On the Spring Festival folk customs

The Spring Festival is an ancient festival in China, but also one of the most important festivals throughout the year, how to celebrate this festival, in the development of thousands of years of history, the formation of a number of more fixed customs and habits, many of which have been passed on to the present day.

The history of the Spring Festival is very long, it originated in the Yin Shang period at the end of the first year of sacrifice to the gods and ancestors .

In the Spring Festival folk customs of the many customs worthy of mentioning there are four , the following with me to see it:

? One of the Spring Festival folk customs: sticking Spring Festival couplets and door gods?

It is said that the custom of posting spring couplets began about a thousand years ago in the period of Hou Shu, which is supported by history. In addition, according to the Jade Candle Canon and the Yenching Times Record, the original form of the Spring Festival couplets was the so-called "Peach Symbols".

In ancient Chinese mythology, there was a world of ghosts, and in the middle of it there was a mountain with a big peach tree that covered 3,000 miles, and on the top of the tree there was a golden chicken. Whenever the golden rooster crowed in the morning, the ghosts that had gone out to roam at night would be rushed back to the ghost world. The gate of the Ghost Realm was situated in the northeast of the peach tree, and by the gate stood two godmen named Shentan and Yubi. If a ghost did something harmful at night, the gods would immediately find it, catch it, tie it up with a rope made of mango reeds, and feed it to the tiger. Therefore, all the ghosts in the world were afraid of Shentian and Yubi. So the folk used peach wood to carve into their likeness and put it in front of their house to avoid evil and prevent harm. Later, people simply carve the name of God Tantui and Yubi on the mahogany board, thinking that this can also suppress the evil to go to the evil. This kind of peach wood board was later called "peach talisman".

To the Song Dynasty, people began to write couplets on the mahogany board, without losing the significance of the mahogany to suppress evil, the second is to express their good wishes, the third is to decorate the portal, in order to beautiful. And in the red paper symbolizing the joy and auspiciousness of writing couplets, the New Year on both sides of the doors and windows, to express people's prayers for good luck in the coming year.

In order to pray for a family's well-being, people in some places still retain the habit of sticking door gods. It is said that when two door gods are posted on the front door, all demons and ghosts will be afraid. In folklore, the door god is a symbol of righteousness and force, the ancients believe that people with strange looks often have magical endowments and extraordinary skills. They are upright and kind-hearted, to catch ghosts and demons is their nature and responsibility, people look up to the ghost hunter Zhong Kui, that is, this kind of strange looks. So the folk god of the door is always angry eyes, grim-looking, holding a variety of traditional weapons, ready to fight with the ghosts and demons that dare to come to the door. Since the doors of our houses are usually two open doors, the door gods are always in pairs.

After the Tang Dynasty, in addition to the previous two generals Shentian and Yubi, people also took Qin Shubao and Yuchigong, two Tang Dynasty military generals, as door gods. Legend has it that when Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty was sick, he heard the ghosts and demons outside his door calling out and had no peace all night. So he asked these two generals to stand beside the door with weapons to guard it, and the next night there were no more ghosts to disturb him. Later, Emperor Tang Taizong had the image of the two generals painted and pasted on the door, and this custom began to be widely spread in the folklore.

? Spring Festival folk custom No. 2: eat New Year's Eve dinner?

The New Year's Eve dinner is also called the reunion dinner. According to the record of the Security Hours of Jing Chu, at least in the North and South Dynasties, there was the custom of eating New Year's Eve dinner. Because it was winter, people in the north often set up a hot pot in the middle of the table, hence the name "hibachi" (围炉).

Northern people's New Year's Eve dinners often include dumplings, fish, rice cakes, and long-life vegetables. Because the dumplings are shaped like a golden treasure, there is the meaning of wealth; fish this dish can not be eaten, because in the Chinese language, "fish" and "Yu" homophonic, there is a "year after year," the auspicious meaning of; rice cake has a "Year after year" meaning; eat long years of vegetables have the connotation of longevity. South China is more chicken, roast pork, hairy vegetables, oyster sauce, etc., because "hairy vegetables and oyster sauce" and "hairy good market" resonance. Typical New Year's Eve dinners in Jiangnan include fish and a hearty soup pot.

Jiangnan in the diet of nature is also very careful, and this in the New Year's Eve New Year's Eve dinner has been a great reflection of the people of Jiangnan, New Year's Eve dinner in the number of more than the number of even number, 8 cold dishes, roasted vegetables 4 to 8, stir-fried vegetables 4 to 8, but also some soup soup. But unlike other places in the big dishes, Jiangnan people better small dishes, most of the Jiangnan region into the waxing moon began to open the New Year's Eve dinner, chicken, duck, fish, meat, fruit, pastries, sweets, melons, and so on, kind of strive to handle complete.

New Year's Eve dinner dishes are also, frying, stir-frying, deep-frying, braising, all have, color, aroma, taste, shape, are up to perfection. Jiangnan night dinner of common dishes are the whole family, braised pork, drunken chicken, buckle three silk, oil popping shrimp, fried shrimp, smoked fish, eel replica bags, four joys of roasted bran, eight treasures of rice, etc., showing the natural style of the local dishes, and then with lobster pieces and other snacks, the family ate and beautiful.

According to the old rituals, the traditional seating position for the New Year's Eve dinner is "left to honor the east" and "face to face with the door". The chief of the banquet is the highest-ranking elder, and the last seat is the lowest. If you are inviting guests to a banquet, the chief is the most senior guest and the host is at the end of the table. The chief has not been seated, the rest can not be seated, the chief did not move, everyone can not move.

? Spring Festival folk customs of the third: send poor ghosts and send poor gray?

Agricultural era, Linzhou folk households have a coal fire, coal fire under the platform has a cinder road, is a special place to hold cinder. Usually every three to five to the inside of the cinder accumulation of cinder out. However, from the first to the fourth night of the New Year, the accumulated cinder even more, but also can not be pulled out, this custom is how to come?　　

Legend has it that a long time ago, there was a little monster called "grasshopper" (sound the same as "poor"), looks like and crickets almost. Do not look small, destructive force is not to be underestimated, jumped to whoever's home, rich households will become poor, poor families will die. However, a cricket has three fears, one is afraid of red, two are afraid of the sound, three are afraid of fire. Therefore, in order to chase the grasshopper, New Year's Day, every family should put up couplets, firecrackers, in the yard to light a cypress fire. Frightened grasshopper nowhere to hide, they drilled into the cinderblock road do not dare to come out. From the first day of the first month to the fourth day of the first month, families do not pull out the cinder, is afraid of alarming the grasshopper, to cause trouble. Until the early morning of the fifth day, the grasshopper and the cinderblock to the door of the crossroads, light incense, firecrackers, let it go far away.　　

Because a cricket and the "poor" homophone, so this custom is called "send poor ash".

Sending the poor is a Chinese folk custom on the fifth day of the first month of the lunar calendar, which means offering sacrifices to the poor ghosts (poor gods). The poor ghosts are also known as "poor children". According to Song Chen Yuanliang, "Years and Years", citing "Wenzong Preparation", "Zhuanxu Gaoxin, the palace gave birth to a son, not wearing a full coat, the palace called the poor son. After the death of the first month, the palace buried, said 'today to send the poor son'". According to legend, the poor ghost is the son of Zhuan Xu. He was weak and short, and liked to wear rags and drink rice. Even if the new clothes to him, he also ripped or burned holes in the fire before wearing, so "the poor son of the Palace".

People will attach such importance to the first five days of the year to send five poor this thing, because the previous people are poor and afraid, although people know that do not have any effect, but people will still do so, mainly because to send five poor is a vision of a better future.

? Spring Festival folk custom is: open the door to set off firecrackers?

Chinese folk "open door firecrackers" said. That is, at the dawn of the new year, the first thing that families do when they open the door is to set off firecrackers, to beep and blare the sound of firecrackers to get rid of the old and welcome the new. Firecrackers is a Chinese specialty, also known as "firecrackers", "cannonballs", "firecrackers". Its origin is very early, so far has a history of more than two thousand years. Setting off firecrackers can create a festive and lively atmosphere, is a kind of entertainment for festivals, and can bring joy and good fortune to people.

Wang Anshi's poem "New Year's Day": ?

The sound of firecrackers marks the end of the year,

The spring breeze sends warmth to the people of Tusu.?

Thousands of households have pupils,

Always change the new peach for the old.? ?

This song describes the Spring Festival in the Song Dynasty: the spring breeze brings warmth, the sun rises, families light firecrackers, families face the east, drinking Tusu wine, and busily removing the old peach symbols from the doors and replacing them with new peach symbols affixed with the god of the door. The author has chosen these typical scenes of New Year's celebrations to present a picture scroll of Chinese folk customs with a strong flavor of life.

In China, the sound of firecrackers is a sign of farewell and welcome to the new year, and an expression of festive mood. Businessmen set off firecrackers for another reason: they set off cannonballs on New Year's Eve to make a fortune in the new year. However, according to the old custom, to honor the God of Fortune to compete first, firecrackers to the back. So, for those who want to make a fortune, the firecrackers should be set off at the end of the night.

The morning of the Spring Festival, open the door for good luck, the first firecrackers, called "open the door cannonball". After the sound of firecrackers, broken red all over the ground, brilliant as a cloud of brocade, known as "full red". At this time, the street is full of gas, joyful.

The Spring Festival is an ancient Chinese festival, but also one of the most important festivals throughout the year, how to celebrate this festival, in the development of thousands of years of history, the formation of a number of more fixed customs, many of which have been passed down to the present day. Customs and culture vary from north to south, but one thing is basically the same, that is, the whole family reunion, visit friends and relatives, visit elders, etc., may our children will be full of these strong affection and good wishes of the custom in mind, passed on from generation to generation.