The Spring Festival, the first year of the lunar calendar, the Spring Festival, another name is called the New Year, is China's grandest, most lively and most important of an ancient traditional festivals, but also unique to the Chinese people. It is the most concentrated expression of Chinese civilization. Since the Western Han Dynasty, the custom of the Spring Festival has continued until today. Spring Festival generally refers to New Year's Eve and the first day of the first month. However, in folklore, the Spring Festival traditionally refers to the Lunar New Year Festival from the Lunar New Year's Eve or the Lunar New Year's 23rd or 24th Zaosai Festival until the 15th day of the first lunar month, with New Year's Eve and the first day of the first lunar month as the climax. How to celebrate this festival, in the development of thousands of years of history, the formation of a number of more fixed customs and habits, many of which are still passed down to the present day. In the Spring Festival this traditional holiday period, China's Han Chinese and most ethnic minorities have to hold a variety of celebrations, most of these activities to worship God and Buddha, ancestors, in addition to the old and the new, welcome Jubilee to receive the blessing, praying for a good year as the main content. Activities in a variety of forms, with a strong ethnic characteristics. 2006 May 20, "Spring Festival" folk approved by the State Council included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.
The origin of the Spring Festival has a legend that in ancient China, there was a monster called "Nian", with a long tentacled head, fierce and unusual. "It lived on the bottom of the sea for many years, and only climbed ashore on New Year's Eve to devour livestock and hurt people. Therefore, every New Year's Eve, the people of villages and hamlets fled to the mountains with their young and old to avoid the harm of the "year" beast. One New Year's Eve, from outside the village came a begging old man. Folks a rush panic scene, only the east end of the village, an old woman gave the old man some food, and advised him to quickly go to the mountains to avoid the "year" beasts, the old man stroked his beard and laughed: "Granny if you let me stay at home one night, I'm sure that the 'year'! The old man smiled with his beard and said, "If you let me stay at home for one night, I will definitely drive away the 'Year' beast. The old woman still continue to persuade, begging old man smiled but did not say. In the middle of the night, the Beast of the Year came into the village. It found that the atmosphere in the village was different from that of previous years: the old woman's house at the east end of the village had a big red paper on the door, and the candles in the house were burning brightly. "The beast shivered and gave a strange cry. Near the door, the yard suddenly came "bang bang pop" sound, "year" trembling, and do not dare to come forward. It turns out that Nian is afraid of the color red, fire and explosions. At this time, the door of the mother-in-law's house was wide open, only to see an old man wearing a red robe in the courtyard laughing. "Nian was so shocked that he fled in disarray. The next day was the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, and the people who came back from their refuge were very surprised to see that the village was safe and sound. It was then that the old woman came to her senses, and hurriedly told the townspeople about the old man's promise to beg. This story soon spread in the surrounding villages, people know the way to drive away the "New Year" beast. (Hakka legend) Since then every year on New Year's Eve, every family stick red couplets, firecrackers; household candles bright, to keep the night. Early in the morning on the first day, but also to go to friends and relatives to say hello. This custom has become more and more widespread, and has become the grandest traditional festival in Chinese folklore.
Two, the Spring Festival customs
1, Lunar New Year's 23rd sacrificial stove
China's Spring Festival, generally from the sacrificial stove to open the prelude. Zaosi, is a very influential in China's folk customs, widely spread. In the old days, almost every house had a "Zao Wang" god in the stove.
2, Lunar New Year's Eve dust sweeping
"Lunar New Year's Eve, dust sweeping the house", according to "Lushi Chunqiu" records, China in the era of Yao and Shun on the Spring Festival dust sweeping custom. According to folklore: because the "dust" and "Chen" consonant, dust sweeping in the New Year has "in addition to the meaning of Chen Bu Xin", the intention is to all the poor luck, bad luck, swept out the door. This custom is a symbol of people's desire to break away from the old and bring in the new and their prayers for the old and the new. Whenever the Spring Festival comes, every household has to clean up the environment, wash all kinds of appliances, dismantle the bedding curtains, sprinkle clean the courtyard, dust dust cobwebs, dredge the nullahs and ditches. Everywhere overflowing with joyful health, clean and welcome the new year's atmosphere of joy.
3, Lunar New Year's Eve 25 to receive the Jade Emperor
The old custom is that after the God of the stove in heaven, the Jade Emperor in the lunar calendar on the 25th day of the twelfth month to personally down to the world, to check the earth's good and evil, and set the next year's misfortune and blessings, so all the family sacrifices to pray for blessings, known as the "receiving Jade Emperor". On this day, people should be careful in their living and speaking, and strive for good performance in order to win the favor of the Jade Emperor and bring down blessings in the coming year.
4, Lunar New Year 27, 28 bath
Traditional folklore in these two days to focus on bathing, laundry, remove the bad luck of the year, in preparation for the coming year's New Year, the capital has "27 wash guilt, 28 wash sloppy" proverb. Lunar New Year's Eve bath for "wash the blessing of Lu".
5, Lunar New Year's Eve on the thirtieth day of the month, sticking door gods, posting Spring Festival couplets, the New Year's Eve, firecrackers, eat New Year's Eve dinner, to the New Year's Eve money, ancestor worship
New Year's Eve is the meaning of "the month of the poor end of the year", the people want to get rid of the old Department of the new, there is the old year to this year, the next year, another change in the new year's meaning, the lunar calendar, is the last night of the whole year. Therefore, the activities during this period are centered around the old part of the new, eliminate disasters and pray for blessings as the center.
All over China, there is the custom of posting the door god on New Year's Eve. The first door god is carved mahogany as a human figure, hanging next to the person, and later is painted into the door god portrait posted on the door.
One of the origins of Spring Festival couplets is the peach charm. Initially, people used peach wood to carve human figures and hang them next to the door to ward off evil spirits. Later, they drew portraits of door deities on peach wood, and then simplified the process by inscribing the names of the door deities on the mahogany boards.
Pastes the lucky character, pastes the windowpane, pastes the New Year's picture, pastes the hanging thousand. All of these have the folkloric function of praying for blessings and decorating one's residence. New Year's paintings are an ancient folk art in China, reflecting the customs and beliefs of the people, and holding the hope of people for the future.
Watch the New Year's Eve, China's folk in the New Year's Eve has the habit of watching the New Year's Eve, commonly known as "boiled years". The New Year's Eve vigil begins with the New Year's Eve dinner, which is eaten slowly, from the time of the lamp, some people have to eat late into the night. According to the record of "Jing Chu Yearly Records", there was a custom of having New Year's Eve dinner at least in the North and South Dynasties. The custom of keeping the New Year's Eve is both a farewell to the passing years and an expression of hope for the coming New Year.
Crackers, Chinese folk "open door firecrackers" said. That is, the arrival of the new year, the first thing that families open the door is to set off firecrackers, to beep, bla bla bla firecrackers to get rid of the old and welcome the new. Firecrackers is a Chinese specialty, also known as "firecrackers", "cannonballs", "firecrackers". Its origin is very early, so far has a history of more than two thousand years. Setting off firecrackers can create a festive and lively atmosphere, and is a kind of entertainment activity during festivals, which can bring joy and good fortune to people. Wang Anshi's poem "New Year's Day" reads: "The sound of firecrackers marks the end of the year, and the spring breeze sends warmth to the people. Thousands of doors and tens of thousands of households are filled with pupils on the New Year's Day. Always changing the new peach for the old one." It depicts the grand festive scene of our people celebrating the Spring Festival.
Eating New Year's Eve dinner is the most lively and pleasant time for families in the Spring Festival. On New Year's Eve. Abundant New Year's dishes on the table, the whole family reunion, sitting around the table, *** eat a reunion dinner, the heart of the fullness is really difficult to describe.
To the New Year's Eve money, New Year's Eve money is sent by the elders of the younger generation, some families are eating New Year's Eve dinner, everyone sitting at the table is not allowed to go, and so we all ate, by the elders sent to the younger generation, and encourage children and grandchildren to learn in the new year to make progress, and do a good job.
Ancestor worship, ancient times this ritual is very prosperous. Because of the different rituals and customs of different places, the form of ancestor worship also varies, some go to the field to visit the ancestral tomb, some go to the ancestral temple to worship ancestors, but most of the ancestors at home will be placed in the ancestral tablets in order in the main hall, display offerings, and then the worshippers according to the order of the eldest and youngest on the incense and kneeling worship.
6, the first day of the first month of the New Year
The morning of the Spring Festival, open the door for good luck, the first firecrackers, called "open the door cannonball". After the sound of firecrackers, broken red all over the ground, brilliant as a cloud of brocade, known as "full red". At this time, the street is full of gas, joyful.
An important activity in the Spring Festival is to congratulate new friends and neighbors on the New Year, the old term for New Year's Eve. On the first day of the New Year, people are up early, put on the most beautiful clothes, dressed neatly, go out to visit friends and relatives, pay respects to each other, wishing good luck in the coming year. Worship a variety of ways, some of them are the same patriarch led a number of people to go door to door to pay tribute to the New Year; some colleagues invited a few people to pay tribute to the New Year; there are also get together to congratulate each other, known as the "group worship". Because of the time-consuming and laborious New Year's visit, some upper-class people and scholars later used the posters to congratulate each other, which developed into the later "New Year's Pieces". Spring Festival to pay tribute to the New Year, the younger generation should first pay tribute to the elders, wishing the elders a long life and well-being, the elders can be prepared in advance of the New Year's money to the younger generation, it is said that the New Year's money can be pressed to the evil spirits, because of the "age" and the "spirit" harmonic, the elders to get the New Year's money can be peaceful and safe! The new year's money is a good way to keep the evil spirits at bay.
7, temple fair
The temple fair is most Chinese people's Spring Festival complex, but also an indispensable annual tradition. Spring Festival temple fair is the earliest folk religious ceremonies, temple fair time, usually by monks, Taoist priests to do "magic" or "dojo" to worship God, people also want to incense pilgrimage, wishing, wishing, seeking blessings. During the temple fair, there are also vendors and folk art performances. There are many traditional events in the temple fair that have a long history and are loved by the people, such as lion dance, dragon dance, rice-planting song, stilt walker, dry boat running, and so on.
8, watch the social fire
In addition to the temple fair, folk self-performance of self-entertainment of the social fire is also a long history of the New Year's entertainment. Social fire originated from the ancient worship of the land god and fire god. She, that is, the land god; fire, that is, fire ancestor, is the legendary god of fire. In China, which is famous for its agricultural culture, land is the foundation of people's foothold, and it lays the material foundation for the survival and development of human beings. Fire, is the source of cooked food and warmth, but also essential to the survival and development of mankind, ancient people with primitive thinking that fire also has a "spirit", and regarded as a special meaning of the gods to be worshipped, so the formation of the concept of fire. Ancient land and fire worship, produced the custom of sacrificing to the community and fire. With the development of society, the rituals of the fire gradually become a grand scale, rich in content, a variety of forms of folk entertainment.
9, Dragon Dance
Dragon Dance, also known as "playing dragon lanterns", "dragon lantern dance", is one of the traditional dance forms of the Han Chinese people. The Dragon Dance is practiced everywhere during festivals and celebrations.
The Dragon Dance originated in the Han Dynasty and has been practiced through the ages. The dragon dance was initially used as a ritual to worship ancestors and pray for sweet rain, and then gradually became a recreational activity. In the Tang and Song dynasties, the dragon dance was a common form of expression during the New Year's festivals.
On the origin of the Dragon Dance, there is a folk legend: one day, the Dragon King's back pain is unbearable, all the drugs in the Dragon Palace have eaten, still not effective. Had to become an old man came to the earth to seek medical treatment. The doctor touched the pulse was very strange, asked: "You are not a person, right! The dragon king saw no way to hide, had to tell the truth. So the doctor let him back to his original form, from the waist of the scale armor to capture a centipede. After the poison was removed and medicine was applied, the dragon king recovered completely. In order to thank him for his treatment, the king said to the doctor, "As long as you do the dragon dance as I do, you will have good weather and good harvests. After this incident, people thought that the dragon can make rain, every drought will dance dragon to pray for rain, and there are spring dance green dragon, summer dance red dragon, autumn dance white dragon, winter dance black dragon rules.
10, Lion Dance
Lion Dance, also known as "playing the lion", "Lion Dance", which, like the Dragon Dance, is a traditional form of dance in China, is also a popular folk sports activities. It is also a popular folk sports activity. The lion dance is also performed at Chinese New Year or celebrations.
The lion dance began in the North and South Dynasties. In China, there are many different forms of lion dance, which can be roughly categorized into northern lion dance and southern lion dance. The appearance of the northern lion dance is very similar to the real lion, the whole body covered with a lion phi, lion dancers (generally two people dance a big lion) only feet, not see their people. Northern lion dance has female and male points, as well as cultural lion, martial arts lion, into the lion, cub lion points.
Southern lion dance is mainly popular in Guangdong. This kind of lion dance consists of one person dancing the lion's head and one person dancing the lion's tail. The shape, style and color of the lion are different from the northern lion. The lion dancers wear a variety of lantern pants, on the top of the Mignon buttons of the Tang suit lantern sleeve shirt or undershirt, visible lion dancers full body. The lion dancers have to put on their best foot forward.
Legend has it that in the early years of the Ming Dynasty, a monster appeared in Foshan, Guangdong Province, at the turn of the new and old years, it would come out and trample the crops, injuring people and animals, and the people complained of endless suffering. Later, some people suggested using the lion dance to scare the beast, and it really worked, the beast escaped. The local people believe that the lion has to drive away evil demons, there are auspicious signs, so every Spring Festival will beat gongs and drums, door-to-door, lion dance to pay tribute to the New Year, in order to eliminate disasters and harm, the forecast of auspiciousness.