The significance of traditional Chinese New Year customs?

Timing and personnel day to day, the winter solstice Yang Sheng spring again. In welcoming the arrival of the Year of the Horse, the residents of the Panhua community lights and colorful, lively, a peaceful and warm scene. Here are some of the folklore and traditional habits summarized by residents during the Spring Festival for your study.

One, sweeping dust

"Lunar New Year 23, dust sweeping house", the intention is to all poor luck, bad luck out of the door. This custom is the desire of the people to break the old, and the wish of the old and welcome the new prayers. Whenever the Spring Festival is approaching, every household has to clean the environment, wash all kinds of appliances, dismantle and wash the bedding curtains, sprinkle clean the courtyard, dusting dust cobwebs, dredge the nullahs and dark ditches, and everywhere overflowing with joyful sanitation, clean and welcoming the new year of the joyful atmosphere.

Second, paste the Spring Festival

Every Spring Festival, whether urban or rural, every family has to select a large red Spring Festival couplets posted on the door for the festival to increase the festive atmosphere. Spring Festival couplets are more varied, according to its place of use, can be divided into the heart of the door, the frame, horizontal phi, spring strip, Doufang and so on. The "Door Heart" is pasted on the upper center of the door panel; the "Frame Pair" is pasted on the left and right door frames; the "Horizontal Pi" is pasted on the horizontal wood of the door winks; the "Spring Strip" is pasted on the horizontal wood of the door winks. "according to different content, posted in the corresponding place;" bucket catty "also called" door leaf "for the square diamond, more in the furniture, shadow wall.

Three, window decals and reverse sticker "Fu" character

Window decorations not only set a festive atmosphere, but also decorative, appreciative and practical in one. With its unique generalization and exaggeration, the window flower expresses auspicious events and good wishes to the fullest, and decorates the festivals with red-hot splendor. The word "Fu" refers to good fortune and luck, and it expresses people's desire for a happy life and their wish for a better future. In order to more fully reflect this yearning and wishes, some people simply stick the word "Fu" upside down, indicating that "happiness has arrived" and "good fortune has arrived". Folk will also be "lucky" word fine as a variety of patterns, patterns have the star, longevity, carp jump Dragon Gate, the five valleys, the dragon and phoenix, and so on.

Four, New Year's paintings

The Spring Festival hanging stickers in urban and rural areas is also very common, thick black colorful New Year's paintings to thousands of families added a lot of prosperity and joy of the festive atmosphere. New Year's paintings are an ancient folk art in China, reflecting the people's simple customs and beliefs, and holding their hopes for the future.

Five, year-end vigil

New Year's Eve vigil is one of the most important New Year's activities, the custom of the year-end vigil has a long history. In ancient times, there are two meanings of year-end vigil: the elderly year-end vigil for the "resignation of the old year", there is the meaning of the precious time; young people year-end vigil, is to extend the life of parents. Since the Han Dynasty, the time of the transition between the old and new year is usually the middle of the night.

Six, firecrackers

Chinese folk "open door firecrackers" said. That is, the arrival of the new year, the first thing that families open the door is to set off firecrackers, to beep, bla bla bla firecrackers to get rid of the old and welcome the new. Firecrackers can create a festive atmosphere, is a holiday entertainment, can bring joy and good fortune.

Seven, New Year's

The first day of the New Year, people get up early, put on the most beautiful clothes, dressed neatly, go out to visit friends and relatives, pay respect to each other, wishing good luck in the coming year. Worship a variety of ways, some are the same patriarch to lead a number of people to go door to door to pay tribute to the New Year; some colleagues invited a few people to pay tribute to the New Year; there are also people get together to congratulate each other, known as the "reunion worship".

Eight, the New Year's money

Chinese New Year's greetings, the younger generation should first give the elders to pay tribute to the elders, wishing the elders a long life and well-being, the elders can be prepared beforehand the New Year's money to the elders, it is said that the New Year's money can be pressed to stop the evil spirits, because the "age of" and "spirits It is said that the new year's money can keep evil spirits at bay, because "year" and "sun"(祟)are homophonic, and the younger generation can spend the new year's money peacefully. There are two kinds of New Year's money, one is to colorful rope threaded braided into the shape of a dragon, placed at the foot of the bed, this record is found in the "Yanjing Yearly Record"; the other is the most common, that is, wrapped in red paper by the parents of the money given to the children. New Year's money can be rewarded in the evening after the New Year's greetings in public, can also be in the New Year's Eve when the child is asleep, by the parents secretly placed under the child's pillow. Now the elders for the younger generation to send the custom of New Year's money is still prevalent.

Nine, steamed rice cakes

New Year's cake because of the harmonic "year high", coupled with a variety of flavors, almost become a must-have seasonal food. There are square-shaped yellow and white rice cakes, symbolizing gold and silver, which are meant to bring wealth in the New Year.

Ten, dumplings

Northern custom, New Year's Eve night to eat dumplings. According to the old custom, as early as the day before New Year's Eve, that is, the twenty-ninth lunar calendar, the family has to start wrapping dumplings, New Year's Eve night and the first morning of the New Year to eat dumplings. These two dumplings are more special, to be randomly wrapped into coins, candy, rice cakes, jujubes, chestnuts and other good luck, eat the coins on behalf of the coming year without worrying about money, small children eat the rice cakes will grow, eat the candy is a sign of sweetness. Everyone eats and laughs, and the children do not eat dumplings, but compare each other to see who has eaten more good luck charms. This is because the word "he" means "together" and the word "dumpling" harmonizes with "交", which means "together" and "together. The words "合" and "交" have the meaning of getting together, so dumplings are used to symbolize the reunion of joy; they also take the meaning of a new year's handover, which is very auspicious; in addition, dumplings resemble Yuanbao, so eating dumplings on New Year's Day carries the auspicious meaning of "inviting wealth and prosperity". In addition, eating dumplings on New Year's Day also carries the auspicious meaning of "inviting wealth and prosperity". Families get together to make dumplings and talk about the New Year, and it's a joyous occasion.

Eleven, New Year's Eve ancestor worship

New Year's Eve is to eat dumplings, but more important than dumplings is ancestor worship, which is the most indispensable thing on New Year's Eve. Before the arrival of New Year's Eve, every family should be genealogy, ancestor statues, tablets, etc. for the home in the ground on the wall, placed on the table, set up offerings. Before the New Year's Eve dinner, firecrackers must be set off, and the male members of the family must worship their ancestors, while children and women are not allowed to participate. Ancestor worship to kowtow, which kowtow is also a lot of attention, generally according to the seniority of the family, the elders in front of the younger generation after kneeling in turn, the expression should be solemn, dressed neatly.

Twelve, taboos

From the evening of New Year's Eve, even into the New Year, there are a lot of taboos in speech and life. For example, garlic can not be called garlic, "garlic" and "scattered" homophonic, New Year's Day is concerned about the reunion which can be said to be separated it, so the garlic will have to say "intention and dishes"; things eaten, can not say "finished" or "no more", to say "not much more" or do not say; eat peanut skins, melon skins, etc., can not use a broom to sweep, because it will be the blessing of fortune washed and swept away, only Only after the third day of the firecrackers to send God, you can move the broom, add water tank; can not use knives and forks, and some people can not even eat medicine. In addition, speak with dirty words or fighting, etc., are taboo, in short, and the festive atmosphere of the New Year is not coordinated, are prohibited.