Information about the origin of the Spring Festival

There is a legend about the origin of the Spring Festival. In ancient China, there was a monster called Nian. Its tentacles were very long and fierce. Nian lived on the seabed for many years, and climbed ashore every New Year's Eve, devouring livestock and killing people. Therefore, every New Year's Eve, people in the village fled to the deep mountains to avoid the harm of the "Nian" beast. One year on New Year's Eve, an old beggar came from outside the village.

The villagers were in a hurry and panic. Only an old woman in the east of the village gave the old man some food and suggested that he go up the mountain quickly to avoid Nian beast. The old man smiled and said, "If my mother-in-law lets me stay at home for one night, I will definitely drive Nian beast away."

The old woman continued to persuade and begged the old man to laugh without saying a word. At midnight, Nian beast broke into the village. It found that the atmosphere in the village was different from previous years: the old woman's house at the east end of the village had red paper on the door and bright candles in the room.

The beast Nian trembled and let out a long whistle. When we were near the door, there was a sudden explosion in the yard, and Nian trembled and dared not go any further. It turns out that Nian was most afraid of red, fire and explosion.

At this time, my mother-in-law's door was wide open, and I saw an old man in a red robe laughing in the hospital. "Nian" was frightened to disgrace and fled in confusion. The next day was the first day of the first month, and the people who came back from refuge were very surprised to see that the village was safe and sound.

At this time, the old woman suddenly realized and quickly told the villagers the promise of begging for the elderly. The story soon spread in the surrounding villages, and people all knew the way to drive away the "Nian" beast. Since then, every year on New Year's Eve, every family has posted red couplets and set off firecrackers. Every household has a bright candlelight, so it is better to wait for the New Year. In the early morning of the first day, I want to say hello to my relatives and friends. This custom has spread more and more widely, and has become the most solemn traditional festival among the people in China.

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Spring Festival custom: offering sacrifices to stoves

Kitchen God is a bodhisattva enshrined in every kitchen of the people, and is honored as "Kitchen God is in charge of life". As early as the Xia Dynasty, he was a great god worshipped by the people. According to Confucius' Book of Rites, "Hitachi, the son of Zhuan Xu, is worshipped as the kitchen god like Zhu Rong."

In other words, the "Suiren" who drilled wood to make fire, the "Fire Officer" of Shennong () and the "Su" who cooked rice by Huangdi were all kitchen gods and chefs of five emperors and nine days.

Responsible for the actions of the management, reporting to the emperor, and being honored as the patron saint of the family. The Kitchen King Shrine is located in the north or east of the kitchen, or an idol is pasted on the wall, and the words "proprietor" and "God of human supervision" are written. The couplets on both sides are: "Heaven says yes, the lower bound ensures peace" to keep the family safe.

On New Year's Eve, Kitchen God returned to the world with the good and bad luck that the family deserved. Every household should put on a new statue of the kitchen god, light a new kitchen god lamp, put on crystals, burn incense and paper in front of the kitchen niche, which is regarded as "taking over the kitchen", and the kitchen god began his guardian work again.

Spring Festival custom: sweeping dust

"On the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, clean the house." That is, when the Spring Festival is coming, every household should clean the furniture, remove and wash the bedding, and greet the Spring Festival cleanly. The origin of this custom is the custom of sweeping dust during the Spring Festival in Yao and Shun Dynasties. There is a note in The Book of Rites that "everywhere inside and outside, chickens crow at first, ... sweeping the court".

Zhou Shu's Secret House Classic records that "the ditches are clear, the houses are clean, there is no foul smell and no plague", which shows that the ancients have long known that filth and dust foam are related to the spread of diseases.

"Lu Chunqiu" says: "It is difficult to beat drums to drive away epidemic ghosts when you are old." Later, it gradually evolved into a year-end cleaning, called "sweeping the year." "Sweeping the Year Wind" prevailed in the Tang Dynasty.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Spring Festival