When did the "Chinese New Year" begin?
Legend source: ancient times
According to the popular story, the Chinese New Year is related to the big beast that ancient people were afraid of. In ancient farming culture, human beings are closely related to nature. Wild animals may go to the village's secret room when they are short of food in winter, so there is a legend that Nian animals eat children. It directly affects people's customs, such as burning torches and celebrating the New Year.
Direct source: Yin Shang.
The direct source of the Chinese New Year is the ancestor worship activities that began in the New Year. Since the beginning of farming society, our ancestors began to depend on the sky for food. The weather directly affects the harvest of the Spring Festival. Therefore, on the first day of the new year, when the Spring Festival comes, both the royal family and the common people will pray for the blessing of God and ancestors, hoping for a good weather and a bumper harvest in the coming year. Such a large-scale national sacrifice activity has become the embryonic form of the Spring Festival. Nowadays, many people burn incense and kowtow on New Year's Day, praying for the blessing of gods and ancestors.
Official Rise: Tang and Song Dynasties
The Spring Festival before the Tang and Song Dynasties was basically based on sacrificial activities, supplemented by activities to keep the old age and exorcise evil spirits, which was very different from the modern Spring Festival. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, the civic class has risen and urban entertainment activities have greatly increased. Spring Festival activities are not limited to offering sacrifices and exorcising evil spirits, but are beginning to become colorful. Gunpowder began to be used in recreational activities, and the custom of sticking Spring Festival couplets became popular. Strictly speaking, Spring Festival travel rush started from this time.
The Rise of Names: During the Republic of China
Although the Spring Festival in the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties gradually developed and improved, and its activities became more and more abundant, it was not called the Spring Festival at that time. The name "Spring Festival" was decided during the Republic of China. 19 14, the Ministry of Internal Affairs wrote to Yuan Shikai, "It is suggested that the Lunar New Year must be the Spring Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival as the summer festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival as the autumn festival, and the winter solstice as the winter festival." The Spring Festival couplets were approved by Yuan Shikai and have been used ever since.