The story of the Spring Festival

The origin of dumplings

People in northern my country have a custom of making dumplings to welcome relatives and friends during festivals. Especially on the first day of the Lunar New Year, when the whole family has finished their New Year greetings, they sit together and chat while making dumplings. They talk about all kinds of things, which attracts laughter and laughter from time to time. It is a lot of fun. "Everyone loves to eat dumplings, and dumplings are especially delicious during New Year's dinner." When people eat this smooth, delicious and delicious water cake, if they know more about its origin, who can not marvel at the long-standing pasta wonders of our ancient civilization!

There are many historical records and folklore about the origin of dumplings.

Dumplings originated from ancient slots. As early as the Three Kingdoms period, this food was mentioned in the book "Guangya" written by Wei Zhangyi. According to research, it is a "moon-shaped wonton" from the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty. Developed from the Southern Song Dynasty's "double-playing pork with dimes", it has a history of 1,400 years. Relevant historical records from the Qing Dynasty say: "On New Year's Day, the rich food is eaten together, like eating flat food, and it is named Jiao Zi, which means "Jiao Zi". "He also said: "Every first day of the Lunar New Year, no matter rich or poor, no matter how high or low, they all make dumplings with white flour, which is called boiled dumplings. It is the same throughout the country, there is no difference. Wealthy families secretly hide small gold and silver coins in their pastries to predict success, and if their family members eat well, they will have good luck throughout the year. "This shows that people eat dumplings during the Spring Festival, which means good luck and means bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. The recent author Xu Ke's "Qingbai Lei Chao" said: "There is stuffing in the dumplings, or it is called vermicelli - and It can be steamed or fried, and it is called dumplings if they are cooked in water and have soup. "For thousands of years, dumplings have been loved by people as a New Year food and have been passed down to this day.

Dumplings have had many names during their long development process. In ancient times, there was "Lao Wan" In the Tang Dynasty, dumplings were called "Tangzhongluowan"; in the Yuan Dynasty, they were called "Shiluojiao'er"; in the late Ming Dynasty, they were called "Fenjiao"; in the Qing Dynasty, they were called "Fanjiao" "Bianshi"----

Nowadays, the names of dumplings in the north and the south are different. Northerners call them "dumplings". Many areas in the south call them "wontons". Dumplings are called "wontons" because of their uses. The fillings are different and the names are various, including pork dumplings, mutton dumplings, beef dumplings, three-fresh dumplings, red oil dumplings, stock dumplings, floral vegetable dumplings, fish dumplings, crystal dumplings, etc. In addition, because of their different ripening methods, they are still fried. Dumplings, steamed dumplings, etc. Therefore, eating dumplings on New Year's Day is a good enjoyment in spirit and taste.

In addition to historical records, there is also a folk legend about the origin of dumplings. . Once upon a time, there was an emperor who ignored government affairs all day long and only cared about having fun. The treacherous ministers in the court were favored, and the loyal ministers were harmed. The country was impoverished and the people were complaining. One day, the treacherous minister Pan Qi, known as "Pan Sushui", came to the emperor and said that he had something to do. A good idea that can make the emperor live forever. After hearing this, the emperor was very happy and asked: "Pan Aiqing, what is your magic trick? Please tell me!" "Pan Qi said: "If a person can eat hundreds of kinds of rice, he can live longer and become a god. The emperor can order the recruitment of famous chefs from various places and let him cook three meals a day and eat hundreds of kinds of rice. Did you get what you wanted? "After hearing this, the emperor nodded repeatedly and immediately issued a notice to recruit the whole country.

In a few days, many famous chefs from all over the country were sent to Beijing one after another. After the palace examination, Su Qiaosheng, a highly skilled chef, was selected From then on, Su Qiaosheng used his superb skills to cook ninety-nine dishes for the emperor. The emperor was very satisfied. That night, Su Qiaosheng thought to himself: "I can leave this hateful thing by cooking another meal tomorrow morning." The foolish king returned home to reunite with his relatives. "But when it was time to cook, he didn't know how to make the last meal. He thought about committing suicide and running away, and also thought about poisoning this foolish king who eats and drinks the flesh and blood of the people. While he was feeling sad, he suddenly saw some leftovers on the table. Then he picked up the knife and chopped the mutton and vegetables together, randomly added seasonings, wrapped many small corners in white bread, cooked them in a pot of boiling water, and served them to the emperor as the last meal. Sitting on the ground waiting to die, who would have thought that after the emperor finished the meal, he ran into the kitchen in his pajamas and said, "Today's meal is the most delicious. What is its name?" "After hearing this, Su Qiaosheng let out a long sigh, then raised his head and saw this flat thing, and replied casually: "This is the best folk food - flat food. "The emperor left Su Qiaosheng to continue to cook for him. Qiaosheng was so angry at this greedy and foolish emperor that he sneaked away the next day. In order to commemorate this chef, later generations learned to cook and eat. In this way, generations of people Generation after generation, it has been passed down to this day.

The legend of "every year is high"

The legend of "every year is high"

During the Spring Festival, many areas in our country pay attention to eating rice cakes. Nian Gao, also known as "Nian Nian Gao", is homophonic with "Nian Nian Gao", which means that people's work and life are improving year by year.

As a kind of food, rice cake has a long history in our country. In 1974, archaeologists discovered rice seeds in the matrilineal clan social ruins of Hemudu, Yuyao, Zhejiang. This shows that our ancestors had begun planting rice as early as 7,000 years ago. People in the Han Dynasty called rice cakes "rice cake", "bait", "獍" and so on. The ancients also had a development process in the production of rice cakes from rice cakes to powder cakes. The cookbook "Shici" from the sixth century AD contains the method of making rice cake "white cocoon sugar", "Cook the cooked rice and heat it in a pestle and mortar, then pound it into rice cakes. It must be cooked very well. Do not let it cook." There are rice grains..." After the glutinous rice is steamed, it is pounded into rice while it is hot, then cut into peach pit sizes, dried and fried, rolled in sugar and ready to eat.

The method of grinding rice to make cakes is also very early. This can be proved from the "Essential Art of Qi Min" written by Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The production method is to sift the glutinous rice flour with silk silk, add water and honey to make a harder dough, stick dates and chestnuts on the dough, wrap it with silkworm leaves and steam it. This kind of glutinous rice pastry is quite characteristic of the Central Plains.

New year cakes are mostly made from glutinous rice flour, which is a specialty of the south of the Yangtze River. In the north, there are sticky grains like glutinous rice. In ancient times, sticky millet (commonly known as small yellow rice) was the first choice. This kind of millet is shelled and ground into powder. After being steamed with water, it becomes yellow, sticky, and sweet. It is a delicacy for people in the Yellow River Basin to celebrate the harvest. The article "Scenery of the Imperial Capital" published during the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty records that Beijingers at that time "ate millet cakes on New Year's Day, called New Year cakes." It is not difficult to see that "Nian Nian Gao" is a homophonic pronunciation of "sticky cake" in the north.

There are many types of rice cakes. Representative ones include white cakes from the north, yellow rice cakes from farmers in Saibei, water-milled rice cakes from Jiangnan water towns, and red turtle cakes from Taiwan. Rice cakes have different flavors from the north to the south.

Northern rice cakes can be steamed or fried, both of which are sweet. In addition to steaming and deep-frying, southern rice cakes can also be fried in slices and boiled in soup, with both sweet and salty flavors.

It is said that the earliest rice cakes were used to worship gods and ancestors on New Year's Eve, and later became a Spring Festival food.

New year cake is not only a holiday delicacy, but also brings new hope to people every year. As a poem from the late Qing Dynasty puts it: "People's hearts are so high that they make food with harmonious sounds, meaning that the year is better than the year, and they are used to pray for good years."

Are firecrackers made of bamboo?

Are firecrackers made of bamboo?

Chinese people have a saying of "opening the door with firecrackers". That is to say, when the New Year arrives, the first thing every household does when they open the door is to set off firecrackers to ward off the old and welcome the new with the beeping sound of firecrackers.

Firecrackers are a specialty of China, also known as "firecrackers", "firecrackers" and "firecrackers". It originated very early and has a history of more than 2,000 years.

Nowadays, most of us believe that setting off firecrackers can create a festive atmosphere and is an entertainment activity during the festival. It can bring joy and good luck to people. However, if we trace the origin of firecrackers, we will understand the original intention of ancient people setting off firecrackers and the history of their evolution.

The "Records of the Years of Jingchu" records: "On the first day of the first lunar month, when the rooster crows, firecrackers are fired in front of the court to avoid the evil spirits from the mountain." This record shows that firecrackers were a kind of food in ancient times. Sound tools are used to drive away plague and evil spirits, which makes the custom of setting off firecrackers have a certain superstitious color from the beginning. In fact, this is entirely caused by the misunderstanding of the ancients. According to the "Shenyi Jing", in ancient times, people passed through the mountains and slept outdoors, and lit bonfires at night, firstly to cook and keep warm, and secondly to prevent wild beasts from attacking. However, there is an animal in the mountains that is neither afraid of people nor fire, and often steals food when people are not prepared.

In order to deal with this kind of animal, people think of burning firecrackers in the fire and using the popping sound of bamboo to make it escape. The animal mentioned here is called "Shanxi". The ancients said that it can make people suffer from cold and fever. It is a ghost that can make people suffer from cold and fever diseases. It scares away the bad smell of the mountain, that is, it drives away the plague evil, so that it can bring good luck and peace.

In the early Tang Dynasty, when the plague was widespread, a man named Li Tian put saltpeter in a bamboo tube and lit it to make a louder sound and thicker smoke. As a result, the mountain miasma was dispelled. Stopped the epidemic. This is the earliest prototype of firecrackers filled with gunpowder. Later, when gunpowder appeared, people filled bamboo tubes with saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal and burned them, creating "firecrackers."

By the Song Dynasty, people began to use paper tubes and hemp stems to wrap gunpowder and weave them into strings to make "weipao" (i.e. firecrackers). Regarding the evolution of firecrackers, "Popular Choreography" records: "In ancient times, firecrackers were all fired with real bamboo, so they were also called firecrackers in Tang poetry. Later generations rolled paper for them. They were called "firecrackers."

With the passage of time, the application of firecrackers has become more and more widespread, and the varieties and colors have become increasingly diverse. Liuyang in Hunan, Foshan and Dongyao in Guangdong, Yichun and Pingxiang in Jiangxi, and Wenzhou in Zhejiang are famous "firecrackers" in my country. "Hometown", its firecrackers are not only sold well across the country, but also exported to other countries and regions around the world.

Set off firecrackers has become a recreational activity with national characteristics. In addition to setting off firecrackers during the Spring Festival to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, , every major festival and happy event, such as the Lantern Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, weddings, house construction, openings, etc., also have to set off firecrackers to celebrate.

Who is the door god?

Who is the door god?

It is also one of the ancient folk customs in my country to post New Year pictures on New Year's Eve.

The source of the New Year pictures is the door god. According to Cai Yong of the Eastern Han Dynasty< According to the records of "Doctrine", the earliest New Year pictures in my country were titled "Door God", which painted the mythical and legendary character Shen Cha Yulei. Others painted the image of the ancient warrior Cheng Qing on the door of the palace, and painted a tiger on the door. Zong Mao was in "Jingchu's Chronicles" says: On the first day of the first lunar month, when the journey was poor, two gods were painted on the left and right of the door, tea on the left and Yulei on the right, commonly known as the door gods. The ancient geographical work "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" also has roughly the same description. Records. In the Tang Dynasty, there were door gods in the form of Qin Shubao (Qin Qiong), Yuchi Gong (Jing De), and Zhong Kui. Most of them were painted on peach boards and hung on the door wall, with the purpose of warding off disasters and appeasing gods, suppressing monsters and avoiding disasters. Wu Cheng'en of the Ming Dynasty told such a story in "Journey to the West": Once, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty fell ill. He dreamed and heard ghosts screaming day and night, and could not sleep peacefully. After telling the officials the next day, the generals Qin Shubao and Yu Chigong He was fully clothed, sword in hand and guarded at the palace gate all night. That night, Tang Taizong slept well and did not dream of ghosts. In order to sleep peacefully in the future, Tang Taizong could not bear to call the two veteran generals into the night. He stood guard at the palace gate at night, and ordered the painter to draw the portraits of Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong, which were hung on both sides of the palace gate. Over time, the two became door gods. This is an early work of New Year paintings, and it is also a famous painting.

In the Song Dynasty, with the development of wood-block carving technology, wood-block New Year pictures gradually evolved into wood-block New Year pictures, which were divided into two types: coloring and coloring. The earliest existing wood-block New Year picture is the Song version of "Slim and graceful with the dynasty and the beauty of the country." .Paintings of Wang Zhaojun, Zhao Feiyan, Ban Ji, and Lvzhu, known as the Four Meili Zhang. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, three major folk woodcut New Year pictures appeared, Yangliuqing in Tianjin, Taohuawu in Suzhou and New Year pictures in Dongwei County, Shandong Province. , both have a history of more than 300 years, and play an important role in the history of printmaking in my country. They have been introduced to Japan, Britain, Germany and other countries. Fujian New Year paintings, which began in the Southern Song Dynasty, sell well in Southeast Asia and are very popular. Traditional New Year paintings are mostly woodcut watermarks. , the lines are simple, the colors are bright, the pictures are lively, and the themes are mostly about harvests, spring cows, baby scenery, flowers and birds, etc. Later, Shanghai Zheng Mantuo combined the calendar and New Year pictures into one, making calendar New Year pictures and wall calendar New Year pictures, which are still popular today. Nationwide.

Will you wish you a happy new year?

Will you wish you a happy new year?

New Year greetings are a traditional custom among Chinese people. It is a way for people to bid farewell to the old year, welcome the new year, and express their best wishes to each other.

In ancient times, the original meaning of the word "bainian" was to congratulate the elders on the New Year, including kowtowing to the elders, giving wishes, wishing them a happy new year, and greeting them with well-being. When you meet relatives and friends of the same generation, you should also give congratulations.

New Year greetings usually start at home. On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, after getting up, the younger generation should first pay New Year greetings to their elders, wishing them good health, longevity and all the best. After the elders are worshiped, they should distribute the "New Year's money" prepared in advance to the younger generations. After paying New Year greetings to the elders at home, people should also greet each other with a smile on their faces when they go out to congratulate each other on the New Year. They should also say auspicious words such as "Gong Xi Fa Cai", "Blessed Seasons", "Happy New Year", etc. Neighbors, relatives and friends also visit each other's homes. New Year greetings or invitations for drinking and entertainment.

Meng Yuanlao, a native of the Song Dynasty, described the time in Bianjing in the Northern Song Dynasty in Volume 6 of "Tokyo Menghua Lu": "On October 1, the New Year's Day, Kaifeng Prefecture was closed for three days, and the scholars and common people celebrated each other since early in the morning." In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Lu Rong said in Volume 5 of Shuyuan Miscellaneous Notes: "On New Year's Day in the capital, people from the imperial court to the common people would cross the roads for several days, which is called 'New Year's greetings'.

However, scholars and common people worship their relatives and friends more sincerely. In the interactions between court officials, there is more general love than speciality...". Gu Tieqing, a native of the Qing Dynasty, described in "Qing Jia Lu", "Men and women pay homage to their parents in order of precedence. Children send congratulations and call them 'New Year's greetings'. Even if there are those who do not meet each other for the whole year, they will also go to each other's door to worship... "

In ancient times, it was the custom for upper-class scholar-officials to congratulate each other with name cards. Zhou Hui of the Song Dynasty said in "Qingbo Magazine": "During the Yuanyou years of the Song Dynasty, servants were often used to celebrate New Year's Day with name cards." At that time, the scholar-bureaucrats had many friends, and it would take time and energy to visit people from all over the world. Therefore, some friends who were not close to each other did not go there in person, but sent servants to bring them a two-inch wide paper cut from plum blossom paper. A three-inch-long card with the recipient's name, address and congratulations written on it was used to pay New Year greetings instead of paying New Year greetings. The outstanding painter and poet Wen Zhengming of the Ming Dynasty described it in his poem "New Year Greetings": "No need to meet." Only when visiting, famous papers come and fill the house; I also throw in a few papers with others, because the world hates them for being simple but not too empty." The "famous assassins" and "famous visits" mentioned here are the origins of today's New Year's cards. New Year's cards It is used to communicate feelings and exchange greetings, which is both convenient and practical, and is still popular today.

Since the Qing Dynasty, New Year greetings have also included the form of "group worship". It is said in "Si Mao Yu Tan": "At the beginning of the year, the capital has a routine of group worship to celebrate the new year and strengthen the nostalgia." p>

With the development of the times, the custom of New Year greetings has continued to add new content and forms. In addition to following the previous methods of New Year greetings, people have also developed ritual telegrams and telephone New Year greetings.

New Year greetings originate from monsters?

New Year greetings originate from monsters?

Chai E said in his book "Brahma Lu Cong Lu": Men and women pay homage to their elders in turn. Visiting relatives and friends when young, or sending children to congratulate them, is called New Year greetings. It can be seen that the traditional New Year greeting custom has been inherited very early among the Han compatriots in urban and rural areas of my country: On the first day of the Lunar New Year, people get up together. After washing their faces, they first pay New Year greetings to the elders in the family, and then congratulate each other. In some families, the elders of the same clan lead their descendants to go from house to house to congratulate each other. Now it has developed into several people from the same unit going to celebrate the New Year together, and in some cases everyone gathers together. In short, there are many ways to pay New Year greetings. It is not only a way for people to visit each other to congratulate each other on the Spring Festival, but also a way for people to use the New Year holidays to exchange ideas and continuously strengthen unity. , and also contains the good wishes for harmonious coexistence among relatives and friends.

So, how did the custom of New Year greetings come about?

According to legend, there was a monster with blood in ancient times. It has a large mouth and is so ferocious that people call it evil. Every 30th night of the twelfth lunar month, it goes out to eat people from house to house. People have to put the meat outside the door, then close the door and hide in their homes until the first day of the lunar month. In the morning, people opened the door and greeted each other, congratulating each other on not being eaten by evil spirits. As a result, the New Year greetings were passed down from generation to generation.

How long is the New Year?

How long is the New Year? How long is it?

What is the year? A monster lives in the deep sea all year round and only climbs ashore on New Year's Eve. As soon as it came ashore, it flooded everywhere it went. Later, people put up red paper on their doorsteps, burned firewood in the yard, built a strong fire, and chopped vegetables and meat with kitchen knives, making a thunderous sound. It frightened "Nian" and fled back to the sea. So on New Year's Eve, we put up couplets, hang lanterns, wear new clothes, chop stuffing to make dumplings, and make a fire and burn firewood at night, ------ this is the New Year.

So how did ancient people celebrate the New Year? Let's first listen to this "New Year's Song"——

Twenty-three sacrifices to the Kitchen God,

Twenty-four to write couplets,

Two Make tofu on the fifteenth day,

cut new year meat on the 26th day,

…………

Kowtow on the first and second day of the lunar month,

Playing with balls on the third and fourth days of the lunar month,

Monkey dancing on the fifth and sixth days of the lunar month,

…………

“It’s a great year, a busy half year "The ancients began to be busy with "year affairs" from the twelfth lunar month, and the year was not over until Yuan Xiao passed.

The ancients divided the first eight days of the new righteousness into six kinds of animals, people and grains. The first day of the first lunar month is Rooster Day, which is an auspicious day.

The ancients used chickens to ward off evil spirits, by killing chickens on doors or sticking pictures of chickens on doors. Starting from New Year's Day, people begin to be busy paying New Year's greetings. New Year greetings have been popular since the Han Dynasty. On the first day of the first lunar month, officials went to the palace to pay homage, and the emperor and his ministers enjoyed themselves together. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, New Year greetings in official circles developed into formal etiquette, often involving "looking at the door and throwing a jab", regardless of whether they recognized it or not. There are poems to prove it:

I don’t ask for a meeting, but I want to pay a visit. Famous papers come from the morning to fill the house.

I also throw in a few pieces of paper with others. The world is too simple but not too empty.

In folk belief, the first to fourth day of the Lunar New Year are the carnival days of the New Year, and normal life resumes on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. The fifth day of the lunar month is also called "Powu". The customary activity on this day is to "give away the poor". For businesses, businesses open on the fifth day of the lunar month. The activities of the first lunar month gradually calmed down until the fifteenth day...

How many sections are there in the year?

How many sections are there in a year?

On the eve of the lunar month, we enter the first day of the Lunar New Year and enter the official New Year's Day. From the first to the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year, they are all counted as the New Year.

On the first day of the lunar month, ancestor worship is held, usually in the child's hour. Open the door and use firecrackers to ward off evil spirits. To welcome the God of Happiness, the old emperor's calendar has written the direction of the God of Happiness this year. Walk in that direction. After dawn, go to pay New Year greetings. If you are unable to do so, ask your servant to send flying stickers. This is a bit like a New Year's card, and it existed in the Song Dynasty. In "Guixin Miscellaneous Knowledge", Mr. Shen sent someone to send a flying post to Wu Sizhang's house. Wu asked his servant to drink wine and exchange the post. The earliest Spring Festival couplets were invented by Meng Chang, the empress of Shu. "New Year brings Yuqing, festival number is Changchun", which were written on peach boards. After the Ming Dynasty, Spring Festival couplets became popular.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, we continue to pay New Year greetings. The daughter-in-law returns to her parents' home and calls her Guining. She worships the God of Wealth in the north and eats Yuanbao soup to make glutinous rice.

On the third day of the lunar month, the mouse gets married, so you can’t stay up late and have to spread some salt and rice on the ground.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, it is the day to welcome gods and receive gods. All human gods return to the human world and receive gods in the evening.

On the fifth day of the lunar month, if you break the fifth day, you still have to eat dumplings as usual. There are many taboos from the first to the fourth day of the lunar month. The fifth day of the lunar month is broken. The offerings to ancestors must be removed, the garbage can be dumped, the knives and scissors can be moved, and porridge can be eaten. Eat, the shops are opened, and the five gods of wealth are welcomed. This is the end of the main festival.

On the seventh day of the lunar month, Human Day, Children’s Day, seven kinds of vegetables are cooked into soup. There is a grand temple fair at the Renzu Temple in Huaiyang, Henan Province (the ancestor is Fuxi). The unique clay dog ??at the ancestral temple fair is in the shape of a monkey and is considered to be the earliest human ancestor.

On the eighth day of the lunar month, during the gathering of stars, people must worship the star king. After dusk, they light forty-nine lamps and set up the heaven and earth table (in the yard). The lamps are scattered everywhere, which is called scattered lamps. In old Beijing, people usually go to the Sixth Temple of Baiyun Temple to follow the stars.

On the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, the Jade Emperor’s birthday, worship the Jade Emperor and the Heavenly Official.

The 13th to the 17th are the Lantern Festival. The 13th will light lanterns in the kitchen for five consecutive nights. After the 17th, the 18th will put away the lanterns, the 13th will test the lanterns, and the 14th will put up colorful lanterns to welcome Zigu God, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the official day of the Lantern Festival, and a grand lantern festival is held. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is also the Taoist Shangyuan Festival: the heavenly official bestows blessings, the earthly official forgives sins, the water official relieves misfortunes, and Shangyuan is the birthday of the heavenly official. Zhongyuan (July 15th) is the birthday of the local official, and Xiayuan (October 15th) is the Shuiguan’s birthday. There are many customs of praying for children on this day. In Jiangsu, there is the custom of beating women to ask for children, and in Guangdong, there is the custom of stealing lettuce. It is customary in Beijing to go to Zhengyangmen and touch the door nails.

On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, the lanterns are turned off, the New Year is over, and all activities return to normal.

When will you become one year older?

When will you become one year older?

The so-called staying up late on New Year's Eve means that on New Year's Eve, the whole family stays up all night, sitting around the kang, reminiscing about the old and welcoming the new, encouraging each other, and waiting for dawn.

As the saying goes, staying up late on New Year's Eve has been practiced since ancient times. It has been so every year since ancient times. When did staying up late come from? According to the "Zhou Tuji" written by the Zhou Dynasty in Jin Dynasty: On New Year's Eve, each relative gives a gift, which is called "Fei Sui"; invites each other for wine and food, which is called "Farewell"; the elders and the young gather together to celebrate, and the complete blessing is called "Five Years Old". Staying awake all night, waiting for dawn, is called staying up all night. Meng Yuan of the Song Dynasty said in "Tokyo Menghua Lu": On New Year's Eve, the roar of firecrackers was heard outside. In the homes of scholars and common people, they sat around the fire and did not sleep until the end of the day, which is called staying up late. There are also many descriptions of the custom of keeping the year old in Tang poetry. The great poet Bai Juyi's poem "Staying New Year's Eve among Guests": Watching the New Year's Eve with bottles of wine, tears of homesickness, Meng Haoran's poem about continuing the Ming Dynasty and destroying the painted candles, staying up until the end of the year and having a long banquet. In the Song Dynasty, the custom of staying up late on New Year's Eve spread throughout urban and rural areas. Su Shi's children in the Northern Song Dynasty were forced not to sleep, but stayed up all night and had fun, which also described the scene of staying up late on New Year's Eve. It can be seen that keeping the year old has a long history.

How did you spend the Spring Festival in the last century?

The 1950s Spring Festival——Happiness

◎The first Spring Festival after liberation?

No one will ever forget the Spring Festival 50 years ago.

The People's Liberation Army, which "did not take the masses one step at a time", took over Peiping, and Peiping was liberated. When the common people stretched out their heads, they saw Kuomintang soldiers at first. Just when they were about to shrink back, they realized that they were changing defenses. They looked at the People's Liberation Army wearing the "peace police" armband, and then they stepped out of the gate with their chests raised and their heads raised. People no longer kowtow when paying New Year greetings, and no longer say happy New Year. They say, "I'm so happy, I'm liberated, and the good days I've been looking forward to are finally here." This year is unusual because of the liberation.

People sang songs of the liberated areas on the streets, including those women who were never allowed to leave their homes, such as "The sky in the liberated areas is bright", "Nanniwan", "Three Major Disciplines and Eight Points" "Attention", I feel like I can't sing enough. With liberation, some stereotypes were abolished, and women walked around the streets saying "liberated"!

Although the common people who had just been swept away by the Kuomintang soldiers did not make any qualitative leap due to liberation, their spiritual joy made them feel that they were really celebrating the New Year. If the dinner at night is not good, adults will say: "It will be better next year, because we have been liberated."

Everyone is spending this "Liberation Year" in their own way, and it is everyone's responsibility to have fun*** same theme. The Spring Festival 50 years ago was unusual because of liberation.

◎What to eat in 1950? < /p>

"Hit one thousand, scold ten thousand, and don't forget the meal on the night of the 30th." At that time, a New Year's Eve dinner could make children look forward to the whole year.

The Spring Festival of 1949 was special. The Kuomintang soldiers who were lingering in the city of Peiping wiped out the common people's homes before leaving, but the news of the impending liberation made everyone try to borrow rice and money quickly. Sometimes you can hear children making noises about "the food is not good", and the adults in the family will say: "Stop making trouble, this is the last time this happens, let's be liberated, we will definitely be able to eat good food next year, and we will definitely It’s getting better year by year. “The spiritual joy brought by “liberation” has made people ignore their material scarcity.

The persimmon and radish after the New Year’s Eve dinner are must-eats, which are metaphors for everything being safe and being able to stay up late without feeling sleepy. Since there was no entertainment at that time, everyone continued to eat after the New Year's Eve dinner.

Melon seeds, broad beans, and soybeans bring the whole family together, grinding their teeth and talking, and looking forward to the arrival of midnight. The skins of melon seeds eaten at this time must be thrown on the ground, sprinkled with sesame straw, and crushed together by everyone, which means "peaceful year after year" and "sesame blossoms are getting higher and higher". During the Spring Festival that year, people were particularly fond of stepping on sesame straw. Because of liberation, the days would really be "higher and higher".

Making dumplings was the most important part of the night in the 30s. The sound of chopping stuffing could be heard in the streets and alleys. In fact, not everyone could afford to buy meat that year, so make some old Beijing pigeons. In the box, mung bean noodles are spread into a pancake, sprinkled with coriander, carrot shreds, and pimple shreds, rolled up, deep-fried, and then chopped into a vegetarian cabbage filling and filled with meat.

This New Year's Eve dinner may have disappointed many children who have been looking forward to it for a year, but the approach of "liberation" makes people feel that this is the best year in their lives.

◎What did you say during the 1950s New Year?

New happiness is replaced by great happiness

Women all take to the streets, greeting each other and saying "happy New Year, the good days have finally arrived."

"Great joy, great joy, good times are coming." In 1949, people replaced the usual New Year greetings of "Xinxi" with "Great Happiness".

In the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, according to the old rules, people go out of their homes to pay New Year greetings. They must wear robes, otherwise they will make people laugh. Neighbors from far away said, "I'm so happy, I'm liberated." With louder voices and more confidence, they said, "It's better this time, good times are coming."

According to the old rules in the past, women were not allowed to go out from the first to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. However, after liberation, this rule was broken. Women also took to the streets, greeting each other and saying "Happy New Year" , the good days have finally arrived" and other greetings. Men had to take off their hats and bow, and shaking hands was not popular at that time. "Great joy, the good days are finally here" is what people keep saying.

At that time, people's material life was still described as "poor". The more this happened, the more auspicious words and principles were emphasized. When pouring water, you have to bend your arms inward, otherwise you will say that you have thrown away your wealth. You cannot sweep the melon seed peels on the ground outside the house. You can only sweep them until the cow's horns are piled in the innermost part of the house. Otherwise, you will say that your wealth has been swept away. There are even more taboos in speaking.

On the thirtieth night, a neighbor's child would knock on the door and shout, "The God of Wealth is here for you." At this time, you have to give the child some money no matter what. "Why don't you accept the God of Wealth when he comes?"

In the Spring Festival of 1949, people failed to celebrate the Spring Festival according to this custom: "Twenty-three to make sticky melons, twenty-four to clean the house, twenty-five to fry tofu, twenty-six to stew big meat, twenty-seven to slaughter the rooster, and twenty-seven to slaughter the rooster. Eight handfuls of facial hair, twenty-nine posts of couplets, thirty nights of twisting and turning." But the words "Great joy, liberation, the good days are finally here" filled the sky in Beiping City. The spiritual liberation made people already ignore the material aspects. The poverty-stricken people and the wishes for better and better days fill people with fond memories of this Spring Festival, which is a turning point.

◎What to buy for the 1950s New Year?

Twisting the red ribbon of Yangko

The Spring Festival of that year was almost replaced by the liberation of Peiping, and people celebrated the liberation more.

The Kuomintang, which only fled in panic with people’s belongings at the beginning of 1949, left everyone without enough conditions to buy new year’s goods one by one.

But it was the Chinese New Year after all, and I couldn’t afford new clothes. I dug out the most complete piece from the bottom of the box and boiled it with dye to make the patches on the clothes less conspicuous. Not wearing a robe to greet the New Year makes people laugh.

The red green flowers that women wear on their heads are indispensable. In previous years, you could go to the temple fair to buy them. This year, there is no temple fair, but you still have to pick two from the green flowers that line the streets.

Feather dusters for cleaning the house and paper for papering windows are must-haves. Most families write and cut Spring Festival couplets and window grilles by themselves. No matter how poor you are, you still have to spare some money to buy red paper.

The sales of firecrackers were particularly good that year. They were used to welcome the People's Liberation Army entering the city and celebrate their victory. Many people walking on the street were carrying two kickers and hanging whips.

New year cakes have also become a popular item for people to visit relatives and friends. There are yellow rice, red rice, and white rice. "In the past, I always looked forward to eating a rice cake to make me taller every year. Now that we are liberated, everyone is taller." "

The red silk ribbons of the Yangko Festival also became a new year's gift that year. You don't have to buy food or clothes, but you can't be careless about welcoming the People's Liberation Army. That year's Spring Festival was almost replaced by the liberation of Peking. People More celebrations for liberation.

◎The greatest fun during the 1950s Chinese New Year

Written and performed live newspaper drama

People watch it over and over again as if in a hurry, but they can never get enough. Laugh again and again.

Taking to the streets to welcome the People's Liberation Army into the city is the greatest joy for people during this new year.

Men, women and children poured into the streets to welcome the invisible army into the city. Standing on stilts, performing Yangko dances, and singing "The sky in the liberated areas is bright" and "Nanniwan" at all costs, over and over again, but it seems that I can't sing enough.

To celebrate the liberation, people spontaneously set off fireworks. The archway on Chaowai Street was a setting point, and the ones set off at that time were called boxes. People seem to be unable to stay at home and must go to the streets to merge into the huge ocean of joy. "Liberation" brought out the passion that people had accumulated for many years in their hearts. Housewives who usually stayed close to home sang and laughed loudly on the street without any scruples.

The sound of firecrackers and gongs and drums sounded all night long. Some girls in the family have never set off firecrackers. This year, for the first time, the family also bought two firecrackers. "Liberation, the world has changed. Have fun. I have never had such a happy New Year."

You can see people’s self-written and acted live newspaper dramas everywhere on the streets. The person playing Chiang Kai-shek put a plaster on his face and bent his arms at 90 degrees. Next to him was a person playing the role of an American soldier, wearing a hat with stars and stripes, a big suit, and something in his stomach. He used a pump to pump "Chiang Kai-shek" next to him. "Cheer up, and finally straighten up a little. At this time, the People's Liberation Army came and knocked down "Chiang Kai-shek" and the "Yankees" together. You can see live news dramas like this everywhere on the street. People watch them over and over again as if they are in a hurry, but they can never get enough. They laugh over and over again.

"Liberation" brings people spiritual joy and lets everyone know that they can still be so happy during the New Year.

The 1960s - Chaos

◎Where did you celebrate the New Year in the 1960s?

Celebrating the Spring Festival in a vast world

Having a good time in tight days made the Spring Festival in the 1960s unforgettable. On weekdays, there is no meaty taste when the coarse grains are cooked carefully, but the Fuqiang pink meat dumplings on New Year's Eve are particularly fragrant; on weekdays, if you don't have pocket money, you can put up a paper lantern or buy a windmill during the Spring Festival, even if you just go to Changdian and buy nothing, it will be a waste. It can make children and adults happy for a year; parents and children are isolated on weekdays, and being able to have a reunion dinner, even if it is just radish and cabbage, is a blessing in life.

Collectivity was a characteristic of the Spring Festival in the 1960s. The unit issues invoices for watching movies, organizing entertainment parties, and group worship. The streets unify invoices, purchase books, and organize cleaning. Opening different doors, the dishes on each table are similar, the furniture and furnishings in each room are similar, people's clothes are similar, and their desires for life are also similar.

From 1962, when educated youth were encouraged to go to the mountains and countryside, to December 22, 1968, when Chairman Mao issued the instruction “Educated Youth Go to the Rural Areas,” a large number of young people from Beijing rushed to the grasslands of Northeast China, northern Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia. Year after year I experience the Spring Festival away from my loved ones. No matter the ice and snow or the harsh mountains and rivers, they can't stop them from discovering and amplifying the subtle joys in life.

◎What did you eat during the New Year in the 1960s?

The advantage of celebrating the festival is to satisfy your cravings

In the Spring Festival recipes, the tricks that housewives make with Chinese cabbage can almost make a white meal