New Year customs

Literally, "Yuan" means the beginning, and "Dan" means the dawn. New Year's Day is the first day of the year, also known as the "new calendar year" and "solar calendar year". New Year's Day is also called "three yuan", that is, year yuan, month yuan and hour yuan. Let's learn about the customs of New Year's Day.

1, eating eggs is one of the customs on New Year's Day, which has appeared in the Local Records between Wu and Jin. "Local Customs" says that "swallowing a chicken raw is called practicing shape". Eggs are round. Eating eggs on New Year's Day is not only nutritious and delicious, but also meaningful. An egg is a perfect ellipse, symbolizing reunion. Eating eggs represents a good wish for family reunion.

Setting off firecrackers on New Year's Day was originally used to drive away evil spirits and ghosts. According to traditional folklore, it is said that firecrackers are set off on New Year's Day to drive away "mandrills". Mandrill was a fierce one-horned ghost in ancient times, but it was most afraid of noise, so people used the explosion of burning bamboo to scare it away. With gunpowder, people put gunpowder into bamboo tubes to make firecrackers, and then make paper tubes, also known as firecrackers or firecrackers. In addition, setting off firecrackers on New Year's Day can create a festive atmosphere. After setting off firecrackers, the red on the ground represents joy, happiness and auspiciousness. Therefore, in this festive festival, people will set off firecrackers to celebrate.

3. On New Year's Day, people will tear off the old couplets that have been pasted for one year and put on new ones. Some calligraphers will personally write couplets, and write down their own prospects for the coming year on the couplets, hoping that all their wishes will come true in the coming year. The custom of sticking door gods generally appears in rural areas, and people are used to sticking big door gods on their thick wooden doors, which has played a role in driving away bad luck and opening the door to welcome the god of wealth.

4. Lion dance is an excellent folk art in China, which was called "Taiping Music" in ancient times and is a unique culture in China. In ancient times, people jumped lions to ward off evil spirits. On New Year's Day, people will perform lion dances as a celebration. The lion dance on the first day of the Lunar New Year is generally lively, and professional lion dance teams will perform lion dances. Lion dance is divided into north and south, and the southern lion is also called lion awakening. Performers dress up as dogs or other auspicious animals (such as brave and lion) under the music of gongs and drums, and make various movements in order to celebrate and be auspicious. Lion dancers should show southern martial arts with various moves when performing, which is very masculine.

5. Eating rice cakes Some areas in the south also have the habit of eating rice cakes on New Year's Day. Eating rice cakes has a long history. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Volume II of "Scenery of the Imperial Capital" recorded that on the first day of the first month of the first month, "I was so excited that I ate jujube cakes and rice cakes every day." In Jiajing, Hebei Province in the north, Wei County recorded that local people ate "steamed mutton cakes". The rice cake tastes soft and glutinous, also called sticky cake, which means high every year. It is made of glutinous rice in the south and sticky millet in the north. Eating rice cakes on New Year's Day was very popular in Ming and Qing Dynasties, especially in the south.

The above is the custom about New Year's Day introduced to you today. What other customs do you know?