What are the Chinese New Year customs in China?

1, worship god

Before and after the Spring Festival, the ancients offered sacrifices to many gods, including the kitchen god on the 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month, the three gods of Fu Lushou on New Year's Eve, the god of wealth on the second or fifth day, the Tai Sui on the eighth day, the jade emperor on the ninth day and so on. Of course, it is more important to worship ancestors than to worship God. Ancestors are the most important gods in our family, because without them, there would be no us.

2. New Year's Eve dinner

New Year's Eve is also called reunion dinner, reunion dinner and stove. The ancient custom of eating New Year's Eve dinner was recorded as early as the Southern and Northern Dynasties. According to the Chronicle of Jingchu Years, at the end of each year, every family will prepare meat and vegetables for the New Year, and families will get together to drink and have a reunion dinner. Modern people eat New Year's Eve, usually in the afternoon or evening of New Year's Eve, first offering sacrifices to the gods and ancestors, and then eating after the worship ceremony.

Step 3: keep your age

Shounian, also known as Shounian Fire, lasts for years. The ancients kept vigil on New Year's Eve. All the houses were lit with candles and stayed up all night. The family chatted around the stove, kept vigil and waited for the New Year. Bright lights mean driving away all evil diseases and epidemics. The ancients used the custom of observing the age to express their expectation for the new year and cherish time.

4. Spring Festival couplets

Spring Festival couplets are decorations for the Spring Festival. They are written on red paper with a brush and then pasted on the door or wall. Spring Festival couplets are generally divided into upper couplets and lower couplets, and the number of words is not limited. The key is that the number of words in the upper and lower couplets must be equal. When writing Spring Festival couplets, I also pay attention to antithesis and even tone. The last word of the first couplet must be read three or four times (even number), and the last word of the second couplet must be read once or twice (even number). It is generally believed that the custom of Spring Festival couplets originated from ancient Fu Tao or Yichun Post. When people paste Spring Festival couplets, they will also paste red festive decorations such as door gods, banners, New Year pictures, blessings and window grilles, which are collectively referred to as pasting New Year Red.

5, lucky money

Legend has it that in ancient times there was a ghost named Chong who came out to harm children on New Year's Eve. A couple wrapped eight copper coins in red paper and put them under the child's pillow. In the middle of the night, Chong entered the door, ready to grab the child's head with his hands. The copper coins under the pillow suddenly gave off light, scaring Chong away. Since then, people have learned from this couple and wrapped money in red paper to deal with extravagance, which is called "lucky money" and homophonic "lucky money"