Text: Yuan Yi said
Edit|Yuan Yi said
Sources: All of the information stated in this article is based on reliable sources, and is detailed at the end of the article
As the Spring Festival gets closer and closer, the air is filled with a strong smell of the New Year, however, in this Spring Festival in 2024, there seems to be something unusual.
Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "people take customs as their heavens", but when some deep-rooted Xi customs are "suspended", what will be people's reaction?
From north to south, from countryside to city, many traditional Xi have evolved over time.
This is not only a natural evolution of culture, but also an inevitable choice in the process of social progress and regulation. However, at the intersection of tradition and modernity, there are always some changes that touch the sensitive nerves of some people, causing them to be puzzled and confused. Why are these Xi practices stopped?
Xi is gradually disappearing, and the taste of the year is getting weaker and weaker
The traditional Xi customs during the Spring Festival are rich and colorful, from the purchase of New Year's goods, the posting of Spring Festival couplets, the hanging of lanterns, to the reunion dinner on the Chinese New Year's Eve night, the setting off of firecrackers, the New Year's celebration, to the New Year's greetings on the first day of the new year, and the distribution of red envelopes, each Xi customs are full of deep meaning, strengthen the cohesion of the family, and enhance the emotional exchange between relatives and friends.
Overseas, Chinese communities celebrate the Chinese New Year with the same buzz, and while the methods and details of the celebration may be different from those in China, the core values – reunion, harmony, and blessings – remain the same.
Among the city's high-rise buildings, it is rare to see fireworks in the night sky. This traditional Xi is limited by safety concerns and air pollution concerns, and people have mixed feelings about it – both nostalgia for the lively scenes of firecrackers set off in front of homes in the past and an understanding of the importance of protecting the environment.
Food safety concerns have also led to a shift in the way some traditional foods are prepared and sold, and those dishes that once represented a round and abundant harvest in Chinese New Year's Eve meals must now meet stricter standards.
With the changes of the times, the Xi customs of the Spring Festival are also quietly changing. In the past, every household wrote Spring Festival couplets, cut window flowers, and painted New Year's pictures by themselves, but now they are turning to the market more to buy finished products.
Both urban and rural families are gradually tending to a simple and fashionable style of home decoration, which makes traditional handicrafts such as Spring Festival couplet making, window flower paper-cutting and New Year painting gradually disappear. On the one hand, this change is due to the acceleration of the pace of modern life, and on the other hand, it is also the improvement of people's demand for convenience.
In addition, in the corners of the countryside, some traditional superstitious activities have also been stopped.
Old rural Xi are gradually disappearing
Divination, prayers and other behaviors that used to be common during the New Year are now seen as acts that hinder the development of science, and although these activities are only cultural Xi for some people, people have begun to pursue a more rational and scientific way of life under the promotion of the government.
The gradual reduction in the burning of paper money and offerings has reduced the pressure on the environment, but it has also led to deep reflection on traditional rituals. How to meet the development needs of modern society while respecting tradition has become an urgent problem to be solved.
These changes in traditional Xi not only affect our behavior, but also touch the depths of our emotions and identity. Those suspended Xi customs are often closely linked to people's childhood memories and family feelings. Their absence has made many people feel the disconnection of the times and the loss of culture. The older generation, in particular, is particularly helpless and confused in the face of the new regulations.
Behind these changes, we also see a positive trend – that is, new interpretations and new practices of tradition.
The alternation of the old and the new
In China's long history, before the advent of black powder, our ancestors had already used the method of burning bamboo to create a crackling sound, so as to start the annual Spring Festival celebration. This unique form of celebration, affectionately known as "firecrackers", has not only become a symbol of the joyful atmosphere of the Spring Festival, but also an indelible mark of Chinese civilization.
At that time, every Spring Festival, people would set the bamboo on fire to make it burst and make a loud sound. These bamboo-made firecrackers, once lit, will bloom in the night sky with colorful sparks, lighting up the winter night sky. This simple but creative approach, with its bursts of crackling horns and brilliant firelight, has become an important part of the jubilant atmosphere of the Spring Festival.
People are beginning to explore how to continue traditional culture in new forms, such as replacing traditional fireworks with electronic fireworks, or adopting more environmentally friendly ways to worship them.
This controversy may lead to a rethinking of cultural inheritance in society, ushering in a more diverse and inclusive cultural era. In the future, we hope that the Chinese can find a better way to balance the protection and development of traditional culture with the needs of the actual situation of modern cities, so as to better inherit and develop China's traditional culture.
This is a period of transition, a process of cultural adaptation to the new normal, as we witness the disappearance of some Xi customs and the search for new Xi customs that are more in harmony with modern life. In this process, everyone is a participant and a witness.
On the basis of respecting traditional culture, people advocate a more civilized and reasonable way of celebration, so that the celebration of the Spring Festival not only loses the traditional charm, but also meets the requirements of modern civilization.
The reduction in the burning of paper money and sacrifices has also contributed to the environmental transformation of festival Xi. More and more people are using biodegradable materials or digital means to express their remembrance and respect for their ancestors.
These practices demonstrate both respect for tradition and a sense of responsibility for the environment.
In addition to changes in Xi, the form of family gatherings during the Spring Festival is also quietly changing. With the help of technology, many wanderers who are unable to return home choose to participate in family gatherings through video calls, which cannot completely replace face-to-face communication, but to a certain extent, it makes up for the distance between family members.
Spring Festival, as a festival of family reunion, its core spirit has not changed due to changes in Xi. Family love and companionship are still the most precious part of the holiday celebration, and even if Xi have changed, the Spring Festival is still a bond between our hearts and minds, a time to convey love and blessings.
In the evolution of Spring Festival Xi, we should pay more attention to the maintenance of core values.
New ways to celebrate are constantly emerging
While traditional Xi practices fade away, new ways of celebrating have emerged. With the development of tourism, family outings during the Spring Festival have become a new trend, and family members have explored new places and cultures together, enhancing family exchanges.
In addition, family and community gatherings, various parent-child activities, theatrical performances, etc., have also become a new form for modern people to celebrate the Spring Festival. These new Xi customs, while retaining the spirit of traditional festivals, are closer to the lifestyles and interests of modern people, demonstrating the vitality and diversity of culture.
Reunion, blessing and celebration have always been the constant theme of the Spring Festival, and the new Xi and celebration methods are not a denial of tradition, but a reflection of cultural progress, which innovate in inheritance and inheritance in innovation, so that the Spring Festival always carries profound cultural connotations and emotional sustenance.
In the face of the interweaving of tradition and modernity, we need to find a balance and wisdom, only in this way can we better understand and cherish this cultural wealth that has been inherited for thousands of years in the context of the new era, and at the same time let it add innovative elements to the inheritance and glow with new brilliance.
In the midst of this change and adaptation, we see a more open and inclusive society. People are no longer constrained by established forms, but have found a new balance between tradition and innovation.
As a result, we can see the rebirth of traditional culture in modern society, and also foresee a future blueprint for the harmonious coexistence of cultural diversity and society.
epilogue
In short, the change of Spring Festival Xi is not only a cultural phenomenon, but also a profound reflection of the changes in modern society. In the face of the interweaving of tradition and modernity, what we need is a balance and wisdom, an attitude that both respects tradition and embraces innovation. Only in this way can we better understand and cherish this cultural wealth that has been inherited for thousands of years, and at the same time let it shine more brightly in the new era.
Information source: The official account of the Propaganda Department of the Wudu District Committee of the Communist Party of China, Longnan City
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