The Spring Festival, also known as the Lunar New Year and the Lunar New Year, is the most solemn traditional festival of the Chinese nation and one of the grandest festivals in the world. The origin of the Spring Festival can be traced back to the Yaoshun period, which has a history of more than 4,000 years. Spring Festival is not only a festival for Chinese, but also a festival in some countries and regions influenced by Chinese culture, such as North Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and so on. The Spring Festival is a treasure of the Chinese nation's tradition, an important carrier of Chinese culture, and a spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation.
There are many folk legends about the origin of the Spring Festival. One of the most common sayings is that the year beast is said. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a fierce monster called "Nian". "Nian" has a long tail and pointed claws, which is very vicious. Every Chinese New Year's Eve, "Nian" will come out to harm people and animals. In order to escape the "New Year", people will hide the food at home and hide in the mountains.
One year on Chinese New Year's Eve, an old woman was busy cooking at home. Suddenly, she heard a loud noise outside. The old woman hurriedly ran to the door to take a look, only to see that "Nian" was rushing towards her house. The old woman was in a hurry, picked up the tongs in the stove, and threw it towards the "year". "Nian" was so hot that he screamed and fled.
Since then, people have known that "Nian" is afraid of fire. Every Chinese New Year's Eve, people will light torches and firecrackers at home to drive away the "New Year". Over time, the custom of celebrating the New Year was formed.
This legend, although somewhat mythical, also reflects the essence of the Spring Festival: on the one hand, people's fear of natural disasters, and on the other hand, people's hopes for the new year. Therefore, the Spring Festival is a symbol of the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, man and society, and man and the gods.
There are many customs and habits of the Spring Festival, the main ones are as follows:
Sticking Spring Festival Couplets: The custom of pasting Spring Festival couplets during the Spring Festival originated in the Song Dynasty and became popular in the Ming Dynasty. Its predecessor can be traced back to the "peach charm" of ancient times. "Later Han Shu Etiquette Chronicles" recorded: "The peach charm is six inches long and three inches wide, and the two gods of Shen Tu and Yu Lei are painted on the peach wood board, which is used to entrust the people with a kind of good wish to eliminate disasters and avoid disasters, and to seek good fortune and avoid evil." ”
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, Spring Festival couplets became more popular and became an important custom of the Spring Festival. The content of the Spring Festival couplets is usually auspicious, happy and healthy, national peace and security, wealth and glory, etc., reflecting people's good wishes.
Firecrackers: Firecrackers can drive away the "New Year" and express people's festive mood for the new year. The origin of firecrackers can be traced back to the Warring States period, and it is a toy that fills a bamboo tube with gunpowder and makes a loud noise when ignited.
In the Song Dynasty, bamboo tube firecrackers were improved into paper tube firecrackers, which were also more perfect, and the sound of firecrackers was louder.
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, firecrackers became more popular and became a must-have for the Spring Festival. The custom of setting off firecrackers not only has the meaning of exorcising evil spirits, but also has the meaning of sacrifice, and is a way to report the arrival of the New Year to the gods of heaven and earth.
In recent years, with the enhancement of people's awareness of environmental protection and safety, some areas have begun to restrict the use of firecrackers. But overall, setting off firecrackers is still an important custom during the Chinese New Year.
Eating Chinese New Year's Eve Dinner: Eating Chinese New Year's Eve Dinner, also known as Tuan New Year's Dinner, Reunion Dinner, and Round the Fireplace, is a meal on Chinese New Year's Eve, with the purpose of reuniting and spending the Lunar New Year together before the New Year. Traditionally, Chinese New Year's Eve meals are mostly eaten after the ancestor worship on Chinese New Year's Eve.
The custom of eating Chinese New Year's Eve can be traced back to the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Liang Zonghuai of the Southern Dynasty recorded in the "Jing Chu Years Chronicles" that "the furniture and food of the family in the twilight of the year, the position of the year, to welcome the new year, gather and drink." That is, on the evening of the New Year, every household prepares meat and vegetables, celebrates the New Year, celebrates the New Year, gathers the family to drink, and eats the New Year's dinner.
The Chinese New Year's Eve dinner is not only a farewell to the old and a welcome to the new, but also a family reunion and a celebration of the New Year.
Shou Nian: Also known as Shou Nian Huo, Zhao Nian, etc., it has a long history, and Chinese folk have the habit of keeping the New Year on Chinese New Year's Eve, commonly known as "staying up for the year". On the night of Chinese New Year's Eve, folk activities are mainly manifested in lighting and keeping the New Year's fire, that is, all houses are lit with candles and candles, and the family gathers to welcome the New Year. Chinese New Year's Eve is lit all night long, which is called "illumination", and it is said that after such a year, the wealth of the family will be enriched in the following year.
The earliest record of keeping the year is found in the "Records of the Wind and Soil" in the Western Jin Dynasty: on the night of Chinese New Year's Eve, each phase and gift, called "Gift Year"; Wine and food are invited, called "farewell year"; The young and old gather to drink, and the blessing is complete, which is called "dividing the year"; Everyone stays awake all night long, waiting for the dawn, and is called "keeping the year".
The custom of keeping the year is not only to cherish the passing years like water, but also to send good hopes for the coming New Year.
New Year's greetings: New Year's greetings are an important custom during the Spring Festival, a way for people to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new, and to express good wishes to each other. In ancient times, the original meaning of the word "New Year's greetings" was to congratulate the elderly on the New Year, including prostrating to the elderly, congratulating them on a good New Year, and greeting them with a good life. When you meet relatives and friends of the same generation, you should also give gifts and congratulations.
In ancient times, New Year's greetings were a very solemn ceremonial event. The younger generation should first greet the elders and wish them a long and healthy life and all the best. The elders will give the younger ones New Year's money to show their blessings. Relatives and friends should also greet each other and express blessings and greetings.
There are many ways to pay New Year's greetings, the most common being to visit your home. During the Chinese New Year, people put on new clothes, bring gifts, and visit relatives and friends. During New Year's greetings, the younger generations should bow to the elders, and the elders will give the younger generations New Year's money. As the times have changed, so has the way of greeting the New Year. Now, in addition to visiting the New Year, people can also pay New Year's greetings through **, text messages, WeChat, etc.
The Spring Festival is a traditional festival of the Chinese nation and an important carrier of Chinese culture. The significance of the Spring Festival is not only to celebrate the arrival of the new year, but also to inherit the culture and values of the Chinese nation.