Why do we have a year-end sacrifice in the twelfth lunar month?

Since ancient times, the custom of year-end sacrifice in the twelfth lunar month has been passed down from generation to generation. China New Year is an important moment for the handover of the old and the new. The ancients were in the winter leisure period in the twelfth lunar month, so they would have enough time to celebrate this important festival, which formed many traditional customs and passed down to this day.

In addition to drinking Laba porridge, the earlier the time is, the closer it is to New Year's Eve, and the more related activities there will be. Up to now, there are many influential high-level participants, such as welcoming in the cold, binge drinking, eating glutinous rice, eating rich food, catching a wedding, going to the market, sweeping the dust, putting up windows, taking a bath, giving the kitchen god a holiday and so on. Until New Year's Eve. It basically covers all aspects of food, clothing, housing and transportation, all to celebrate this year's harvest, comfort our ancestors, and pray for good weather, peace and prosperity in the coming year.

In ancient times, there was a saying that "stay cold and keep fire, and stay indoors for nothing". It is said that the weather is very cold in the cold season, so we should reduce outdoor activities to keep warm. The custom of welcoming the new year in the Great Cold is to hold a series of celebrations from the Great Cold to the Lunar New Year. After development and evolution, many activities are arranged more flexibly in time.

The custom of binge drinking was first seen in Cai Yong's Arbitrariness in the Eastern Han Dynasty: wax eaters, big sacrifices at the end of the year, and big banquets for officials. Because it's freezing and the harvest season at the end of the year, I got into the habit of drinking several times before the year. Today, we are the same. At the end of the year, I will attend various annual meetings, dinners and summary activities. When I am happy, I always have a few drinks.

Eating glutinous rice, as the name implies, is eating food made of glutinous rice. Glutinous rice is warm and nourishing, and has the function of warming stomach and strengthening spleen. At the same time, because of its high viscosity, it is the most important raw material for making sticky desserts, such as zongzi, rice cake, bazin, glutinous rice balls and fermented grains. These special foods, which have been passed down for thousands of years, are still popular today and even become the real flavor of the year in our memory.

The date of the tail tooth begins on the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month. The custom of eating lavishly at the tail originated from the merchants in ancient southern coastal areas, which can be regarded as the historical origin of the annual meeting. Today's annual meeting in Fujian is also called Tail Teeth. The employer will hold a tail tooth banquet on tail tooth day to reward employees who have worked hard for one year. At the same time, this day will also be a sacrifice to the father of the land. Later, it spread that people would have a good meal with the whole family on this day. Tail teeth should eat spring cakes, some areas in the south are called moist cakes, and it is also essential to cut chicken at the tail teeth banquet.

It is said that at the end of the year, all the gods will report to heaven. The common people think it is unnecessary to observe so many complicated etiquette and choose the date of marriage, so a custom has gradually formed: rushing to get married. This is similar to what we see today, the phenomenon of intensive blind date and getting married at the end of the year. At the end of the year, we are in a hurry to get married and divorce. It seems that it is not only bothering us today, but it has been like this since ancient times.