What are the stories about the origins and legends of the Spring Festival?

There are many versions of the story of the Spring Festival, but I believe we have heard the most familiar one legend: in ancient times, there is a monster called "year", the body image of the dog, every time to the current lunar New Year's Eve out of chaos. Many people were victimized by it, people to this time of the year are very afraid! However, with the passage of time, people later found that the year is afraid of the sound of firecrackers exploding, so every time it is going to come out when people will put firecrackers to scare it, so that it does not dare to come down to harm people. Therefore, people can safely pass this period of time. And this period of time is called "New Year's Eve". I have to say, this story has always been our childhood memories.

Of course, there are many, many stories about the Spring Festival, the following I for you all one by one:

1, the Spring Festival to pick up the God of Wealth Legend - Spring Festival to pick up the God of Wealth day is the fifth day of the first month, the legend is that this is the God of Wealth's birthday. Out of the first day, to prepare to meet the god of wealth. On the fourth night, every family will organize a banquet to celebrate the birthday of the God of Fortune and welcome the arrival of the God of Fortune. Who is the God of Wealth? Legend has it that during the Song Dynasty, the folk believed that the prime minister Cai Jing was very rich, so they said he was the God of Wealth, and because he was born on the fifth day of the first month, the folk worshipped Cai Jing as the God of Wealth. Later, when Cai Jing fell, the people changed the god of wealth, and the name of the state was Zhao in the Song Dynasty, so the people named the god of wealth "Zhao Xuan Tan", and then worshipped him.

2, Lapa congee story -- "children children you do not want, after the Lapa is the year. Laha congee, drink a few days", this is the northern New Year's song, the beginning is the eighth day of the eighth month, drink Laha congee. The custom of drinking Laha congee on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year does not originate from folklore, but from Buddhism. It is said that the founder of Buddhism Sakyamuni monk, six years of hard work, in the eighth day of the waxing moon in the Bodhi tree enlightenment became Buddha, so his disciples in order to remember Sakyamuni for the creation of Buddhism suffered six years of suffering, will be in the eighth day of the waxing moon every year to eat congee, waxing moon has also become the "Buddha anniversary of the road to enlightenment". The eighth day of the eighth month is a grand festival of Buddhism, every day, the conditions of the temple will hold a Buddhist bath, the production of congee, for the Buddha chanting sutras, and the congee will be given to the general public who come to pray for peace. Later, this spread to the people and became a custom.

3, the legend of the Wannian calendar - Wannian calendar is an ancient Chinese legend of the oldest solar calendar, a calendar, not a calendar. Legend has it that in ancient times there was a young man named Wanli, who felt that the festival at that time was very chaotic, and then wanted to create a punctual and accurate method. When Wanli went up the mountain to cut firewood, he was inspired by the shadows of the trees and the dripping springs on the cliffs, and created a sundial to measure the sun's shadow and set the time, as well as a five-tiered funnel pot to calculate the time. When Wanli realized that the then ruler Zuyi was worried because of the uncertainty of the time of day, he recommended himself. After hearing about Wanli's method, Zuyi left him behind, hoping that Wanli would be able to deduce the exact time of morning and evening and create a calendar for the benefit of all the people. A few years later, when Zu Yi visited Wanli, he saw the celestial poems inscribed on the altar of the sun and moon where the celestial times were measured, and knew that the legislation had been finalized. Wannian pointed to the celestial signs and said to Zu Yi, "As the new spring resumes, please set a festival for Your Majesty." Zu Yi said, "Spring is the first day of the year, let's call it Spring Festival." This is said to be the origin of the Spring Festival.

4, the legend of the northern rats marrying their daughters - it is on the night of the 25th day of the first month, the night when families do not turn on the lights, the whole family sits together without saying a word, eating in the dark fried soybeans made of flour, "rat paw paw" and "scorpion tails". Not turning on the lights and not making a sound is to provide convenience for the mouse to marry the daughter, for fear of disturbing the marriage. I don't know if you have this custom in your area, we don't seem to have heard of it here.

5, "the year" beast of legend - legend has it that in ancient times there was a monster called "year", fierce very fierce, every New Year's Eve will wreak havoc on the earth, devouring livestock, and harming people's lives. It ate livestock and harmed people's lives. Later, an old fairy came to the village and taught the people to drive away the "Nian". "The Nian was afraid of red color, fire and explosions, so every family wore red clothes, put up red New Year's paintings, red paper and firecrackers at the Spring Festival, and the custom of celebrating New Year's Eve evolved.

6, the legend of the New Year firecrackers - firecrackers in the sound of a year in addition to the spring breeze to send warmth into the tusu. The original intention of the New Year firecrackers is to dispel the plague, bad luck, bring good luck. According to ancient records, firecrackers initially with a mysterious color, ancient times is a kind of evil supplies, field camping can also use it to drive away wild animals. Later, people in addition to the Spring Festival, in other grand festivals and happy days will be burning firecrackers, to express auspicious celebrations.

7, paste the God of the door -- ancient myths say that there are two generals to catch ghosts, to protect the peace, the name of the God, Yu base, folk will thus use peach board to make peach charms, written on the name of the God Yu base or carve a picture of the image, hanging in front of the house, the town of the evil, to protect the peace. In the Song Dynasty, peach symbols became spring couplets, one does not lose its meaning, the second to express the good wishes, the third to decorate beautiful. Folk believe that the door god is a symbol of righteousness and force, which can dispel demons and ghosts. Angry eyes, tall weapons and pairs, this is how the door god looks like. After the Tang Dynasty, Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong also became door deities for defending Tang Taizong to sleep peacefully. Nowadays, it is usually these two men, and the god Tuan Yubi is extremely rare.

8, the legend of the Spring Festival couplets - the original source of the Spring Festival couplets is the above mentioned Shentan Yubi, the Five Dynasties, people began to even the language instead of the name of Shentan Yubi, the Song Dynasty began to Spring Festival couplets become common, the Ming and Qing dynasties flourished, it is said that Zhu Yuanzhang after the capital city of Jinling, ordered the people of the whole city to post Spring Festival couplets, but also to travel to appreciate, and later on! Literati also write couplets as a literary style and elegant things, become a social fashion.

9, upside down FuZi legend - upside down FuZi said Prince Gong said, Empress Dowager Cixi said and Zhu Yuanzhang, Queen Ma said three legends, three legends are almost invariably subordinates, the people do not know how to read and write, resulting in upside down FuZi, but "Fu down! "Harmonized" Fu to ", so it is a good story, into the folk.

10, stay up to observe the legend of the year - the custom of staying up on the night of the New Year's Eve to observe the New Year's Eve is now gone, almost no one has this custom. The origin of this custom is also related to the monster "year". Legend has it that in ancient times, the ferocious monster "Nian" would wreak havoc on the earth every New Year's Eve, so the people grasped the pattern of "Nian's" activities and called the night of the New Year's Eve "Nian Guan ", the evening meal in advance, families sit together, "hide" in the house to eat New Year's Eve dinner, because the "uncertainty", so the New Year's Eve dinner are very sumptuous. After eating, we do not sleep, sitting together chatting courage. This is the origin of the New Year's Eve celebration.

--I believe that we must have some stories have not heard it, then some stories about the Spring Festival is introduced here, I hope you can learn more about our traditional festival culture!