festival custom is not only a formal celebration, but also a cultural inheritance and spiritual sustenance. While inheriting and carrying forward the traditional culture, we should also deeply reflect on and innovate it, so that it can become a positive energy to promote social progress and personal growth. In this way, our Spring Festival can not only be a festival, but also a starting point for national cultural self-confidence and self-renewal.