The complete version of Spring Festival customs (from the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month to the 15th of the first lunar month, what to do every day)

The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month is commonly known as the "Little Year". Legend has it that this day is the day when "The Kitchen God ascends to heaven". According to folklore, Lord Zao went to heaven to sue for evil in the world. Once he was accused, his life span would be shortened by 300 days for major crimes and 100 days for minor crimes. Therefore, when offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God, you should pay attention to the God of the Kitchen God and ask him to show his noble hand.

The twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month is the customary cleaning day. Every household must clean up carefully and thoroughly, clean the interior thoroughly, remove the old, welcome the new, and remove the bad luck.

On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, grinding mills to make tofu. Legend has it that after the Stove King reported to heaven, the Jade Emperor would visit the lower world to see if it was as the Stove King said, so every household ate tofu dregs to show their poverty and avoid the Jade Emperor's punishment.

On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, New Year meat is cut. This day mainly prepares meat for the New Year. In the past, people could only eat meat during the annual New Year festival, so it was called "New Year meat".

On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, New Year chickens are slaughtered and a big market is held. On this day, in addition to slaughtering your own poultry, you also have to go to the store to go to the market, make centralized purchases, and buy and sell New Year items, such as firecrackers, Spring Festival couplets, incense candles, beef and mutton, and various toys and gifts.

On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, make cakes and steamed buns with decals. Whether making noodles or making steamed buns, every household has to start preparing staple foods for the New Year.

On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, visit the graves to ask your ancestors to make offerings. The worship of ancestors has a long history in our country. The Spring Festival is a major festival, and the ceremony of visiting the graves of ancestors is particularly solemn. The time to visit the graves of ancestors is on the morning of the 29th in most areas.

On New Year’s Eve (there is no New Year’s Eve this year)

On New Year’s Eve, stay up late on New Year’s Eve. Chinese people have the habit of staying up late on New Year's Eve, which is commonly known as "staying up late". Staying up late on New Year's Eve starts with the New Year's Eve dinner, which should be eaten slowly and begins when the lanterns are turned on. Some people have to eat until late at night. The custom of keeping the year old includes not only a feeling of nostalgia for the passing years, but also a good hope for the coming New Year.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the golden rooster crows. The younger generation pays New Year greetings to the elders, and the elders give lucky money to suppress evil spirits.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the golden bark announces spring. The family members go to pay New Year's greetings, the host's family stays for dinner, and the west's family prepares a wine banquet.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the Fat Pig Arch. The son-in-law visits his father-in-law and the daughter-in-law returns to her parents' home, bringing even-numbered gifts.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Sanyang will be the lucky one. The Kitchen God wants to check the household registration and welcome the Kitchen God back to the people.

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Genniu plows the spring. The five roads connect to the God of Wealth, east, west, south, north and center, and the five roads lead to wealth.

On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, success is imminent. Every year on this day, Lijiu worships on the street, thousands of households and thousands of doors look at it, and no one wants to be poor.

On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, life will be prosperous. 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.

On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, release animals and 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. The release of animals on the eighth day of the lunar month not only reflects the ancient people's virtues of respecting all things in nature and living in harmony, but also expresses the good wishes of the new year for the prosperity of all living things in the world.

On the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, the Jade Emperor is born. The ancients believed that nine represents the majority in numbers, the most, the largest, so it is the highest. Legend has it that it is the birthday of the Jade Emperor and must be celebrated with great ceremony. Nine is a homonym for wine, and nine cannot be separated from wine. Every household prepares a sumptuous banquet to drink to their heart's content to celebrate the Jade Emperor's birthday.

On the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, we sacrifice stones to give thanks. The tenth day of the first lunar month is said to be the birthday of "Stone", so it is called "Stone Festival". On this day, incense should be burned at stone mills, stone mills, stone troughs, stone mortars, hammer stones, stone docks, stone ladders and other stone objects to show worship and gratitude.

On the eleventh day of the first lunar month, worship Zigu. Legend has it that Zigu was a concubine who was jealous of her first wife and was killed in the toilet on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. The Emperor took pity on her and made her the toilet god. Zigu represents the women who were deeply oppressed in feudal society and is regarded as the protector of weak women.

On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, a lamp shed is built. It is commonly known as "Twelve Lantern Candles", which means that the Lantern Festival is approaching. From this day on, village stewards will gather skilled craftsmen and young adults to prepare lanterns and make various preparations for Lantern Festival lantern viewing.

On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, lights are lit under the stove and the Lantern Festival is put on in advance. Folks light lamps under the kitchen stove on this day, which is called "stove lamp". In fact, it is because the day of lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is approaching, and every family is trying out the made lamps, so it is called the "lamp head" day. .

The fourteenth day of the first lunar month is the birthday of “Our Lady of Suncheon”. The empress was born on the fourteenth day of the first lunar month and is also known as the "Mother of Suncheon". Legend has it that the empress, whose surname was Chen, lived during the Dali period of the Tang Dynasty and later became a god who saved women with difficult childbirths. So the people built a temple to worship her, which was called "Shuntian Holy Mother".

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the night shines on the field of silkworms (god). According to legend, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the birthday of the silkworm god Leizu, so this day has become a day for people to worship the "silkworm god". To worship the silkworm god, white porridge and meat fat are used as offerings, and at the same time, a bamboo pole is used to carry a lamp and candle to be inserted in the field, which is called "shining the silkworms in the field" (it is said that observing the color of the lamp can judge the fertility of the year). This activity gradually became the source of the custom of viewing lanterns during the Lantern Festival in later generations.