The Spring Festival is the most important traditional folk festival in my country. No matter its grand etiquette, rich activities, rich cultural connotation and huge influence, it is unmatched by other traditional festivals. Now let me briefly introduce the traditional customs of the Spring Festival, let’s learn about them together. 1. Paste Spring Festival couplets
Spring Festival couplets, also called couplets, are an essential custom element during the New Year. Every Spring Festival, whether in the city or in the countryside, it is indispensable to post Spring Festival couplets, which means saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new. Of course, as early as ancient times, the original way of posting Spring Festival couplets was not what we see today. Spring couplets evolved from peach charms. At that time, instead of Spring Festival couplets, people posted two rectangular peach boards on their doors, which were called peach charms. Their purpose was to ward off ghosts and ward off evil spirits. It is said that writing couplets on peach charms began with Meng Chang, the monarch of Shu during the Five Dynasties. After the Ming Dynasty, it gradually became "Spring Couplets".
Nowadays, every year in the twelfth lunar month, writing Spring Festival couplets begins quietly. At this time, it was time for the talented people who were good at calligraphy to show off their skills. With a wave of their hands, the black characters on the red paper gradually appeared, either vigorously and powerfully, or dignified and beautiful. People who write Spring Festival couplets can make a little money by relying on their good calligraphy, and people who buy Spring Festival couplets can also be happy with their purchases. Spring couplets can be said to be a great folk calligraphy exhibition. Every New Year's Eve, every household in the streets and alleys posts Spring couplets. The red paper adds to the festive atmosphere and makes it full of joy. 2. Staying up late on New Year's Eve
Walking up on New Year's Eve is also called "staying up for the New Year". In folk activities, it is called keeping up the fire. Every New Year's Eve, every household will light up the lights all night long. It is said that this can make the home fuller and richer. In addition, some areas also have the custom of staying up all night. On New Year's Eve, the whole family gathers together to have a reunion dinner, send blessings to each other, and sit around the fire to chat, which means reunion and harmony. Let's keep vigil together, hoping that all evil plagues will be driven away.
The New Year's Eve vigil is the most important annual customary activity in the traditional Chinese Spring Festival. On the night of New Year's Eve, all the young and old in the family gather together to celebrate the festival and enjoy the joy of the whole family. Staying up late on New Year's Eve has a history of thousands of years. In ancient times, staying up late had two meanings: older people staying up late meant "saying goodbye to the old year" and meant cherishing time; young people staying up late meant keeping their parents safe and extending their lives. mean. 3. Sweeping dust
In rural areas, on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, the whole family will clean the house together. The whole family will clean the entire house inside and out to welcome the New Year. . I still remember that when I was a child, I would clean the house with the adults. I would feel very happy at that time because I knew the New Year was coming. According to "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals", as early as the Yao and Shun eras, my country already had the custom of sweeping dust during the Spring Festival. Because "dust" and "chen" are homophonic, sweeping dust in the New Year has given a new meaning, which means "removing the old and spreading the new", hoping to sweep away all bad luck and bad luck. 4. Cut and paste window grilles
In ancient times, window grilles were not bought, but cut by ingenious people. When the scissors are moved, various animals and plants come to life. The window decorations mostly include magpies climbing plum blossoms, deer, cranes, tung chun (six years together with spring), five bats (blessing) holding longevity, lotus (continuous) with fish (remaining) in the year, mandarin ducks playing in the water, The theme is the Hehe Erxian and other auspicious patterns. ...post all the best wishes for the year on the window. Although few people can cut window grilles by themselves nowadays, the custom of sticking window grilles still remains. Folks often stick red window grilles on newly cleaned houses to add joy, in order to decorate the environment and enhance the atmosphere. It expresses the wish to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and to receive good fortune and good fortune. 5. Sacrifice to the Kitchen
On Xiaonian, it is a day for folk to worship the Kitchen in the traditional sense. People will not only place sugar melons, cakes, etc. on the table in front of the statue of the Kitchen God, but also put the old Kitchen God The portrait was replaced and a new portrait of the Stove King was "invited" from every household.
It is said that the Stove Lord was originally a commoner named Zhang Sheng. After marrying his wife, he spent all his time living in debauchery, ruined his family fortune and was reduced to begging on the streets. One day, he went to his ex-wife Guo Dingxiang's house to beg for money. He was so ashamed that he dove under the stove and burned himself to death.
After the Jade Emperor found out, he thought that Zhang Sheng could change his mind and was not bad enough. Since he died at the bottom of the pot, he named him the Kitchen King. He would report to heaven on the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month every year, and return to the stove on New Year's Eve. . The common people felt that the Stove King must be respected because he had to report to heaven. As a result, people began to worship the stove on the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month as a "little year" to pray for peace and wealth in the coming year.
The above are the Spring Festival customs that I know. Friends, what else do you know?