Folk customs about the Spring Festival

Folk culture of the Spring Festival. Origin of the Spring Festival: Legend has it that there is a beast called Nian, which eats people and makes people fidgety whenever the cold winter comes. In the struggle with Nian, this fierce beast was afraid of fire and noise, so people thought of a way. When they appeared that year, they lit a fire, threw bamboo into it, lit a raging fire, and ran away when they heard the sound of firecrackers in 2006. After that, people began to celebrate the New Year with "hanging red lights, setting off firecrackers and eating New Year's Eve". Second, the preparations before the Spring Festival (after the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, various new year activities will be gradually launched) 1. Sacrifice to Kitchen God: Kitchen God, also known as "Kitchen God", commonly known as "Kitchen God". Return to the Grand Palace on the 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month every year and report the situation to the Jade Emperor. Return to Earth on New Year's Eve. People are worried about slandering the Jade Emperor, so when he went to the Heavenly Palace, he offered sacrifices to him, hoping that he would "speak well in heaven and keep peace underground". 2. Other preparatory activities: writing Spring Festival couplets, preparing meat, preparing pasta, having a haircut, taking a bath and cleaning. Third, folk activities-static folk customs 3. Spring Festival couplets: (1) The source of Spring Festival couplets was called "Fu Tao" in ancient times. According to legend, Er Shen in Wang Chong's On the Balance of Ghosts in the Eastern Han Dynasty lived on a big peach tree to deal with ghosts. They feed all the evil spirits to tigers. Therefore, people think that ghosts are afraid of Shen Tu, Lei Yu and peach trees. Therefore, every New Year, people always hang peach charms or peach charms at the door to ward off evil spirits and keep safe. (2) The earliest Spring Festival couplets: In 965 AD, Meng Changjun, the Emperor of the Later Shu Dynasty, wrote on the peach symbol at the inner gate of the palace: New Year's Qing Yu, FestivalNo. Changchun. This is the earliest known Spring Festival couplets in China. Since then, Spring Festival couplets have become one of the most representative folk activities in the Spring Festival. Others like to put the word "fu" upside down. Because "Dao" is homophonic for "Dao", the word "Fu" means "Fu is here". 4. New Year pictures: (1) The source of the door god paintings: There are three kinds of statements. One theory is that it originated from the myths and legends of Shen Tu and Lei Yu. The ancients hung two statues at the door to exorcise ghosts. First of all, Emperor Taizong ordered Qin Qiong and Weichi Gong to guard the door to drive away ghosts, and drew two generals at the palace gate. First, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty dreamed that Zhong Kui was catching ghosts for himself, and when he woke up, he ordered the painter to draw Zhong Kui on the door. (2) Source of Kitchen God painting: According to folklore, Kitchen God returned to the world from the Heavenly Palace on New Year's Eve, so people always buy new paintings of Kitchen God at this time and stick them on the doors, hoping that he can bring good luck and happiness. (3) Other common New Year pictures. 5. Fu Zi: The earliest? The word "Fu" is said to have been written in Jiang Ziya of Zhou Dynasty, namely Jiang Taigong. When Jiang Taigong was a god, he called his wife a poor god and said, "You can't go to a blessed place". People paste the word "Fu" in Chinese New Year, which is a history of Cixi. Every year, the queen mother has the habit of blessing the minister. A year's blessing, Gong wrote down the blessing given and committed the crime of beheading. Li saved him, saying, "Lafayette is as happy as the East China Sea, and he will live longer than Nanshan. This year's blessing will really come. " Cixi was very happy to hear that. She even said, "Blessing is coming ..." It spread to the people and "Blessing" was posted. 6. Window grilles: Window grilles are paper-cut works pasted on windows to celebrate the New Year. There are two ways to make window grilles. First, scissors. Skilled women can cut many patterns from colored paper with scissors. The second type is knife carving, which is generally operated by professional folk artists. It can be carved into forty or fifty window grilles at a time and supplied to the market. Fourth, the Spring Festival folklore-dynamic folklore 1. New Year's Eve: 1) What is New Year's Eve: New Year's Eve is the last night of the year. Due to the size of the lunar month, New Year's Eve falls on the 30th night of the twelfth lunar month in some years and on the 29th night of the twelfth lunar month in some years. 2) Celebrate New Year's Eve: The important activity on New Year's Eve is to celebrate New Year's Eve. Because after the Qin and Han Dynasties, people in China basically took midnight as the beginning of the day, which is equivalent to 23: 00 to 1 in the modern timing method. New Year's Eve is a crucial moment to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. To this end, people have to stay up all night waiting for this moment. The whole family got together and waited patiently for Bao jiaozi. 2. Set off firecrackers: 1) What is firecrackers: firecrackers, also known as "firecrackers". As soon as the New Year bell rings, firecrackers explode in the streets to welcome the New Year. 2) The origin of firecrackers: According to the Chronicle of Jingchu exhibited by Liang in the Southern Dynasties? "On the first day of the first month, chickens crow." Set off firecrackers in front of the court to ward off evil spirits. "It means that people put bamboo in the fire after getting up on the first day of the morning. Bamboo bursts and makes a loud noise, which can scare away monsters and protect the whole family. Around the Tang Dynasty, people put gunpowder in bamboo tubes, lit it, and then exploded. Later, people used paper rolls instead of bamboo tubes to form firecrackers like today. 3) Types of firecrackers: There are many kinds of firecrackers. People in the Song Dynasty slightly improved firecrackers and invented fireworks. Fireworks: also known as "fireworks" and "fireworks". It will shine brightly when it explodes. So it is deeply loved by people. At present, many countries in the world decorate their festive night sky with fireworks. 3. Lion Dance: Bai Juyi's Legend of Xiliang: a fake lion, a mask, and carved wood as the head and tail. Gold-plated glasses with silver teeth, decorated sweater with ears. If you come to Wan Li from quicksand, you will see purple beard and deep eyes. Dance beam to give a speech, should be like Liangzhou not sleepy grandson. When anxidu came in. Lion dance originated in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, that is, the rise of Buddhism. 4. Other folk activities: dancing yangko, walking on stilts, beating gongs and drums. 5. Sacrifice to gods and ancestors: In traditional Spring Festival activities, the most important thing is to sacrifice to gods and ancestors. Superstitious families have shrines dedicated to gods, as well as portraits of ancestral tablets. On the morning of the first day of the first month, people respectfully offer offerings and light incense in front of shrines and ancestral tablets (including the first bowl of jiaozi just cooked). I sincerely thank God and ancestors for their protection in the past year and pray that they will be happy in the new year. 6. New Year greetings: After offering sacrifices to the gods and ancestors, children and grandchildren began to pay New Year greetings to their elders and relatives. The traditional New Year greeting ceremony is to bow three times to elders and relatives, but now most of them bow three times instead. While saluting, I wish my elders good health and all the best. After the elders sit up and accept the New Year greetings from their children and grandchildren, they will be given red envelopes. This is "lucky money". Generally used as pocket money for children during the Spring Festival. Other relatives have also paid New Year greetings, which can last for many days. When friends meet, they say "Congratulations on getting rich" or "Happy Spring Festival" to each other to celebrate. The New Year activities reflect the respect and filial piety of the younger generation to the elders. The care of elders for their children and grandchildren. New Year greetings between relatives and friends have also greatly promoted the deepening of mutual feelings. Therefore, since ancient times, people have attached great importance to New Year greetings. Dai Fugu, a poet in the Song Dynasty, wrote "Worship of Suidan National Party": "Dress up for the New Year and see Chen Fang. Up and down 200 people, ranking five. The brand door is Qiao Mugu, and the flowing water shines in the early spring. " The cold will pass and the scenery will be completely new. "The activities of more than 200 people visiting each other in the extended family at that time were vividly written. 7. Everyone's Day: the seventh day of the first month, also known as "Everyone's Day". Xue Daoheng, a poet of Sui Dynasty, has been away from home for two years since the 7th day of spring. The day of returning home is behind the bird's return to the earth, but the idea of returning home has existed before the spring flowers bloom. Why is the seventh day of the first month called "Everyone's Day"? This is related to the ancient myth of China. According to myth, God created chicken on the first day, dog on the second day, sheep on the third day, pig on the fourth day, cow on the fifth day, horse on the sixth day and man on the seventh day. Therefore, the seventh day is the day when mankind was born. So, the ancients called this day? " Men's Day ". In order to commemorate the birth of mankind, during the Southern Liang Dynasty, people cut out colored paper figures on every human day and put them on screens or heads. Used to symbolize people's new look in the new year. In the Tang Dynasty, the content of paper-cutting on People's Day developed and changed. Yu Yanshou, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, cut the ribbon on Men's Day: "The boudoir sits on a knife and feels sorry for itself. Leaves are full of emotions, and flowers send hands into spring. Adhere to the face to raise makeup, adhere to the chicken to pay people. "Qing came to ask my husband, what is not true?" Cut the contents of safflower, green leaves, swallows and birds. They are all lifelike. This is very similar to modern folk window grilles. 5. Folk Custom of Spring Festival-Eating Folk Custom-Rice Cake and jiaozi are the most distinctive foods in Spring Festival. 1) rice cake: also known as "rice cake". The homonym "getting higher every year" contains the expectation that life will get better every year. Rice cakes are made of clay particles, mostly yellow rice in the north and glutinous rice in the south. The north is generally sweet, and the rice cakes in the south can be made into different flavors. However, it is not as delicious as jiaozi. Northerners prefer jiaozi as their Spring Festival food. 2) Jiaozi is also called "groove, Jiaozi and Bian Shi". Its origin is very old. Archaeologists have discovered a jiaozi that has been preserved for over 1000 years. Northerners must eat jiaozi during the Spring Festival. Moreover, jiaozi eaten during the Spring Festival must be wrapped before New Year's Eve 12. Jiaozi is delicious, and the key lies in the combination of dumpling stuffing, pure meat, pure vegetables and vegetarian dishes, with endless patterns and different tastes. You can change it according to your taste, so men, women and children like to eat jiaozi. Among the jiaozi eaten during the Spring Festival, one is stuffed with tofu and the other is wrapped in coins. Whoever eats jiaozi stuffed with tofu will make a fortune in the new year, and human ideals are also included in jiaozi. The fifteenth day of the first month of the Lantern Festival is the first full moon night in a year, so it is called "Yuanxiao". Emperor Wendi put down the rebellion on the fifteenth day of the first month, so it was designated as "Shangyuan Festival". To show respect for the Buddha, Emperor Han Ming in eastern China ordered the Lantern Festival to be lit. Since then, the Lantern Festival has gradually evolved into a folk festival to watch lanterns. Hence the name "Lantern Festival". The seasonal food of Yuanxiao is glutinous rice balls, which is also called Yuanxiao in the north, symbolizing reunion. In the Tang Dynasty, the Lantern Festival was an unprecedented activity, which was celebrated by the whole country. "The Legacy of Kaiyuan Tianbao" records that Yang Guifei's sister, Mrs. Han, sent someone to make a hundred-lamp tree? "Eighty feet high, the mountain of trees." At midnight, you can see it from hundreds of miles away, which is dazzling. "Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty even asked craftsmen to build a lamp house with a height of 100 feet and a width of dozens of feet for tourists to watch. In the Song Dynasty, it was even worse. Meng Yuan's Dream of Tokyo records: "Tie the straw into a dragon shape, put a green curtain on the cage, and put ten thousand candles on the grass, hoping it will fly away like the wind." The emperor also personally led a grand lantern-watching activity. On the fifteenth night of the first month of the poet Su Weidao: the fire tree and the silver flower are combined, and the star bridge is locked. The crowd is surging and the dust is flying under the horseshoe; Moonlight shines in every corner, where people can see the moon overhead. All prostitutes are jealous of Lee, and all the songs are ruined. The capital has been abolished, so don't worry about the timing of leaking jade. Don't let the only midnight snack pass by in a hurry this year. It can be seen that entertainment activities stay up all night and are very lively. It can be said that the carnival of the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month has drawn a satisfactory full stop for the whole Spring Festival. Seven. During the investigation, we interviewed and studied the Hui, Daur, Mongolian, Ewenki, Zhuang and Yao ethnic minorities. At the same time, we also conducted a survey in the northeast, northwest, southwest and southeast regions, and drew the following conclusions: with the rapid development of modern society, the Spring Festival folk customs of all ethnic groups tend to be sinicized, and the Spring Festival folk customs of all regions tend to be consistent, which indicates the great unity of ethnic groups and the prosperity and development of the motherland. In addition, the folk custom of the Spring Festival fully embodies China's 5,000-year-old culture and people's diligence and wisdom, leaving a rich cultural heritage for future generations, and the folk custom of the Spring Festival is the essence of the cultural heritage. As a new generation of successors of the motherland, we should carry forward these excellent traditional cultures.