What are the customs of the Chinese New Year's Day

Chinese New Year's Day on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is one of the three traditional festivals in China, and the name "Chinese New Year" originated from a Taoist saying after the Eastern Han Dynasty. Buddhism, on the other hand, believes that on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, is the day of monks and nuns to complete their merits, Buddhist disciples in the day held "Bon Festivals", at the same time, they are also this day for the "Bon Festival".

? The custom of Chinese New Year's Day?

?1.

The Mid-Yuan Festival is known as the "Half of July" in many places, meaning that the summer has passed and the fall has just begun. It is believed that ancestors return home to visit their children and grandchildren at this time, so it is necessary to pay homage to their ancestors. Some places choose this day of the year to pay homage to their graves, kowtowing to each ancestor in accordance with the order of seniority and age, and praying silently for the blessing of their ancestors for their own peace and happiness.

?2.

The so-called "giving to orphans" means to give alms to orphaned spirits. There are orphans, widows, sick and disabled people, and there are also ghosts. The ghosts that have relatives and homes in Yangfu can return home to reunite with their relatives, eat a full meal, and receive the gold and silver treasures, clothes, hats, and cloths that their relatives have prepared for them. But those homeless ghosts roam around and cause trouble. That's why when people pay tribute to their ancestors, they set up a small table outside their door for the wild spirits to enjoy.

This custom is more solemn in the Haikou area. On the night of the 15th day of the 7th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, you can see street elders and grandmothers sticking joss sticks and candles in front of and behind their houses, burning paper money, Yuanbao, cloths and other paper products, and buying green fruits such as taro, guava and poppy peaches and other green fruits and handing them out all around the houses to the ghosts of those who have no relatives left in the sunny side of the world.

?3. Release river lanterns?

River lanterns, also known as "water lanterns" and "river lanterns", are a traditional custom of the Chinese people. River lanterns, also called lotus lanterns, because the base of this kind of lantern is often made of paper, wood in the shape of lotus petals, and even sometimes directly with lotus leaves to make the base. When releasing the river lanterns, people light the lamps or candles on the lamp bases and let them float and sink beautifully in the rivers, lakes and seas. Legend has it that in this way, all the dead can be sent to the ideal world on the other side.

?4. Setting off fireworks?

Buddhism describes hungry ghosts craving for food and spitting flames from their mouths as flaming mouths. Thus, monks giving food to hungry ghosts are called releasing flames. Since the Liang Dynasty, China's folk held activities such as setting up fasts, making offerings to monks, putting up fields, and releasing fireworks on the Mid-Yuan Festival. On that day, people first set up the Venerable Master's Seat and the Shi Kuotai in front of the village of Jiekou, and in front of the Venerable Master's Seat, the Bodhisattva Jizangwang, who is rumored to be the one who overpowers the ghosts in hell, is offered. In front of the seat of the priest, there are peaches and rice made of flour, and on the stage of the monk, there are three spirit cards and a soul inviting coils. After noon, people put whole pigs, goats, chickens, ducks, geese and various kinds of cakes and fruits on the Shi Kuotai. The host of each offering were inserted in a blue, red, green triangular paper flag, inscribed with the words "Meng Lan event", "Manna door open" and so on.

The ceremony begins with solemn temple music. The monks recite a variety of thirsty words and true words, and then give food, scattering noodles, peaches and rice in all directions and repeating the process three times. This ceremony is called "fireworks". In the evening, every family also burns incense in front of their homes and puts it on the ground, because it symbolizes the abundance of grains, so the more you put in, the better.

?5. Bidding for blessings?

After the end of the festival, there is another recreational activity - bidding for blessings. These blessings are donated by the members who organized the rituals as well as enthusiasts, and there are many varieties of blessings, such as household goods; children's toys, Yuanbao, rice buckets, etc. The "bidding" is believed to be the best way for the people to get their money's worth. Because of the belief that "bidding" for a thing can bring you good luck, so everyone is very generous, these open bidding money, usually as a charitable fund, but also for the next Mid-Yuan Festival activities to accumulate funds.

? The origin of the Mid-Yuan Festival?

The festival originated from the early "half of the seventh month", which started as a festival for farmers to sacrifice new rice to the god of the field in late summer and early fall, to report the harvest to their ancestors, and to pray for a good harvest. In ancient times, people often looked to the gods for a good harvest. People held ceremonies to offer sacrifices to the spirits of their ancestors, and offered seasonal delicacies to the gods for their enjoyment, then tasted the fruits of their labor and prayed for a good harvest in the coming year. In modern times, the cultural significance of "Zhongyuan" ancestor worship and remembrance is largely related to the Qingming Festival***. Nowadays, the "half of July" rituals are mostly held spontaneously and sporadically within the family, and no longer have the traditional public **** nature.

The customs of this traditional festival reflect the Chinese people's strong sense of ancestral culture, showing the essence of the culture of ancestor worship everywhere. The festival is also a manifestation of traditional customs and humanistic spirit. We should continue to pass on this festival and keep spreading goodness to the next generation, so that it can become a beautiful cultural tradition and generations of children and grandchildren can have a better life.