As the bell of New Year's Day fades away, we are about to usher in another important festival, that is, Chinese New Year's Eve. On this day, people will reunite with their families, say goodbye to the old and welcome the new, and celebrate the arrival of the Spring Festival together. However, there is still nearly one month before Chinese New Year's Eve, but the discussion on Chinese New Year's Eve on the Internet is already very lively, such as the question of not having a holiday on Chinese New Year's Eve. And just when everyone was arguing about this, another bombshell news was revealed: 2024 Chinese New Year's Eve is the last Chinese New Year's Eve in the past few years, and there will be no more Chinese New Year's Eve this special holiday in the next five years. So why is there no Chinese New Year's Eve?Will there be a holiday on Chinese New Year's Eve in 2024?What does the traditional custom of "Chinese New Year's Eve three not empty" refer to?Let's take a look.
Many people have not yet recovered from the decision not to have a holiday on Chinese New Year's Eve, which will not even be the thirtieth year of the Chinese New Year's EveWhere did the Chinese New Year's Eve go?As we all know, the Lunar New Year is a traditional festival of the Chinese nation, and the Chinese New Year's Eve is the highlight of this festival, and according to the latest research by the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, from next year until 2029, the Chinese New Year's Eve for five consecutive years is the 29th of the New Year.
And the reason why the Chinese New Year's Eve is gone is related to China's unique lunar algorithm. In the lunar arithmetic, the number of days of a month is defined by the cycle of the waxing and waning of the moon, which is astronomically called a "synodic month", with an average length of 2953 days. But the number of days in a month is expressed as an integer, which gives rise to the distinction between large and small months, with 30 days for the big month and 29 days for the small month. If the wax moon of that year coincided with a small month, only 29 days, there would be no Chinese New Year's Eve.
It is not uncommon for the month to coincide with a small moon, not only in the next five consecutive years there will be no Chinese New Year's Eve, in fact, in 2013, 2016 and 2022, there will be no Chinese New Year's Eve. Therefore, some netizens believe that "not having the Chinese New Year's Eve is an omen" has no scientific basis, this is just a coincidence of calendar calculations, there is no need to make a fuss.
According to the previously announced "Notice of the ** General Office on the Arrangement of Some Holidays in 2024", February 9 Chinese New Year's Eve is no holiday, and the specific holiday time is: February 10-17 for a total of 8 days. According to the Regulations on National Festivals and Memorial Day Holidays implemented in 2014, Chinese New Year's Eve has long been excluded from the list of statutory holidays. However, the "Notice" also clearly points out that all units are encouraged to combine the implementation of paid annual leave and other systems to arrange employees to rest on Chinese New Year's Eve (February 9).
But many people still wonder why they should be encouragedCan't you just put it in?In fact, the purpose of this is to promote the promotion and implementation of paid leave. At present, the implementation of paid leave in many enterprises is not very ideal, so the state has clearly proposed to encourage the combination of paid leave. Usually the vast majority of units will not be unkind, and will often let everyone go home for the New Year on Chinese New Year's Eve, which also increases the vacation for the employees of the unit in disguise. Together with Chinese New Year's Eve, the Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon will actually form a 9-day "super ** week".
As we all know, there are many traditional customs on Chinese New Year's Eve, such as sticking Spring Festival couplets, setting off firecrackers, watching the Spring Festival Gala and so on. In the countryside, there is also a saying that "Chinese New Year's Eve is not empty, and the next year's wealth is not empty", which means that on Chinese New Year's Eve, there are three things that cannot be empty, otherwise the fortune of the next year may be affected. So what exactly does the "three non-empty" refer to here?
1. Chinese New Year's Eve is not empty
In China, there is a habit of keeping the year on Chinese New Year's Eve, commonly known as "staying up for the year". It is reported that on Chinese New Year's Eve, families gather to light candles or lanterns to drive away the New Year beast and wait for the arrival of the New Year. And from some ancient poems such as "keep the New Year and burn more candles, don't hide it all night", you can also experience the beautiful scene of the bright lights at that time.
2. Chinese New Year's Eve does not empty the pot
Not emptying the pot means that there is food in the pot, also known as a "pressure cooker". On Chinese New Year's Eve, people put some dry food or other food in the rice pot, which means that they still have "surplus food" at home, and there is a surplus every year, which is a beautiful expectation for a prosperous life.
3. There is no room available on Chinese New Year's Eve
For the older generation, at that time, it was all about prosperity, and in order to preserve this form, some families would choose to live together as a family. Therefore, on the reunion night of Chinese New Year's Eve, if the room at home is empty, then the bad luck will naturally stay in it and suck away some blessings, good luck and wealth.
Overall, the Chinese New Year's Eve in 2024 is very special, because from next year, there will be no more Chinese New Year's Eve for 5 consecutive years of Chinese New Year's Eve nights, so we should cherish it even more. However, although there is no Chinese New Year's Eve, the Chinese New Year's Eve itself has not changed, and the ritual sense of the festival itself is still essential, cleaning, sticking Spring Festival, cooking Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, setting off firecrackers and fireworks together, the whole family gathers together for Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, keeping the New Year together, saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new. Of course, the traditional culture of "Chinese New Year's Eve" is also worth inheriting and carrying forward, they are not necessarily accurate, but they embody people's pursuit and yearning for a better life in ancient times. No, this year's Chinese New Year's Eve is not a holiday, in fact, it is also an extra day off, coupled with the recent relaxation of fireworks bans in various places, we have reason to believe that the taste of the year in 2024 will be stronger.