Essay on Folklore and Culture (with proper research, 1000 words)

You can put together an essay with the help of this information, it should be more than 1000 words.

Chinese New Year Folklore ---- Final Report

I. Origin of Chinese New Year:

Legend has it that there is a beast called "Nian", which comes out to eat people whenever winter is approaching and makes them restless. People in the fight with the "year", this vicious beast is afraid of fire and noise, so people thought of a way, in the "year" appears, it will light a fire, put into the bamboo, burning fire, "year" heard the sound of firecrackers, they fled. Later, people began to celebrate the New Year with "hanging red lanterns, setting off firecrackers and eating New Year's dinner".

Second, the preparation of the Spring Festival (after the eighth day of the first month of the Lunar New Year, a variety of annual activities will gradually unfold)

1. Worship Zaoshen: Zaoshen, also known as "Zaoshen", commonly known as "Zaowangzhi". Every year on the 23rd or 24th of Lunar New Year's Day to return to the Palace, to report to the Jade Emperor. He returns to earth on New Year's Eve. People are worried about the Jade Emperor into a slander, so then he went to the Palace of Heaven for him to carry out ritual activities, hoping that he "good words to the sky, down to the ground to protect the peace".

2. Other preparatory activities: writing Spring Festival couplets, preparing meat, preparing pasta, as well as haircuts, bathing, cleaning.

3. Folklore Activities - Static Folklore

3. Spring Festival Couplets: (1) Origin of Spring Festival Couplets: In ancient times, they were called "Peach Symbols". It is said that the two gods Shentan and Yubi lived in a big peach tree and dealt with ghosts in Wang Chong's "Lun Heng O Definition of Ghosts" of the Eastern Han Dynasty. They fed all the evil ghosts that did wrong to tigers. Therefore, it was believed that ghosts were afraid of God Tantui and Yubi as well as the peach tree. Therefore, people always hang peach talismans or peach trees at the entrance to avoid ghosts and evil spirits and to bless peace. (2) the earliest Spring Festival couplets: 965 AD, after the Shu Emperor Meng Chang in the palace door of the peach symbols written: the new year to celebrate, the festival number Changchun. This is the earliest known Spring Festival couplets in China. Since then, spring scrolls have become one of the most representative folk activities of the Spring Festival. Some people also like to post the word "Fu" upside down. Because of the harmonic sound "to", so the upside-down posting of the word "Fu" means "Fu to".

4. New Year's Paintings: (1) the origin of the painting of the God of the Door: there are three ways of saying. One said from the myths and legends of God, Yu Shi, the ancients hang the two gods in the doorway to drive away the ghosts. One from the Tang Taizong ordered Qin Qiong, Yuchigong to watch the door to drive away the ghosts, and the two will be painted on the palace door. One originated from Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, who dreamed that Zhong Kui was catching ghosts for himself, and after waking up, he ordered the painter to paint Zhong Kui on the door. (2) The origin of Zao Shen paintings: Folklore says that Zao Shen returns to earth from the heavenly palace on New Year's Eve, so people always buy new Zao Shen paintings and stick them on the door at this time, hoping that he will bring good luck and happiness. (3) Other common New Year paintings.

5. Foo: the earliest?" Fu" character - legend history in the Zhou Dynasty Jiang Ziya, that is, Jiang Taigong. When Jiang Taigong sealed the gods, sealed his wife as a poor god, said "blessed place you can not go". Hundreds of New Year's Day sticker "blessed" word, history of Cixi, every year, the Empress Dowager has to ministers of the habit of giving blessings. A year of blessing, Gong Wang Fujin to give the blessing to take down, committing the crime of killing, Li Lianying for its relief: "the old Buddha blessed as the East China Sea, longevity than the South China Sea, this year, blessing, blessing is really there. "Cixi was very happy to hear, even said:" Fu to the ...... "spread to the people," Fu "also posted upside down.

6. window flowers: window flowers are pasted on the window to celebrate the New Year's paper-cutting works. There are two production methods. The first is the scissors cut, a woman with a pair of scissors can cut out a lot of patterns of colored paper. The second is carving knife carving, usually operated by professional folk artists, can be carved into forty or fifty sheets at a time, supplying the market.

Four, Spring Festival folklore - dynamic folk

1. New Year's Eve vigil: 1) What is New Year's Eve: New Year's Eve, the last night of the year. Because the lunar month has big and small, so some years Lunar New Year's Eve is the 30th night of the lunar month, and some years Lunar New Year's Eve is the 29th night of the lunar month. 2) New Year's Eve vigil: The important activity of New Year's Eve is to keep the New Year's Eve. Because after the Qin and Han Dynasties, our people basically take the midnight as the beginning of the day, which is equivalent to 23:00 to 1:00 in the modern timekeeping method. At midnight on New Year's Eve, it is the key moment to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new year. For this reason, people had to stay up all night to wait for this moment. Families gathered together to make dumplings while waiting, patiently.

2. Firecrackers: 1) what is called firecrackers: firecrackers, also known as "firecrackers. New Year's bells fall, the streets and alleys immediately firecrackers, to meet the arrival of the New Year. 2) the origin of firecrackers: According to the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty, the hours of service "Jing Chu chronicle" records?" The first day of the first month, the rooster crows. First in front of the court firecrackers, in order to avoid the mountain shame evil spirits." It means that people at that time first put the bamboo in the fire after waking up on the first morning. When the bamboo bursts and makes a loud sound, it can scare away monsters and evil spirits and protect the whole family. About the Tang Dynasty, people put the bamboo tube filled with gunpowder, ignite the gunpowder, burst. Later, people used paper rolls instead of bamboo tubes, the formation of the same as today's firecrackers. 3) types of firecrackers: firecrackers have a variety of patterns. Song Dynasty people to slightly improve the firecrackers, and invented the fireworks. Fireworks: also known as "fireworks", "fireworks". It can emit extremely brilliant light when it explodes. Therefore, it is loved by people. At present, many countries around the world use fireworks to decorate their holiday night sky.

3. Lion Dance: Bai Juyi's "Xilangzhuan": false-faced Hu people fake lions, carved wood for the head and silk for the tail. Gold-plated glasses silver paste teeth, Fenxun sweater swinging ears. As from the quicksand to ten thousand miles, purple beard and deep eyes two Hu children. Dancing beam before the speech, should be like Liangzhou has not fallen day. When the Anxi Protector came in. The lion dance originated in the North and South Dynasties, the era of the rise of Buddhism.

4. Other folk activities: rice-planting songs, stilt walkers, drums and gongs.

5. Sacrifice to the gods and ancestors: The most important of the traditional Spring Festival activities is the sacrifice to the gods and ancestors. Superstitious families have special shrines dedicated to the gods and goddesses, as well as portraits of the ancestors. On the morning of the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, people respectfully make offerings (including the first bowl of dumplings that have just been cooked) and light joss sticks in front of the shrines and ancestral tablets. They thank the spirits of the gods and ancestors for their protection during the past year and pray for their blessings for the coming year.

6. Paying New Year's Eve: After making offerings to the gods and ancestors, children and grandchildren begin to pay New Year's Eve to their elders and relatives. The traditional New Year's salute is three kowtows to the elders and relatives, but nowadays most of them have changed to three bows. While performing the ritual, the children and grandchildren wish the elders good health and all the best. After the elders sit down and accept the New Year's greetings from their children and grandchildren, they give them a red envelope. This is called "New Year's money". It is usually used as pocket money for the children during the Spring Festival. Other relatives pay New Year's greetings to each other, one after another, for many days. When friends see each other, they say "congratulations" or "good Spring Festival" to each other to celebrate. New Year's activities reflect the respect and filial piety of the younger generation to the elders; the elders of the children and grandchildren's love and care. The New Year's greetings between relatives and friends also greatly promote the deepening of mutual feelings. Therefore, since ancient times, people have attached great importance to New Year's activities. Dai Fugu, a poet of the Song Dynasty, wrote in his poem "Worshiping the Clan on New Year's Day": "Worshipping on New Year's Day, bottling and chopping at the altar on Fangchen. There are two hundred people in the upper and lower parts of the country, and five generations of people in the lower and upper parts of the country. The ancient arborvitae of the Pai Men and the early spring of the plums in the water. Cold things will be over, and the scenery will be new again." The activity of paying New Year's call to each other by more than two hundred people of the big families at that time was written in a colorful way.

7. People's Day: the seventh day of the first month, also known as "people's day". Sui Dynasty poet Xue Daoheng "people day think of returning" only seven days into the spring, has been away from home for two years. After the people return to the geese, think of hair in front of the flowers. Why is the seventh day of the first month called "Man Day"? This is related to ancient Chinese myths. Myths say that God created the chicken on the first day of the month, the second day of the month created the dog, the third day of the month created the goat, the fourth day of the month created the pig, the fifth day of the month created the cow, the sixth day of the month created the horse, the seventh day of the month created the man, therefore, the seventh day of the month is the day of the birth of mankind. Thus, the ancients called this day ?" Man Day". In order to commemorate the birth of mankind, the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, every time the day of man, people cut out colorful paper people, pasted on the screen or worn on the head. Used to symbolize people in the new year, a new look. To the Tang Dynasty, the content of the day of the paper cuts and development changes. Tang Dynasty poet Yu Yanshou "people day color cutting": "Lady sitting with a knife, self-pity cut new. Leaves urge love to embellish the color, flowers send hand into spring. The swallows are left to make up the house, and the chickens are left to wait for the paymaster. I ask my husband, "Where is it not as good as the real thing?" The content of the cut includes red flowers, green leaves, swallows and poultry. All of them are very lifelike. This has been very similar to the modern folk window dressings.

V. Spring Festival Folklore - Food and Drink Folklore

Niancao and dumplings are the most distinctive foods of the Spring Festival.

1) Nian Gao: also known as "Nian Nian Gao". It is also known as "Nian Nian Gao", which means "high year after year" and contains the expectation that life will get better and better every year. Rice cakes are made of sticky grains, mostly small yellow rice in the north and glutinous rice in the south. In the north, rice cakes are usually sweet, while in the south, they can be made into different flavors. However, they are not as good as dumplings. Dumplings are the preferred food for Chinese New Year in the north. 2) Dumplings are also known as "jiaozi, jiaozi, flat food". Its origin is very ancient. Archaeologists once found a dumpling preserved more than a thousand years ago. People in the north must eat dumplings on New Year's Day. And the dumplings eaten on this day of Spring Festival must be wrapped before 12 o'clock on New Year's Eve. Dumplings are delicious, the key is the dumpling filling, pure meat, pure vegetable, meat and vegetable mixed, endless patterns, flavors can be different. They can be varied according to one's own taste, which is why men, women, and children love to eat dumplings. Among the dumplings eaten at Chinese New Year, there is one filled with tofu and another with a coin. Whoever eats the tofu-filled dumpling will be rich in the new year, and people's ideals are also contained in the dumplings.

Sixth, Lantern Festival

The fifteenth day of the first month is the first full moon of the year, so it is called "Lantern Festival". Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, on the fifteenth day of the first month to quell the rebellion, so this day is stipulated as "the first yuan festival". Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty ordered the lanterns to be lit on the Lantern Festival in order to show his respect for Buddha. Since then, the Lantern Festival has gradually evolved into a folk festival for viewing lanterns. Hence the name "Lantern Festival". The food of the Lantern Festival is soup dumplings, which are also called Yuanxiao in the north, symbolizing the reunion.

The Tang Dynasty, the Lantern Festival Lantern Appreciation activities unprecedented, celebrated with the country. "Kaiyuan Tianbao remains" records, Yang Guifei's sister, Mrs. Korea had sent people to create a hundred branches of the lamp tree?" Eighty feet high, the tree of the high mountain. On the night of the New Year's Eve, when it is lit, it can be seen for a hundred miles, and is bright and eye-catching." Tang Xuanzong even made craftsmen build a lamp tower 100 feet high and dozens of feet wide for tourists to enjoy. In the Song Dynasty, there were many more. Meng Yuanlao "Tokyo Dreaming Records" recorded: "to the grass tied into a play dragon shape, with a green curtain to cover the cage, grass on the dense placement of tens of thousands of lamps and candles, look at the winding as double dragons flying away." The emperor himself also led a grand honor guard to participate in the lantern-appreciation activities. The poet Su flavor "the fifteenth night of the first month": the fire tree silver flowers together, the star bridge iron locks open. The dark dust goes with the horses, and the bright moon comes with the people. All the prostitutes were in the city, and all the songs were in the plum tree. Jingo could not stop the night, and the jade leaks did not rush each other. It can be seen that the entertainment activities all night long, lively and extraordinary.

It can be said that: the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Lantern Festival carnival, for the entire Spring Festival activities to draw a successful conclusion.

Summary

In the process of research, we interviewed and studied Hui, Daur, Mongolian, Ewenke, Zhuang, Yao and other ethnic minorities, and also investigated the Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, Southeast and other regions, and came up with the following conclusions: with the rapid development of the modern society of the Spring Festival of the various ethnic groups of the Chinese Nationalities tend to Sinicization, the Spring Festival of the various regions of the Chinese Nationalities tend to folklore. It is a sign of national unity and the prosperity of the motherland. In addition, the Spring Festival folklore fully reflects the five thousand years of our country's long culture and the people's hard work and wisdom, leaving a rich cultural heritage for future generations, the Spring Festival folklore is the essence of the cultural heritage. As a new generation of the motherland successor, we should carry forward these fine traditional culture.