What is Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is an alternative name for the Spring Festival. It is called Chinese New Year because it is the most solemn festival in China and is celebrated by Chinese and overseas Chinese all over the world. Chinese New Year, the traditional name for the New Year, the Great Year, the New Year, the Lunar New Year, but also known verbally as Dui Nian, celebrate the New Year, the New Year. In ancient times, the Spring Festival had Chinese New Year Painting Nian Nian Yu (Fish) refers to the beginning of spring in the solar term, which is also regarded as the beginning of the year, and was later changed to the beginning of the first day of the first month of the Lunar Calendar as the New Year in the Republic of China (R.O.C.) period, which has been extended to the present time. The Spring Festival has a long history, and it originated from the sacrifices to gods and ancestors at the end of the year during the Yin and Shang dynasties. In ancient times, the Spring Festival used to refer exclusively to the Lichun of the twenty-four solar terms, but later it was changed to the first day of the first month of the summer calendar (i.e., the first day of the first month of the Lunar Calendar), which was regarded as the beginning of the Lunar Calendar year, i.e., the head of the year. This is one of the grandest and most lively traditional festivals in China. And the traditional sense of the Spring Festival, from the wax festival on the eighth day of the first month of the wax month or wax month 23, 24 of the sacrificial stove, until the 15th day of the first month of the Lantern Festival (some of the first month of the nineteenth) to the end of the first month of the first month of the Lantern Festival (some of the first month of the 19th), and in some places even to the entire first month of the first month of the New Year's Eve and the first day of the first month of the first day of the New Year as the climax. The Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival of the Han Chinese. During the Spring Festival, people hold a variety of celebrations, most of which are mainly devoted to worshipping gods and Buddhas, honoring ancestors, getting rid of the old and bringing in the new, welcoming joy and receiving good fortune, and praying for a good year. Yao, Zhuang, Bai, Gaoshan, Hezhe, Hani, Daur, Dong, Li, Manchu, Mongolia, more than a dozen ethnic minorities also have the custom of the Spring Festival, but the form of the festival has its own national characteristics. The popularity of "Chinese New Year" in the United States began in the 1860s with the American road building Chinese workers. 100,000 Chinese road workers not only helped the United States to complete the greatest railroad project in American history, but also brought the Chinese New Year customs from China. Later, as the number of Chinese immigrants to the U.S. increased, "Chinese New Year" became not only popular in the Chinese community, but also familiar to Americans. For example, the states of New York and Maryland have made Chinese New Year a legal holiday. The fact that Chinese New Year and the Spring Festival are valued by mainstream American society is a result of the increasing influence of Chinese culture and economy, i.e., soft power and hard power. Editorial Scope of the festival Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) is the main festival celebrating the New Year in many East Asian countries and regions. It is known as "Tt Nguyên án" (New Year's Day) in Vietnamese and "Shōtsuki" in Japanese (note: the Japanese holiday "Shōtsuki" is similar to the Chinese New Year's Day, which falls on January 1st). (After the Meiji Restoration, it was renamed Old New Year's Day). Nowadays, Chinese New Year is one of the most important festivals in China, Korean Peninsula, Vietnam and Japan, as well as in Mongolia, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The Spring Festival is one of the four traditional festivals of the Han Chinese people, along with the Qingming Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. "The term "Spring Festival" has been selected by the Chinese World Records Association as the largest festival in China, ranking first among the four traditional festivals in China.On May 20, 2006, the Spring Festival folklore was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. Edit this section of the festival customs Han Chinese Spring Festival customs, generally to eat rice cakes, dumplings, patties, dumplings, eggs, large meatballs, whole fish, wine, lucky oranges, apples, peanuts, melon seeds, sweets, fragrant tea and dishes; and accompanied by dusting, washing bedding, preparing New Year's goods, posting Spring Festival couplets, posting New Year's paintings (Zhong Kui, the God of the Door), sticking paper cuttings, sticking window decorations, sticking the word "Fortune", lighting candles, light fires, firecrackers, the year-round vigil, and give the money of New Year's Eve, Paying homage to the New Year, visiting relatives, sending New Year gifts, going to ancestral graves, going to the flower market, making fireworks, jumping Zhong Kui, and many other activities, which is a great joy for the family. Chinese people also have the habit of hanging Chinese knots during the Spring Festival. Before the New Year's Eve, people in Tianjin have the custom of going to Qiao Xiangge on Ancient Culture Street to ask for Chinese knots, taking the meaning of Qiao Xiang Nafu; people in Wenzhou have the custom of going to their own religious devotions and praying, hoping to be able to obtain happiness with their families in the new year. Among them, mostly Buddhism. Foreigners with the celebration of the Chinese New Year For thousands of years, people make the New Year celebrations become very colorful, every year from the 23rd day of the Lunar Lunar New Year's Eve to the 30th day of the Lunar New Year, the folk this period of time is called the "Spring Festival", also known as the "Dust Day," the Spring Festival before sweeping the dust to engage in hygiene, is a long-standing tradition of the people of China. The Chinese people have always had the traditional habit. Then is the family to prepare for the New Year's goods, about ten days before the festival, people began to be busy purchasing items, New Year's goods, including chickens, ducks, fish and meat, tea, wine, oil and soy sauce, North and South fried goods, sugar bait fruit, are to buy enough, but also to prepare some of the New Year's Eve when visiting friends and relatives when the gift, the children to add a new coat and a new hat, ready for the New Year when to wear. Before the festival in the residential door to paste the red paper and yellow characters of the New Year's message, that is, written in red paper Spring Festival couplets. Inside the house posted brightly colored auspicious New Year's paintings, clever girls cut out beautiful window decorations and paste them on the windows, hanging red lanterns in front of the door or sticking the word "Fortune" and the God of Wealth, the God of the Door (Zhong Kui, Qin Qiong, Jing De), etc., and the word "Fortune" can be pasted upside down, and passers-by can read the word "Fortune" upside down, that is, Fortune, all of these activities are to add enough festive atmosphere for the holiday. Another name for the Spring Festival is New Year's Eve. In the legends of the past, Nian was an imaginary animal that brought bad luck to people. Once the year came. Trees wither and no grass grows; once the year passes, everything grows and flowers are everywhere. How can the year pass? Need to be bombarded with firecrackers, so there is the custom of burning firecrackers, which is actually another way to accentuate the lively scene Spring Festival is a joyful and peaceful holiday, but also the reunion of loved ones, children away from home in the Spring Festival to go home to rejoice. The night before New Year's Eve, that is, the old year's Lunar New Year's Eve, also known as New Year's Eve, also known as the reunion night, in this time of transition between the old and the new, the New Year's Eve is one of the most important customary activities, New Year's Eve night, the whole family stay up to observe the New Year's Eve, get together to drink soundly, *** enjoy the joy of family, the northern region in the New Year's Eve to eat dumplings customary dumpling is the first and the noodles, and the word is the together; dumplings and dumplings and cross the resonance, and cross the together! The dumplings have the meaning of "getting together" and "turning over the year". In the south, it is customary to eat New Year's cake on New Year's Day. The sweet and sticky rice cake symbolizes the sweetness of life in the new year. To the first rooster crows, or New Year's bells ringing over, the street firecrackers, loud and clear, the family is full of joy, the start of a new year, men and women, young and old are wearing festive dress, the first to the elders in the family New Year's greetings to wish longevity, the festival there are to the children of the New Year's Eve money to eat New Year's Eve dinner, the second, the third on the beginning of the visit to relatives to see their friends, each other New Year's Eve, congratulations on the blessings, say something congratulations on the new year, Congratulations to the rich, congratulations, New Year's Day, etc., words, ancestor worship and other activities. and other activities such as offering sacrifices to ancestors. The warm atmosphere of the festival not only overflows in every household, but also fills the streets and alleys everywhere. Some places on the market and Nuo dance jump Zhong Kui, lion dance, play dragon lanterns, performing social fires, swim in the flower market, temple and other customs. During this period of lanterns all over the city, the streets are full of tourists, bustling, unprecedented, straight to the first month of the Lantern Festival after the 15th, the Spring Festival is really the end. During the Spring Festival, setting off firecrackers, posting calligraphy and paintings on doors and windows for good luck, and decorating one's home are the most common customs of this festival. Firecrackers The Chinese folk saying is "opening the door with firecrackers". In Chinese folklore, "opening the door with firecrackers" means that at the beginning of a new year, the first thing families do when they open their doors is to set off firecrackers to get rid of the old and welcome the new with the sound of beeping firecrackers. Firecrackers is a Chinese specialty, also known as "firecrackers", "cannonballs", "firecrackers". Its origin is very early, so far has a history of more than two thousand years. Setting off firecrackers can create a festive and lively atmosphere, and is a kind of entertainment activity during festivals, which can bring joy and good fortune to people. Wang Anshi's poem "The New Year's Day" reads: "The sound of firecrackers marks the end of the year, and the spring breeze sends warmth into the tassel. A thousand doors and tens of thousands of houses are about to rise. Always changing new peaches for old ones. The poem depicts the grand festivities of the Chinese people during the Spring Festival. The sound of firecrackers is a sign of resignation and welcome to the new year, and an indication of the festive mood. Chickens were painted on doors and windows to drive away ghosts and evil spirits during the Spring Festival. In the book "Xuanzhongji" written by the Jin Dynasty, it is said that when the sun has just risen and the first ray of sunlight shines on this big tree, the heavenly chicken will crow. When it crowed, all the chickens in the world followed. The chicken cut for the Spring Festival actually symbolizes the Heavenly Rooster. There is also an ancient myth that the chicken is a metamorphosis of the Chongming bird. It is said that during the reign of Emperor Yao, a friendly country in the past paid tribute to a kind of Chongming bird that could ward off evil spirits, and every year everyone welcomed the arrival of the bird, but the envoys did not come every year. People carved wooden Chongmingbirds, cast bronze Chongmingbirds and placed them at the gateway, or painted Chongmingbirds on the doors and windows to scare away demons and monsters, so that they wouldn't dare to come back. Because of the heavy bright bird looks similar to chicken, later gradually changed to painting chicken or cut window flowers pasted on the doors and windows, which became the source of the art of paper-cutting in later generations. In ancient China, chickens were especially valued, and were called "the bird of five virtues". Han Shi Wai Zhuan" said, it has a crown on its head, is the literary virtue; feet after the distance can fight, is the martial virtue; the enemy in front of the dare to fight, is the courage of virtue; there is food to greet the same kind of benevolence, is the virtue of virtue; vigil does not miss the time, dawn dawn, is the virtue of faith. Therefore, people not only cut chickens at New Year's Eve, but also designate the first day of the New Year as Chicken Day. The first day of the New Year is also designated as the Rooster Day. Initially, the door god was carved from mahogany and hung next to a person, but later it was painted and posted on the door. Legend has it that the two brothers, Shentian and Yubi, specialize in controlling ghosts, and with them guarding the gateway, evil spirits of all sizes would not dare to enter the door to do harm. However, the real historical record is not about Shentian and Yubi, but about an ancient warrior called Chengqing. In Ban Gu's "Book of Han - Biography of the King of Guangchuan", it is recorded that on the door of the palace of the King of Guangchuan, there was a portrait of the ancient warrior Cheng Qing, with a short coat, big pants and a long sword. In the Tang Dynasty, the position of the door god was taken by the "Tang" in the Happy Valley of Zhong Kui's hometown in Hu County, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. Zhong Kui, the God of Blessing and Mansion Suppression" and Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde. In the Journey to the West, the story is even more detailed: "The Dragon King of the Jinghe River made a bet with a fortune-teller, and as a result, he broke the rules of heaven and was sentenced to death. The Jade Emperor appointed Wei Zheng as the supervisor of the beheading. The Dragon King of Jinghe River pleaded with Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty for mercy in order to survive. Taizong agreed, to the beheading of the dragon of that hour Fukuji , will be summoned Wei Zheng and the game. I did not expect Wei Zheng under the next, took a nap, the spirit rises to heaven, the dragon king beheaded. The Dragon King complained that Taizong's words were not believed, day and night in the palace outside the hooting and hollering to ask for life. Emperor Taizong told his ministers that Qin Shubao, a general, had said: "I would like to stand outside the gate with Yuchi Jingde in military attire and wait for him. Emperor Taizong agreed. That night, nothing happened. Emperor Taizong could not bear the hard work of the two generals, so he ordered a skillful artist to paint the real faces of the two generals and stick them on the door." There are also paintings of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei as door gods. Door god statue of the left and right households each one, later generations often a pair of door god painted as a literary and a military. Door God is divided into three categories: the first category is the "gate door God", more than pasted on the car door or the whole door, about four or five feet high, about two or three feet wide. The second type is the "street door god", more small streets on the door, about two feet high, about one foot wide. These two kinds of door god is a black face and a white face of the two gods. White left and black right, white good and easy, black caracal, each hand holding a battle-axe. The third type is "house door door god", compared with the street door door god is slightly smaller limited, also is black and white two god, but also black and white two god is sitting like. House door is most often posted "unicorn send son" image, two powder and grease comb Prince crown dolls, each riding the unicorn. This kind of door god, should have been posted on the door of the newly married house, for good luck, and later also as a New Year's embellishment of the common street door. Stick Spring Festival Couplets Spring Festival Couplets, also known as the door, spring stickers, couplets, couplets, peach symbols, etc., it is neat, couplets, simple, sophisticated text depicting the background of the times, expressing the best wishes, is China's unique form of literature. Every Spring Festival, whether urban or rural, every family should select a large red spring couplets posted on the door, for the festival to increase the festive atmosphere. This custom began in the song dynasty, in the ming dynasty began to prevail, to the qing dynasty, the spring couplets of ideology and artistry have been greatly improved, liang zhang toru prepared by the spring couplets monograph "sillian series of words" on the origins of the couplets and all kinds of works of the characteristics of the discourse. There are more kinds of spring couplets, according to its use place, can be divided into door heart, frame pair, horizontal phi, spring strip, bucket square and so on. The Spring Festival people hot buy New Year's goods "door heart" on the upper center of the door; "frame pair" on the left and right door frames; "horizontal phi" on the lintel of the transverse wood; According to the different contents of the "spring strip", posted in the corresponding place; "Doufang" also called "door leaf", for the square diamond-shaped, mostly in the furniture, shadow wall. Stick the word "Fook" on the door, wall and lintel of the house at the same time, some people have to stick the word "Fook" on the door, wall and lintel of the house, large and small. It has been a long-standing custom of Chinese folklore to put up "Fu" characters on the doors and lintels of houses. The character "福" 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 there will be "Fu" word carefully crafted into a variety of patterns, patterns of longevity, longevity peach, carp jump Dragon Gate, the five valleys, the dragon and phoenix, and so on. Window Decorations In folklore, people also like to put all kinds of paper cuttings on the windows - window decorations. The window decals not only bring out the festive atmosphere, but also set the decorative, appreciative and practical in one. Paper cutting in China is a very popular folk art, for thousands of years by the people's favorite, because it is mostly affixed to the window, so it is also known as "window flowers". Window decoration with its unique generalization and exaggeration will be auspicious events, good wishes expressed to the fullest, will be decorated with festivals red hot and rich sticker New Year's paintings Spring Festival hanging sticker New Year's paintings 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 paintings are an ancient folk art in China, reflecting the simple customs and beliefs of the people and holding their hopes for the future. New Year's paintings, like spring scrolls, originated as "door gods". With the rise of woodblock printing, the content of New Year's paintings has not only been limited to monotonous themes such as the God of the Door, become colorful, in some of the New Year's paintings workshop produced the "Three Stars of Fortune, Lust and Longevity," "Zhong Kui blessed the town house," "Zhong Kui Calendar Table," "Heavenly Officials Provide Blessings," "Five Grains and Plenty of Prosperity," "Six Animals", "Welcome to the Spring Receive Blessings," and other classic colorful New Year's paintings, in order to satisfy the people's wishes to pray for New Year's festivities. Paste hanging thousand Hanging thousand, that is, with the auspicious words engraved on red paper, long feet in length, sticking the door, and the peach symbols reflect each other. On it there are eight immortals characters, for the Buddha before the Chinese New Year paintings, the hammer door god Hanging; Hanging thousands of folk households with; the big families with less; its yellow paper is three inches long, the red paper is more than an inch long, is a "small Hanging thousands", for the marketplace used. The earliest hanging thousands when it is to make money (copper) string hanging, and the same as the New Year's money, the role of pressure to win. The next year rice In the north, some people have to provide a pot of rice, burned before the year, to be provided for the New Year, called "the next year rice", is the leftovers year after year, year-round food, this year also ate the meaning of the food of the past year. This pot of next year's rice is generally cooked with a mixture of rice and millet, Beijing slang called "two rice", in order to have a yellow and white, which is called "gold and silver, gold and silver pots full of" the "gold and silver rice "The Chinese New Year is now internationalized. Edit Chinese New Year Internationalization Nowadays, Chinese New Year is one of the most important festivals in Mongolia, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, in addition to China, the Korean Peninsula, Vietnam, and Japan. However, in recent years, some Koreans have been protesting against the U.S. calling the Spring Festival "Chinese New Year," so much so that in 2010, the Year of the Tiger, current U.S. President Barack Obama uncharacteristically politicized the Chinese New Year by calling it "Chinese New Year". In 2010, the year of the Tiger, the current U.S. President Barack Obama uncharacteristically politicized the "Chinese New Year" into "Asian Lunar New Year", which was condemned by the Chinese diaspora and foreign intellectuals around the world. The reason is that the Chinese New Year is celebrated in Asia by the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia, in addition to the four regions on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. As for the Chinese New Year traditions in Korea and Vietnam, they are actually derived from Chinese cultural traditions. These two neighboring countries of China have historically used Chinese characters for a long time, followed the Confucian tradition and the Chinese-style political system, and even belonged to the vassal states that paid tribute to China for a long time. Therefore, the Spring Festival belongs to the Confucian civilization in the context of civilization and to the Chinese culture in the context of culture. Therefore, the term Chinese New Year is recognized and correct! And the most worthy of people to comfort and respect is that the current Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, of Korean descent, he knows Chinese culture, Spring Festival Gala respect for history, in 2010, 2009, 2008 ...... year called "Chinese New Year" to all Chinese people and the Chinese diaspora around the world congratulatory message! Ban Ki-moon congratulates all Chinese people around the world on a happy Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year is different from the simple Christmas revelry of eating, drinking, playing and reveling abroad, because the Spring Festival carries more of the traditional Chinese culture and the soul of the nation, and it represents the splendid side of China. Now with the continuous improvement of China's soft power and hard power, the Chinese New Year is slowly internationalized, favored by people all over the world, more and more people over the Chinese New Year, China's "New Year's flavor" is spreading all over the world.