Chinese New Year
Han is generous
"Qianyuan starts to transport Sanyangtai, and the bucket handle returns to Yin Wanhu Spring", when the Beidou bucket handle points to the northeast, winter goes to spring, and another reincarnation is coming, and it is about to be the New Year. "Led by the 100th year", the Chinese New Year is undoubtedly the most important festival for the Chinese people.
In a narrow sense, the New Year refers to the two days and one night from the 30th day of the lunar month to the first day of the first lunar month; in the broad sense, the New Year should include all activities related to the New Year festival from the 23rd day of the lunar month to the second day of the second lunar month, which is often referred to as the "first month of the great new year", and the "new" is to mark the beginning of the new year. People call the first day of the first lunar month "New Year's Day". If you look at the word "dan," isn't it morning when a red sun rises over the horizon? Later, people extended it to mean daytime, and "New Year's Day" is the first day of the year. Xia takes Yinyue as the first year, which is our current first month; Shang takes Ziyue as the first year, and New Year's Day has become the first day of November now, but it is still called the first month at that time; Qin Chongshuide, with Haiyue as the first year, New Year's Day has been moved to the first day of October; Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty resumed the use of the summer calendar, and New Year's Day is still the first day of the first month of Yinyue, which is now the first day of the first month, until the fall of the Qing Dynasty. The establishment of the Republic of China, the use of the Gregorian calendar year, the first day of January in the solar calendar became the first year of the year, called "New Year's Day", and the first year of the summer calendar was renamed "Spring Festival". The People's Republic of China inherited the Republic of China calendar, and still called the first day of the first month of the solar calendar "New Year's Day" and the first day of the first month of the summer calendar as the "Spring Festival". However, in the hearts of the people, the solar calendar year is a "foreign calendar year", and it has nothing to do with the people. No matter what the name of the "public" is called, the first day of the first lunar month is still a New Year. On this day, no matter how far away people are, they have to do everything possible to rush home to "reunite with their families" and celebrate the beginning of the new year.
About the origin of "Nian", there is such a legend, there is a kind of fierce beast called "Nian", every year at the end of the year and the first handover of the year to run to the village to eat people, later people found that it is very afraid of red and loud sound, so before it arrives to paste red paper, wear red clothes, burn the fire, when he just came to set off firecrackers, beat gongs and drums, "Nian" was scared away by people like this, the year is like this, "Nian" no longer dare to come. This habit is inherited and becomes a custom, which is the New Year. After all, legends are just legends, and we can only listen to them. In fact, the Chinese New Year begins with the celebration of the harvest, and the word "year" in the oracle bone inscription is a person carrying a seedling dragging a long ear, and the same is true for the golden text, and some replace "people" with "soil", and write in small seals"
", added a short horizontal to the "people" under "He", and "people" became "thousands". After italification, it is written as "秊", the top is a "he", and the bottom is a "thousand", a thousand represents a lot, and there are many, many crops, isn't it a good harvest? Celebrate the harvest that has been obtained, and pray to the heavens for a good harvest in the future. Is there anything more important in an agrarian society than a good harvest? I think that's how the Chinese New Year should come about. As for the later italized writing as "year", it was just a change in the glyph when it was written.
Just after the twenty-third day of the lunar month, the preparations for the New Year of the Fugu people were fully rolled out. "On the twenty-third day of the lunar month, Grandpa Stove Horse went to the sky", the gods went to the sky to report to the Jade Emperor, there is no supervision of God in the world, there is no taboo, and there is no fear of offending the dignity of the gods anywhere, every day is an auspicious day. Sweep the house, remove dust, dirt and dirt, dust the beams, dig out the bottom of the cabinet, paint the walls, paste the flower windows, make the floor and the kang, wash the cabinets, wipe the lamp pot, mud stove, dig the stove bed, dig the toilet, sweep the courtyard, inside and outside the old cloth new. Prepare for eating and drinking, stir-fried tea and rice, raw bean sprouts, grinding tofu, sencha food, apricot tea, steamed flower buns, making yellow steamed buns, fried oil cakes, soup cake rings, fried yams, tofu, roast pork, removing mutton, boiling pig's head, boiling skin and jelly...... In short, everything you eat on Chinese New Year's Eve and New Year must be prepared to stop. Even the salted cabbage that I usually eat every day has to be washed, chopped and crumpled into a lot of eggs and frozen in a basket, so that it is convenient to eat in the New Year.
Asking for incense paper is the most pious part of the various procedures of the farmer's New Year, and there is a saying that "the village invites the incense paper, and the intermediary has all the same". Incense paper is a sacred object for worshipping the gods and sacrificing ancestors, and although it costs money, it cannot be called "buying", but "please". You can't bargain when you buy a stove, you can't bargain, you must "invite" you back in fear, and you can't put the incense, watches, and cannons used for worship, and the paper money used to worship your ancestors, and you can't just put them in an unclean place under your feet. Of course, the window grilles (window shadows) pasted on the windows, the red paper on which pairs were written, the New Year's pictures pasted on the walls, and the hospitality supplies such as cigarettes and alcohol were also bought by the way. Therefore, the bazaar in Layue is extraordinarily lively.
On the morning of the thirtieth day of the Chinese New Year's Eve (Xiaojin 29 is also called Chinese New Year's Eve), it is necessary to fish for "rice in the new year", fishing for two or three pots at a time, inserting a circle of red dates on the rice, fishing for a lot of you, and leaving a lot of leftovers, in the hope that there will be surplus grain every year, and the leftover food will be frozen, and it will be eaten slowly in the first month. After eating, the sun rose, and every household hung a lamp tower and pasted couplets, and many people pasted the couplets a few days ago. Some people have studied that the couplet comes from the peach charm, and Shen Tu and Yu Lei are two immortals who specialize in catching ghosts who have done bad things. At the beginning of each year, people write their names on peach boards and hang them on both sides of the door to prevent ghosts from invading, which is the peach charm. At the end of the Five Dynasties, Meng Chang, the lord of the Later Shu Kingdom, wrote down the couplet of "New Year's Yuqing, Festival No. Changchun" on a whim instead of the peach symbol, and gradually spread to the people, so the New Year's couplet became a unique folk custom in China. I remember when I was a child, my hometown of Hara Zhai silversmith "Tianshun Furnace" Lao Guo celebrated the New Year every year, and above the couplet at the door of the house, two small red stickers were written, "Shendi" on the left and "depressed" on the right. I don't know what it means, but when I saw the relevant books, I realized that this is the direct inheritance of the peach talisman. Farmhouse stickers couplets are everywhere, on the gate "Long Fei blessed land, tiger lying on the door of wealth", on the shrine of the earth god behind the gate, "the soil can give birth to white jade, the land can produce gold", "respect God is always there, pious and holy spirit", at the door, on the window frame, "Xiangyang Gate is always in the spring, and the good people are more than happy", "the days increase the years, people increase longevity, the spring is full of blessings", "one night is even two years old, five watches are divided into two years", on the bare beams, "look up and see joy", "gold and jade are full", the cattle pen "the trough is prosperous, the water and grass are safe", and the sheepfold "the big sheep is in the world, and the little lambs are increasing day by day" , grinding on the "green dragon blessing", "white tiger is auspicious", water urn, rice urn, charcoal pile, ox cart, horn, flower and fruit trees should be pasted with "endless rivers", "rice noodles like mountains", "thousands of miles a day", "fruitful" and other red posts written auspicious words, some people even on the chicken coop also pasted "roosters can call Ming, hens will lay eggs", of course, more auspicious words and phrases that should be in time for the scene. Everywhere is red and red, a festive scene. If it is a filial piety family, the couplet will use yellow or blue paper, and the content will also become "Keeping filial piety is difficult to return to the festival ceremony, thinking of relatives and exempting the peaceful year", "Keeping filial piety for three years will be exhausted, and thinking of relatives will never be endless", "Keeping filial piety does not know the red sun falling, thinking of relatives often looks at the white clouds flying", expressing a different mood. On the snow-white wall of the house, there are colorful New Year's paintings, and on the stove, the two princes of the stove are also pasted with red couplets such as "God says good things, return to the palace and descend auspicious", "red fire passes through the three worlds, and light smoke goes to the nine skies". Then, in the courtyard, a large or small fire cage was built with coals, the large one was three feet high, and the small one was five or six feet high. This is a technical job, and it takes an experienced adult to build it well, otherwise it will collapse in a short time, which is unlucky. Don't forget to press a "vigorous" red sticker on the fire cage. If there is a child who wears a lock on the fire cage at home, tie a lock, circle three times on the fire cage, put it on the child, and wear it to the fire cage three times, which is related to the safety of the child for a year, and it is a very serious matter, and no one dares to do it rashly. There is also a special focus on the fire cage: in the early years, the debt was not every other year, and the accounts had to be settled before the year, but when the debtor built the fire cage, the creditor could not come to the door to ask for the account. If the debtor does not consciously repay the debt, he has to wait until the Dragon Boat Festival to ask for it. In "The White-Haired Girl", Yang Bailao went out to hide the account and came back after dark on Chinese New Year's Eve, relying on this custom, but when Huang Shiren did not play cards according to the rules, it caused the tragedy of drinking brine and committing suicide. Of course, there is really no way to borrow a fire cage to avoid debts, and it is people's ideal to be debt-free and light, and to spend the New Year easily. The door, the door and the doors and windows of the vacant house are placed on both sides of a piece of "Zhaomen charcoal", also called "town gate charcoal", probably also to drive away evil and suppress evil, and the front of the charcoal block is also pasted with the word "ten" composed of red and green paper strips. Cake powder soup is usually eaten for lunch, and the cake is "high", and the cake is eaten during the New Year, and it rises every year. At the end of the meal, the men carry firewood, charcoal, burning paper, offerings, wine and other offerings to the grave with the unlocked children to the grave to pay respects to their ancestors, and also build a small fire cage on the edge of the cemetery, so that the dead ancestors can also celebrate the New Year in full prosperity like the world. The women began to prepare their meals for the evening. The man who comes back from the grave will not forget to fill the urn that has used some water, and the urn can not be dissatisfied with the New Year, which means that the wealth is prosperous and happy. At this point, water droplets can no longer be sprinkled on the ground at home to prevent sores in the coming year, so women are also careful to add water to the pot, for fear of committing a taboo. It was dark, and the lamp tower was lit, and the courtyard was bright. This lantern tower is at least until the seventh day of the first month, and some people have been until the fifteenth. In the evening, most people eat dumplings, and some eat steamed buns on three plates. People with children do not forget to wrap coins in several dumplings when making dumplings, which are called "Fu dumplings" to mobilize the joyful atmosphere during eating. In recent years, the specifications of the New Year's dinner have been upgraded, chicken, fish, and meat are served, and dumplings have become one of the dishes. You also have to mix a few plates of cold dishes, stir-fry a few hot dishes to drink, even if you don't usually drink alcohol, you have to drink a little less this night, and women and children are also allowed to drink a little, which is called a long time. After eating, set off a burst of firecrackers. In the early years, most of the people who didn't sleep this night to keep up the New Year, or the family played poker together, or listened to the grandparents talk about the "ancient scriptures" that they didn't know how many times, and the literate could also read novels all night. I was so tired that I couldn't do it, so I lay on the kang corner and squinted for a while. Housewives often have to make unfinished clothes and shoes for the dolls so that they can be worn before dawn. Now, most people fall asleep after watching the Spring Festival Gala, but the lights can't be turned off when people sleep. Before going to bed, a kitchen knife and a rolling stick with the knife edge facing outward should be placed at the door to fight off the invading ghosts and demons. In the countryside, there are also straw knives and bean rolling sticks at the gate, the gods are gone, the ghosts have no control, if there is no knife and staff to block, rush back to the yard, it is not fun. In the early hours of the morning, it's time to get up and start the fire cage, as soon as the door is opened, the louder it is, the more smoothly it marks the year, of course, this cannon also has the effect of deterring the hidden ghosts. After the fire cage was burning, the children also got up one after another, put on new clothes, double red cannons, red dates, garlic cloves, and atractylodes were strung with threads, wrapped in red cloth strips, sewn on the shoulders or armpits, and some also sewed a stack of hemp money of the same age at the other end of the shoulder, which were used to ward off evil spirits. In the early years, there were only marquees, double red cannons and firecrackers, but later, with more and more fireworks, the children were even happier. This burst was the most intense period of artillery sound on the entire Chinese New Year's Eve. Then, light incense to welcome the god and receive the god of wealth. The children pay New Year's greetings to their elders, and the elders want to give the children New Year's money. As soon as the morning dawned, there were people who acted early, and all the men, women, and children of all ages, and even called on cattle and donkeys and other livestock to go out into the wilderness (some people called this the god of joy), and in a short time, every family came out. Everyone burned incense, set off cannons, and when they returned, they picked up a few small stones and small sticks and went home to offer them to the God of Wealth, saying that they had picked up ingots. Neighbors greeted each other, and the host brought out cake rings, melon seeds, fruit candy, cigarettes, and tea to entertain each other. "New Year's greetings or not, first taste whether your cakes are sweet or not", a joke, harmonized the neighborhood and eliminated the unhappiness of the past. As soon as acquaintances meet, they say "It's a good New Year!" and they reply, "It's all a good New Year!" In the town, between the businesses and the firms to send New Year's greetings to the old customers, the words "Congratulations on the New Year, so-and-so bow" are written on the red paper. Although it was just a piece of paper, it was close to the heart, and the friendship was enhanced (it was still prevalent in the fifties, but it was not seen later). Some beggars also took a small wooden stick and a small piece of coal to "give money" to others in order to obtain much more rewards than usual. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, because it is the day of receiving the gods, many families eat vegetarian food: in the morning, apricot tea and rice, cake rings, yellow steamed buns or dried goods, and at noon, they eat fine stewed vegetarian vegetables and steamed buns. There are also those who eat meat: in the morning, they eat dumplings wrapped in the evening of 30 nights, and at noon, they eat roast pork and stewed vegetables and steamed buns. The elders of the family have to drink some wine on cold dishes in the morning and afternoon. From the thirtieth day of the lunar month to the first day of the first lunar month, we should not be angry, let alone quarrel, and children should not be naughty, and adults should not beat and scold. Wearing new clothes, eating well, having fun, having money at your disposal, and being able to do whatever you want without being angry, these two days are the happiest days of the year for naughty children.
On the first day of the new year, you can't move the broom for fear of sweeping away the wealth. The garbage swept up from the second to the fourth day of the junior high school cannot be taken out, and it can only be dumped on the garbage heap at the intersection when the poor daughter-in-law is "sent off" on the morning of the fifth day of the new year, and the mantra of "the poor daughter-in-law is poor, leave me early", and then do not turn back and go straight home. It is rumored that sending a poor daughter-in-law evolved from sending an "evil god". Jiang Ziya was a god, and Fei Zhong and You Hun's wives also came to ask for a position, Jiang Ziya scolded casually: "You two are really evil gods" So the two became "evil gods". This is where the people of Fugu call the garbage "evil". The seventh day of the first month is the day of the people, and the people of Fugu are called "people Qi'er" also called Xiaonian, and like the night of the Chinese New Year's Eve, they build fire cages, eat dumplings, set off cannons, and stay up for the year. From the second day of junior high school, daughters go to their parents' homes to pay New Year's greetings, and relatives greet each other and invite each other to dinner. People with many close relatives are in this kind of busyness of inviting relatives for half the New Year. In the early years, five to seven steamed buns were brought to the main family, but they could not return to the original, they had to be replaced with their own ones; later, they brought snacks and the like; in recent years, they have brought boxes of milk, drinks or other gift boxes. The main family should have good tea and good dinner, and give each other New Year's money to the children. In general, the meat eaten in a New Year accounts for half or more of the meat eaten in the whole year (this is also related to the lack of freezing conditions in the early years). Fifteen years ago, except for cooking, there was no work, and from fourteen to sixteen, many market towns had Lantern Festival, and they had to catch up with the meeting. After sixteen, it's time to do work, and there are taboos almost every day, "don't taboo eighteen, double black eyes are really blind", "don't taboo nineteen, ride a donkey and twist", people will really find some strange reasons as the basis for not working. "On the twenty-third day of the first month, the old donkey and the old horse do not saddle", and there is another big holiday. The twenty-fifth old town and several market towns met again, and they rushed to catch up again, and there was no day to do work in the first month. On the second day of February, I put up a small fire cage of "Zhaomen Charcoal" for a New Year, and collected the New Year's paintings that hung for a New Year's month and hung them again in the next year, and the etiquette of the New Year also ended here, and the year was over.