Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional stories - What are the customs on New Year's Eve?

What are the customs on New Year's Eve?

New Year's Eve is extremely important for China people. On this day, it is only one of the customs for people to have a reunion dinner in addition to the old and welcome the new. I carefully arranged several New Year's Eve customs below. Let's have a look.

1, New Year's Eve dinner

You must eat the New Year's Eve dinner. New Year's Eve dinner is not only for eating, but more importantly, it is of great significance. First of all, it stands for reunion, so it is also called reunion dinner. The whole family sat in harmony and celebrated the New Year round and round. Secondly, fish will be prepared when eating New Year's Eve, which symbolizes that there is more than enough money every year. Preparing chicken symbolizes good luck; Prepare rice cakes, symbolizing annual height; Prepare braised pork to symbolize wealth. All this is pinned on the beautiful vision for the coming year!

2. Post Spring Festival couplets

Spring Festival couplets New Year pictures must be posted. Different places have different customs. In some places, it is popular to post Spring Festival couplets on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, but in many places, there is only New Year's Eve. Many auspicious words are often written on Spring Festival couplets, such as "Welcome the Spring Festival to receive blessings, family harmony" and so on. Sticking Spring Festival couplets and New Year pictures are all good wishes for the coming year and for family members and families. So in any case, we must inherit and do well this custom of posting Spring Festival couplets and New Year pictures!

Step 3: keep your age

Adhere to the age limit. On New Year's Eve, we usually rest after 0: 00, don't turn off the lights at night, and sleep all night. Why are you doing this? Because it means a lot. Sleeping after zero on the one hand means keeping the old age for the elders, and also keeping the old age for yourself, praying for the health and longevity of the elders; On the other hand, it also represents the memory of the past. Turning on the lights at night symbolizes welcoming the New Year in the light and making the coming year prosperous. In addition, it also means expelling diseases and disasters!

4. ancestor worship

Sacrifice ancestors on New Year's Eve. On New Year's Eve, many people usually go to the ancestral graves to offer sacrifices, burn paper money, set off firecrackers, place tributes, pay New Year greetings to the deceased elders and pray for the safety of their ancestors. Because the ancients believed that even if their ancestors had passed away, they would still pay attention to their descendants and pray for them, which would give them more shade. Ancestor worship is more meaningful in modern times, and it is the embodiment of our traditional virtue of respecting the elderly!

Step 5 Step on the annual activities

On New Year's Eve, our people will hold an annual stilt walking activity, that is, sesame stalks are stuck in the courtyard in the shape of gold ingots made of yellow paper rolls and stored in a bundle, which is called a "cornucopia". Then the whole family crushed it with their feet to make "old" and "broken" homophonic, and borrowed the auspicious meaning of sesame blossom to wish the family prosperity and express their wishes and prayers for the new year.

On New Year's Eve, as the turn of the New Year, all the activities we do on this day are to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and to pray for disaster relief. I have compiled a few customs above. If you know any customs, please leave a message in the comments below.