The day passed quickly with laughter. The night is getting darker, and thousands of lights are beating in the winter night, reflecting the white snow, depicting the most beautiful night in the countryside. New Year's Eve is full of peace and mystery. In people's eyes, it seems like they can see a better tomorrow from here.
Before handing out papers, my father always tied the firecrackers to a big pole in advance, leaned against the corner and waited to be set off. Around ten o'clock, the surrounding villages began to distribute paper. The sound of firecrackers kept going off one after another, and the light of the fire illuminated the sky. At half past eleven, my father called us all out and started working. Some lit firecrackers and some lit a fire, while my mother was cooking in the house. The bonfire was lit and the sound of firecrackers rang through the night sky. The firelight reflected the red smiling faces. We were jumping, shouting and running around the fire. At that moment, we felt that we were the happiest people in the world.
On the night of thirty, we have New Year’s Eve dinner. The whole family sat together, eating, talking and having fun together. The dumplings eaten at this time are all stuffed with meat, and a coin is placed inside. If anyone eats it, it heralds good luck in the year. When I was a child, my brother once gave me a dumpling, and I ate and played with it. Everyone ate it enthusiastically, but the plate was all bottomed out and no coins were eaten. Finally, I found it under my little butt.
There is a saying of "keeping the New Year's Eve up" after the New Year's Eve dinner. It is said that "two years are divided into two years in one night, and two years are divided into five years." It is said that if you can stay up all night, your mind will be clear throughout the year. A few of our friends held lanterns, went out to play, and picked up firecrackers that had fallen on the ground in other people's yards. Some of them could be set off after we came back. Of course, if we get tired of playing, wherever we go, we will be entertained with delicious food and drinks.
Unforgettable New Year’s Eve always passes quickly. At dawn, the cheerful sound of gongs and drums rang out from the village. It turned out that the Yangko festival began to celebrate the New Year. People pay New Year greetings to each other and visit each other, and the whole village is boiling with the New Year atmosphere.
After many years, some past events have been forgotten, but the scenes of celebrating the New Year in childhood remain in my heart forever.
Lao She (February 3, 1899 - August 24, 1966), whose original name was Shu Qingchun, also had the pen names Jie Qing, Hong Lai, Fei Wo, etc., with the courtesy name She Yu. Because Lao She was born at the beginning of spring in the lunar calendar, his parents named him "Qingchun", which probably means celebrating the coming of spring and a bright future. After going to school, he changed his name to Shu Sheyu.