What are the short stories about the legend of New Year's Eve?

Legend has it that in ancient times, there was an evil beast with four corners and four feet-Xi. When the mountain was closed by heavy snow, Xi gathered nearby to hurt neighbors and look for food. At the end of the twelfth lunar month, people packed their bags to help the elderly and take care of the young, and went to the nearby bamboo forest to avoid Xi. This year, when the villagers were preparing to take refuge, a kind mother-in-law rescued the starving child by the roadside and took it to the bamboo forest to escape the dusk. Mother-in-law told the child that she chased here at night and left in a hurry when she saw someone chopping bamboo.

As soon as the child thinks about it, he tells everyone that he has a way to get rid of the evening and let everyone cut more bamboo knots with him. After returning home, red cloth was hung outside the doors of each family.

When night fell again, the children came forward to attract the attention of dusk and asked the villagers to throw the broken bamboo poles into the fire, but everyone was stunned by fear. At this moment, "Xi" picked up the child with his horn and threw it to the ground. The villagers responded to the sound of children falling to the ground and threw bamboo joints into the fire. Because it was cut down not long ago, the wet bamboo joints burst in succession when they met the prosperous fire, and they kept ringing. "Xi" turned and ran away after hearing the sound, and did not destroy anything in the village again.

Scared away at night, the residents' home was saved because of the red bar hanging in front of the door, but the clever child who saved the village died. This day is the first day of the first month. This clever boy, his name is air billow. Because "Xi" is not dead, everyone is waiting to break the bamboo festival on the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month every year, hoping to get rid of "Xi" as soon as possible. It is said that this is the origin of the name of New Year's Eve, and the festival of hanging red cloth and lighting bamboo poles has gradually evolved into a blessing character and setting off firecrackers for later generations.

Story 2: Keep up with the years.

In ancient times, there was a fierce monster scattered in the mountains. People call them nian. Its appearance is ferocious, its nature is ferocious, and it specializes in eating birds, animals and insects. It changes its taste every day, from kowtowing insects to living people, which makes people talk about "Nian". Later, people gradually mastered the activity law of "Nian", that is, every 365 days, people go to places where people live in concentrated communities to taste fresh food. The haunting time is after dark, and when the rooster crows at dawn, they return to the mountains.

After setting the date of 2008, people took this terrible night as a gateway, called 2008, and came up with a whole set of methods to close New Year's Day. Every night, every household prepares dinner in advance, turns off the fire, cleans the stove, then ties up all the chicken coops and cowpeas, seals the front and rear doors of the house, and hides in the house for New Year's Eve dinner.

The meal was very rich because of its ominous significance. In addition to having dinner with the whole family to show harmonious reunion, we should also worship our ancestors before eating and pray for their blessing to spend the night safely. No one dares to sleep after dinner, so they huddle together to chat and be brave. Gradually formed the habit of not sleeping on New Year's Eve.

The trend of observing the age rose in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and many scholars in the Liang Dynasty had poems about observing the age. "One night for two years, five hours for two years." People light candles or oil lamps and keep vigil all night, which symbolizes driving away all evil diseases and epidemics and looking forward to good luck in the new year. This custom has been handed down from generation to generation.

Story 3: Spring Festival couplets keeper

In the ancient mythology of China, it is said that there is a ghost world, in which there is a mountain, a big peach tree covering three thousand miles, and a golden rooster at the top of the tree. Whenever the golden rooster crows in the morning, the ghost who travels at night will rush back to the ghost domain. The Gate of Ghost Domain is located in the northeast of Peach Tree District. There are two gods standing by the door, named Shen Tu and Lei Yu.

If the ghost does something unnatural at night, Shen Tu and Lei Yu will immediately find it, catch it, tie it up with a rope made of Miscanthus and give it to the tiger. So all the ghosts in the world are afraid of Shen Tu and Lei Yu. So people carved them into peach trees and put them at their doorsteps to ward off evil spirits and prevent harm. Later, people simply carved the names of Shen Tu and Lei Yu on the mahogany board, thinking that this could also eliminate disasters. This kind of red board was later called "Fu Tao".

In the Song Dynasty, people began to write couplets on mahogany boards, one for killing evil spirits, the other for expressing good wishes, and the third for decorating the portal for beauty. They also write couplets on red paper symbolizing happiness and good luck, and stick them on both sides of doors and windows during the Spring Festival to express people's good wishes for good luck in the coming year. In order to pray for the longevity of the family, people in some places still keep the habit of sticking up doors. It is said that there are two door gods posted on the gate, and all monsters will be afraid.

In the folk, the door god is a symbol of justice and strength. The ancients thought that people with strange looks often had magical temperament and extraordinary skills. They are honest and kind, and it is their nature and responsibility to catch ghosts and demons. Zhong Kui, a ghost hunter who is highly regarded by people, is such a strange look. Therefore, the folk door gods are always glaring and ferocious, holding all kinds of traditional weapons in their hands, ready to fight against ghosts who dare to come to the door. Because the doors of China's house are usually two opposite doors, the door gods are always paired.

After the Tang Dynasty, besides peace, people also regarded Qin and Weichi Gong, two military commanders in the Tang Dynasty, as gatekeepers. According to legend, Emperor Taizong was ill, heard ghosts screaming outside, and stayed up all night. So he asked the two generals to stand by with weapons, and there was no ghost harassment the next night. Later, Emperor Taizong had the images of these two generals painted and pasted on the door, and this custom began to spread widely among the people.