The traditional story of the Spring Festival The traditional custom story of the Spring Festival

1. There is a widely circulated story about lucky money. In ancient times, there was a little demon named Chong. On New Year's Eve, he came out and touched the head of a sleeping child. The child often cried with fear, and then he had a headache and became a fool. Therefore, on this day, every family will turn on the lights and stay up late, which is called "keeping special".

2. There was a couple who had a son in their later years and regarded it as their favorite. On New Year's Eve, they were afraid that "worship" would harm their children, so they took out eight copper coins to play with them. When the child fell asleep playing, they wrapped eight copper coins in red paper and put them under the child's pillow. The couple dare not sleep. In the middle of the night, an evil wind blew the door open and blew out the lights. As soon as Chong reached out to touch the child's head, the pillow flashed all over the floor, scaring Chong away. The next day, the couple told everyone about wrapping eight copper coins in red paper to scare them away. After that, everyone learned, and the children were safe.

It turns out that these eight copper coins were exchanged by the Eight Immortals to secretly protect their children. Because "pilgrimage" and "old" are homophonic, it gradually evolved into "lucky money" In the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was called lucky money. What elders give their children is also called lucky money. "So some places call giving children lucky money' string money'. In modern times, it has evolved into a kind of red paper wrapped in 100 copper coins, which is given to the younger generation, meaning "long life". "For an adult mistress, put a silver dollar in a red paper bag, which means" one book is profitable ". After the currency is changed to paper money, the elders like to go to the bank to change their children into new paper money with face numbers, wishing them "promotion step by step". (There is a version below) ...

4. Where does the "lucky money" come from? There are two legends. On the one hand, it originated from the ancient "shocking the world". It is said that there was a fierce beast called Nian in ancient times, which would come out every 365 days to hurt people, animals and crops. Children are afraid, adults use the sound of burning bamboo to drive "Nian" away, and comfort children with food, which is "earthquake suppression". Over the years, it turned into money instead of grain. In the Song Dynasty, there was a "scare of money". According to historical records, Wang Shaozi was carried away by bad people in Nanxun and exclaimed on the way. Unexpectedly, he was saved by the imperial car, and Song Shenzong gave him "golden rhinoceros money". Later, it developed into "lucky money".

5. Second, it first appeared in the court of the Tang Dynasty, when there was a wind of loose money in the court. Wang Renyu said in "The Legacy of Kaiyuan Tianbao": During the Tianbao period of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, "every spring, three or five concubines in the inner palace put money into the show." Wang Jian wrote in "Gong Ci": "There will always be flowers in Zhaoyang before the makeup powder is exhausted tomorrow. People grow white in spring, and money is scattered in the library first. " From "throwing money for fun" in spring to "throwing money" and "giving money to wash children" in Sima Guang's Zi Tongzhi Jian, when Yang Guifei gave birth, "Xuanzong personally looked at her and gave her money to wash children" and congratulated her on exorcism. In the Song and Yuan Dynasties, a folk custom was formed. It combined with the Spring Festival on the first day of the first month to form the early "lucky money". But there was no currency in circulation at that time, just a special kind of "lucky money".

6. Only in the Qing Dynasty did children celebrate the New Year, and elders used money, in red, and put it in a place called "lucky money". In the Republic of China, it was popular to wrap 100 copper coins in red paper to show "longevity". After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), paper money was used to express blessings.