Folk snacks on the first day of the new year

Customs on the first day of the Lunar New Year

Opening the door and firecrackers

On the morning of the Spring Festival, when the door opens, firecrackers are set off first, which is called "opening the door and firecrackers." After the sound of firecrackers, the ground was filled with broken red, shining like clouds and brocade, which was called "Full of Red". At this time, the streets were full of auspiciousness and joy.

New Year's greetings

An important activity during the Spring Festival is to go to new friends' homes and neighbors to wish them a happy New Year, formerly known as New Year's greetings. The custom of paying New Year greetings among the Han people has been around since the Han Dynasty. It became very popular after the Tang and Song Dynasties. Some people who did not need to go there in person could send congratulations with name cards. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was called "thorn", so the business card was also called "name thorn". After the Ming Dynasty, many families put a red paper bag on their door to collect name cards, called "door book".

The forms of mutual visits between people to pay New Year greetings can be roughly divided into four categories according to their social relationships:

1. Visiting relatives. On the first day of the new year, you must visit your father-in-law and bring gifts. After entering the door, first kowtow three times to the Buddha statue, the image of the ancestors, and the tablets, and then kneel down to the elders in turn. You can stay to eat and play.

2. Courtesy visit. If you wish to pay New Year greetings to colleagues or friends, as soon as you enter the house, you only need to kowtow three times to the Buddha statue. If you are the same generation as the host, you only need to bow your hands and bow. If you are older than you, you should still take the initiative to kneel down and the host should get down from the seat and make a gesture of support. Even saying "no courtesy" shows humility. In this situation, it is generally not advisable to sit for a long time, and you should say goodbye after saying a few polite words. After the host has been worshiped, he should choose a day to return to worship.

3. Thank you for your visit. Anyone who has been in debt to others over the past year (such as lawyers, doctors, etc.) should buy some gifts and send them to them, taking the opportunity of paying New Year greetings to express their gratitude.

4. Door-to-door visits. We don't have much contact with our neighbors on weekdays, but we can always talk to each other when we meet. When New Year's Eve comes, we just go to the courtyard, hug each other's fists and say: "Congratulations on getting rich" and "Everything goes well, everything goes well" in the house. Just sit there for a while, not much etiquette.

In ancient times, there were differences between New Year greetings and New Year greetings: New Year greetings were to kowtow to the elders; New Year greetings were to congratulate each other. Now, in some agencies, organizations, companies, and schools, everyone gathers together to congratulate each other, which is called "group worship."

New Year greetings are a traditional custom among Chinese people. It is a way for people to bid farewell to the old year, welcome the new year, and express their best wishes to each other. In ancient times, the original meaning of the word "bainian" was to congratulate the elders on the New Year, including kowtowing to the elders, giving blessings, wishing them a happy new year, and greeting them with well-being. When you meet relatives and friends of the same generation, you should also give congratulations.

However, from the first to the fifth day of the first lunar month, most families do not accept women, which is called "taboo". Only men can go out to visit the New Year, while women must wait until after the sixth day of the first lunar month to visit. The New Year greeting activities will be extended for a long time, until around the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Visiting people to pay New Year's greetings in the evening is called the "Night Worship Festival", and after the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, it is called the "Light Worship Festival", so there is a joke that "it's not too late to eat cold food if you are willing to pay New Year's greetings". If for some reason you fail to perform the rituals regularly and make up for it in the future, it is called "wishing you a happy old age."

What are the taboos on New Year's Day?

On New Year's Day, people do not sweep the floor. Sprinkle water outside, do not go through the back door, do not beat or scold the children, and wish each other good fortune and good luck in the new year. Do not use a broom, otherwise it will sweep away luck and lose money. If you have to sweep the floor, you must sweep it from the outside to the inside. There is still a custom that cleaning is done before New Year's Eve. There is no broom, no garbage is taken out on New Year's Day, and a large bucket is prepared to hold waste water. You are not allowed to break furniture on New Year's Day. Breaking it is a sign of bankruptcy. You must quickly say "every year is safe" or "flowers bloom, wealth and prosperity"

Be especially careful not to sweep the floor or pour water, for fear of taking away the wealth. , the whole family is reunited, and people who are paying New Year greetings are constantly coming in and out, eating peanuts, eating melon seeds, eating fruits, and smoking. The peeled skins, shells, slag, paper scraps, and cigarette butts are all over the floor. It is impossible not to sweep them up, so people Come up with a workaround - change from sweeping outward to sweeping inward, which symbolizes the treasure entering the door. After sweeping, put it in a trash can or a wastebasket without throwing it away, and the treasure will be retained.

Secondly, Children are not allowed to say unlucky words. Words such as "beat, kill, chop, lose, die, be poor, compensate, and ghost" are not allowed to be used. Just in case, many families put a red sign on "Children's Words Are Unforgettable". The note can be cracked.

Also, avoid breaking cups and dishes. If you accidentally break a dish, you must say "Bear it to pieces" and do not use it while eating. Boil water to make rice, and don't use soup to make rice. Otherwise, not only will it rain when you go out, but you will also be destined to have a "poor life" of having only poor food for a year.

After eating, you should not say "I'm done" but "I'm done". Don't use knives or scissors on this day, otherwise your career and wealth will be cut off. Women are also not allowed to use needlework, otherwise the woman will quarrel with others all year round or she will feel acupuncture-like discomfort all over her body. In addition, if the dumplings are overcooked, avoid saying that they are broken. Instead, say "earned."