Many people may not be aware that the South and the North celebrate the New Year on the same day, so why is there a difference in date, and what is the origin of the New Year? Then let's do it!
The first is the origin of Xiao Nian.
In terms of name, Xiaonian is relative to Chinese New Year's Eve, and it is a festival during the Spring Festival that is second in importance to Chinese New Year's Eve. Cui Yi of the Eastern Han Dynasty recorded in the "Four People's Moon Order": "La will be updated tomorrow, which is called a small year, and he will be respected for the elder in wine, and he will be a gentleman." ”
In the north, there is a small year in the twenty-third day of the lunar month, and in the south, there is a small year in the twenty-fourth day of the lunar month. There are also some areas that refer to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month as a small year.
From the custom, the small year originated from the ancient sacrificial stove festival, some areas do not use the small year in the name, in the wax set twenty-third or the twenty-fourth month of the wax month will also sacrifice the stove small year is the beginning and foreshadowing of the whole Spring Festival bed celebration activities, is the prologue and beginning of the grand spring.
Next is the difference between the north and the south
Dietary Differences: North:
1. Eat dumplings.
Dumplings and "Jiaozi" homonym, in ancient times, take the meaning of "more old Jiaozi", with the meaning of "festive reunion" and "auspicious wishes". The dumplings are shaped like ingots, and during the New Year, a pot is served on the table, which symbolizes the beautiful vision of "making a fortune in the New Year, and the ingots rolling in".
2. Eat sugar melons.
Kanto sugar is eaten in the Kanto region. It is made of maltose, and it is drawn into a long candy stick and drawn into a flat shape, which is called "sugar melon". It is used by the king of the sacrificial stove. Now, it has long since come down from the altar of the stove and has become everyone's favorite food.
South. 1. Eat rice cakes.
Xiao Nian called the stove again, and after eating the cake, he was about to send the stove to the sky to report his work. Make steamed cakes and paste honey to sweeten his mouth, so that when he reports his work, he will be able to talk about the good things of the people. At the same time, because of the homonym of "cake" and "high", it means that it rises every year.
2. Eat Lantern Festival.
The southern folk call it "send the stove king". On the day of the New Year, incense and candles are burned, and lantern festivals, citrus, carrots, tea and sugar cane are prepared and offered to the stove king, which means that it is used to paste the mouth of the stove king, so that he will not talk nonsense about ordinary things.
Small year time Northern small year: the twenty-third day of the lunar month.
Southern New Year: Twenty-fourth of the lunar month.
In fact, this difference stems from the historical tradition of "official three and four people", that is, the official family's small year celebration is in Gansan, while the folk celebrate in the twenty-fourth. Although this distinction is no longer so obvious, it still affects the time of celebration everywhere.
Ritual Stove Customs:
The small year festival stove in the north is particularly grand, and people will prepare rich sacrifices for the king of the stove, hoping that he will "say good things to heaven and keep peace in the lower world".
In the south, on the other hand, it is relatively simple and focuses more on worship at home.
Living habits: sweep the house in the north and paste the window flowers in the south, and dust the Spring Festival couplets in the south
On the day of the New Year, every household should clean up and welcome the Spring Festival! This custom can be traced back to 3,000 years ago, when the religious ritual of expelling plague ghosts and praying for good health, after the homonym of "dust" and "Chen", sweeping dust is to remove the old dirt in the courtyard, and it also refers to dispel the unhappiness encountered in the old years.
In general, both the southern and northern years are endowed with the meaning of praying for happiness and success in the coming year. From this day on, families are busy preparing New Year's goods and celebrating a good year.