Etiquette for celebrating the Spring Festival in ancient times

The Spring Festival is a time for family reunion and happy reunion, and it is also the time when etiquette is used the most in a year. China is known as "an ancient civilization" and "a country of etiquette". Although traditional etiquette has gradually faded in the continuous integration of world civilization. However, there is an old saying that "it is not surprising to be polite to people", especially during the Spring Festival, it is particularly important to be familiar with traditional etiquette.

Family ceremony (in memory of ancestors)

The ritual of ancient people offering sacrifices to ancestors or family patrons in temples is also an indispensable family ceremony during the Spring Festival. According to records, in the Tang Dynasty, there was a special person who formulated the etiquette of family sacrifice and carried it out along the way. There is a cloud in Lu You's poem "Shizi" in the Song Dynasty: "Julian Waghann set the Central Plains in the north, and he did not forget the family sacrifice." It can be seen that family sacrifice is important to the family.

Put your hands together and bow, giving priority to each other.

Refers to the etiquette of meeting the host and guest in ancient times. There are three kinds of ceremonies according to the level, which are called "three ceremonies": one is "earth ceremony", which is specially used for different surnames without marriage relationship, and the hand is pushed down slightly when saluting; The second is "saving time", which is specially used for married people with different surnames. When saluting, push your hands flat and reach forward; The third is Yi Tian, which is specially used for guests with the same surname. When saluting, the hand is pushed up slightly. There is also a long-term compliment, that is, hands held high, top-down, to show great respect for guests.

Seat

In ancient times, I sat on the floor with my knees on the ground and my hips on my heels. In order to show respect for people, the sitting method is quite particular. "After sitting empty, eat first and then sit." "After finishing" is to let the body sit back as far as possible to show humility; "Do your best" means to move your body forward as far as possible, without polluting the table and disrespecting people.

Seating order

In ancient times, official ranks were different, especially in officialdom. Officials are respected and occupy the upper position; Humble as an official, with bad records. The south is respect. When the emperor receives the minister, the seat must face south. Therefore, the ancients often called kings and emperors "South" and princes "North". "The Hongmen Banquet" records: "Wang Xiang and Xiang Bo sit in the east, Yafu sits in the south ... Pei Gong sits in the north, and Sean sits in the west." The throne is the highest and Sean is the lowest.

Seating order

In ancient times, the number of banquet seats was also very particular. Generally, the square table is used for banquets, with the table facing the gate, the north facing up and the left facing up, with the distinguished guest in front, that is, the guest of honor sits in the seat on the east side of the north, the guest of honor sits on the right side of the guest of honor, and so on. If there are many guests, you can set up two, three or more tables, which is different from sitting at a table and leaving the table: sitting at a table is the same as sitting in a single seat, leaving the table regardless of seats.

Foot massage

The ancient etiquette of offering sacrifices to the road gods and giving banquets to bid farewell to tourists. According to Hanshu, before Li Guang, a general of the Western Han Dynasty, crusaded against the Huns, "the Prime Minister took his ancestral path and sent him to Wei Qiao". "Jing Ke Stabbed the King of Qin": "Going to Yishui is both ancestral and Taoist." The word "ancestor" in this article is "the way of ancestors", which means to say goodbye to the road gods when leaving.

bow down and worship

Ancient sacrificial ceremony. When saluting, put your hands on your forehead and kneel and kowtow for a long time. It refers to a way to worship Buddha, and later it also refers to a way to express extreme respect or fear. Nowadays people often use "bowing down" to describe worshipping a person. There is also a "farewell" ceremony, which has been worshipped twice to show the solemnity of etiquette. "Farewell" is also often used at the end of old letters to show respect.