The sound of firecrackers bids farewell to the old year, fireworks welcome the New Year", in the blink of an eye, the Spring Festival is approaching, everyone will say "Happy New Year" to each other, as one of the traditional Chinese "four major festivals", the Spring Festival has always been the most festive and solemn festival. Compared with the first day of the new year, people pay more attention to Chinese New Year's Eve, because this day is the handover of the old and the new, farewell to the old and welcome the new, and it is also a day for a family to gather for a reunion dinner.
In ancient Chinese legends, there is a magical and mysterious monster called Xi. Legend has it that at the turn of the year between the old and the new, the Nightfall Beast will appear, bringing endless scourge and misfortune to its neighbors. However, the weakness of the Beast was also discovered, and the Beast was most afraid of the color of the flames and the loud noise. Legend has it that when the light of the fire hits the Beast, it panics and even quickly flees the scene.
So people began to exploit these weaknesses to guard against and expel the Nightbeasts. People decorate the doors and windows with red things, and the sunset beasts will stay away from it. Because red is the color of fire, firecrackers are also set off to make a loud noise to ward off the beasts. When the firecrackers rumble, the night beast will feel extreme fear and flee, so this day is named Chinese New Year's Eve.
For Chinese, the Chinese New Year's Eve Spring Festival has extraordinary significance, so from ancient times to the present has also left a lot of folk customs, today I will share with you the "6 major folk customs" and "6 taboos" of the Spring Festival, regardless of whether you have money or not, remember "6 do 6 do 6 do not do", the Year of the Dragon is auspicious.
First: In the New Year, we should paste Spring Festival couplets, blessing words, and window flowers
In traditional Chinese culture, sticking Spring Festival couplets, sticking blessing characters and pasting window flowers are important links in the customs of the New Year. Spring Festival couplets are written to express good wishes for the New Year. It is usually composed of couplets and horizontal batches, which are generally placed on the lintel to beautify the home environment and convey wishes for happiness and success in the coming year. Common Spring Festival couplets include "Blessing to the door, wealth is widespread", "Auspicious wishes, family happiness" and so on.
Next is the word "Fu", which represents good luck, happiness and auspiciousness. The word "blessing" is to pray for the happiness of the family and the smooth development of the career in the coming year. People will paste the word blessing on the door, window or conspicuous place, and some indoor cabinets and boxes will be pasted upside down, meaning "blessing has arrived".
Finally, there is the window grille, which is a decorative work of art made of materials such as paper or cloth. The family will design and make it before putting it on the window, and then stick it on the window. The patterns of window flowers are diverse, and the common ones are flowers, pagodas, blessing characters, etc., which imply auspiciousness and a better future. After the window grilles are pasted, you can see colorful patterns through the windows, bringing joy and beauty to people.
Second: the elders should give their children New Year's money
Giving children New Year's money can express the love and blessings of the elders for them. New Year is the most important traditional festival of the Chinese nation, and giving children New Year's money means the expectations and blessings of the elders for them. The New Year's money represents our wishes for the happiness, health and smooth growth of our children. While giving their children New Year's money, elders can attach words of encouragement to encourage them to achieve better results in the new year and achieve their dreams.
Secondly, giving children New Year's money can help them develop their financial management concepts and money management skills. Through the process of disposing of their own money, children can learn to understand the value of money and use the skills of money. If your child wants to buy a toy that they have been dreaming of for a long time, they can learn to save and plan for it with their own New Year's money. Through this process, they are able to exercise their ability to save and manage money, cultivate financial management concepts from an early age, and lay a solid foundation for future adult life.
Third: Have a reunion dinner together on Chinese New Year's Eve
Chinese New Year's Eve is our traditional family reunion night. The desire for reunion. Whether it is a young person who has just stepped into the society or a worker who is working hard away from home, they will do their best to return home and enjoy a reunion dinner with family and friends.
A reunion dinner means more of an emotional exchange and a connection between families. To make this meal a special experience, many families prepare a variety of dishes with great care. This is not only to satisfy the appetite, but more importantly, to convey the warmth and love of "home".
The table is filled with a variety of dishes, from puff pastry roast duck to garlic shrimp to fish head tofu soup, each dish is a passion prepared by family members. Skilled parents or virtuous wives pour all their hearts and minds into making the family eat happily and warmly, and convey the emotion of reunion to every taste bud.
Fourth: Chinese New Year's Eve should be celebrated together
Every year on Chinese New Year's Eve, thousands of homes are lit up and reunited, as if all the warmth and blessings gather on this day. In this traditional festival, which is extremely important for the Chinese, the observance of the New Year has become an indispensable custom. On Chinese New Year's Eve, relatives sit together, eat delicious food, chat about the latest situation, and spend Christmas Eve together.
The Chinese New Year's Eve vigil has a certain degree of exquisiteness. There are local customs, but no matter where you are, the New Year is a time for family and friends to reunite, and the whole family will sit together and celebrate Chinese New Year's Eve together. The first is to paste the couplet, the door and window are pasted with the words blessing, wealth, and spring on the red paper couplet, implying the new year, new atmosphere, and jubilant. Then there is the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, the dishes of the Chinese New Year's Eve rice are rich and diverse, representing auspicious wishes, good grains and other beautiful meanings, followed by the New Year's Eve to Chinese New Year's Eve, accompanied by joyful singing and dancing, the sound of firecrackers, the family has been keeping watch until the bell strikes midnight, at which time everyone will distribute firecrackers together to celebrate the arrival of the New Year.
Fifth: On the first day of the Lunar New Year, welcome the temple fair, dragon and lion dances, twist Yangge and step on stilts
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, it is the beginning of another year, and people have come out of their homes to the lively temple fair to feel the strong festival atmosphere. The lively scene at the temple fair makes people feel happy and becomes an essential part of the New Year.
At the temple fair, the most eye-catching thing is the dragon and lion dance. The dragon dance is one of the treasures of Chinese folk art. The Dragon Dance originated as a ritual in ancient times and has become a very popular folk performance. When the dragon dance team walked into the temple fair, the figure of the dragon dance swayed, like a real dragon descending into the world, attracting countless onlookers. Lion dance is a folk dance formed by people wearing lion costumes and imitating the movements and expressions of lions. The lion dance has different forms, smart and lively, conveying the meaning of reunion and good luck.
Twisting Yangge is one of the traditional dances to celebrate the Spring Festival, which reached its peak during the Song Dynasty. When the music plays, people hold hands, form a circle, and twist their bodies to a cheerful rhythm. Twisting Yangge can not only stretch the limbs and enhance physical fitness, but also a way to enhance social communication, making the temple fair more lively and joyful.
Stilt walking is a characteristic performance at the temple fair, and it is also a very challenging sport. The stilts consist of two bamboo poles and a sturdy footboard. When stepping on stilts, people wear bright costumes and perform various difficult movements with great energy, attracting the attention and cheers of many audiences.
In addition to dragon and lion dances, Yangge twisting and stilt walking, there are also a variety of stalls at the temple fair. One can taste a variety of delicacies such as dumplings, glutinous rice balls, sugar gourds, etc. There are also a variety of small goods and handicrafts that you can buy and take home. At the temple fair, people can enjoy the food to their heart's content, and at the same time, they can also feel the cultural customs from different places.
Sixth: On the first day of the Lunar New Year, relatives and friends, neighbors and colleagues, and neighbors greet each other
New Year's greetings are not only a traditional social etiquette, but also a way to express one's heart and convey emotions. New Year's greetings between friends and relatives are a way to express family affection and friendship. We can take this opportunity to greet our elders, share joy with our friends, and communicate with our relatives. Whether it's a homely greeting or a chat or a joke, it can enhance the relationship between each other.
New Year's greetings with neighbours and colleagues not only deepen the relationship between them, but also promote neighbourly harmony and unity among colleagues. Through New Year's greetings, we can learn about the lives of our neighbors, care for their needs, and send them blessings and good luck. The New Year's greetings between colleagues show the cohesion of the team and the spirit of mutual help.
Neighbors greeting each other is a major feature of traditional Chinese culture. Everyone visited each other in the streets and alleys, conveying warmth and happiness. The countryside with a strong New Year's flavor and the endless stream of people's New Year's greeting convoys all give people a deep sense of home. Through New Year's greetings, we regained the long-lost emotion, strengthened the cohesion of the community, and injected vitality and festive atmosphere into the whole society.
After talking about these folk customs during the Spring Festival, I believe many friends already know, but many young people don't know that there are still some taboos in the Spring Festival.
Six taboos for the Spring Festival!
First, you can't cut your hair. Cutting your hair during the Chinese New Year is seen as a blessing to cut yourself, so we need to avoid cutting our hair and keep our good fortune and let the joy come together.
Second, you can't buy shoes. Buying shoes is a homonym for "evil" in Chinese characters, so it is believed to bring bad luck. And the Spring Festival is a time for us to look forward to a better future, so we should stay away from this unfavorable symbol.
Third, don't use worn-out dishes. Worn dishes symbolize poverty and hardship, so we need to prepare beautiful and clean cutlery for our families on the occasion of the New Year to show a beautiful vision of family prosperity.
Fourth, don't say bad things. The arrival of the new year is full of hope and joy, and we should be full of positive energy dialogue, express blessings, encouragement and gratitude in beautiful words, and create a warm and peaceful atmosphere.
Fifth, don't fight. During the Spring Festival, let us stay away from quarrels and hurts, and aim to live in harmony. Family reunion is a moment we are looking forward to together, and we should cherish this warmth, let the family relationship run in with each other, and bring more harmony to the coming year.
Sixth, don't ask for debts. The Spring Festival is a time for us to reap the rewards for our efforts and efforts in the past year, and we must put aside disputes and controversies in exchange for more joy and happiness, and welcome a new beginning with a happy mood.
The existence of taboos is not superstition, but a part of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation. Whether we personally believe it or not, these traditions and customs should be respected and protected, as they represent our cultural heritage and also demonstrate our grace and wisdom.
The Spring Festival is less than a month away, what are the traditional customs and particulars you have, don't forget to share and communicate, celebrate the Spring Festival together, and pray for blessings and auspiciousness. Finally, I wish you all a prosperous Year of the Dragon and all success.