Approaching the Chinese New Year, when you open the calendar, you will find that the 23rd lunar month of the northern small year, the 24th lunar month of the southern small year, and the difference between the northern and southern lunar months is one day. Why is this happening? This may seem like a silly question, but there's actually an interesting historical and cultural background hidden in it.
As we all know, China has a vast land and different customs and habits. In ancient times, it was difficult for people from the north and south to communicate with each other due to the inconvenient transportation in various places. This has led to differences in the dates of the traditional festival of Xiao Nian in different places.
The objects of commemoration of the New Year in the north and south are different.
The small year in the north is set on the twenty-third day of the lunar month, which is said to commemorate the king of the stove. Legend has it that the Lord of the Stove will report to the Jade Emperor on this day, so people will prepare various offerings in advance, hoping that the Lord of the Stove will be able to say a few good words in front of the Jade Emperor to bless the safety of his family and a good harvest of grains.
In the south, the New Year is on the 24th day of the lunar month, which is to commemorate the Dust Sweeping Day. On this day, every household will carry out a big cleaning, cleaning the house, courtyard, and cleaning up garbage and dust, which means saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, and driving away bad luck.
The food in the north and south is not the same.
The northern Xiaonian eats dumplings, which are shaped like ingots, implying a wide range of wealth. Moreover, dumplings can be packed with various fillings, meat filling, vegetable filling, seafood filling, etc., each with its own characteristics. At that time, in addition to the must-eat dumplings, the northern Xiaonian would also eat "big sugar", which was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, full of sesame flavor, and very delicious.
Let's talk about the south, I went to college in the south, and when I spent the New Year in the south, there was always a particularly delicious dish on the table - rice cake. The rice cake is soft and glutinous, and the taste is super good! And the meaning of the rice cake is also very good, representing the rise of each year. Southerners like to make rice cakes into a variety of flavors and shapes, frying, deep-frying, boiling, and stir-frying. At that time, I was very envious of the southerners who could eat such delicious rice cakes!
In fact, whether it is the 23rd day of the lunar month or the 24th day of the lunar month, the celebration of the New Year carries people's expectations for a better life and respect for tradition. Although the dates are different in the north and south, the way and meaning of this celebration are the same. But then again, if the small year in the south is also the twenty-third day of the lunar month, wouldn't it be the same as in the north? How does this highlight the characteristics of our south?
The smell of the New Year in the fireworks of the world