Lunar New Year is traditionally a great festival in China, and I believe that no one in China is unaware of it. However, celebrating Lunar New Year in Hong Kong is very different from the traditional one in terms of customs and atmosphere.
In recent years, very few Hong Kong people have traditionally put up Chinese New Year couplets and paintings at home during the Lunar New Year. Instead, they put up spring scrolls in some stores or at home to wish "prosperous business" and "peace in and out of the city". In spite of this, the original intention of sticking the Spring Festival and sticking the Spring Festival couplets and New Year's paintings is the same, taking its auspicious meaning, hoping that everything will go well in the coming year, peace and security.
In addition, lion dances and dragon lanterns are also seen in some villages and walled villages in the New Territories, and it is difficult to see large-scale lion and dragon lantern dances on the streets of the city in the New Year. As for the discharge of firecrackers, firecrackers, etc. in Hong Kong is prohibited, but since 1982 every year on the second day of the Lunar New Year night, in the Victoria Harbour will hold a grand fireworks display, which has become this decade to welcome the spring of a program.
Hong Kong is known as the "Gourmet Paradise", and there are many Chinese New Year customs related to food, and most families will have a "Lunar New Year dinner" during the Lunar New Year period, which is usually a feast at home, where the whole family gathers on New Year's Eve to enjoy the Dinner. After dinner, the first choice for a major program is believed to be the flower market, during the Lunar New Year, Hong Kong and Kowloon have a number of New Year's Eve markets, including Victoria Park's flower market is the largest and most lively. Hong Kong people are accustomed to the family after dinner to visit the flower market, New Year's Eve is even more crowded, shoulder to shoulder, everyone together to celebrate the festival.
In Hong Kong during the Lunar New Year, the happiest people are the children who receive "lai see", and during the Lunar New Year, you can hear the laughter of the "lai see" everywhere. The word "lishao" originally means "good fortune" and has become an indispensable part of Chinese New Year celebrations with loved ones.
Macao New Year's Eve
Macao New Year's Eve has a unique flavor. One of the most traditional Chinese New Year customs preserved in Macau is the "thanking of the stove". On the 23rd day of the Lunar New Year, the Macau people call it "thanking the God of Stoves". According to Chinese tradition, Macanese people also use Zao candies to give the god of Zao, saying that they use the candies to paste the mouth of the god of Zao, so as to prevent him from saying bad words to the Jade Emperor. I have seen a Santa Claus statue in a Macau family's house on Flower Street in Macau, and strangely enough, the Santa Claus statue is labeled with a "good things to say in heaven, and good fortune to come back to the house" link.
The Chinese New Year in Macau starts on the 28th day of the Lunar New Year, which means "easy to get rich" in Cantonese, and most business owners treat their employees to a "New Year's dinner" at the end of the year to signify their good fortune and good fortune. Macau's New Year's flavor can be truly felt on the 28th day of the Lunar New Year.
On New Year's Eve, the New Year's Eve vigil and the flower market are the two major events for Macau people to celebrate the old and welcome the new. The New Year's Eve is to play mahjong, watch TV, chatting, *** enjoy the joy of family; probably influenced by the Western Christmas and Valentine's Day, the Lantern Festival Macao people also scramble to buy some auspicious flowers and trees to welcome the New Year, now has become a Macao custom. Macau in the Lantern Festival organized flower market, mostly peach blossoms, daffodils, potted bamboo, potted oranges, blossoms, wishing for peace, flowers and trees signify a new year's good prospects. Macau's flower market is held for three days, and these three days give endless comfort to the people of Macau who have been running around for a year.
The Chinese New Year day, the Macao people pay attention to the "Lai Shi", "Lai Shi" is the red envelope, this day the boss to see the staff, the elders to see the elders, and even married people to see the unmarried people have to "Lai Shi."" Li Shi" pure crisp is to show good luck. Macau people call the second day of the Lunar New Year "New Year's Eve". It is customary to have a "New Year" meal, which must be prepared with hairy vegetables, lettuce, and carp, which is meant to take its wealth and fortune. From the day of the "New Year", the Macau government allows civil servants to "bet" (gamble) for three days. After the "New Year", Macao is back to the traditional Chinese New Year customs, until the Lantern Festival, is also a fireworks festival, play dragons and lions, happy days.
Taiwan's Spring Festival customs
The Spring Festival is a traditional festival of the Chinese nation with a long history and the most solemn folk traditions. In Taiwan, which is separated from Fujian Province by a stretch of water, its history, culture, customs, living habits, relatives and so on are all inherited from the motherland, especially the southern region of Fujian Province, and thus the Spring Festival customs of the people on the island are naturally similar to those of the motherland.
Since the ancestors of the islanders (mostly Minnan and Hakka) went to Taiwan to develop the island, which is a long time ago and has gone through many vicissitudes, the Chinese New Year customs there have gradually formed some unique patterns and colors.
Every lunar month 23 "sacrificial stove" day, Taiwan compatriots have to put on good clothes, in the home offerings of pigs, goats, dogs, ducks, fish and other livestock and seafood, as well as melons, sweets, tea and other offerings, and then burn incense firecrackers for the God of the stove to send off, hoping that its "heavenly word of good things". And from this day onwards, the "New Year" has begun.
Before New Year's Eve, Taiwan compatriots also have to carry out a comprehensive cleaning and organizing the courtyard and living room, have to prepare for the New Year's goods, busy and happy.
On New Year's Eve, each family often first symbolizes the auspiciousness of the New Year, the content of the Spring Festival couplets, such as good luck, fortune and prosperity, pasted on their own doors and windows, grain hoards, pigsties, wells, etc., and then in the hall on the table set up offerings, incense and candles in order to pay homage to the ancestors and to welcome them home to celebrate the New Year. From this point onwards, the sound of fireworks, firecrackers, lively, and continues until the morning of the first day of the New Year.
On New Year's Eve, the entire family of the island will gather together to eat New Year's Eve dinner (or "reunion dinner") around the fireplace or hot pot, which means that men, women, and children of all ages will sit around the fireplace. This meal is, of course, extraordinarily sumptuous.
New Year's Eve dinner, in addition to eating a symbol of family reunion of fish balls, meatballs, and symbolizes the meaning of "eating dog" dog meat, as well as leeks that "longevity," there are a variety of local flavors of fried foods, dumplings, rice cakes, especially to eat the "tortoise bean paste rice cake" (a carved tortoise shape of a wooden mold pressed and made of inside the bean paste filling of the rice cake), there is a meaning of good life and prolonged life. In addition, there is also a savory radish rice cake, which is eaten warmed over a fire and then wrapped in seaweed. In addition to its role in solving the meat and fish, the role of taste, but also contains the next year, "good luck" wishes (Taiwan called the radish for the head of the vegetable, and the "head of the color" resonance).
After the New Year's Eve dinner, it is the elders to give their children and grandchildren "New Year's money" to give the method is also quite distinctive: older children, their "New Year's money" is pre-wrapped in red paper and handed to them; and young children's "New Year's money", it is the adults wrapped in red cord and tied into a small ring, set on their necks.
On the first day of the first month of the year, people will get up early, after dressing and washing up, will start a very humane way to pay tribute to each other, please, blessings, and visit friends and relatives or visit the park, etc., ushered in, lively and cozy. People are generally immersed in a festive atmosphere of joy, celebration, happiness and fulfillment.
The second day of the Lunar New Year is the day when the new son-in-law takes his wife to his husband's house to pay homage. Son-in-law to the door, the daughter back to her mother's home, naturally more fun.
The third day of the Lunar New Year is regarded as an unlucky day by Taiwanese compatriots. People tend not to go out, and eat and sleep early in the evening, which is a good opportunity to rest in the midst of the chaos.
On the fourth day of the month, it is the day to welcome the "God of the Zao" down to the earth, so naturally, it is another day to be lively.
From the fifth day of the first month, many people will be open for business and go to work.
On the ninth day of the year, which is said to be the birthday of the "God of Heaven," every household prepares the best wine and food and burns incense and worships, performs plays and recites scriptures to wish the "God of Heaven" a happy birthday. This is the last day of the annual Spring Festival.
Then comes the Lantern Festival, which is the last act of the Spring Festival. On this day, every family traditionally eats soup dumplings and enjoys lanterns. Under the full moon, all kinds of colored lanterns compete for brightness, and there are lion dances, dragon lanterns, welcome "drums" and other activities, colorful and dazzling. Especially those children full of childish fun, have hand-carried lanterns, chanting songs across the street, like fish swimming under the sea, for the lively and colorful Lantern Festival night to add to the icing on the cake!
The Chinese New Year in Taiwan originated in the mainland, and the way of celebrating the New Year is more similar to that in southern Fujian, especially among the Taiwanese who speak Minnan dialect.
Taiwanese New Year's activities begin on December 16 of the lunar calendar with the "Tailgate". On this day, every family will worship the landlord, especially businessmen, in order to pray for a new year's fortune, always with animal body, gold paper sacrifices, and offerings to share with colleagues to reward employees, which is called "food tail teeth. Food tail teeth", will be dismissed employees, the employer to the head of the dog, said next year, please look for another job. Therefore, there is a proverb in Taiwan: "Eat the last teeth face worry worry, eat the first teeth to stroke the mouth beard". It means that the last tooth meal is related to the job stay or go.
The 24th day of the Lunar Calendar is the day when the people send the god to heaven, the same as the 23rd day of the lunar month in southern Fujian to send the god of the stove. Offerings must have "sweet round" (dumplings), stick in the mouth of the stove, so that the God of the stove, "good words to heaven, bad words to the side". This day, but also cleaning, will be home all "bad luck" sweep away, so as to welcome the New Year.
New Year's Eve, Taiwan called "two nine all night", "thirty all night", according to the size of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar and the difference." All night" means the end of the year. Before it gets late, families prepare offerings, such as sweet tangerines, sweet rice cakes, "spring rice" and "New Year's money. Spring rice" is rice served in a pointed shape with paper cut-outs of the word "spring" inserted into it. This is because "Chun" and "leftovers" sound alike in Southern Min dialects, meaning "there are leftovers every year, and you can't have enough food every year". In addition, in the back of the main door, put two vertical sugar cane with leaves, called "long years of sugar cane", to take the long and sweet, in order to "firm family luck and good luck" meaning.
Eating New Year's Eve dinner "around the stove", the eight immortal table placed under the new charcoal stove and a new sunflower fan, the fan and the stove on the red paper writing on the "spring" and "blessed" characters. When they gather around the stove, they have to say auspicious words, such as "Eat red dates, the year will be good! and "Eat New Year's rice, make money every year!" etc., there must be mustard on the table, called "long years of vegetables", symbolizing a long life. Some people also have "leeks" on the table, that is, "leeks" and "long" resonance, symbolizing longevity. Radish is also indispensable, Minnan called it "vegetable head", said "good luck" (good omen). There should also be dog meat, the dog's harmonic "home", "eat dog start a family", can be a great family reputation. Around the stove" when the vegetables are not chopped with a knife, washed and boiled with the roots, eaten without biting off, but from head to tail, slowly eaten into the belly, in order to wish parents long life.
After the New Year's Eve dinner is the New Year's Eve celebration. In Taiwan, the "New Year's Eve" is also called the "Night of Longevity," symbolizing the younger generation's wish for the longevity of their parents. Once the "cross time" (12:00 midnight) is over and the first day of the year is over, people gather young and old to honor the gods with red and white rice cakes, pay homage to Gongmao (i.e., Zu Gong Zu Mao), and then set off firecrackers to welcome the spring and receive blessings.
The Taiwanese celebrate the New Year by making red turtle rice cakes, hair rice cakes, and vegetable rice cakes. Red turtle rice fruit in the shape of a tortoise, dyed red, on the tortoise armor seal, used to symbolize people's longevity. Every family uses this cake to honor the God of Heaven, who nurtures all things. If guests come to the door to pay their respects, they are invited to eat candies and sweet nuts, and say different auspicious words according to men and women, young and old. For example, children can say to the elderly, "Eat a sweet, and I wish you a long life!" Between peers can say: "Eat a sweet, wish you make a lot of money!"
Interesting Jiangsu Spring Festival customs
The Spring Festival in Jiangsu folk, in addition to posting Spring Festival couplets, hanging New Year's paintings, year-end vigil, Lion Dance, the New Year's Eve and the country as the same custom, there are a number of unique customs, is now recorded a number of them for the benefit of the readers.
Suzhou New Year's Eve in the rice into the cooked water chestnuts, digging out when you eat, called "digging treasure", friends and relatives to come and go, soak tea to be placed into two green olives, said to drink "treasure tea", congratulations on wealth.
Wujin people on the morning of the first day of the year, the ancestral portrait hanging in the center hall, for the tea fruit, rice cakes, a family of old and young people in order to perform New Year's rites, known as the "worship God shadow." They are not allowed to sweep the floor from the home to the outside, lest the "wealth", "Ruyi" swept out, only from the outside to the inside sweep.
Jiangning people have the Spring Festival "playing the drums" custom, by the flag to open the way, drummers and gongs to beat the drums with all their strength, the third "playing the night drums", the seventh "on the seven drums", thirteen to fifteen to play the "shoulder drums", the atmosphere is enthusiastic.
Nantong people have the custom of inserting sesame stalks, holly, and cypress branches in front of their homes or halls, meaning that life blossoms and grows higher and higher, and is verdant all year round.
Huaiyin people also have the sixth day of the child "baked head wind" custom. It is the night to take the child to the field open space lit torches, for the child to drive away the disease, baked while singing: "baked head, wake up the brain, baked feet, step corrective, baked belly is not diarrhea, full of body are baked all over, the disease never see."
Wuxi fishermen on the eighth day of the year to go to the West Mountain by boat to worship Yuwang Temple habit, praying for the blessing of the God of the water, sacrificing ao fine Buddha, known as "on?"
The custom gradually faded after the demolition of the Yuwang Temple.
During the Spring Festival, there are many taboos in the old customs in Jiangsu, such as the first day of the year does not move the scissors, lest the verbal dispute; do not move the knife, so as not to kill; do not eat rice, for fear of going out to meet the rain; do not sweep the floor for fear of sweeping away the wealth and so on. With the popularization of scientific knowledge, there are a lot of unscientific customs have gradually been forgotten; healthy and useful entertainment and leisure activities, but has been continued.
Customs of the Spring Festival in Guilin
-From the "New Year's Eve" to New Year's Eve
The Spring Festival steps into the city and countryside of Guilin with the sound of the bell at zero hour on December 24th of the lunar calendar. This day is the "New Year's Eve" of Guilin people, also known as the "New Year's Eve". On this day, people slaughter dogs and ducks to celebrate the arrival of the Spring Festival. The sound of firecrackers on this day, with people to send Zaowang master "to the sky to say good things" wish crackling, sound transmission of the high world. People believe that the God of the stove is the master of the family, a family of good and evil merits and demerits are in charge of it, so the end of each year, we must send the God of the stove to the sky to the Jade Emperor, for the whole family to lower the blessing from disaster. The ceremony of sacrificing to the God of Zaos is mostly done by the elders of the family, who put candies on the head of the stove to sacrifice to the God of Zaos, praying that the God of Zaos "says good things in heaven and descends to the earth with good luck". The purpose of offering candies to Zaoshen is to make the candies "stick" to Zaoshen's mouth, so that his sweet mouth can say good things. After New Year's Eve, firecrackers are set off to bring the Zaoshendi down to earth. This is the ancient custom of Guilin's "New Year's Eve", and now even the firecrackers are only a remnant of the ancient rituals.
From the 24th to the 30th day of the Lunar New Year, people are busy shopping for new year's goods and cleaning up inside and outside their homes to welcome the new year with cleanliness. There are many kinds of traditional foods for the festival, and they have good wishes: on the twenty-ninth day of the Lunar New Year, people steam rice cakes, which are sweet and sweet, meat and vegetarian, and eat them to make their lives and work flourish in the new year, so that they can rise higher and higher.
New Year's Eve dinner, people like to get together as a family, the dishes must have "round", "happy", to take its meaning of reunion, happy. On this night, thousands of people are at home to observe the New Year. During the vigil, the charcoal fire in the fire pit is burned red-hot to symbolize the prosperity of life year after year. When the zero hour arrives, young and old are filled with joy and welcome the New Year with the sound of firecrackers. The sound of the firecrackers, one after another, until late at night, people still do not sleep, the fire is still strong, is to go to rest, but also will not forget to nestle the fire pot fire, leaving kindling, and so on tomorrow morning to burn a good fire pot. New Year's fire is like human life, it is a good omen for the New Year's prosperity, family prosperity. People have such a deep affection for fire, perhaps because the fire has brought civilization to mankind, brought warmth. Love of fire is like love of one's own life, especially in the New Year.
-From the first day of the Lunar New Year to the fifteenth day of the first month
The firecrackers that catch the God of Fortune wake up the dawn on the first morning of the Lunar New Year. Neighbors, friends and colleagues, the first thing they say when they meet is to wish a good new year. The Spring Festival is a good time for people to enhance their relationships and consolidate their friendships. People pay tribute to each other, have fun, review the past and look forward to the future.
The streets and alleys, a team of New Year's Eve lion dance side line, very active, many children follow the lion team to see the lion New Year's Eve hustle and bustle. When the lions went to a store door, the owner will light firecrackers to meet, the lions in front of the door to the owner of the salute, the leader also went up to the owner of the arch bow to the New Year blessings. The lion's humane New Year's greeting and the leader's auspicious words will make the owner's heart happy and the store's business will be prosperous. At this time, the lion in the sound of firecrackers dance, dance out of a good luck, dance out of a strong wind. Its big head of joy, broad forehead, big eyes, raised nose, square mouth, golden red hair, its image is both powerful and naive, amusing. See the lion robust and courageous, out of the cave, across the bridge, in the head up chaotic clouds flying over, head down, "ten thousand feet deep" on the bridge to rise up to God's might. At this time the lion drums such as stormy, thrilling and wonderful lion performance thrilling. Then it is up and down the mountain, drinking water and eating green, step on the star walk pile, on the ladder, nine days to catch the moon, etc., the lion head, lion tail with the tacit understanding. Dance to the sound time, stacked Luohan picking green, the lion picked green after nodding to the audience bowing. And then hair, cut the collar, quite interesting. Drums stop, the lion from the nine days Guanghan straight down, shocked the whole audience, to be fixed eyes, the lion is stable in the hands of all Luohan, is looking back at the moon. This stunt in the silence of the heart, won the applause of the audience.
Lion New Year's Day is a favorite traditional project of Guilin people, so every Spring Festival eve, the lion team will be dressed up, practicing the traditional routine of lion dance. Once the Spring Festival arrives, the lion shakes its spirit and dances on the street to pay New Year's greetings to the pre-arranged home or store. The lion walks all the way to dance all the way, jumping, intruding, Rin, roaring, stepping, leaping and so on to perform a lively performance. The big-headed monks and big-headed dolls who play the lions take three steps to twist, the monkeys who tease the lions are full of monkey energy, and the sound of gongs and drums of the lions in the team adds to the joy of Guilin, and brings a sense of melting spring.
Guilin's lion New Year's greetings and monkeys to pick spring, picking high green, eat ground green and other forms. Some of the lion team's lion, able to dance on the 6-meter-high platform, 13 benches stacked high mountain, and can move freely on it, amusing and entertaining! After the dance, the lion also calmly edge of the bench and down, the demeanor is still so natural. Of course, compared to the lion that eats the ground green and the lion that picks the high green, its skill is slightly lower. The master of the package and vegetables on the bench, in front of a basin of water, the lion in the "eat green" before drinking water, "eat green" after also want to gargle, these very rich in animal interest and anthropomorphic action, it is more than handsome.
Lion New Year's Eve, in some of the countryside in Lingui, also accompanied by blessings of auspicious lion song: lion head on the three points of yellow, today worship on your hall, congratulations to the master of the house to give birth to a noble son, all over the world to the name. Three points of green on the lion's head, today to pay homage to your court, congratulations on the good fortune of the master's family, and add to the wealth and add to the family. The lion's tail is a ball, come to your house to pay respect to the pig and cow, congratulations to the master's family, the pig will be big soon, and you will have food and clothes without any worries. The lion's eye is bewildered, congratulating the master's family on their good fortune, and their six animals are prosperous, and there are geese and ducks and dogs.
The lion's song is a beautiful song, which has been passed down in the folklore for thousands of years, and has been a blessing for the neighbors every year in the Spring Festival, making people happy.
Unwittingly to the Lantern Festival, the night of the fifteenth day of the first month of the year, Guilin City, although there is no fire trees and silver flowers in full bloom, but it is the lights of all the houses.
The Lantern Festival in Guilin in the past, from the thirteenth day of the first month onwards, there were dragon lanterns on parade. The dragon lanterns traveled through the streets and alleys for three nights, and wherever they went, families set off firecrackers and burned incense and candles, praying that the dragon lanterns would bring good luck and prosperity. Dragon lantern parade there are a variety of shengxiao drum music, stilts, card lamps, gongs and drums shed together on the streets, forming a vast dragon lantern parade, the scene is very spectacular. On the night of the festival, the lanterns are lit up all night long, which together with the flying dragon lanterns turn Guilin into a city that never sleeps.
Nowadays, the custom of lighting lanterns on the night of the Lantern Festival is still preserved in Guilin. On the night of the Lantern Festival, you can see the lanterns from a height, which is very refreshing. The flickering lights converge into a river of lights, as if the Milky Way in the sky falls several times. The lights or quiet, or flow, flashing in the tall buildings, open in the green leaves, so that the night sky of Guilin brilliant. At this time the halls and rooms of the families, all the lights are shining brightly, and the whole family sits under the lights and eats osmanthus sugar-centered Lanterns, peanut and sesame Lanterns ...... that sweet and fragrant traditional food, so that every family is immersed in the joy of the festival." Fire on New Year's Eve, Lights on the Fifteenth Day" is a proverb circulating in Guilin's folklore. The fire pots on New Year's Eve are red-hot, and the lanterns on the fifteenth day of the festival are also closely related to fire, which is also a kind of hope for the New Year.
Customs of Spring Festival of Chinese Minorities
China is a multi-ethnic country, in addition to the Han Chinese, there are 55 ethnic minorities. Although they have different languages, scripts, lifestyles and customs, most of them celebrate the Spring Festival as a major festival for their own ethnic groups.
Daur people: high year
The Daur people in the north have the habit of paying New Year's greetings, and at the Spring Festival, people put on their festive attire and visit each house to congratulate each other. Each family is equipped with steamed cakes, the New Year's visitors enter the door, the host with steamed cakes hospitality. "Cake" in Chinese and "high" resonance, to cake hospitality, said each other in the new year, the standard of living further improved. During the festival, the Daur people also held songs and dances, sports activities, has lasted half a month.
Mongolians: meat and wine is not exhausted
The Mongolian people in the north of the Spring Festival is another scene, before the festival, families are prepared for the growth of the year the ram and a variety of dairy products and a few altars of wine. On New Year's Eve, people put on their beautiful Mongolian robes, and the whole family sits on the floor in the center of the yurt to welcome the arrival of the new year. Midnight began to drink and eat, according to the usual to eat and drink, the more meat and wine left over the better, so that the symbol of the new year of meat and wine, eat and drink no worries. The first morning, dressed in a variety of clothing, men and women, straddling the steed, in groups of three to five run to the "Haut" (villages and towns), string of yurts one by one. String package, first to the elders kowtow to wish, then the son-in-law of the host family came to string package guests toast, people sing and dance.
The Zhuang: Welcoming the Heroes
The Zhuang, who live in southern China, call the Spring Festival "New Year's Day". On this day, people go out and congratulate each other no matter who they meet, believing that this will make the year auspicious. In the Zhuang folk there is also the custom of the late New Year, the Zhuang called "eat Li Festival". "Eat Li Festival" is on the 30th of this month, according to legend, more than 100 years ago, a peasant army of the Zhuang people in the fight against foreign invaders returned in triumph, when the Spring Festival has passed, the Zhuang people in order to welcome them, on the 30th of this month for them to repeat the Spring Festival.
Buyi: girls scramble to carry the first load of water
The Buyi, who live on China's southwestern border, keep watch all night on New Year's Eve every year. At dawn, the girls compete to go outside the house to pick water, who first pick back the first water, who is the most diligent girl. The Jingpo people there like to hold target shooting activities before the Spring Festival, and the girls are the organizers and referees of this activity. They hang embroidered purses on bamboo poles with threads and swing them from side to side in the tips of trees, asking young men to shoot them. Whoever shoots down the purse first, the girls give the wine as a prize. The purse usually contains a coin, a few grains of grain and a few decorative beads as a symbol of happiness.
Hani: Swinging
A few days before the Spring Festival, villages inhabited by the Hani people are already bustling with activity, with women busy pounding poi. Ba Ba is a cake made of glutinous rice. And the young men are busy going up the mountain to cut bamboo and prepare to set up swings. The swings there are more than ten meters high, and the Hani people, young and old, love to swing. During the festival, everyone wears their favorite clothes to swing, everywhere presenting a lively, harmonious festival scene.
The Dai: Throwing the chaff bag
The Dai young men and women love to throw the chaff bag game, during the Spring Festival, the boys and girls throw each other chaff bag, to see who throws accurately, to see who caught. Play to a certain time, the girls will quietly snatch the young man's body to wear a belt knife, head cloth or tethered horse, ran home. If the young man is in love, he will follow. When the parents see their daughters return with their head cloths and horses, they hold a banquet.
In addition, April 13 every year is the Dai New Year, but also the Dai people's grandest festival - Water Splashing Festival, they see the splashing of water as a symbol to drive away evil spirits, good luck and good fortune, but also regard this day as the most beautiful, most auspicious day.
The Alpine people: "Around the Furnace"
The Alpine people, who live in Taiwan Province of China, have a different kind of fun when they celebrate the Spring Festival. On the evening of New Year's Eve, families sit around a round table with hot pots and have a meal called a "hibachi". The women, who usually do not drink alcohol, will also take a symbolic sip of wine as a sign of good luck. "Vegetables are eaten without being cut with a knife, but are washed and boiled with their roots, as a sign of wishing long life to the parents. If someone in the family is away, a seat should be left empty and the person's clothes should be put on the empty seat to show that the whole family misses him.
Manchu: Hanging the flag for the New Year
Manchu are divided into "red, yellow, blue, white" four flags. Spring Festival, the red flag people in the door posted red hanging flag, yellow flag people in the door posted yellow hanging flag, blue flag people in the door posted blue hanging flag, white flag people in the door posted white hanging flag. These hanging flags are beautifully patterned and colorful, symbolizing an auspicious start to the year.
During the festival, the boys ganged up to set off firecrackers, or ride on the homemade wooden plows of various kinds, in the hillock, on the ice whooshing speed. Young girls and young daughters-in-law wearing newly made flowery clothes, in groups of three or five, split up into families to play Garaha (pig or cow's kneecap bone). From the first to the fifth night, people also voluntarily organized to twist rice-planting songs to pay homage to the New Year, a strong rice-planting team, not only in the village to twist, but also to the outside village to twist. Onlookers are often so happy that they forget about fatigue and cold. There are even enthusiastic spectators - straight along with the rice-planting team to go to the countryside, until dawn to return.
Bai people: "put high up"
Yunnan Bai compatriots on New Year's Eve, there is a kind of celebration called "put high up". The so-called "put high rise" is to use the whole of the big bamboo, in the bamboo joints filled with gunpowder, after ignition can be the whole of the big bamboo collapsed hundreds of feet into the sky, to become a veritable "high rise". Some areas of the Bai compatriots and Miao, Zhuang, from the Spring Festival to the Lantern Festival, young men and women are "throwing the embroidered ball" activities. Where the catch can not catch the embroidered ball, to give each other souvenirs, many times lost the ball and redemption of souvenirs, is to indicate acceptance of each other's love.
Dong: Lusheng will
Guizhou, Hunan Dong compatriots, during the Spring Festival prevailed a kind of "playing Dong New Year" (also known as the Lusheng will be) of the mass activities. This activity is similar to the Han Chinese "reunion", but more joyful and enthusiastic than "reunion". This kind of activity is generally organized by two villages **** with the agreement. The two teams officially hold a Lusheng song and dance competition in the square. At this time, the audience of the two villages, accompanied by music, dance, and enjoy the joy.
Yi: jumping tiger
Shuangbai County, Yunnan Province, the Yi people have a New Year's Eve, "jumping tiger festival" special custom, the eighth day of the first month, the village adult male set in the village behind the land temple site, kill the dog dedication "Mis" ("Mis" meaning "Mis"), "Mis" means "Mis", "Mis" means "Mis". "Mimi" means earth, "Division" means master, the fan Division that is the meaning of the Lord God of the earth), followed by the village "Bimo" sacrifices to the Lord God of the tiger. 8 villagers disguised as tigers dancing, "the tigers". The "tigers" have high ears, thick tails, tiger stripes all over their bodies, a Chinese character for "king" painted on their foreheads, and a big brass bell hanging on their necks, making them look majestic. After the "Bima" read the rituals to invite the tiger god, the tiger king led the tigers into the village.
The entire jumping tiger festival period, the village up and down men, women and children are immersed in the welcome tiger, send the tiger, watching the tiger jumping and drive away the evil spirits and monsters in a joyful atmosphere, the local people are convinced that only through the annual tradition of jumping tigers, tiger god and pray for the blessing of the old ancestors, all the villagers in order to be able to harvest, prosperous, more than one year more beautiful and happy.
Sani: food dumplings
New Year's Eve, the Sani language is called "Si Rub period". New Year's Eve for ancestors, eat New Year's dinner, is very solemn. In the afternoon, in front of the door of the house inserted a green branch, hanging a straw hat on the branch. This is a silent notice: Do not enter! No talking! Even the people in the house are not allowed to raise their voices.
There is an interesting phenomenon in the Sani language: "dumplings" and "New Year's Eve" is the same word, called "Kaozima". Because the New Year must eat dumplings.
For half a month from the first day of the first month of the new year, people have a lot of fun. On the first night of the first day of the bonfire party, folk songs, three-stringed hu solo, simple and lyrical. The thumping and thumping of the sanxian is soaring, and people sing and dance to the music.
Sacrificing the mountain god on the second day of the lunar month and sending sparks on the fourth day of the lunar month are meant to expel disasters and show the power of human beings.
Every year, the second day of the Spring Festival in the afternoon, the farmers to take the cow out, around the village center to walk around a few times, in its forehead wear red cloth tied flowers, expressed its contribution to the year's respect. Also feed it rice and fat pork, to show their close companion's condolences.
The Sani people, from New Year's Eve to the fifth day of the month, have activities to honor their ancestors. From their veneration and remembrance of their ancestors, the cohesion of this nation and the good things in traditional morality can be found.