Traditional Chinese New Year Customs in Various Places

Wu Xian Zaoshen Temple's official activities from the second day of the first month of the count, the first two early in the morning, to Zaoshen Temple incense. In addition to the rich and famous, the vast majority of them are riding bicycles. They are mostly dressed in a variety of satin cotton robe, covered with a waistcoat or kangshan, wearing a fine felt bowler hat. Incense from the city out of the issue of Guang'anmen to the south, of course, the basic wind (because Beijing winter more northwest), but once out of Guang'anmen have to go against the wind.

Northeastern customs: New Year's Eve to eat dumplings is the custom of northerners, northeastern folk in the New Year's Eve has the custom of the New Year's Eve. On the night of the New Year's Eve to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, must eat dumplings. In the many dumplings wrapped only a few with coins (now people are concerned about hygiene, they use peanuts or other nuts instead), who ate such dumplings will be a sign of good luck in the new year, there is good luck. In addition, the Northeastern people in the first five days must eat dumplings, also known as "broken five", is to bite the dumplings, meaning that will be inauspicious things are destroyed, have to drive away disasters and avoid the meaning of evil.

Shanxi New Year's custom: Shaanxi folk style is simple and ancient, the Spring Festival with a strong local flavor and local characteristics. In ancient times, "New Year" was not on the 29th or 30th day of the Lunar New Year, but on the "Lunar New Year", which was later called "Lunar New Year". It was only after the Northern and Southern Dynasties that the Lunar New Year festival was moved to the end of the year, and it was only in the Republic of China, when the solar calendar was changed, that the lunar "New Year" was called "Spring Festival". Shaanxi people still call the Spring Festival "New Year", and have passed down a story about it. In ancient times, there was a beast called "Nian", which came out to eat people at night when winter was approaching and spring was coming. It would come out to eat people and make people feel uneasy. People in the fight with the "year", found that this ferocious beast is most afraid of fire and loud noise, so people thought of a way. Once the "year" appeared, it will ignite a fire, put into the bamboo, "the year" a see the fire, heard the abracadabra explosion of the firecrackers, will escape without a trace. Later, it gradually formed the New Year's Eve reunion. The New Year's Eve, hanging red lanterns, posting couplets, firecrackers, eating New Year's Eve customs.

Yunnan New Year's custom: Yunnan New Year's Day also want to stick couplets, but that "couplets" is red paper cut into a variety of patterns. Not only is the "writing" way different, even the way of posting is also unique. On New Year's Eve, the whole family, each holding a homemade spring couplets, chorus of the foot of the point "wishing song", in order in the yard outside, vegetable orchards and field corners for all things posted. Because of singing while posting, the Bai people's spring couplets are called "song couplets". "Song Union" posted to what things above, to that kind of thing for the "theme", sing a joint song "expression" joint meaning. Such as pasted on a bamboo branch is a firecracker paper cutouts, people sing the "joint song" is the bamboo peace value of a thousand gold, white family Zhenjia sound; East wind pleased flower thousands of miles, the red sun shines high in the spring of ten thousand trees. This paper-cutting, singing as one of the "song", can be called the white culture of a wonder.

Shanghai New Year's custom: in the old days, a Spring Festival beggars up. There is a kind of beggar, they are not because of poverty at home and go begging, but for filial piety. According to legend, the elderly live to 9981 years old, there is a ghost gate, only ate the "hundred rice" can be safe and sound through this pass, so the family has the old man's filial piety men and women in the first day of the new year out of the house to beg for food to their parents to eat. Some of the paper and bamboo wire made into a cow, to the door of the home to say good luck, which is called "send spring cow. Some hold a holly or cypress tree branches, hang some small bells on the branches after the ancient money, said in the new year the family will be like a money tree, wealth rolling in, which is called "shaking money tree". Some wearing a Buddha shirt, wearing a mask, disguised as the God of Fortune bodhisattva look to the family's mansion to run wildly jumping to show that the God of Fortune bodhisattva came, which is called "jumping God of Fortune".

Henan New Year's custom: the twenty-third day of the lunar month, is an important folk festival before the Spring Festival, people call it "Festival of the stove". At this time, people can not hold back the joy of welcoming the new year, stop all kinds of work in hand, busy routine year before the sacrificial stove to send God activities. The custom of sacrificing zaos on the 23rd day of the Lunar New Year in Henan is accompanied by a sad folk legend. In ancient times, an old couple had only one son, the two regarded their son as the jewel in the palm of their hand, and loved him very much. However, because of the poverty of the family, there is no way to make ends meet, and had to bear the pain of letting their son go to the coal mine to dig coal. The old man missed his son when he didn't come back for a long time. That day, the old woman asked the old man to go to the coal mine to see. On the way, the old man met a barefoot piece of the same way, the more the two walked more familiar, get along very well. In casual conversation, the old man learned that the barefoot piece is instructed by the King of Hell, to mine to recover a hundred miners. The old man's heart is burning, begging the barefoot piece to leave his son. The old man begged the light-footed piece to keep his son, but the light-footed piece generously agreed and asked him not to tell others. After meeting his son, the old man pretended to be sick, and his son served him, but he was never able to go down to the mine. Soon after, there was an accident in the coal mine, and the old man rushed to take his son back home. Turning three years have passed, this year the waxing moon 22 night, the old man remembered that year's risk, can not help but say to the old partner. Who knows that this word was Zaojun heard away, twenty-third night, Zaojun went to heaven, told the Jade Emperor about this matter. The Jade Emperor was infuriated and immediately punished the barefoot piece and took away the old man's son. For this reason, every day on the 23rd day of the Lunar New Year, people honored Zaojun and ate Zao candies, hoping that after he went to the Heavenly Palace, he would not stir up the wrongs and wrongs on earth. Over time, people have been worshipping Zao on the twenty-third day of the Lunar New Year. Chongqing is known in China as a city of mountains and a city of fog, and the most obvious sign of the Lunar New Year there is the Lapis lazuli flowers that can be seen in the streets and alleys.

Locals like to display yellowish Lap-mei flowers, whose petals carry a refreshing scent, in their homes for the Lunar New Year. Chongqing Nanshan is rich in waxberry flowers, and from the beginning of the lunar month, whether you go to the flower market or on ordinary streets, you can see peasants from the outskirts of the city carrying backpacks filled with budding waxberry flowers everywhere. On the street, you can often come across citizens holding wax plum flowers, which are very cheap, with a bunch (4 sticks) costing RMB 2 yuan.