Tomorrow is the twenty-third day of the lunar month, the traditional year of the north, a day rich in folk customs. According to legend, this day is the day when the Lord of the Stove goes to heaven to report on his work, and people hope that he can say more good things in heaven and bring peace and happiness to his family.
Different from other festivals that pray for blessings and wealth, Xiao Nian pays more attention to the safety and happiness of his family, because in the hearts of ordinary people, peace is the most precious blessing.
When it comes to small years, there are many exquisite and traditional sayings. One of the most well-known customs of the year is that "women do not sacrifice to the stove". Traditionally, the king of the stove was considered male, so it was considered inappropriate for a female to sacrifice to the stove, so the matter of the stove was usually presided over by the man of the family.
After entering the wax moon, the busiest person in the house is the hostess. On the day of the new year, it is even more so. From cleaning the house, steaming steamed buns to preparing a sumptuous Chinese New Year's Eve meal, the women were busy. Therefore, on this day of the new year, allowing the women in the family to take a break is also a way to express family harmony and mutual care.
As the New Year is approaching, in addition to the custom of "women do not sacrifice to the stove", there are three taboos that require our special attention. At the same time, there are two foods that we need to eat during the New Year, and they symbolize peace and happiness.
First, let's talk about these three taboos. During the childhood, the first taboo is not to sweep the floor, especially from the inside out. In traditional Chinese culture, year-end cleaning and New Year's sweeping are both about gathering wealth, while sweeping the floor from the inside out is seen as a symbol of bad luck, meaning to sweep wealth out of the door.
As a day of reunion and festivities, sweeping the floor from the inside out is naturally seen as a bad omen. Therefore, when we sweep the floor, we should sweep from the outside in, gather the clutter together and clean it up, which can not only ensure the cleanliness of the home, but also imply the gathering of wealth and good luck.
The second taboo is that on the 23rd day of the lunar month, it is best not to give or accept food from others. In particular, some of the traditional rituals such as homemade pastries and dumplings are made as they carry prayers for wealth and good luck.
On this special day of the little year, giving these foods to others or receiving gifts from others is considered to be a distraction from one's good fortune. Therefore, to ensure our own good luck and blessings, it is best for us to avoid giving or receiving food from others on this day of the new year.
The third taboo is not to put only three dishes on the table of the young man. In traditional Chinese culture, the number "three" is often associated with sacrifices. Therefore, if only three dishes are placed on the table of the young man, it will be regarded as a sacrifice to the gods and considered unlucky.
In order to ensure a festive and peaceful atmosphere for the New Year, we should put a variety of dishes on the table and avoid only three dishes.
In addition to these taboos, there are specific foods that people need to pay special attention to during the small years. The first is the dumplings. As one of the essential foods for the Chinese New Year in the north, dumplings are shaped like ingots, which means "fortune and treasure".
Therefore, eating dumplings during the Nian is also seen as a prayer and expectation for wealth and good luck. In addition to dumplings, there are also places where traditional foods such as tangyuan and rice cakes are eaten during the New Year, which are not only delicious but also symbolize reunion, happiness and a good harvest.
In addition, the arrival of the new year also marks the gradual strengthening of the flavor of the new year. At this time, many traditional customs and taboos also began to return. For example, "dishes do not put three", "chopsticks do not put five" and other particularities have also begun to be paid attention to.
These exquisiteness are actually teaching us to pay attention to detail and etiquette to make our lives more colorful and meaningful.
The arrival of the new year marks the approach of the Chinese New Year and the gradual strengthening of the flavor of the new year. On this special day, don't forget to follow the traditional customs and taboos to make us happy and healthy.