Where does the custom of sweeping the dust on the 18th day of the Lunar New Year come from?

After the Zao Festival, the preparation for the New Year officially begins. Every year from the twenty-third day of the lunar month to New Year's Eve, the Chinese folk called this period of time "to welcome the spring day", also known as "dust sweeping day". Sweeping dust is the end of the year cleaning, the north called "sweeping room", the south called "dusting". Sweeping dust before the Spring Festival is a traditional habit of our people. Whenever the Spring Festival comes, every household has to clean up the environment, cleaning all kinds of appliances, unwashing bedding curtains, sweeping the courtyard, dusting dust cobwebs, dredge the nullahs and ditches. North and south of the Yangtze River, everywhere overflowing with joyful health, clean and welcome the atmosphere of the New Year. "Lunar month twenty-four, dust sweeping house" custom, has a long history. According to & lt; Lv's Spring and Autumn & gt; records, China in the era of Yao and Shun on the Spring Festival dust sweeping custom. According to folklore: because the "dust" and "Chen" homophonic, the New Year dust sweeping "in addition to the meaning of Chen Bu Xin", the intention is to put all the "poor luck! ", "bad luck" are swept out. This custom is the wish of the people to break up the old and new, and the old to welcome the new prayers.

Sweeping dust custom from:

Ancient about the origin of sweeping dust, there is a rather bizarre story. Legend has it that the ancients believed that there was a god of three corpses attached to all human beings, who, like a shadow, followed one's whereabouts and was inseparable. The God of Three Corpses is a guy who likes flattery and loves to make a fuss. He often spread rumors in front of the Jade Emperor, describing the earth as ugly and unappealing. Over time, in the Jade Emperor's impression, the earth was simply a dirty world full of sin. Once. The Three Corpses God secretly reported that the earth was cursing the Heavenly Emperor and wanted to plot against the Heavenly Court. The Jade Emperor was furious and sent down a decree to quickly find out what was going on on earth. Anyone who complained about the gods and blasphemed against them would have their crimes written under the eaves of their houses. The Jade Emperor also ordered Wang Ling Ling to cover them up with a web. The Jade Emperor also ordered Wang Lingguan to go down to the world on New Year's Eve, and wherever he met a family with a mark, he would kill all the family members and leave no one behind. Three corpses of God see this plan is about to succeed, take advantage of the opportunity to fly down to the mortal world, regardless of the green and black and white, viciously in the eaves and corners of each house to do the mark, so that the king of the Palace of the Spirit to come to a cut down all. Just when the three corpses of God in the evil, Zaojun found his whereabouts, alarmed, hastened to find each family Zaowang master to discuss countermeasures. So, came up with a good way, on the twenty-third day of the waxing moon to send the stove from the date, to New Year's Eve to receive the stove before, each family must clean the house clean, which household is not clean, the king of the stove will refuse to enter the house. We follow the instructions before the ascension of the King Zaowang, sweeping dust, dusting off cobwebs, wiping clean doors and windows, to clean their own homes to a new look. When Wang Lingguan was ordered to go down to the world to check on New Year's Eve, he found that the windows of every house were clear, the lights were brilliant, people were reunited and happy, and the earth was beautiful. Wang Lingguan couldn't find any marks that indicated the bad deeds, and was very strange in his heart, so he rushed back to heaven and reported to the Jade Emperor about the peacefulness and happiness on earth and prayed for a New Year as desired. After hearing this, the Jade Emperor was greatly shocked, and sent down an order to detain the three corpses of the God, ordered to slap his mouth 300 times, and detained him in the heavenly prison forever. This time, the earthly calamity was spared thanks to the rescue of the God of Zao. In order to be grateful to the king of the stove for people in addition to the disaster, blessing Zhangxiang, so the folk sweeping always in the send stove after the start, busy until New Year's Eve.