With the passage of time, the Spring Festival, an ancient festival, is like a bright pearl, shining in the long history of the Chinese nation. It is not only a simple time node, but also carries a profound cultural heritage and rich folk customs. What is the origin of the New Year? What are the inheritance customs?The New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, originated from the ancient New Year's first prayer sacrifice and is one of the most solemn traditional festivals of the Chinese nation. The Spring Festival customs are rich and colorful, including Laba porridge, sacrifice to the god of the stove, sweeping dust, pasting Spring Festival Lian, New Year paintings, upside down blessing characters, Chinese New Year's Eve observance, eating dumplings, pressing money and greeting the New Year. These customs symbolize reunion, auspiciousness, happiness and a bright future, and are an important part of traditional Chinese culture. During the Spring Festival, people will also visit temple fairs, enjoy performances, taste food, and enjoy the joyful atmosphere of the festival. The Spring Festival is not only a celebration of history and culture, but also an important time for people to express their blessings and pray for a better new year.
Here's a closer look.
The New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is one of the most solemn and lively festivals of the Chinese nation. It marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year and is usually celebrated on the first day of the first lunar month. The origin of the Spring Festival is said to have started in the ancient Yaoshun period and has a history of more than 4,000 years. During the Spring Festival, various activities will be held across the country to celebrate the New Year, which are rich and colorful, condensing the essence of traditional Chinese culture, but also with strong local characteristics.
There are various theories about the origin of the Spring Festival. Among them, the most widely recognized is that the Spring Festival originated from the first year of the year in ancient times. In ancient times, it was believed that the beginning of the year was an important time to perform a ritual to pray to the gods of heaven and earth to bless the new year with abundant crops and prosperity for people and animals. These rituals gradually evolved into fixed festivals, and incorporated folk customs and cultural connotations.
In addition, it is also said that the Spring Festival originated from the worship of gods and ancestors at the beginning and end of the year during the Yin Shang period. At that time, at the end of the year and the beginning of the year, people prayed for the blessings of their ancestors and gods through rituals to ensure peace and a good harvest in the new year. These rituals gradually developed into the precursor of the Spring Festival.
With the passage of time, the Spring Festival has gradually become one of the most important traditional festivals of the Chinese nation. During the Spring Festival, people will carry out a series of activities, such as sticking Spring Festival couplets, setting off firecrackers, eating Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, and paying New Year's greetings, etc., to celebrate the arrival of the new year and pray for peace, auspiciousness and happiness in the new year.
Then let's take a look at these cultural customs that have been passed down for thousands of years:
1. Laba porridge and sacrifice to the god of the stove
Laba Congee:On the eighth day of the lunar month, people will cook Laba porridge to celebrate. This is not only a delicacy but also a symbol of reunion and auspiciousness. Laba congee is rich in a variety of ingredients, including rice, beans, dried fruits, etc., symbolizing a good harvest and abundance.
Sacrifice to the god of the stove:On the twenty-third or twenty-fourth day of the lunar month, every household will hold a ceremony to worship the god of the stove. People will pray to the Lord of the Stove for good luck and happiness from heaven, and at the same time bid farewell to the Lord of the Stove to report to the sky, hoping that he can say more good things in front of the Jade Emperor and bring good luck to the new year.
2. Dust sweeping and decoration
Sweeping:Before the Spring Festival, every household will carry out a big cleaning to remove dust and garbage from the house. This custom symbolizes the farewell to the old and the beginning of the new, which means to sweep away all the bad luck and poverty of the year, and bring good luck and good fortune for the new year.
Paste Spring Festival couplets and New Year's paintings:People will put Spring Festival couplets and New Year pictures on their doorsteps to add to the festive atmosphere. Spring Festival couplets are usually couplets written on red paper, implying good luck, happiness and health; New Year's paintings are paintings depicting auspicious patterns, which convey people's yearning for a better life.
Upside down the word blessing:During the Spring Festival, people will post the word "blessing" upside down on the door. This is because "pour" and "to" are homophonic in Chinese, and the inverted word Fu means "Fu has arrived", symbolizing the arrival of good luck and happiness.
3. Chinese New Year's Eve and eating dumplings
Chinese New Year's Eve:On Chinese New Year's Eve, families gather to celebrate the New Year and wait for the arrival of the New Year. This custom symbolizes family harmony and unity, as well as good expectations for the new year.
Eat dumplings and glutinous rice balls: In the northern region, people will eat dumplings on Chinese New Year's Eve, which symbolizes reunion and wealth; In the southern region, there is the custom of eating glutinous rice balls, which symbolizes reunion and happiness. These foods are not only a gastronomic treat, but also a symbol of good wishes for the new year.
4. New Year's money and New Year's greetings
New Year's money: The elders will give the juniors money on Chinese New Year's Eve or the first day of the first lunar month, which means that they wish them peace and health, academic success and career success in the new year.
New Year's greetings: During the Chinese New Year, people will greet each other to congratulate each other on the New Year. Friends and relatives will exchange gifts and New Year's greetings to express their blessings and concerns.
5. Visit temple fairs and cultural experiences
During the Spring Festival, grand temple fairs are held in various places. The temple fair is an important part of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation, and it is also an important place for people to feel the flavor of the New Year and experience the traditional culture. At the temple fair, people can taste a variety of traditional snacks and delicacies, and enjoy various folk performances and traditional culture displays. At the same time, there are also various interactive experience activities to allow people to better understand and feel the traditional culture and festival atmosphere of the Chinese nation.
As one of the most important traditional festivals of the Chinese nation, the Spring Festival carries profound cultural connotation and historical value. From Laba porridge to sacrificing to the god of Vesta, from sweeping dust to pasting Spring Festival, from Chinese New Year's Eve to eating dumplings, every custom has pinned people's yearning and expectation for a better life. These traditional customs and celebration methods not only enrich people's festival life, but also inherit the excellent traditional culture and spiritual values of the Chinese nation.
In today's society, with the advancement of science and technology and the change of people's lifestyles, some traditional customs may gradually fade or disappear. However, we should cherish and inherit these traditional customs and cultural connotations, so that they can radiate new vitality and vitality in the new era. Let us wish the motherland prosperity and the people's happiness and health!
As one of the most important traditional festivals in China, the Spring Festival carries the long history and culture of the Chinese nation. These customs are not only rich and colorful, but also rich in profound connotations and meanings. By celebrating the Spring Festival, people can not only enjoy the joy and peaceful atmosphere of the festival, but also feel the charm and profundity of the Chinese culture. As an important part of intangible cultural heritage, the protection and inheritance of the Spring Festival also have important value and significance. We should cherish and inherit these traditional cultural customs and let them shine more brilliantly in the new era.
In the new year, I wish you all.
All things are successful, and the family is happy
Dragon's luck
Traditional culture