What are the customs and traditions of New Year in Hunan

The customs and traditions of Chenzhou City, Hunan Province

The Chinese New Year

The Spring Festival, also known as the New Year's Day, is the oldest and grandest traditional festival of Chinese folklore. For a long time, unique Chinese New Year customs have been formed on this piece of land in Chenzhou.

Ceremony of Zaozao, also called the New Year, is the prelude to the Spring Festival. According to legend, the Jade Emperor sends Master Zao to the earth to audit good and evil, and on the 24th day of the lunar month, Master Zao goes up to the sky to return the message, so the good men and women will put a pair of "good things in heaven, and peace on earth" in front of the shrine of "Zao Wangfu Jun", burn incense with candles, and pray sincerely for the coming year. The Chinese New Year is a time of happiness and good fortune for all. After this day, the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival is getting thicker and thicker, and families are almost fully engaged in the purchase of new year's goods, killing pigs and slaughtering sheep and other preparations for the New Year.

The new year is coming, people like to put on the door of the Spring Festival couplets and door god, thousands of households a new look. Spring Festival couplets, county people called "pairs", more books of blessings, to express people welcome the new year, yearning for a happy life of good wishes. Folk couplet creation, produced many strange ideas of brilliance, loved by the masses. Door gods, mostly Zhong Kui, Yuchigong and other mythical characters, are used to drive away evil spirits and avoid harm. Big red pairs and colorful door god, like bright and colorful flowers, for the festival has brought a strong festive atmosphere.

On New Year's Eve, after sacrificing to the ancestors, the whole family eats a "reunion dinner". This New Year's Eve dinner, especially sumptuous, chicken, duck, fish and meat, all kinds of, especially fish, because of sending "year after year" meaning, is an indispensable dish on the table. New Year's Eve, folk custom of the New Year's Eve, people stay up all night, the whole family sits down, eat sweets, talk about the old and the new, and have a good time. On this night, parents also want to give children's pockets stuffed with some pocket money, known as the "New Year's Eve money". Elderly people are invited to drink wine for fun, children like to play fireworks, and literati often get together to write poems and essays to eliminate the long night.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the rooster crows, the first thing to open the door is to set off firecrackers, which is called "open the door to wealth". The sound of firecrackers in the streets and alleys, one after another, resonating through the night. Exquisite firecrackers all tied with red paper, after burning, red confetti covering the sky, known as the full red, is also to take its auspicious meaning. After the firecrackers, sacrificed to heaven and earth ancestors, had breakfast, went to the village family home to pay New Year's Eve. Meet elders or peers young and old, meet at every turn to wish "good new year", "congratulations on wealth", "everything goes well" and so on auspicious words, the entrance to the mouth said "! New Year's greetings"! In the old days, a little poor children of the family, then in groups of three to five, rows of door to door and enter, said:

Fa Cai Fa in the end, to discuss some New Year's rice;

New Year's fortune, silver everywhere.

The host will send rice or grains a spoon, this is called amplification of auspicious. To the second day, began to go out of the village to pay homage to the New Year. Generally first to the in-laws, grandparents, and then in turn to visit friends and relatives, mutual gifts, *** drink wine to celebrate the new year. Seniors and elders to pay tribute to the New Year, shall set off firecrackers, only men go out to pay tribute to the New Year in the first month, women are taboo to go out to pay tribute to the New Year, married out of the daughter is not allowed to return to her mother's home, or else, it is sneered at as a "tasty female". It is said that if the New Year back to her mother's home will also eat the poor family, so only to stay home to serve the guests from all sides. It is only in February that some women return to their parents' homes to pay their respects to their relatives.

The most lively activities in the first month of the year, there is no better than the dance dragon lanterns and lions. Wherever the dragon lanterns and lions go, the spectators are like mountains, ten thousand people, the atmosphere is warm, and its wind to fifteen days.

The Spring Festival also has its taboos, people hope that the beginning of the year to be able to do everything well, there is a good omen, and hope that the good omen of the stronger the psychology, taboos are naturally more numerous. New Year's Eve, debtors come and go, to the first month but fifteen, you can not collect debts. It is said that the beginning of the year to collect debts, bad luck, year-round poverty. Scissors are prohibited within three days of the first side, it is said that the use of scissors, will be a plague of rats, because the rat's mouth is sharp, shaped like scissors. The first day of the door should always open, although the cold wind, but also can not be closed, to attract wealth into the treasure, good luck. In the first month of the month to be taboo, unlucky words can not speak, such as accidentally broken dishes, can not say "broken", it is appropriate to say "send send". Children's exports inadvertently, violating the taboo, adults should use paper to wipe the corner of his mouth "ass mouth". Some also put on the wall with a note written on paper "kid's words, no taboos", to show that occasionally a child speaks unlucky words do not count. The old people say, this move can turn bad luck. These taboos, it seems ridiculous, well, only a few days, everyone also try to practice unchanging. It reflects, to some extent, the people's wishes and hopes for a better life in the New Year, but undeniably has a strong superstitious color, not for today's people to follow.

The Spring Festival, people not only want to clean up the room, landscaping, more concerned about "eating" method, the Spring Festival feast, very pompous, on the seat of the delicacies, especially deep-fried rotten meat the most local characteristics. Cooked pork, coated with sugar, soy sauce and other and into the sauce, fried in tea oil until golden, called "New Year's meat", color and flavor, hanging to the ventilation can be placed for a long time without deterioration. When eating, cut into inch cubes, with ginger, red pepper and other seasonings, smothered on the table, soft and fragrant. New Year's Day home-brewed water wine, the streets and alleys of the fragrance of wine in the spring, the family help drunken people return. Glutinous rice patties, is also a must-have for every family. Glutinous rice soaked in water, steamed in a retort, placed in a stone mortar and pounded, pinched into a bowl-sized patties, is the New Year's Day food, smooth and tender as grease, but also to pay homage to the New Year's gift goodies.