New Year's Day, January 1 of the Gregorian calendar, is commonly known as "New Year" in most countries in the world. Yuan means "beginning", and the beginning of any number is called "yuan"; Dan means "day"; "New Year's Day" means "the initial day". "New Year's Day" usually refers to the first day of the first month in the calendar.
The origin of New Year's Day
New Year's Day is said to have originated from Zhuan Xu, one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and has a history of more than 5,000 years.
Chinese New Year's Day has always referred to the first day of the first lunar month of the lunar calendar (lunar calendar, lunar calendar). The method of calculating the first day of the first lunar month was also very inconsistent before the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, the New Year's Day month and day in the past dynasties are not consistent. The lunar calendar of the Xia Dynasty took Meng Xi month (Yuan month) as the first month, the Yin calendar of the Shang dynasty took the twelfth month (December) as the first month, and the Zhou calendar of the Zhou dynasty took the winter month (November) as the first month. After Qin Shihuang unified China, he took Yangchun month (October) as the first month, that is, the first day of October as New Year's Day.
Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Meng Xiyue (January month) has been designated as the first month, and the first day of Meng Xiyue (the first day of the first lunar month in the lunar calendar) has been called New Year's Day, which was used until the end of the Qing Dynasty.
On January 13, 1912, Sun Yat-sen issued the "Order of the Provisional President on the Promulgation of Almanacs", instructing the Ministry of the Interior to compile and print a new almanac. Later, it was stipulated that January 1 of the Gregorian calendar (Gregorian calendar) is the "New Year", but it is not called "New Year's Day".
In January 1914, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of China government designated the New Year's Day of the lunar calendar as the Spring Festival. In celebration of this, the traditional Lunar New Year was officially renamed "Spring Festival", and the traditional "New Year's Day" and "New Year's Day" were officially renamed "Spring Festival". "The name was placed on January 1st of the Gregorian calendar.
On September 27, 1949, the First Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference resolved: "The Chinese People's Republic of China adopts the AD chronological calendar", which is what we call the Gregorian calendar. To distinguish between the two new years of the lunar calendar and the solar calendar, and because the "beginning of spring" in the 24 solar terms of the lunar calendar happens to be before and after the lunar new year, the first day of the first lunar month is renamed the "Spring Festival", and the first day of the first lunar month is designated as "New Year's Day" , So far, New Year's Day has become a happy holiday for people across the country.
Legends about New Year's Day
It is said that during the ancient times of Yao and Shun more than 4,000 years ago, Emperor Yao worked diligently on the people and did many good things for the people. He was very popular among the people. He loved him, but because his son was incompetent and incompetent, he did not pass the throne of "Emperor" to his son, but to Zhenmi Shun, who had both moral character and ability. Yao said to Shun: "You must pass on the throne well in the future, so that you can rest in peace after my death." Later, Shun passed the throne to Yu who had done great work in controlling floods. Yu also loved the people and did things for the people just like Shun. He has done many good deeds and is very loved by others. Later, people regarded the day when Emperor Shun offered sacrifices to heaven and earth and the late Emperor Yao as the beginning of the year after Yao's death, and the first day of the first lunar month was called "New Year's Day" or "Yuanzheng". This was the ancient New Year's Day.
Historical records
The word "New Year's Day" first appeared in "Book of Jin": "Emperor Zhuan took the first month of Mengxia as the Yuan Dynasty, which actually means the spring of New Year's Day."
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the poem "Jie Ya" written by Xiao Ziyun, a literary historian of the Southern Dynasties, recorded that "the four seasons have a new New Year's Day, and the Wanshou Early Spring Dynasty". There is a record in "Mengliang Lu" by Wu Zimu of the Song Dynasty: "The first day of the first lunar month is called New Year's Day, and it is also called New Year's Day. This is the first of the first of the year-old festivals."
Xin Lan, a poet of the Jin Dynasty, once wrote a poem titled "Yuanzheng": "On the Qingming Festival of the Yuanzheng period, Jiaqing began. The wine cup has been played for thousands of years, and the small Datong is full of joy." It describes the New Year's Day celebrations.
It is called "Yuan Zheng" in Cui Yuan's "San Zi Chai Ming" in the Han Dynasty, "Yuan Chen" in a fu in "Yang Du Fu" by Yu Chan in the Jin Dynasty, and "Yuan Hui Da Xiang" in the Northern Qi Dynasty. It is called "Yuan Chun" in the poem "Xia Ci of the Emperor of Songs", and "Yuan Shuo" is called "Yuan Shuo" in the poem "Yuan Day withdrew from the court to watch the army and return to camp" by Tang Dezong and Li Shi.
New Year’s Day customs in different countries
Giving broken cups and plates to friends
On New Year’s Eve, every Danish household collects the broken pieces of cups and plates. , secretly delivered to the door of a friend's house in the dead of night. On the morning of New Year's Day, if there are more debris piled up in front of someone's house, it means that his family has more friends and will be lucky in the New Year.
Women sit on the mayor's bench
West Germans celebrate New Year's Day by performing a comedy about women seizing power. Women in many places rushed into city halls in groups, broke into the mayor's office, and sat on the mayor's office chair, expressing their takeover of the mayor's power.
Smashing bottles and cans and throwing them into washbasins
In some places in Italy, it is very unsafe if you walk on the road at midnight on New Year’s Eve because people have to clear their houses at this time. Some broken bottles, jars, basins, etc. inside were thrown out and smashed to show the removal of the old and the welcome of the new.
Drink up the leftover wine to bring good luck
Before the arrival of the New Year, the French must drink up all the leftover wine at home, causing many people to become extremely drunk. They believe that if there is any leftover wine at home on New Year's Day, it will bring bad luck in the new year.
Eating grapes in the middle of the night
Spaniards gather their families together on New Year’s Eve. At 12 o'clock, people compete to eat grapes with the sound of the church bell. Every time the bell rings, one must eat one grape, and 12 must be eaten in a row, which means that the coming year will be smooth sailing.
In short, although the meaning of New Year's Day itself has changed with the development of history, it still plays a huge role.