Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional festivals - What are the traditional customs and activities during the Spring Festival?

What are the traditional customs and activities during the Spring Festival?

1, Chinese knot

Chinese knots, also called coiled knots, are made of a red rope from beginning to end. China originated in ancient times, when there was no writing. In order to remember something, people tie different knots on the rope to show their memory. This is a knotting note. At that time, people used this method not only to remember important things in production and life, but also to express their love for young people. As a decorative art, Chinese knots give people a simple and auspicious impression. It contains a strong national flavor and elegant appearance, which not only embodies the mystery of ancient times, but also embodies the spirit of China people. Therefore, it soon became the object that people hung indoors or gave to each other during the Spring Festival. Beautiful modeling and antique charm add a peaceful atmosphere to traditional festivals.

2. New Year greetings

Paying New Year greetings is an important activity during the Spring Festival. Like the reunion dinner on New Year's Eve, it is the Spring Festival custom that best reflects the flavor of the year. Generally, the younger generation pays New Year greetings to their elders on the first day of the New Year's Day, wishing them happiness as the East China Sea and longevity as the South Mountain. After the New Year, the general rule is to worship family members on the first day, the Yue family on the second day and relatives on the third day. Students, colleagues, friends, collaborators and neighbors should also pay New Year greetings to each other. In the beautiful congratulations of the New Year, the distance between hearts has been narrowed and the feelings between people have been enhanced.

Step 3 visit the temple fair

Visiting temple fairs is the Spring Festival complex of most people in China, and it is also an indispensable custom. The Spring Festival Temple Fair is the earliest folk religious ceremony. At temple fairs, monks and Taoists usually do things or do Dojo and sacrifice to the gods and buddhas. People should also make incense, make wishes, make wishes and seek happiness.

Step 4 paste the blessing words backwards

In our country, people often use the word "Fu" to express their yearning and pursuit for auspiciousness, wishful thinking and happiness. Whenever we bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year, every household should put the word "Fu" on the door, which means that we are blessed to enter the house. In many places, the word "Fu" is pasted upside down, and the homonym of "Dao" and "Dao" is used to indicate that Fu has arrived.

Step 5 watch the social fire

In addition to temple fairs, folk self-entertainment and social fire are also long-standing annual entertainment activities. Social fire originated from the worship of land gods and fire gods in ancient times. Society, land god; The ancestor of fire, fire, is the legendary Vulcan. The worship of land and fire in ancient times produced the custom of offering sacrifices to social fires. With the development of society, the ceremony of offering sacrifices to social fires has gradually become a grand, rich and diverse folk entertainment.

6. Drink Laba porridge

Entering the twelfth lunar month, people are busy preparing for the New Year. The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is Laba Festival. People use cereals, dates, chestnuts and other fruits to cook porridge and offer sacrifices to farmers and ancestors. Laba Festival originated from the ancient Laba Festival, also known as La Worship or Wax Festival.

7. Sacrifice to the Kitchen God

Offering sacrifices to stoves is a popular and influential custom in China. In the past, almost every kitchen had a kitchen god. According to legend, he is the commander-in-chief of Jiutian East Chef, responsible for managing the stoves of each family. People call this god Commander-in-Chief Bodhisattva or Commander-in-Chief, and he is worshipped as the protector of the family.

8. Sweep the dust

Twenty-four, dust day. To welcome the new, we must first get rid of the old. Dust removal means year-end cleaning, which is called sweeping in the north and dust removal in the south. Sweeping dust before the Spring Festival is a traditional custom in our country. On the day of dusting, the whole family began to clean the house and yard together, scrub the pots and pans, remove and wash the bedding, and greet the New Year cleanly. In fact, people express their will to get rid of the old and the old with the help of the homonym of dust and the old.

9. Post Spring Festival couplets

Spring Festival couplets, commonly known as door pairs, are also called spring posts, which are a kind of couplets. Because they are posted during the Spring Festival, they are called Spring Festival couplets. Sticking Spring Festival couplets is an important folk custom in the New Year. On the eve of the Spring Festival, every household should put up red Spring Festival couplets. A pair of festive and warm Spring Festival couplets expresses people's good wishes to welcome the New Year and look forward to a new life.

10, paste New Year pictures

New Year pictures, like Spring Festival couplets, originated from door gods. With the rise of block printing, the content of New Year pictures is not limited to the door gods, and the God of Wealth is gradually invited to the home, and then colorful New Year pictures such as Fu Lushou's three stars, God bless the people, abundant crops, prosperous six animals, greeting the spring and wishing the New Year are made in some New Year picture workshops to meet people's good wishes of celebrating and praying for the New Year.

1 1, New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve refers to the evening of the last day of the year, which is connected with the Spring Festival. It is an important moment to be two and five years old overnight. In addition to the meaning of going, New Year's Eve also means to spend the poor year in the month, which means that the old year will be replaced here and the new year will be changed next year. New Year's Eve is the first climax of the New Year's Festival. Shounian, commonly known as endure the New Year, begins with eating New Year's Eve. The New Year's Eve is the most affectionate and full of warmth and peace in a year. At this time, people not only enjoy a table full of delicious food, but also enjoy deep affection and festive celebrations. After the New Year's Eve, except for the young children, the whole family began to observe the new year, saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new year.

12, eat jiaozi.

There is a tradition of eating jiaozi on New Year's Eve in the north, but the custom of eating jiaozi varies from place to place. Eating jiaozi is a unique way to express people's wish for good luck when they bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year. Jiaozi means getting married at an older age, and eating jiaozi during the Spring Festival is considered a great luck. In addition, jiaozi is shaped like an ingot, wrapping jiaozi means wrapping good luck, while eating jiaozi symbolizes prosperity.

13, lucky money

On New Year's Eve, the elders should give the younger generation lucky money, also called lucky money. Because old age and special age are homophonic, elders hope that lucky money can exorcise evil spirits and avoid disasters, and protect children's safety.

14, set off firecrackers

A year apart from firecrackers. On the eve of New Year's Eve, at the handover, the fire flashed and roared in the sky. The grand and enthusiastic firecrackers sent away the old year, ushered in a brand-new year, and pushed the Spring Festival to a climax.