Why is there such a big difference between the customs of New Year in the north and the south?

The North-South differences in China's New Year customs are caused by many factors such as geography, climate, history, nationality and culture.

First of all, the geographical and climatic differences are one of the important reasons for the differences in Chinese New Year customs between the north and the south. The climate in the south is warm and humid, with abundant crops. Therefore, southerners often have activities such as painting door gods, setting off firecrackers and posting Spring Festival couplets during the Spring Festival, as shown in the following figure:

The climate in the north is cold and dry, with less crops. Therefore, northerners pay more attention to offering sacrifices to their ancestors and praying for a bumper harvest in the coming year, as shown in the following figure:

Secondly, historical and ethnic factors also have an impact on the Chinese New Year customs in the north and south. Historically, southern China has been influenced by foreign cultures, such as Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. So there are often dragon and lion dances and lanterns in the south during the Spring Festival, as shown in the following figure:

The northern region is dominated by Chinese culture, so the northern region pays more attention to celebration and reunion during the Chinese New Year, as shown in the following figure:

In addition, the customs of the north and the south are different. Most southerners celebrate the New Year in a warm and lively way and attach importance to family reunion, as shown in the following figure:

Northerners, on the other hand, pay more attention to hot kang and cooking stoves, and eat traditional foods such as jiaozi and bacon during the New Year, as shown in the following figure:

To sum up, the differences in Chinese New Year customs between the north and the south are due to the comprehensive influence of geography, climate, history, nationality and culture. These differences enrich the cultural diversity of China, and also make the New Year in the north and south have a unique charm.