What is the meaning of New Year’s Eve?

What is the meaning of New Year’s Eve and what kind of day is New Year’s Eve?

New Year’s Eve is a day to celebrate the new year, reunite the family, and worship ancestors. It has special significance in the hearts of Chinese people. This is the most important day at the end of the year. No matter how far away the wanderers are, they rush home to reunite with their families, bid farewell to the old year amidst the sound of firecrackers, and welcome the new year with fireworks in the sky.

Feng Shui tips for this day:

1. If your front door is aligned with your neighbor’s front door, be sure to hang two Chinese knots on the door frame outside your front door. Seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.

2. Never post the word "福" upside down on the door.

3. Broken furniture at home should be disposed of in a timely manner: be willing to throw away what should be thrown away. After all, if the old ones are not gone, the new ones will not come. Repair what should be repaired before New Year's Eve. Never do it. Sitting on a rickety chair on New Year's Eve.

4. Check all the light bulbs in the home and replace any light bulbs that are not working. All lights must be turned on at night for three days and three nights.

5. Burn incense and worship Buddha at home or other suitable places before 12 o'clock in the evening.

6. Wear red clothes, hang red lights at the door, and set off firecrackers for good luck.

7. Don’t scold children on New Year’s Eve, let alone have conflicts and quarrels, otherwise it will be unfavorable in the coming year.

8. For friends who are celebrating the New Year alone, it is recommended to turn on the TV (or stereo) all night to increase their "aura".

9. Friends who insist on being at work or on the road on New Year’s Eve can turn on their mobile phones and play loud songs, silently wishing that all their wishes will come true and all goes well.

The most important things on New Year’s Eve:

Ancestor worship

In ancient times, this kind of custom was very popular. "Heaven and earth are the foundation of life; ancestors are the foundation of species." This means that heaven and earth are the foundation of life, ancestors are the foundation of our humanity, and ancestor worship is a custom of passing down filial piety. Due to different etiquette and customs in different places, the forms of ancestor worship also vary. Some go to the wild to visit their ancestors' tombs, some go to ancestral halls to worship their ancestors, and most of them place their ancestors' tablets in the main hall in sequence at home, display the offerings, and then the worshipers offer incense and kneel down in order of age. When ancient people worshiped their ancestors, they usually made fish and meat bowls and served them in high bowls, which is quite similar to eating with bells and cauldrons. Ancestor worship in the south is particularly grand. Most of them include eight bowls of large dishes, a medium-hot pot, and cups and chopsticks set according to the position of the spirit.

New Year’s Eve Dinner

New Year’s Eve is an extremely important day for the Chinese. On this day, people prepare to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year, and have a reunion dinner. Family is the cornerstone of Chinese society. The annual reunion dinner fully demonstrates the mutual respect and love among Chinese family members. This mutual respect and love makes the relationship between the family closer. The reunion of the family often brings spiritual comfort and satisfaction to the head of the family. The old man sees his children and grandchildren in the house, and the whole family talks about their family life. The past care and efforts in raising the children are finally not in vain. What a happiness. The younger generation can also take this opportunity to express their gratitude to their parents for their upbringing.

Eating New Year’s Eve dinner is the most lively and happy time for every family during the New Year. On New Year's Eve, a table is filled with sumptuous New Year dishes, and the whole family gathers around the table to have a reunion dinner. There are big dishes, cold pots, hot stir-fries, and snacks on the table. Generally, two things are indispensable, one is hot pot and the other is fish. The hot pot is boiling, steaming, warm and sultry, indicating that it is prosperous; "fish" and "yu" are homophonic, symbolizing "abundance in auspicious celebrations" and "abundance every year". There are also radish, commonly known as cabbage, which is used to wish good luck; lobster, fried fish and other fried foods are used to wish prosperity for the family, just like "fire cooking oil".

There are many ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve dinner, which vary from north to south, and each has its own particularities. Northerners are used to eating dumplings during the Chinese New Year. This is a habit passed down from ancient times. In ancient times, the lives of the lower class people in the north were very difficult. Not being hungry all year round was their greatest hope. Food that improved their lives could only be reserved for major festivals and special days. You can only eat it, and "dumplings", which are listed as the most delicious delicacies, are also the hardest to eat, so I eat dumplings whenever I can.

Keeping the year old on New Year's Eve is one of the annual customs. The custom of keeping the year old has been around for a long time. The folk custom of keeping the New Year's Eve is mainly manifested in that all houses light the New Year's Fire, the whole family gathers together, and guard the "Sui's Fire" to prevent it from extinguishing, waiting for the moment to bid farewell to the old and welcome the New Year, and welcome the arrival of the New Year.

On New Year's Eve, the lights are kept all night long, which is called "burning lanterns to illuminate the New Year" or "lighting the New Year fire". All houses are lit with candles, and candles are specially lit under the bed. The lights are burned everywhere, which is called "illuminating the waste". , it is said that after being illuminated in this way, the wealth of the family will be abundant in the coming year. In ancient times, the customs of the north and the south were different. In ancient times, the custom of staying up late in the north was mainly "staying up all night" (staying up all night). For example, "Feng Tu Ji" written by Zhou Chu of the Jin Dynasty said: On New Year's Eve, everyone gave each other gifts, which was called "gifts". "Sui"; the elders and the young get together to celebrate and complete the blessings, which is called "fensui"; staying up all year long, waiting for the dawn, is called "shousui". In some places, on New Year's Eve, the whole family gets together to have New Year's Eve dinner, light candles or oil lamps, sit around the fire, chat, and stay up all night, symbolizing driving away all evil plagues and looking forward to the new year. Good luck and good luck.