Folk customs of the Spring Festival.
The 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month, also known as "off-year", is the day when people worship the kitchen. The folk song "Twenty-three, Melon Stick" refers to the sacrificial stove on the 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month every year. There is a saying that "officials, three people, four boatmen and five", that is, on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the government held a sacrifice to the kitchen, on the 24th, the general public, and on the 25th, the boat was built. Off-year is the beginning and foreshadowing of the whole Spring Festival celebration, and there are two main activities: sweeping the New Year and offering sacrifices to stoves. In addition, there is the custom of eating stove candy. In some places, we also eat fire, sugar cakes, oil cakes and tofu soup. Traditional customs: offering sacrifices to stoves, steaming steamed buns, writing Spring Festival couplets, eating candy from stoves and sweeping dust.
The night on the last day of the twelfth lunar month, that is, the last day of the lunar year (30 days old and 29 days old) is called "New Year's Eve". It is connected with the Spring Festival (the first day of the first month), which is the day when people bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. Because the big moon has 30 days and the small moon has only 29 days, the date of New Year's Eve is different. But this day, whether it is 29 or 30, is customarily called "New Year's Eve". On New Year's Eve, the whole family get together for dinner. After New Year's Eve, there is a custom of giving lucky money and staying up all night. During the Zhou and Qin Dynasties, an exorcism ceremony was held in the palace at the end of each year to beat drums to exorcise the ghosts of plague, which was called "exile", and later it was called "small exile" on the day before New Year's Eve. New Year's Eve is New Year's Eve, that is, New Year's Eve. Traditional customs: set a table in heaven and earth, eat New Year's Eve, watch the Spring Festival Gala, receive gods, step on gods and receive the God of Wealth.
Customs and habits of the Spring Festival
The first day of the first month was originally called "New Year's Day", and the original meaning of "yuan" was "head" and later extended to "start". This day is the first day of the year, the first day of spring and the first day of the first month, so it is called "Sanyuan". Because this day is still the old dynasty, the moon dynasty and the Japanese dynasty, it is also called the "three dynasties"; Because it is the first Shuori, it is also called Yuanshuo. On the first day of the first month, there are other nicknames, such as Shangri-La, Zheng Chao, Sanshuo and Shisan, which means the beginning of a year, January and a day.
Opening firecrackers: On the morning of the Spring Festival, when opening the door, firecrackers are set off first, which is called "opening firecrackers". After the firecrackers, the ground is broken red, which is the so-called "full house". At this time, the streets are full of anger and joy.
Happy New Year: On the first day of the new year, men get up early. Later, some elites and literati congratulated each other with famous cards, thus developing the later "New Year cards". When paying New Year greetings during the Spring Festival, the younger generation should first pay New Year greetings to their elders and wish them health and longevity. The elders can distribute the lucky money prepared in advance to the younger generation. It is said that lucky money can kill evil spirits, because "old" and "special" are homophonic, and the younger generation can spend a year safely with lucky money. There are two kinds of lucky money, one is to put colored rope in the shape of Jackie Chan at the foot of the bed, which was recorded in Yanjing year; The other is the most common, that is, parents wrap the money distributed to their children in red paper. Lucky money can be given in public after the younger generation pays New Year's greetings, or it can be secretly put under the child's pillow by parents when the child falls asleep on New Year's Eve.
Occupation year: In the past, the people occupied this year, and the weather was fine in the first few days of the new government. Its theory began in Dong Fangshuo's "Year", which means that eight days after the year, one day is chicken day, two days are dogs, three days are pigs, four days are sheep, five days are cows, six days are horses, seven days are people and eight days are valleys. If it is sunny, things that belong to it will breed, and if it is cloudy, the days that belong to it will not last long. Later generations follow their habits and think that the weather is sunny from the first day to the tenth day, and there is no wind or snow for good luck. Later generations developed from the occupation era to a series of sacrifices and celebrations.
Drink Tu Su wine: Tu Su wine is a medicinal liquor. In the ancient custom, the whole family drank Tu Su wine on January Day to eliminate unhealthy tendencies. Tu Su wine is made by hanging rhubarb, platycodon grandiflorum, Zanthoxylum bungeanum, Cinnamomum cassia, Cornus officinalis and Saposhnikovia divaricata in a well, picking them at the end of Yuan Dynasty and cooking them with the wine for four or five times. In ancient times, Tu Su wine was drunk in a unique way. Most people drink alcohol, always starting from the elderly; But drinking Tu Su wine is just the opposite, starting with the smallest. Perhaps young people grow up day by day, drinking first to congratulate them, and old people drinking late to retain them. Su Zhe, a writer in the Song Dynasty, wrote in his poem "In addition to Japan" that "it has been more than 70 years since Tu Su drank the last drink every year", which is a custom. In ancient times, this unique drinking order often caused people to have various emotions, so it left a deep impression on people.
Jucai: It is said that the first day of the first month is broom's birthday. You can't use a broom on this day, otherwise it will sweep away luck, ruin money, and bring "broom stars" and bring bad luck. If you must sweep the floor, you must sweep it from the outside to the inside. Don't throw water on the garbage on this day, for fear of breaking the money. In many places, cleaning on New Year's Eve is still a custom. Don't put a broom or take out the garbage on New Year's Day. Prepare a large barrel of waste water to avoid splashing outside that day.
On the second day of the first month (the third day of the first month in northern China), the married daughter goes back to her parents' home to celebrate the New Year with her husband and children. When the daughters go back to their parents' home, there will be a big bag of biscuits and sweets distributed by their mothers to their neighbors, just like the scene of the New Year. If there are many daughters at home, and these daughters don't return on the same day, they will be given one, and the gift is quite thin, with only four biscuits. However, it. When the girl goes home, if there is a nephew at home, menstruation has to pay again. Although she gave lucky money on New Year's Day, this time it had a different meaning. This custom is called "eating midnight snack" by Chaoshan people. As the name implies, it's just lunch, and the daughter must get back to her husband's house before dinner.
Sacrifice to the God of Wealth (North): In the north, the God of Wealth is sacrificed on the second day of the first month. On this day, both commercial shops and ordinary families will hold activities to worship the god of wealth. Families offered sacrifices to the God of Wealth who arrived on New Year's Eve. In fact, the bought rough printed matter was incinerated. I want to eat wonton at noon this day, commonly known as "Yuanbao soup". Fish and mutton were used as sacrifices. On this day, big businesses in old Beijing will hold large-scale sacrificial activities, with "five sacrifices", that is, whole pig, whole sheep, whole chicken, whole duck and red live carp.
The third day of the first month is the day when Nu Wa herded sheep, so it is called "Sheep Day". On this day, people cannot kill sheep. If the weather is good, it means that sheep will be raised well and sheep farmers will have a good harvest this year.
Burning door-keeper paper: In the old days, pine and cypress branches were burned together with door-keeper stationery hung on festivals on the third day to show that the New Year had passed and it was time to start business. As the saying goes, "if you burn the janitor's paper, one will seek physiology."
Xiaomi's birthday: People think that the third day of the first month is Xiaomi's birthday. On this day, people hope to sacrifice and pray for the new year, and do not eat rice.
Small-year dynasty: that is, Tianqing Festival. The court festival in the Song Dynasty, the first year of Song Zhenzong Dazhong Xiangfu, was spread all over the world because of the gobbledygook, so Zhenzong issued an imperial edict, which designated the third day of the first month as Tianqing Festival, and officials and others had five days off. Later, it was called Xiaonian Dynasty, which did not sweep the floor, beg for fire or draw water, just like the old dynasty.
Sticking "red mouth": In the south of China, it is necessary to stick "red mouth" (forbidden mouth) on the morning of New Year's Eve. I think this day is easy to quarrel and not suitable for New Year's greetings. The so-called "red mouth" is usually a red note about seven or eight inches long and one inch wide, on which are written some words of peace and good luck (format: "On the third day of the first month of 1994, the front door of the gods should be nailed down, and every man and woman who steals Mars will be rewarded"). One is posted on the top of the front and back doors, and the other is picked out and thrown out on the garbage. These rubbish are all piled up on the second day of the first grade, and they should be cleaned up and dumped together by the third grade. Otherwise, it is equivalent to the outflow of gold and silver at home. In a word, sticking a "red mouth" is to make people feel that they can go in and out safely all year round, will not quarrel with others, and will not encounter all kinds of unfortunate disasters, and make more money at home and all the best.
"Send the Year": Generally, a ceremony is held at night to send the gods and ancestors back to heaven.
January 4th, also known as "Sheep Day", is a traditional festival in China. In the old calendar, it is often said that "three sheep (yang) open Thailand" is a symbol of good luck and a day to welcome the kitchen god back to the people. On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the whole family ate a hodgepodge of leftovers for a few days and packed up the new year's goods. Clean the room and put the garbage in one place. In the north, some rural customs are that on the fourth day of the fourth lunar month, Vulcan is tied, corn stalks or wheat stalks are tied to sticks, and then they are lit and sent to the river from their own homes, indicating that there is no fire at home for a year.
There is a folk custom of eating jiaozi, which means to make money and cherish it. According to the old habit of eating "dumplings" once every five days (called "boiled cakes" in the north), some people only eat them for three or two days, and some eat them every other day. However, there is nothing you can't eat. In ancient times, this was true from the royal residence to the small houses in the streets and even entertaining guests. Women no longer taboo, began to visit each other and congratulate each other. Newly married women go home on this day. Many taboos can be broken after folklore tells them on this day. It is said that it is inappropriate to do things on the day of breaking the five-year plan. In addition to the above taboos, the custom of breaking Mayday is mainly to send the poor, welcome the god of wealth and open the market for trading.
The sixth day of the first month
The sixth day of the first month, commonly known as "Horse Day", is the day to "send the poor". Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the traditional view is that the first day of the first month is rooster day, the second day is dog day, the third day is pig day, the fourth day is sheep day, the fifth day is ox day, the sixth day is horse day and the seventh day is human day. Legend has it that this is because when Nu Wa created everything, she created six animals first and then people, so the first day to the sixth day is the day of six animals. There are different ways to send the poor to all parts of China. But the moral is basically the same, they all send away the poor. It reflects the traditional psychology that Chinese people generally hope to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new in the new year, bid farewell to the old poverty and hardships, and welcome a better life.
The seventh day of the first month
The seventh day of the first month is People's Day, also called People's Victory Day, People's Celebration Day, Population Day and People's Seventh Day. Legend has it that Nu Wa created chickens, dogs, pigs, cows, horses and other animals at the beginning of creation, and then created people on the seventh day, so this day is the birthday of mankind. Some people began to observe daily customs in the Han dynasty, and they began to pay attention to it after the Wei and Jin Dynasties. In ancient times, people had the custom of "men winning". Men's victory is a headdress, also called Cai Sheng and Watson. Since the Jin Dynasty, people cut the ribbon for flowers, cut the ribbon for people, or carved gold foil for people to hang a screen and wear it in their hair. In addition, there is the custom of climbing high and writing poems. After the Tang Dynasty, more attention was paid to this festival. Every day, the emperor gave his ministers colorful victories and boarded a grand banquet. If the weather is fine on the seventh day of the first month, the population will be safe and smooth in the first year.
The eighth day of the first month
Legend has it that the eighth day is Xiaomi's birthday. If it's sunny this day, there will be a bumper harvest of rice this year. If it's cloudy, it's a sorry year. Shunxing: Shunxing is also called sacrificial star. On the eighth night of the first month, no matter whether people go to the temple to burn incense to worship the star king (Shunxing), every household will hold a ceremony to worship Shunxing after the stars appear in the sky. When offering sacrifices to heaven, put a "golden lamp" (yellow snuff) on the desk, stove, threshold and pot. And lit it, called "snuff", meaning to avoid evil. After the sacrifice of the stars, the whole family got together for the Lantern Festival. Release and pray: On the eighth day of the first month, there is a "release" activity, that is, some fish and birds raised at home are taken outside and released into the wild. In the Ming Dynasty, Liu Dong recorded in The Scenery of the Imperial Capital: "On the eighth day of the first month, birds, fish and shrimps in pots, snails and mussels were released. Luo tang qian, monks speak Sanskrit, thousands of people look at each other, and feathers are flying in the air. Evil falls on the house, but when they move, they leave. Water and the like are thrown into the net of the Jinshui River in the imperial city. The release on the eighth day of the eighth lunar month not only embodies the ancient people's morality of respecting nature and living in harmony, but also expresses people's good wishes for the prosperity of all things in the world at the beginning of the new year.
Early September
The ninth day of the first month is heaven. According to legend, this day is the birthday of the jade emperor, the tallest god in the sky, commonly known as "born in heaven". Heaven is the Jade Emperor, and Taoism calls it the "Yuan God", which is the highest god who dominates the universe. He is the supreme god who commands all the gods in the three realms and all the spirits on the earth, and represents the supreme "heaven". The main customs are offering sacrifices to the jade emperor and offering sacrifices to heaven through Taoist temples. In some places, women prepare incense sticks and bowls in the open air at the entrance of patio lane to worship heaven and pray for God's blessing.
The tenth day of the first month
Ten, homophonic "stone", so the tenth day is the birthday of stone. On this day, all stone tools such as grinding and grinding can't be moved, and even sacrifices are set up to enjoy the stones, for fear of hurting crops. Also known as "stone does not move" and "ten does not move". Henan custom: On this day, every household pays tribute and burns incense on stones. You must eat steamed stuffed buns for lunch, thinking that you can make a fortune within one year after eating cake. In Yuncheng, Shandong and other places, there is a move to lift the stone god. At the beginning of Kuya, people frozen a crock on a smooth stone. On the morning of 10, the jar nose was tied with a rope, and 10 boys took turns lifting the crock. If the stone does not fall to the ground, it indicates a bumper harvest that year.
Eleventh day of the first month
"Son-in-law's Day" is the day when father-in-law fetes his son-in-law. On the ninth day, there was a lot of leftover food to celebrate the "heavenly descent", except for one day on the tenth day, so the bride's family didn't have to spend any more money, so they used the leftover food to entertain their son-in-law and daughter. The folk song is called "Eleven Husbands".
The twelfth day of the first month
Twelve light sheds: From now on, people begin to prepare for the Lantern Festival, buy lanterns and build light sheds. There is a nursery rhyme that says, "Eleven people clamor, twelve people build a light shed, thirteen people turn on the lights, fourteen lights are on, fifteen lines and a half months, and sixteen people finish the lights."
The thirteenth day of the first month
In the old society of Nantong, lights were turned on on the thirteenth day of the first month and turned off on the eighteenth day of the first month. There was a saying that "thirteen or four gods look at the lights, fifteen or six people look at the lights, and seventeen or eight ghosts look at the lights".
The fourteenth day of the first month
The fourteenth day of the first lunar month is the fourteenth day of the first lunar month. As one of the traditional lunar festivals in China, the activities of the Han people on this day include drinking bright-eyed soup, trying lanterns, eating bad soup and worshiping the goddess beside the water. On this day, 2008 has basically passed, followed by the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month. After the Lantern Festival, 2008 has come to an end.
On the fifteenth night of the first lunar month; Lantern Festival; night of the 15th of the first lunar month；Lantern Festival；yuanxiao
Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, also known as Lantern Festival, Shangyuan Festival, Xiao Yuan Festival, Yuanxi Festival or Lantern Festival, is the first important festival after the Spring Festival, and it is also one of the traditional festivals of Chinese and overseas Chinese in the Chinese character cultural circle. The first month is the first month of the lunar calendar. The ancients called the night "night", so the fifteenth day of the first full moon in a year was called the Lantern Festival.
The festival customs of Lantern Festival are very distinctive. Festivals and custom activities also extend and expand with the development of history. As far as the length of festivals is concerned, there is only one day in Han Dynasty, three days in Tang Dynasty and five days in Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, the Lantern Festival lasted from the eighth day to the seventeenth night of the first month. Ten whole days. It is a city during the day, which is very lively; It's spectacular to light the lights at night. Especially the exquisite and colorful lights make it the climax of entertainment activities during the New Year.
-Excerpted from the Internet