What are the origins and customs of the New Year what are the origins and customs of the New Year?

1, December 23 and 24 of the lunar calendar, is the traditional Chinese folk festival stove day, also known as the "small year". Legend has it that Master Zao was originally a commoner, Zhang Sheng, after marrying his wife, he spent his days drinking and losing his family business to the streets begging. One day, he begged to his ex-wife Guo Dingxiang home, ashamed, head to the bottom of the stove pot burned to death.

2. When the Jade Emperor found out about it, he thought that Zhang Sheng could return to the bottom of the pot and was not bad enough to the end, and since he died at the bottom of the pot, he made him King of the Stove and reported to Heaven on the 23rd and 24th of the Lunar New Year every year, and then returned to the bottom of the stove on the 30th of the Lunar New Year. The people felt that the king of the stove must be honored, because he had to go to heaven to report. Thus, the folk have the lunar month 23, 24 of the sacrificial stove "small year", praying for peace and prosperity in the coming year.

3. Fan Chengda of the Song Dynasty said in his poem about Zaojun: "It is said that on the 24th day of the Lunar New Year, Zaojun wants to speak to the sky. The cloud car wind horse small stay, the family has a cup and plate rich ceremony. The pig's head is rotten and hot, the fish is fresh, the bean paste is sweet and fluffy, and the bait is sweet and fluffy. Men offer their daughters to avoid it, and sprinkle wine and burn money to make Zaojun happy. Handmaiden struggle Jun do not hear, cats and dogs corner filth Jun do not anger; send Jun drunken full boarding heaven's gate, ladle long ladle short do not repeat the cloud, begging for profit to return to share." It can be said that this poem is a very graphic illustration of the customs of the ancient Chinese people about the sacrificial stove. Of course, this is just a folk legend, is not enough to believe.

4, sacrificial stove. The day of the New Year, is also the day of the folk festival. Folk legend has it that every year on the 23rd day of the Lunar New Year, Master Zao has to go up to the Jade Emperor to report the good and bad of this family, so that the Jade Emperor can reward and punish them. Therefore, when sending the stove, people in front of the Zao Wang statue on the table for candy, water, beans, fodder, couplets, grass; which, the latter three is for the Zao Wang ascension of the mount prepared materials. When sacrificing Zaos, the Guandong candies are also melted with fire and applied to the mouth of Zao Wang. In this way, he will not be able to speak bad words to the Jade Emperor. In addition, on the night of the New Year's Eve, the king of the stove will also come to the earth with the gods to celebrate the New Year, that day there must also be "receiving stove", "receiving God" ceremony. When every family burns a palanquin, spills three cups of wine and sends away the god of the stove, then it is the turn to worship the ancestors. After the New Year, a new portrait of the god of the stove is bought and the god of the stove is invited back. In the intermediate days, without the supervision of the God of the Zaos, the average person indulges in overeating and drinking, gambling, and indulging himself in some minor faults that he usually thinks he shouldn't commit.

5. Dust sweeping. Dust sweeping is mainly the home for a thorough cleaning, housewives usually first cover the room beds and furniture, with a headscarf to wrap the head, and then use a broom to sweep the walls up and down. After sweeping the house, tables and chairs were scrubbed and floors were rinsed. After sweeping the house, the stores and residents' homes look brand new. The newly-pasted spring couplets are bright and colorful, showing the red-hot Hongfu scenery. The vivid door god, the banner of joy, the exquisite window decoration, the colorful New Year's paintings, the colorful lanterns, and the bountiful offerings on the shrines, all show the festive scene of joy and prosperity.

6, bath and haircut. Folk have "rich or poor, shaved head for the New Year". The activities of the bath and haircut, mostly concentrated in the New Year before and after.

7, catch messy marriage. After the twenty-third, folk believe that the gods on the sky, no taboos. Marrying a daughter-in-law, hiring a girl without choosing the day, known as catching a messy marriage. Folk song has "the year Yanyan countryside marrying busy, Yichun post to tease the spring light. Sisters in front of the lamp whisper to each other, to keep the year this year is the cave" said.

8, eat sugar melon, sugar. Sugar melon, caramel, sugar and other food for the mouth of the king of the stove to smear food, and gradually evolved into a child snacks must be eaten on New Year's Day. Northwest Jinbei have "twenty-three eat sugar, eat not eat sugar gnawing fingers" proverb.