What do you do during the Spring Festival?

The 23rd or 24th day of the twelfth lunar month

The 23rd or 24th day of the twelfth lunar month is also called "Little Year", which is the day when people worship the stove. In the folk song "Twenty-three, Tanggua Guang" refers to the sacrifice to the stove on the 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month every year. There is a saying that "officials, three people, four boatmen and five" means that the government holds sacrifices to the stove on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, ordinary people hold sacrifices on the 24th, and people on the water hold stove sacrifices on the 25th.

Xiaonian is the beginning and foreshadowing of the entire Spring Festival celebration. There are two main activities: sweeping the New Year and offering sacrifices to the stove. In addition, there is also the custom of eating stove sweets. In some places, they also eat fire roasting, sugar cakes, oil cakes, and drink tofu soup. As early as the Song Dynasty, there were records of celebrating the Little New Year on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, but at that time the Little New Year was not divided into two days, so the custom of the Little New Year on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month has a longer history. So when did the change happen? This is coming to the Qing Dynasty. Starting from the Yongzheng period, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty worshiped gods at Kunning Palace on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month every year. In order to save money, the emperor also worshiped the Kitchen God. Later, the royal family and Baylor followed suit and worshiped the stove on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month. From then on, there began to be a distinction between the officials and the people celebrating the small new year on different days.

Sacrifice to the stove

Sacrifice to the stove is a custom that has great influence among Chinese people and is widely spread. In the old days, almost every kitchen had a "Kitchen Lord" statue in the kitchen. People call this god "Si Ming Bodhisattva" or "Zao Lord Siming". Legend has it that he is the "Jiutian East Chef Si Ming Zao Wangfu Lord" conferred by the Jade Emperor. He is responsible for managing the kitchen fires of each family and is regarded as the protector of the family. worship. Most of the Kitchen King's niches are located on the north or east side of the kitchen room, with the statue of the Kitchen King in the middle. Some people who don't have a niche for the Kitchen King stick the statue of the god directly on the wall. Some statues only depict the Kitchen God alone, while others include two men and women. The goddess is called "Grandma Kitchen God". In the Cangzhou area of ??Hebei Province, every year in the twelfth lunar month of the lunar calendar, every household is busy from the 23rd to the 30th day. Staying up late at night is called "staying up late". This custom is related to the Stove King Grandma.

The sacrifice to the stove on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month is closely related to the Chinese New Year. Because, on the eve of the New Year’s Eve a week later, the Kitchen God came to the world together with other gods with the good and bad luck that the family should receive. The Kitchen God is believed to lead the way for the gods in the sky. The other gods ascend to heaven again after the New Year, but only the Kitchen God will stay in people's kitchens for a long time. The ceremony to welcome the gods is called "receiving the gods", and for the Kitchen God, it is called "receiving the stove". The ceremony of taking over the stove is usually on New Year's Eve, and the ceremony is much simpler. At that time, you only need to put on a new stove lamp and burn incense in front of the stove niche.

There is a saying that "men do not worship the moon, and women do not worship the stove". In some places, women do not worship the stove. It is said that the Stove Lord looks like a pretty boy and is afraid of women offering sacrifices to the stove. As for the origin of Stove Lord, it has a long history. Among the Chinese folk gods, the Kitchen God is considered to be very old. As early as the Xia Dynasty, he was already a great god respected by the people. According to Kong Yingdashu in the ancient book "Book of Rites: Ritual Utensils": "Zhuanxu had a son, Rili, who was Zhurong and was worshiped as the Kitchen God." "Zhuangzi Dasheng" records: "The stove has a bun." Sima Biao commented: "The god of the kitchen bun is dressed in red and looks like a beautiful woman." "Baopuzi Wei Zhi" also records: "On a dark moon night, the Kitchen God also goes to heaven to white people." These records are probably the source of worship to the Kitchen God. Also, it may be said that the Kitchen God is the "Suiren clan" who drills wood to make fire; or it is said to be the "Fire Officer" of the Shennong clan; or it is said to be "Sujili" who "the Yellow Emperor makes the stove"; or it is said that the Kitchen God's surname is Zhang, list, name Ziguo; opinions vary.

Folks pay attention to eating dumplings during the Stove Festival, which means "sending off dumplings and facing the wind". People in mountainous areas eat more cakes and buckwheat noodles. In the southeastern part of Shanxi Province, the custom of eating fried corn is popular. There is a folk proverb that says, "Twenty-three, don't eat fried corn, and New Year's Day - pour it all in one pot." People like to stick the fried corn with maltose, freeze it into large pieces, and eat it. It tastes crispy and sweet.

Writing Spring Festival Couplets

After the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, every household must write Spring Festival couplets. Folks pay attention to the fact that if there are gods, every door must be posted, and every object must be posted, so the Spring Festival couplets have the largest number and the most comprehensive content. The couplets in front of the gods are particularly particular, and they are mostly words of admiration and blessing.

Common ones include the divine couplet of heaven and earth: "Heaven's grace is as deep as the sea, and the virtues of the earth are as heavy as mountains"; the divine couplet of land: "white jade grows from the soil, and gold comes out of the earth"; the divine couplet of wealth: "the master of wealth in heaven, the god of fortune on earth"; the couplet of well: "well" If you can connect to the four seas, your home can reach three rivers.” The Spring Festival couplets in granaries, livestock pens, etc. all express warm celebrations and hopes, such as "The grain is plentiful and the livestock are prosperous"; "Rice and flour are as thick as mountains, and oil and salt are as deep as the sea"; "Cows are like southern tigers, and horses are like the North Sea. "Dragon"; "The big sheep will grow every year, and the little lambs will grow every month" and so on. In addition, there are some single couplets, such as "Look up to see happiness" posted in every room, "Go out to see happiness" posted on the opposite side of the door, "Prosperous Qi soaring to the sky" posted on the prosperous fire, "Full of gold in the courtyard" posted in the courtyard, and "Meeting happiness in the whole courtyard" posted on the tree. "The roots are deep and the leaves are luxuriant", the stone mill is pasted with "White Tiger and Good Luck" and so on. The couplets on the door are the facade of a family, with special emphasis on them. They are either lyrical or scene-describing, rich in content, and full of witticisms.

On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, dust and sweep the house

Sweep the dust

After the Stove Ceremony is held, preparations for the New Year begin formally. Every year from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month to New Year's Eve, Chinese folk call this period "Spring Day", also called "Dust Sweeping Day". Sweeping dust is the year-end cleaning. It is called "house sweeping" in the north and "dust dusting" in the south. Sweeping dust before the Spring Festival is a traditional habit of the Chinese people. Thoroughly clean the outside and inside the house, in front of and behind the house, to welcome the new year cleanly. The custom of "dusting and sweeping the house on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month" has a long history. According to "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals", China had the custom of sweeping dust during the Spring Festival in the era of Yao and Shun. According to folklore, since "dust" and "chen" are homophones, sweeping dust in the New Year has the meaning of "removing the old and spreading the new", and its purpose is to sweep away all "poor luck" and "bad luck". This custom entrusts people with their desire to destroy the old and establish the new and their prayers to say goodbye to the old and usher in the new.

The "Three Corpse Gods" are the "gods" worshiped in the human body in Taoism. According to the "Tai Shang Three Corpses Zhong Jing": "The upper corpse is named Peng Guo, and it is in the human head; the middle corpse is named Peng Zhi, and it is in the human belly; the lower corpse is named Peng Jiao, and it is in the human foot." It is also said that every time Geng Shen is born, On that day, they went to heaven to report human sins to the Emperor of Heaven; but as long as people stayed up all night on this night, they could avoid it, which was called "Shou Geng Shen".

Eat Zao Candy

Zao Candy is a kind of maltose with high viscosity. It is drawn into a long candy stick called "Guandong Candy" and is drawn into an oblate shape. The shape is called "Tanggua". Put it outside the house in winter. Because of the severe cold weather, the sugar melon solidifies and has some tiny bubbles inside. It tastes crispy, sweet and crispy, with a unique flavor. Real Kanto candy is extremely hard and cannot be broken when dropped. It must be split with a kitchen knife when eating. The material is very heavy and fine. The taste is slightly sour, and there is absolutely no honeycomb in the middle. Each piece weighs one tael, two taels, or four taels, and the price is also more expensive. There are two kinds of sugar melons, those without sesame seeds and those without sesame seeds. They are made of sugar into the shape of melon or pumpkin. The center is hollow and the skin is less than five minutes thick. Although the sizes are different, the transaction is still calculated based on the weight. Large sugar melons have It weighs only one or two kilograms, but it is used as a cover, and few people buy it.

The twenty-ninth or thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month

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The door god on the opposite side of the wooden New Year picture in Zhuxian Town immediately whips the big month in the lunar calendar for thirty days and the small month only There are twenty-nine days, so the date of New Year’s Eve is different from the twenty-nine and the thirtieth. But this day is often called "New Year's Eve" regardless of whether it is twenty-nine or thirty.

New Year's Eve refers to the night of the last day of the twelfth lunar month every year. It is connected with the Spring Festival (the first day of the first lunar month) and is a day for people to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.

During the Zhou and Qin Dynasties, at the end of each year, the palace would hold a "Da Nuo" ceremony to beat the drums to drive away the ghosts of plague and disaster, which was called "Zhuchu", and later also called the day before New Year's Eve. It is the Little New Year's Eve, that is, the Little New Year's Eve; New Year's Eve is the Great New Year's Eve, that is, the New Year's Eve.

The first day of the first lunar month

It is also called "New Year's Day". The original meaning of "Yuan" is "head", which was later extended to "beginning", because this day is the first day of the year. The first day of spring and the first day of the first lunar month are called "Three Dynasties"; because this day is also the dynasty of the year, the dynasty of the moon, and the dynasty of the sun, it is also called the "Three Chaos"; and because it is the first new day, Therefore, it is also called "Yuan Shuo". The first day of the first lunar month is also known as Shangri, Zhengchao, Sanshuo, and Sanshi, which means that the first day of the first lunar month is the beginning of the year, month, and day.

Open 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 red, as bright as 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, which was 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 their 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 a "door book."

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 greetings in the evening is called "Ye Bao Festival", and after the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, it is called "Lantern Festival", so there is a joke that "it is not too late to eat cold food if you are willing to pay New Year greetings".

If for some reason you fail to follow the rituals and make up for it in the future, it is called "paying homage to your old age".

Fortune telling

In the old days, the weather in the first few days of the New Year was cloudy and sunny to predict the fortune of the year. The theory begins with "Sui Zhan" written by Dongfang Shuo of the Han Dynasty, which states that eight days after the end of the year, one day is the chicken day, the second day is the dog day, the third day is the pig day, the fourth day is the sheep day, the fifth day is the cow day, the sixth day is the horse day, and the seventh day is the horse day. The sun is a human being, and the eighth day is a grain. If the day is sunny, the object will flourish; if the day is cloudy, the object will not prosper. Later generations followed this custom and believed that the weather from the first to the tenth day of the lunar month was auspicious with clear weather, no wind and no snow. Later generations developed from accounting for age into a series of sacrifices and celebrations. There is a custom that no chickens are killed on the first day of the lunar month, dogs are not killed on the second day of the lunar month, pigs are not killed on the third day of the lunar month... no executions are carried out on the seventh day of the lunar month.

Chicken stickers

In ancient times, chickens were painted on doors and windows during the Spring Festival to drive away ghosts and evil spirits. The "Xuanzhong Ji" written by the Jin Dynasty talks about the aforementioned rooster on Dushuo Mountain. It is said that when the sun just rose and the first ray of sunlight shone on this big tree, the rooster appeared. It cried. As soon as it crows, all the chickens in the world will crow. Therefore, the chicken cut during the Spring Festival actually symbolizes the rooster.

In ancient mythology, there is also a saying that the chicken is a transformed version of the Chongming bird. It is said that during the reign of Emperor Yao, the friendly countries that passed over paid tribute to a Chongming bird that could ward off evil spirits. Everyone welcomed the arrival of the Chongming bird. However, the tribute envoys did not come every year, so people carved a wooden Chongming bird or cast a Chongming bird. Placing the bird on the doorway or painting the Chongming bird on the doors and windows can scare away demons and ghosts so that they do not dare to come again. Because the Chongming birds resembled chickens, later on they gradually changed to painting chickens or cutting out window grilles and pasting them on doors and windows called chicken stickers, which became the source of paper-cutting art in later generations.

In ancient China, chickens were particularly valued and were called “the bird of five virtues”. "Han Shi Wai Zhuan" says that it has a crown on its head, which is a virtue; it has a distance behind its feet and can fight, it is a martial virtue; it dares to fight in front of the enemy, it is a brave virtue; it has food to greet its kind, it is a benevolent virtue; it keeps vigil without losing sight of others. When the dawn comes, it is faith. So people not only cut chickens during the Chinese New Year, but also designate the first day of the New Year as Rooster Day.

Drinking Tusu wine

Tusu wine is a medicinal wine. In ancient customs, the whole family drank Tusu wine on Yuan Day to dispel unhealthy energy. The method of making Tusu wine is: use one penny of rhubarb, one penny and five cents of platycodon, and one penny and five cents of Sichuan pepper, one penny and eight cents of osmanthus heart, one penny and two cents of dogwood, and one or two pieces of saposhnikovia. Take it up at Yinshi and boil it for four or five times with wine. In ancient times, the way to drink Tusu wine was very unique. Most people always start drinking from the oldest ones; but when drinking Tusu wine, it is just the opposite, starting from the youngest ones. Probably the younger ones grow up day by day and drink first to show their congratulations, while the older ones drink later to show their retention as each year passes. The Song Dynasty writer Su Che's poem "Chu Ri" said, "I drink Tusu at the end of the year, and I am more than seventy years old before I know it." This is the custom that is mentioned. This unique drinking order often evoked various emotions in ancient times, so it left a deep impression on people.

Gathering Wealth

It is said that the first day of the first lunar month is the birthday of the broom. You cannot use a broom on this day, otherwise it will sweep away luck, lose money, and attract the "broom star", causing bad luck. .

If you must sweep the floor, you must sweep from the outside to the inside. It is also not allowed to pour water or take out garbage outside on this day, for fear of losing money. Today, many places still have a custom of cleaning up on New Year's Eve. On New Year's Day, no brooms are taken out, no garbage is taken out, and a large bucket is prepared to hold wastewater, and no spilling is allowed on that day.

On the second day of the first lunar month

On the second day of the first lunar month (the third day of the first lunar month in northern areas), the married daughters take their husbands and children back to their natal homes to pay New Year greetings. When a daughter returns to her parents' home, she must bring a big bag of biscuits and candies, and her mother distributes them to the neighbors and folks, just like during the Chinese New Year. If there are multiple daughters in the family, and these daughters do not come back on the same day, then they have to come one at a time. The gift is quite thin, just four biscuits. However, the affection it reflects is very strong. The true meaning is "little etiquette but heavy affection". It expresses the girl's deep longing for her fellow villagers. When the girl returns home, if there is a nephew at home, the aunt will have to dig into her pocket again. Although the money was given to her on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the meaning this time is different. This custom is called "eating the sun and the day" by Chaoshan people. As the name suggests, it is just for lunch, and the daughter must rush back to her husband's house before dinner.

Worshiping the God of Wealth

In the north, people worship the God of Wealth on the second day of the first lunar month. On this day, both commercial shops and ordinary families will hold activities to worship the God of Wealth. Every family offers sacrifices to the God of Wealth they received on New Year's Eve. In fact, they burned the crude prints they bought. We will eat wontons at noon today, commonly known as "Yuanbao Soup". Sacrificial offerings include fish and mutton. Big business houses in old Beijing hold large-scale sacrificial activities on this day. The sacrifices must be made from the "five major sacrifices", namely whole pigs, whole sheep, whole chickens, whole ducks, red live carp, etc., in the hope of making a fortune this year. There are different opinions on who the God of Wealth is, mainly as follows:

Zhao Gongming, also known as Zhao Xuantan because Zhang Tianshi once ordered him to guard the Xuantan. This person comes from "The Romance of the Gods", Jiang Ziya named him "the god of the golden dragon, Ruyi Zhengyi, the true king of the dragon and tiger Xuantan". Zhao Mingliang, also known as Gongming, is the god of Xuanwu in Taoism, commonly known as Master Zhao Gong. This theory comes from "The Encyclopedia of Searching the Gods of the Three Religions", and the full name of the holy name is: "General Manager Shangqing Zhengyixuan Altar Flying Tiger Golden Wheel Law Enforcement Zhao Yuanshi".

Fan Li, Zhao Gongtianshi, and Guan Yu are the gods of martial wealth. In addition, there are those who worship Taibai Star, called "Caibo Star Lord". Because Taibai is also called Venus, it is associated with the God of Wealth. There are also those who regard the Monkey King and the Lucky Boy as their gods of wealth.

Most of the folk offerings are from Zhao Gongming. The printed image is very majestic, with a black face and thick beard, a helmet on his head, a whip in his hand, surrounded by patterns such as cornucopias, large ingots, and corals. , to set off and highlight the gorgeous and luxurious effect.

The third day of the first lunar month

The third day of the first lunar month is the day when Nuwa makes sheep, so it is called "Sheep Day". On this day, people cannot kill sheep. If the weather is good, it means that the sheep will be raised well this year and the people who raise sheep will have a good harvest.

Burning the Door God Paper

In the old days, on the third day and night of the Lunar New Year, the pine and cypress branches during the New Year Festival and the Door God Papers hung during the festival were burned together to indicate that the New Year was over and that the new year was coming. Start making a living. As the saying goes, "Burn the door god paper, and you will find your own health."

Millet’s Birthday

Folks believe that the third day of the first lunar month is Millet’s birthday. On this day, sacrifices are made to pray for good luck, and rice is not allowed.

Xiaonian Dynasty

It is the Tianqing Festival. It was a court festival in the Song Dynasty. In the first year of Dazhong Xiangfu, Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, because it was said that a heavenly book had descended to the earth, Zhenzong issued an edict, designating the third day of the first lunar month as the Tianqing Festival, and officials and others took five days off. Later, it was called the Xiaonian Dynasty. It did not sweep the floor, beg for fire, or draw water, just like the Sui Dynasty.

Post "Red Mouth"

In southern China, "Red Mouth" (forbidden words) must be posted on the morning of the third day of the Lunar New Year. It is considered that this day is prone to quarrels and is not suitable for New Year greetings. The so-called "chikou" is usually a red paper about seven or eight inches long and one inch wide, with some words about peace and good fortune written on it (the content has a certain format, for example: "At the beginning of the first month of Jiaxu, 1994 AD" On three days, incense should be made in front of the gods and the front door should be nailed to cut off all the male and female thieves who steal Mars. All disasters will come to heaven and good luck.

This garbage was accumulated on the first and second days of the first lunar month. It must be cleaned and dumped together on the third day of the lunar new year. Otherwise, it will be like draining the gold and silver treasures from the home. In short, posting "chikou" makes people psychologically feel that they can go out safely all year round, avoid quarrels with others or various unfortunate disasters, bring more wealth to their homes, and everything goes well.

"Send off the New Year"

The New Year send-off ceremony is usually held in the evening to send the gods and ancestors back to heaven.

The fifth day of the first lunar month

The fifth day of the first lunar month is commonly known as Po Wu. According to folk custom, many taboos five years ago can be broken on this day. According to the old custom, it is necessary to eat "water dumplings" for five days. In the north, it is called "boiled dumplings". Nowadays, some people only eat it for three or two days, and some eat it every other day, but there is no one who does not eat it. This is true from the prince's mansion to the small households in the streets, even when entertaining guests. Women no longer stay taboo and start visiting each other to pay New Year greetings and congratulate each other. Newly married women return to peace on this day. It is said that it is not suitable to do anything on the fifth day, otherwise you will be in trouble during the year. In addition to the above taboos, the five customs of Po Wu are mainly to send away the poor, welcome the God of Wealth, and open markets for trade.

New Year Picture: God of Wealth

Worshiping the God of Wealth

Southerners worship the God of Wealth on the fifth day of the first lunar month. According to folklore, the God of Wealth is the God of Five Ways. The so-called five roads refer to east, west, south, north, and middle, which means that you can get wealth in any of the five ways.

It is called "Jielutou." He also said: "Today's Lutou is the walking god in the Five Sacrifice. The so-called five roads should be the east, west, south, and middle ears." There was a custom in Shanghai in the old days. On the midnight of the fourth day of the first lunar month, prepare sacrifices, cakes, fruits, incense and candles, etc., and worship with gongs, drums and incense, piously and respectfully to the God of Wealth. According to popular legend, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year is the birthday of the God of Wealth. In order to compete for market profits, it is first received on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, which is called "grabbing the road head", also known as "receiving the God of Wealth".

The five sacrifices are the household gods, kitchen gods, earth gods, door gods, and walking gods. The so-called "Lutou" refers to the gods among the five sacrifices. When receiving the God of Wealth, one must offer a sheep's head and a carp. Offering a sheep's head means "auspiciousness", and offering carp is a homophone of "fish" and "yu" in the picture. The poem is auspicious. People firmly believe that as long as they can get the God of Wealth to appear, they can get rich.

Therefore, every Chinese New Year, people open their doors and windows at 50:00 on the first lunar month, burn incense, set off firecrackers, and light fireworks to welcome the God of Wealth. After receiving the God of Wealth, everyone also eats Lutou wine, often until dawn. Everyone is full of hopes of getting rich, hoping that the God of Wealth can bring gold and silver to their homes and make them rich in the new year. It is believed that the sooner you pick up the road head, the better. The earliest one to pick up the road head is the true god, which is particularly effective, so it is called "grabbing the road head". In some places, people really "rush to grab the road" on the fourth day of the first lunar month, and it has become a custom. Now that the road god is no longer the protector of travel, people no longer worship it when traveling. In the north, there is also the custom of eating dumplings as a sign of good fortune.

Lutou God

Lutou God is a god of wealth believed in by Wu. It is customary to regard the fifth day of the lunar month as his birthday, and it is quite spectacular to offer sacrifices and greet him.

Lutou is also known as the "Five Road God". It is said that at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there was a man named He Wulu who died fighting against foreign invaders. Therefore, people worshiped him as a god and named him the "Five Road God". But this Five-way God seems to have nothing to do with the Lutou Five-way God who is the God of Wealth. Or the Wulu God is actually the Five Holy Gods, or the Wutong God. During the Kangxi period, after Tang Bin destroyed and banned the Wutong Temple in Fangshan Mountain, the people did not dare to worship the Wutong God, so they changed its name to Lutou and worshiped it. . Generally speaking, this road head is regarded as the walking god in the ancient Five Sacrifice. The so-called five roads refer to the east, west, south, north, and middle. Wealth all travels along the road. Therefore, people regard the walking god as the god of wealth and offer sacrifices to it in the hope that it will bring money to the door. Or travel for profit. When the ancients traveled, they worshiped the road god to seek peace. This was the "ancestral way" custom. Wu customs connected the road and worshiped the road god, and the road god became the god of wealth. The God of Road became the God of Wealth because of the development of commerce and the intensification of the circulation of goods. Goods travel between land and water. People intuitively believe that the road controls the goods.

As for people worshiping the Lutou God on the fifth day of the first lunar month and taking this day as his birthday, this is because the "five" among the five Lutou gods is related to the "five" on the fifth day of the lunar month. The same goes for the "Five Poor" worshipers in the north on this day.

In the first month instead of other months, it is to take the new year and new atmosphere, so that the year will be auspicious and the financial resources will be prosperous. From east to west, south, north, and center, wealth will advance in five directions.

Sending the poor

"Sending the poor" on the fifth day of the first lunar month is a very distinctive annual custom in ancient China. Its meaning is to offer sacrifices to poor ghosts (poor gods). Poor ghost, also known as "poor son". According to "Wen Zong Bei Wen" cited in "Sui Shi Guang Ji" by Chen Yuanliang of the Song Dynasty, "When Zhuan Xu was in Gaoxin, a son was born in the palace. He was not fully clothed and was known as a poor son in the palace. Later, he died in the dark of the first month and was buried in the palace. He said to me, 'Today I will send my poor son away'." According to legend, the poor ghost was the son of Zhuanxu. He is frail and short, and likes to wear rags and drink porridge. Even if he was given new clothes, he would tear them or burn holes with fire before wearing them, so he was "called the poor man in the palace." On this day, women in each household were made of paper, called "Sweeping Clear Mother", "Five Poor Women" and "Five Poor Mothers". They carried paper bags, swept the dirt from the house into the bags, and sent them outside to blast them with cannons. This custom is also known as "sending the poor to the poor" and "sending the poor daughter-in-law out". In the Hancheng area of ??Shaanxi Province, people are not allowed to go out on the fifth day. Fresh meat must be roasted in a pot, and madou must be stir-fried to make it crackle and make a sound. It is believed that this can eliminate poverty and bring wealth. In addition, in the old days, people had to eat very full on New Year's Eve or the fifth day of the first lunar month, which was commonly known as "filling the poor hole." The widely popular folk custom of sending the poor away reflects the traditional psychology of the Chinese people who generally hope to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, bid farewell to the old poverty and hardship, and welcome a better life in the new year.

Opening of the market

It is an old custom that during the Spring Festival, all shops of all sizes will be closed from the beginning of the new year, and the market will open on the fifth day of the first lunar month. It is customary to regard the fifth day of the first lunar month as the holy day of wealth. It is believed that choosing this day to open the market will definitely attract wealth.

The seventh day of the first lunar month

The seventh day of the first lunar month is Human Day, also known as "Human Victory Festival", "Human Festival", "Population Day", "Human Seventh Day", etc. Legend has it that when Nuwa first created the world, she created humans on the seventh day after creating animals such as chickens, dogs, pigs, cows, and horses, so this day is the birthday of humans. People's Day customs began to exist in the Han Dynasty, and they began to pay attention to them after the Wei and Jin Dynasties. In ancient times, people had the custom of wearing "rensheng". Rensheng is a kind of headdress, also called caisheng or huasheng. Starting from the Jin Dynasty, people cut ribbons for flowers, people, or engraved gold foil for people to put on screens. They were also worn on on hair. In addition, there is also the custom of climbing high to compose poems. After the Tang Dynasty, more emphasis was placed on this festival. Every year, the emperor would give the ministers colorful ribbons to win, and he would also hold a banquet for the ministers. If the weather is fine on the seventh day of the first lunar month, the population will be safe and the going in and out will be smooth.

On this day, people eat spring pancakes and roll "box dishes" (a kind of cooked meat food), and spread pancakes in the courtyard to "smoke the sky".

Eating Qibao soup, a soup made from seven kinds of vegetables, is eaten during the day to get good omen, and it is said that this soup can remove evil spirits and cure all diseases. Different regions have different products, different fruits and vegetables, and different meanings. Guangdong Chaoshan uses mustard, kale, leeks, spring vegetables, celery, garlic, and cloves; Hakkas use celery, garlic, green onions, coriander, leeks and fish, meat, etc.; Taiwan and Fujian use spinach, celery, onions, garlic, Leeks, mustard greens, shepherd's purse, cabbage, etc. Celery and onions indicate intelligence, garlic indicates calculation, mustard indicates longevity, and so on.

In the beautiful Shandong Peninsula, on the seventh day of the first lunar month, children will choose a wooden stick of about two meters and tie it with wheat straw. This is what is called "Vulcan". At dusk, one end of the "Vulcan" is lit at the door of the house, and the children hold the other end of the "Vulcan" and run away from home until it burns out. This activity means sending the "God of Fire" out of the house, so that there will be no fires in the house within a year and the house will be safe.

The eighth day of the first lunar month

Legend has it that the eighth day of the first lunar month is Guzi’s birthday. If the weather is sunny on this day, the rice harvest will be good this year; if the weather is cloudy, the rice harvest will be poor.

Shunxing

Shunxing is also known as Sacrifice Star. On the night of the eighth day of the first lunar month, regardless of whether people go to the temple to offer incense to worship the star king (i.e. Shunxing), after the stars appear in the sky, each family will hold a sacrificial ceremony for Shunxing. When worshiping stars, one should place a "golden lantern" (yellow lantern flower) on the desk, stove, threshold, pot, etc. and light it, which is called "scattered lantern flower", which means to avoid bad luck. After the star worship is over, the whole family gathers together to have a Lantern Festival meal.

Release animals to pray for blessings

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, there is a "release" activity, which means taking some fish and birds raised at home outside and releasing them into the wild.

Liu Tong of the Ming Dynasty recorded in "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital": "On the eighth day of the first lunar month, wild animals were released in Shideng Alley. There were birds in cages, fish and shrimps in basins, snails and clams in baskets. In front of the Luotang, monks spoke Sanskrit. Thousands of them fly toward each other, their feathers fly in the air, they land on the house, and then they move away. The water and the like are thrown into the net in the Jinshui River of the Imperial City to bait bamboo shoots. "

The release of animals on the eighth day of the lunar month not only reflects the hope. The ancients respected the harmonious coexistence of all things in nature, and also expressed their good wishes for the prosperity of all living things in the world at the beginning of the new year.

The ninth day of the first lunar month

The ninth day of the first lunar month is the day of heaven. Legend has it that this day is the birthday of the Jade Emperor, the highest god in heaven. Commonly known as "Tiangongsheng". "Tiangong" is the "Jade Emperor", and Taoism calls it "Yuanshi Tianzun". He is the highest god who rules the universe. He is the highest god who rules the gods of the three realms and ten directions and all the spirits in the world. He represents the supreme "heaven". The main customs include worshiping the Jade Emperor and fasting to the sky in Taoist temples. In some places, women prepare fragrant flowers, candles and fasting bowls and place them in the open air at the entrance of the courtyard and lane to worship the sky and seek blessings from God.

The tenth day of the first lunar month

The tenth day of the first lunar month is homophonic to "stone", so the tenth day of the first lunar month is Stone's birthday. On this day, all stone tools such as grinding and milling are not allowed to be moved, and even stones are set up as sacrifices, for fear of damaging the crops. Also known as "Shi Fu Fu" and "Ten Fu Fu". It is a custom in Henan that on this day, every family pays tribute to stones and burns incense. You must eat steamed buns for lunch. It is believed that eating buns will bring you good fortune within a year. In places such as Yuncheng, Shandong, there is an act of carrying stone gods. On the night of the ninth day of the lunar month, people froze an earthen jar on a large smooth stone. On the morning of the tenth day of the lunar month, a rope was tied to the nose of the jar, and ten young men took turns carrying the jar away. If the stone does not fall to the ground, it indicates a good harvest that year.

The eleventh day of the first lunar month

"Son-in-law Day", this day is the day when the father-in-law invites his son-in-law to a banquet. There is still a lot of food left over from the celebration of "Tian Gongsheng" on the ninth day of the lunar month. In addition to eating it for one day on the tenth day of the lunar month, there is still a lot of food left over. Therefore, the family does not have to spend any more money and uses the leftover food to entertain their son-in-law and daughter. The folk song is called "Eleventh Day" Invite your son-in-law."