What are the holiday customs on New Year's Eve?

New Year's Eve, also called New Year's Eve, is the last night of the Lunar New Year. On New Year's Eve, there are mainly customs such as eating New Year's Eve, putting up stickers, stick grilles, pasting blessings, pasting New Year pictures, offering sacrifices to ancestors, setting off firecrackers, and giving lucky money. Let's get to know each other ~ ~

The custom of New Year's Eve

1, eat New Year's Eve dinner. On New Year's Eve, people are going to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new, and have a family reunion dinner. There are many famous dishes on the New Year's Eve, which are different in North and South, and each has its own emphasis. Northerners are used to eating jiaozi, which has been handed down from ancient times; In the south, especially in some coastal areas, the green eyes are basically four seasons. Winter in the south has great advantages in vegetables and fruits, so there are more choices in diet.

2, paste the year red. Chinese New Year Red refers to Spring Festival couplets, door gods, window grilles, New Year pictures and blessings, all of which are red festive elements posted on New Year's Eve. Sticking New Year's Red on New Year's Eve is a long-standing folk custom in China, which places people's longing for a happy life and wishes for a bright future. Hanging New Year pictures on New Year's Eve is also common in urban and rural areas. Thick black and colorful New Year pictures add a lot of prosperous and happy holiday atmosphere to thousands of families.

3. set off firecrackers. There is a folk saying in China that "open the door and set off firecrackers". On New Year's Eve, that is, when the new year comes, the first thing for every household to open the door is to set off firecrackers and use firecrackers to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. Setting off firecrackers can create a festive and lively atmosphere, which is a kind of entertainment in festivals and can bring happiness and good luck to people.

4. Ancestor worship. In ancient times, this custom was very popular. Due to the different customs and habits in different places, the forms of ancestor worship are also different. Some people worship their ancestors in the wild, while others worship their ancestors in the ancestral temple. At home, ancestral tablets are placed in the main hall in turn to display offerings, and then worshippers worship in order of age. Sacrificing ancestors on New Year's Eve is generally divided into two times in the morning and evening, and the biggest and fattest rooster will be chosen to worship, which means that the coming year will be rich and expensive.

5, lucky money. Lucky money is given to the younger generation by the elders. Giving lucky money in the New Year reflects the care of the elders for the younger generation and the respect of the younger generation for the elders. It is a folk activity that integrates family ethics. Lucky money has the meaning of exorcising evil spirits and keeping peace in folk culture. The original intention of lucky money is to suppress evil and drive away evil. Because people think that children are easy to be invisible, they use lucky money to suppress evil spirits.

6. keep the age. Keeping the new year's eve is one of the activities of the old customs, and the custom of keeping the old age has a long history. The folk custom of keeping the old age is mainly manifested in that every household is lit with New Year's fire, and the whole family gets together to keep the "New Year's fire" burning all the time, waiting for the moment to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. In some places, on New Year's Eve, the whole family get together, eat New Year's Eve, light candles or oil lamps, sit around the fire and chat, and keep vigil all night, which symbolizes driving away all evil diseases and looking forward to good luck in the new year.

Stories and legends on New Year's Eve

Legend has it that there is an evil beast-Xi. When the mountain is closed by heavy snow, Xi will go to nearby neighbors to find food. At the end of the twelfth lunar month, people have to go to the nearby bamboo forest to avoid Xi. One year, a kind mother-in-law saved a child fainted by hunger on the roadside and took it to a bamboo forest to escape the dusk. The clever boy told everyone that he had a way to get rid of the evening, so that everyone could cut more bamboo poles and take them away. After returning home, red cloth was hung outside the doors of each family. When Xi attacked again, the children came forward to attract Xi's attention and asked the villagers to throw the broken bamboo joints into the fire, but everyone froze with fear. At this moment, "Xi" picked up the child with his horn and threw it to the ground. The villagers responded to the sound of children falling to the ground and threw bamboo joints into the fire. "Xi" turned and ran away after hearing the sound, and did not destroy anything in the village again. But the clever boy who saved the village died in. Because "Xi" is not dead, firecrackers and red cloth strips hung in front of the door will be set off every December 30 to prevent the arrival of "Xi".

The above is the knowledge sharing of some holiday customs and stories and legends on New Year's Eve. I hope I can help you ~ ~