Giving red envelopes during the New Year is also called New Year's money.
Pressing the year is also known as: pressing.
In Chinese New Year's customs, it means to ward off evil spirits and drive away ghosts, and bless peace.
Legend has it that there is a monster called "Zhen", who likes to come out on the night of the thirtieth night of the Chinese New Year's Eve, sneaking into the homes of ordinary people to touch sleeping children, and the children who have been touched in everything will become stupid, so people do not sleep for thirty nights, and the lights are bright until dawn, also called Shouzhen.
Later, there was a couple who had a child and loved them very much, so in order to prevent "Zheng" from coming out to make trouble, they put a few copper coins under the child's pillow. When the "Zhen" came, the copper coins emitted a burst of light, scaring the "Zheng" away, and people believed that the copper coins were transformed by the gods to protect the children.
The news spread quickly, so every family would give their children New Year's money every year.
This tradition has been passed down for thousands of years with the good wishes of the Chinese working people to ward off evil spirits, avoid disasters and pray for blessings.
When we were children, we were also very much looking forward to the Chinese New Year, when the family was very bad, and only during the New Year would there be a lot of good food, new clothes to wear, and New Year's money. In my memory, the New Year's money is sometimes 2 yuan, 3 yuan, and occasionally 5 yuan.
No matter how much, I was very happy.
Early the next morning, after eating dumplings, bringing New Year's money, calling a few little playmates, playing all the way, about an hour away, to the market.
Buy a big red apple (5 cents a piece), buy the rest of the fireworks (commonly known as artillery battles), and then go around, and start to go home when there is nothing to play.
Along the way, biting the big apple, putting a cannonball, you need to be like a match, a hard stroke to ignite, sometimes you need to draw a few more times, some points are not burned, just use the lit to point the unlit, and then throw it hard, boom, bang, ** sound, very happy, exciting and fun.
When passing by the river, you always have to stop and throw a lot of artillery into the water, which is called "fried fish". Although I didn't even see a fish's tail, I was filled with a sense of satisfaction when I watched the water splash rise and fall quickly every time it exploded, spreading to both sides of the river, and sometimes splashing on the bridge.
Childhood without adult intervention is really beautiful!
Every year, it's fun.
Nowadays, the living conditions are better, we have grown up, we have children, and in the world view of adults, the taste of giving red envelopes has gradually changed.
That is, I am worried about "giving" less.
Adults always judge and measure things from a worldly point of view.
There's always a sense of comparison and vanity.
As a kind of good wish, how much will children care?
I don't think so.
In my hometown, due to the economic downturn, I can clearly feel that this year, everyone invariably does not mention the word red envelope. This feeling is like the word "poverty" written all over the face, and it can't be erased.
If you have money or not, go home for the New Year.
Wishing you prosperity, bring the red envelope.
No matter how much. It represents a heart, a good wish.
New Year's money still needs to be had.
It's a beautiful childhood that people can never forget, who will never forget, who will never return, who has passed away, who will never return.