On New Year’s Day, what are the customs in your hometown? Isn't it interesting?

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, customs vary from place to place. Let’s talk about the customs in our village and see how they are different from yours.

This is a rural area in Weifang City, Shandong Province. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, you have to get up early, put on newly bought clothes, and after washing, set up an offering table in the courtyard. The offerings are candies and fruits, and Rice cakes; then serve the dumplings just out of the pot and light them with three pillars of incense. Then light up the lights in each house. Now they all have electric lights, as well as red lanterns on high poles in the courtyard. The whole courtyard is brightly lit, which means that the coming year will be bright and everything goes well.

It is necessary to get up early on the first day of the new year. Children are not allowed to speak loudly to prevent unlucky words. No cleaning of rubbish, no splashing of dirty water, but you can set off firecrackers.

Before dawn, it is necessary to go to the elders to say hello to the New Year, but there is no need to kneel down and kowtow. The grandparents will distribute candies and New Year's money to the grandchildren. In the past, when conditions were poor, eating a candy bar was already a luxury. Most of the time, it was just a few popcorn and black dates. It was rare to get a few peanuts. The new year's money is 20 cents for boys and 10 cents for girls. In the past, the elderly had backward thinking and favored sons over daughters.

This was all decades ago. Now that conditions are better, New Year’s money is not a small amount, and snacks are not rare. Communications are also developed, e-commerce is faster, and there are all kinds of seasonal fruits that you can’t imagine, and there’s nothing you can’t buy.

On the entire first day of the lunar new year, there was no need to cook anything else. The dumplings made on New Year’s Eve could be eaten all day long; this was something that in those poor days was unthinkable.

There are many details, so let’s talk about these! Welcome friends from all over the world to come and chat and celebrate the Chinese New Year. Get up early on the first day of the Lunar New Year to worship God, and then the children go to pay New Year greetings. The adults clean up the house, cook, and eat noodles at noon and dumplings in the afternoon.

1. Worshiping gods, our family usually worships heaven and earth (heaven refers to the Jade Emperor, and earth refers to the Queen of the Earth), the God of Wealth, Zhang Xian, the Kitchen God, and Guanyin Bodhisattva, the father-in-law of the earth.

Heaven and earth are generally used to ensure that the family is safe and sound, the weather is smooth throughout the year, the land is harvested, and the fruits are abundant.

As for the God of Wealth, he usually hopes that the family will have a lot of money this year. Almost every household in China has this god, and he is also the most popular among the Chinese gods.

Zhang Xian is an auspicious god who mainly delivers children in China. There is usually a couplet on both sides of the statue of Zhang Xian. The first couplet is that Zhang Xian comes down to heaven and opens his bow every day. The second line is, playing with the dog in the clouds, to protect future generations. Hengbiao is, bless the descendants. This deity is generally very popular in Chinese tradition, because China advocates having children and grandchildren, so the deity that blesses children and descendants becomes popular.

The Kitchen Lord, the Kitchen Lord, the Kitchen Lord is the commander. According to Chinese folklore, the Kitchen God reports to heaven on the 23rd night of the twelfth lunar month every year and returns to earth on the fourth day of the first lunar month. It is the lowest level earth immortal in myths and legends. Legend has it that the Kitchen God will report everything that happens in his family to God throughout the year, convey God's will, and reward good and punish evil.

Guanyin Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva in Chinese mythology, is a very kind god, known as the Great Merciful and Great Compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva. It is also very popular in China.

The Lord of the Earth, also known as the Lord of the Earth, is the god in ancient Chinese legend who is in charge of a land. He lives underground and is the lowest level among the gods. As the saying goes, "Don't treat the land lord as a god." In Chinese folk land gods, there are various images and different personalities. As a local protector god, it is popular all over the country. In the old days, wherever there were people living in the land, there was a phenomenon of worshiping the land god.

2. After worshiping God, it is the happiest time for the children. All the children in the family go to pay New Year greetings together. When you go to other people's homes, rich people will give you 5 yuan or 10 yuan. People who are slightly worse off will give you 1 yuan or 2 yuan. If you order again, you will be given a few steamed buns dedicated to the gods. Whether it's money or steamed buns, they all represent people's best wishes.

3. I usually eat noodles and longevity noodles at noon. The noodles represent good wishes for the year. According to the old people, if you eat longevity noodles on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the elderly and children will be safe throughout the year.

4. I will eat dumplings in the evening.

Because it means "Gengsuijiaozi", it is very popular among the people. It means the alternation of the old and the new, and it also adheres to the meaning of God. It is a feast that must be eaten. Otherwise, God will remove your name in the Yin and Yang world, and you will become a lonely ghost who is not registered after death.

We don’t have any special customs in the Henan and Henan area. The following are the main contents in the young people’s memories.

First, on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, people start cooking dumplings before dawn. The first bowl must be given to the elders. If a family has several sons who have started a family and started a single life, the daughters-in-law of each family will meet each other. There is a secret competition, whoever gives the earliest gift appears to be filial.

Second, it is best not to go to the convenience store before the sun comes out, as it will be a festive occasion.

Third, the firecracker paper after setting off cannot be cleaned until the afternoon. If it is swept, it means losing money and being poor this year.

That’s the main thing in my memory.

(The old jujube tree in the picture is a historical witness of my family. In 1938, Chiang Kai-shek plowed the Yellow River and the whole family went to escape famine. When he returned, my old father found a small jujube tree on a high ground outside the village. , moved to home and has grown up till now)

We are in Xingtai County, Xingtai City, southern Hebei Province. When it comes to the first day of the Lunar New Year, there are indeed many customs.

First, get up early. Spring is early for people, and on the first day of the Lunar New Year, people will get up at four or five o'clock. After putting on new clothes and socks, you should kowtow to your ancestors first, then pay New Year greetings to your parents, grandparents, and give you New Year's money. You should not make any loud noise after getting up to avoid disturbing the gods and spirits of your ancestors. After setting off the firecrackers, we start to go out to pay New Year greetings to the folks. At this time, we can speak loudly.

The second is that my daughter does not pay New Year greetings. Unmarried women do not give New Year greetings to anyone. The daughter-in-law who marries into the family only kowtows to her parents-in-law, grandparents and the elders of the family, and does not give New Year greetings to fellow villagers.

The third is not to send New Year greetings to bedridden patients.

Fourth, people of the same generation do not pay New Year greetings. If they are of the same generation and about the same age, there is no need to pay New Year greetings. However, the age difference is very big, so now we all go to pay homage to show our respect.

Fifth, you must eat dumplings in the morning. On New Year’s Day morning, you must eat dumplings. Because dumplings are shaped like ingots, eating dumplings is like importing ingots. The more you get, the more ingots you get. There are also coins wrapped in dumplings. Whoever eats them will be lucky.

Sixth, when eating, you must first respect gods, spirits, ancestors, and ancestors. In addition to worshiping and tasting food in front of ancestors, ancestor gods and spirits, every time you eat, you must hold the rice flat three times in front of the gods and spirits, and four times in front of the ancestors to invite others to eat.

The seventh day is the first day of the Lunar New Year, so we don’t move the broom or pick up the needle and thread.

In our place, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, people will first put on new clothes and new shoes. Early in the morning, they will open the door to welcome wealth, set off firecrackers, and welcome the New Year, which indicates a good start; It is said that parents pay New Year's greetings to their elders on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and only go to pay New Year's greetings to their father-in-law and mother-in-law on the second day of the Lunar New Year; the third is to eat dumplings. The dumplings we have here are shaped like ingots, which heralds abundant wealth in the new year.

There are also some taboos: on the eve of the New Year’s Eve, you should hide some things such as knives and steel scales, and do not see them on the first day of the Lunar New Year; Rice wine (because rice wine is also called glutinous rice wine); you cannot say unlucky words. In ancient times, there were still people who asked for luck on the first day of the new year. There is also a joke circulating here:

It is said that there is a family where the hostess is not very good at talking. Every year when the male host asks for praise on New Year's Day, she can't talk. One year, the male host thought of a way to induce the hostess to say auspicious words.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, after opening the door and setting off firecrackers, I went to the main room to burn incense in front of the shrine. After I finished burning the incense, I climbed up the wooden ladder (the male host had placed a small wooden ladder next to the shrine in advance) and asked the hostess, do you think I am like this? What is it? The hostess said, "It's okay. Why are you climbing the ladder?" The male host climbed up step by step and continued to ask the hostess, "What do you think I am doing like this?" The hostess said: "You go up one stall after another!" The male host fainted and fell off the wooden ladder! Do you know what auspicious words the host wants to say to the hostess?

We are in Longzhong to the west of Liupan Mountain. Most of the local customs are based on Qin culture, which is similar to that in Shaanxi. There are generally the following annual activities on the first day of the new year: First, open the gate early, probably Opening the door after five o'clock and opening the door early indicates that the family will be diligent and not lazy in the new year; the second is group travel, which is the most lively scene of the whole village in the year. The sun is shining on the mountainside, and the whole village is freshly dressed and full of joy. , all came out, the elders holding incense boxes in their hands, leading the animals wearing big red flowers on their heads or driving the sheep (nowadays, there are no animals and sheep, but cars covered with red flowers), heading towards the wheat field or the People gather in large open areas, greeting and blessing each other. Young people have been getting up early, beating gongs and drums, setting off fireworks and salutes. In villages with social fires, lion dances and land boats are also performed, and social fires are played, waiting for people to gather. Afterwards, the incense offerings brought by each family were collected together, and the elders in the village presided over the ceremony. They knelt down in the direction of the God of Joy to welcome the good luck and pray for good luck in the new year. Traveling is the responsibility of the whole village. Carnival, under the premise of ensuring safety, you can have fun and play as much as you want until lunch time slowly disperses; third, have New Year's dinner. In the family or clan, you have made an appointment in advance to have a banquet and New Year's dinner at someone's house, which makes you look like a family member. Or the unity and harmony in the clan, usually in the families who are doing well or in the families of business people, and they take the initiative to promote it; the fourth is the big New Year greeting in the clan, first to pay respects to the ancestors, that is, to pay homage to the incense table or family tree in the clan (usually in the home of the elders in the clan) Hang it up or put it on the table, and some people will stay in the house of whose family has passed the twelfth lunar month). Afterwards, they go to each family according to their seniority to pay New Year greetings. For those with big families, the New Year greeting team is also huge, talking and laughing, It's so lively. After New Year's greetings, there are free activities. Young people often gather together to play cards, set up a wine bar, and play basketball. Women square dance or perform yangko dances, and children also get together to play. On the first day of the first lunar month, people mainly focus on playing, and there is no farming. All indoor activities are limited to the family members, and they do not visit people with other surnames.

Today is already the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month, tomorrow is the Little New Year in the North, and the day after tomorrow is the Little New Year in the South. There are only a few days until the Spring Festival. As the most important festival in China, there are naturally many customs, especially the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with the most activities. @Zhijiansannongjia is located in a rural area in eastern Anhui Province. I am here to give you a good health. What are the customs on the first day of the lunar new year?

When talking about the New Year’s Day, let’s talk about the New Year’s Eve first, because many customs are connected. New Year's Eve is a day for family reunion. Early in the morning, the men in the family will carry the salted pig heads, salted pig's feet, salted pig tails, salted chicken, salted duck and other salted meats that are about to be cooked, to the nearby land. Ye, burn incense and set off firecrackers, and first worship the Lord of the Earth. Afterwards, they are brought back to worship the ancestors of the family, and then cooked.

After the children at home get up, or to be precise before they get up, they eat a piece of pig head meat. The implication is that they will have meat to eat every day in the coming year and the children will not be greedy. In addition, the hostess of the family must cook all kinds of meat dishes on this day. In addition to preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner, she also prepares for the first month of the year. Other things, such as posting Spring Festival couplets and having a reunion dinner, are similar everywhere, so I won’t go into details here. On the night of New Year's Eve, after the New Year's Eve dinner, every household sets off fireworks and firecrackers, closes the financial gate, and prepares to go to bed.

So, what are the special customs on New Year’s Day? As mentioned above, the last door to be closed on New Year's Eve is called the Guancai Gate. After this door is closed, it will not be opened again that night. According to local customs, if the door is opened before 12 o'clock at night, the fortune will be lost. Then, on the first day of the new year, opening the door again will open the door to wealth. It is said that whoever opens the door early can make a fortune. There is a lot of care before opening the door. Usually, a small firecracker is used to blow down the door before it can be opened. Some families don't sleep on New Year's Eve, which is called staying up; waiting until twelve o'clock at night to directly open the wealth gate, which is called grabbing wealth. Of course, firecrackers are inevitable when opening the door. Therefore, from the evening of New Year's Eve to the morning of New Year's Day, the sound of firecrackers almost never stops.

You are not allowed to kill any living beings on the first day of the Lunar New Year. After you get up, if you want to eat glutinous rice balls, they must be solid and cannot be eaten with fillings.

This glutinous rice dumpling was made in advance on New Year’s Eve evening. The first person to get up will cook glutinous rice balls to worship their ancestors. Of course, some families have the custom of getting up early to worship their ancestors and kowtow nine times. Except for breakfast, where no killing is allowed, this applies throughout the day. All meals are prepared in advance of New Year's Eve.

Then, it’s a matter of paying New Year greetings to each other, which is very routine and I won’t go into details. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, we call it the "Year of the Master", which means we have to pay New Year greetings to our elders in the family, grandparents, and on the second day of the Lunar New Year, we pay New Year greetings to our father-in-law and mother-in-law. This is generally the custom. If I want to talk about how interesting it is, it is that all relatives and friends are here, and everyone has time to chat and play cards. When I was young, it was relatively simple. I had food, drink, play, and New Year's money. I felt very happy. . Nowadays, the New Year has been diluted, many old traditions have been lost, travel is faster, but it is not so interesting, because it goes quickly as it comes. What do you think about this? Are there any interesting things happening on your New Year’s Day?

I am from Shandong, my hometown is Tai'an, and my husband's family is Jining. Although they are not far away, the customs are very different.

In my hometown of Tai'an, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, I would get up early to send my elders New Year greetings and ask for red envelopes [呑ya]. Moreover, I had to eat dumplings in the morning and they had to be stuffed with meat. After dinner, I would start in the morning. I go from house to house to pay New Year greetings to the elderly. In the afternoon, I basically get together to play cards and chat. And on the first day of the new year, I basically don’t sweep the floor. Even if I do, I have to sweep from the outside in, and I can’t use needlework to sew anything... ... On this day, the adults in the family will also tell the children that they can be angry and not cry, etc. In short, they should be happy and joyful all day long.

The customs in Jining, my husband’s family, are different. On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, you can’t comb your hair in the house but have to go outside. The dumplings in the morning must be plain. (This is because Zilu, a disciple of Confucius, died in the civil war of Wei State. At that time, Zilu was outside the city. After the civil strife broke out, he did not flee the Wei Kingdom. Instead, he risked his life regardless of his own safety. During the fight, his crown was knocked off. Zilu said to himself: "When a gentleman dies, his crown is inevitable." He tied up his hatband. Of course the samurai would not miss this opportunity and chop Zilu into pieces).

Customs vary from place to place, but the overall feeling is festive, lively and auspicious. In Xiayi County in eastern Henan, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, some people would get up at four or five o'clock and let go of the cannons. They were not allowed to pour face wash outside, and they were not allowed to relieve themselves outside unless the sun was out. Then firecrackers are set off and dumplings are served, the first bowl of dumplings and two steamed buns are given to the ancestors, and dumplings are given to the elders of the same ancestors. After the whole family eats dumplings, the younger generation kowtows to their ancestors, grandparents, and parents to express their blessings. The older generation gives the younger generation lucky money, and then takes the children to the home of their ancestors to pay New Year greetings. Nowadays, in the new society and new fashion, old customs cannot keep up with the new era, and it is forbidden to set off fireworks and firecrackers. Send WeChat messages to greet the New Year, which feels similar to ordinary days, without the flavor of the New Year.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, in our hometown, we get up early to cook dumplings. When the dumplings are cooked, there will be one left in the pot when they are taken out, which means there will be more than enough every year. This year we made two kinds of stuffed dumplings, leek, shrimp and egg, and cabbage and beef, each with its own taste.

After breakfast and putting on new clothes, we go from house to house to pay New Year greetings. The elders of the family with the same surname and Wufu will all go there. I loved this moment even more when I was a child. The elders would give them candy balls and melon seeds. The two overstuffed shoulder pockets will be wrapped in big red envelopes for the discerning ones. Nowadays, there is no such atmosphere, and I still miss my childhood days.

At noon, my mother-in-law’s family always cooks rice. They are Manchus and like to divide the rice and millet into rice, and then steam them into rice. They usually eat it until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which means the new year. Get more silver and more gold, and you will have a lot of wealth in the year.

Steamed rice cakes are also required. They are usually steamed before the beginning of the year. If it is too late, they will be made up on the first day of the lunar new year. It symbolizes that the good life is getting better and better every year.

In short, the first day of the Lunar New Year is the beginning of a new year. We welcome the arrival of the New Year with sumptuous food, and the family reunites and celebrates the New Year in a prosperous way.