What to do on New Year's Day?

New Year greeting is a traditional folk custom in China, and it is a way for people to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and express their best wishes to each other. In ancient times, the original meaning of the word "Happy New Year" was to pay New Year greetings to the elderly, including kowtowing to the elderly, congratulating them on a happy New Year and greeting their lives. In case of friends and relatives of the same generation, you should also salute and congratulate.

New Year greetings usually begin at home. On the morning of the first day, after getting up, the younger generation should first pay a New Year call to their elders, wishing them a long and healthy life and all the best. After the elders worship, they should distribute the "lucky money" prepared in advance to the younger generation. After paying New Year greetings to the elders at home, people should greet each other with smiles when they go out to meet, and exchange auspicious words such as "Congratulations on getting rich", "Best wishes in the four seasons" and "Happy New Year". Neighbors or relatives and friends also pay New Year greetings to each other or treat them to drinks and entertainment. In the sixth volume of Chinese Dream in Tokyo, the veteran Meng described the time of Bianjing in the Northern Song Dynasty and said, "On October 1st, Kaifeng Prefecture was opened for three days, and scholars celebrated each other early." In the mid-Ming Dynasty, Lu Rong said in Volume V of Miscellaneous Notes on Gardens: "On New Year's Day in the capital, people who travel to Shu Ren for several days from court officials are called' New Year greetings'. However, Shu Ren worships his relatives and friends. " When dealing with North Korean officials, they are more caring than experts ... "... Gu Tieqing, A Qingren, described in" Ting Anne Lu ":"Men and women pay homage to their parents, and their masters lead them to treat their children grovelly, pay New Year greetings to their neighbors and friends, or stop sending their children to congratulate them. This is the so-called' New Year greetings'. "Even people who don't meet for a lifetime, at this time, they also worship each other at the door ..."

In ancient times, if neighbors had too many relatives and friends, it was difficult to walk around the whole house. It's called "flying mail", and let the servant take the business card to pay a New Year call. There is a red paper bag in front of every house with the word "Fu Jie" written on it, which is the purpose of airmail. This custom began in the upper class of the Song Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, Yantai's Order of Last Month described the Beijing New Year Festival: "It's the moon, the film flies, and the car goes empty." Become fashionable. "A large family has a special" door book "to record the guests' contacts and flying photos. There are four virtual "relatives" on the front page of the door: one is a centenarian who lives in centenarian lane; One said he was rich and lived in Yuanbao Street. One is your infinite adult, living in the university archway; One day, Fu Zhao visited his master and lived in Five Blessingg Building. For good luck. So far, the gift of New Year cards and greeting cards during the Spring Festival is the legacy of this ancient exchange of flying cards.

Scholars in the upper class have the custom of greeting each other with famous cards. Hui Zhou, a poet of the Song Dynasty, said in Qingbo magazine: "During the reign of Emperor Yuanyou of the Song Dynasty, people were often stabbed with servants in the name of Chinese New Year." . At that time, the scholar-officials had a wide circle of friends, and it took time and energy to pay New Year greetings everywhere. Therefore, some close friends did not go in person, but sent their servants to take a card cut with plum blossom stationery, two inches wide and three inches long, with the recipient's name, address and congratulations written on it. In the Ming dynasty, people visited instead of paying New Year's greetings. Wen Zhiming, an outstanding painter and poet in the Ming Dynasty, described in the poem "New Year": "Don't meet each other, but talk about it, and the famous articles are full; I also throw a few pieces of paper at people. The world is too simple and empty. " The "famous thorn" and "famous divination" mentioned here are the origins of today's New Year cards. New Year cards are used to connect feelings and exchange greetings, which are convenient and practical and still popular today.

lucky money

Giving out "red envelopes" is the custom of Chinese New Year in China. China people like red because it symbolizes vitality, happiness and good luck.

Giving red envelopes to underage children (according to the concept of China, married people are considered adults) means bringing them wishes and good luck. The money in a red envelope is just to make children happy. Its main meaning is in red paper, because it symbolizes good luck. Therefore, it is impolite to open red envelopes in front of the elders who issued them.

When visiting the New Year during the Spring Festival, the elders should distribute the lucky money prepared in advance to the younger generation. It is said that lucky money can kill evil spirits, because "old" and "expensive" are homophonic, and the younger generation can spend a year safely with lucky money. There are two kinds of lucky money, one is to put colored rope in the shape of Jackie Chan at the foot of the bed, which was recorded in Yanjing year; The other is the most common, that is, parents wrap the money distributed to their children in red paper. Lucky money can be given in public after the younger generation pays New Year's greetings, or it can be put under the child's pillow by parents when the child is asleep on New Year's Eve.

Folks believe that giving children lucky money, when evil spirits or "Nian" hurt children, children can use the money to bribe them and turn evil into good luck. A Qing Wu Manyun's poem "Lucky Money" said: "The hundred-yuan colored thread is long, and then it is collected from the pillow. On the price of firecrackers, Joule has been busy all night." From this point of view, lucky money is tied in children's hearts, and children's lucky money is mainly used to buy firecrackers, toys and candy and other things needed for holidays.

At present, the custom of elders giving lucky money to younger generations is still prevalent, and the amount ranges from tens to hundreds. Most of these lucky money are used by children to buy books and school supplies, and the new fashion has given new content to the lucky money.

Huiniangjia

On the second and third day of the first month, the married daughters go back to their parents' homes to celebrate the New Year with their husbands and children. When a daughter returns to her mother's house, there must be a big bag of biscuits and sweets distributed by her mother to her neighbors, just like the scene of the New Year. If there are many daughters at home, and these daughters don't come back on the same day, then we must share one at a time. The gift is quite thin, just four biscuits. However, it reflects a strong feeling. What is the real "courtesy is light and affection is heavy", which expresses the girl's yearning for the villagers. When the girl goes home, if there is a nephew at home, menstruation has to pay again. Although she gave lucky money on New Year's Day, this time it had a different meaning. This custom is called "eating midnight snack" by Chaoshan people. As the name implies, it's just lunch, and the daughter must get back to her husband's house before dinner.

Pick up the god of wealth

According to folklore, the fifth day of the first month is the birthday of the God of Wealth, so after the first day of the first month, the next most important activity is to welcome the God of Wealth-the night before the arrival of the God of Wealth's birthday, all families will hold a banquet to celebrate the God of Wealth.

There are many legends about the god of wealth:

Statement 1:

During the Song Dynasty, Cai Jing was very rich. According to folklore, he was born a god of wealth. He happened to be born on the fifth day of the first month, so people regard him as a god of wealth. After Cai Jing was demoted, people converted to the God of Wealth. At that time, the national surname of the Song Dynasty was Zhao, and this mysterious word was an integral part of the word "Lan", so they gave a new name to show their worship.

Statement 2:

Who is the "God of Wealth"? According to the list of gods, the God of Wealth is Zhaoming Gong Ming. He once became a monk in the Luofu Cave in Emei Mountain, and after his death, he was named as the God of Tan Xuan, the true dragon and tiger king. His men were in charge of four subordinates, namely, Zhao Baotianzun, that statue, Lucky Messenger and Lishi Xian Guan. Their duties are all related to money. The God of Wealth worshipped by Taoism is also Zhao Gongming. According to Taoist legend, Zhao Gongming was originally from Zhong Nanshan. Since the Qin Dynasty, he has lived in seclusion in the mountains. After his success, the Jade Emperor named him "Marshal of Justice Tan Xuan" or "Zhao Xuantan" for short. In the old days, the God of Wealth, worshiped by temples and households, was hideous in appearance, with a thick beard, wide-eyed eyes, an iron crown on his head, a Strafe in one hand and an ingot in the other, and a black beard on his body, so he was also called "Black Hu Tan Xuan". Legend has it that Marshal Zhao Gong was responsible for eliminating plague and abuse, and driving away diseases and disasters. Whenever there is an uncontrollable grievance, he will uphold justice; People buy and sell for money, he can make it profitable. His original position is not a full-time god of wealth, but it can make people profitable, and others can't replace it, so the people regard him as a god of wealth. In the past, the god of wealth was also divided into civil and military affairs, and different families with respect for literature and military affairs had their own division of labor. Chongwen people worship the god of wealth, while military people worship Wu Caishen. Although the civil and military ways are different, they all have their own wealth to earn.

On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, Zhao Xuantan is the most respected. Many shops and houses are dedicated to his woodcut statues: the Xuan altar looks like the bottom of a pot, holding Strafe in his hand and riding Hei Hu, which is extremely powerful.

In addition to Zhao Xuantan being honored as "God of Wealth", there are folk sayings that "God of Wealth is partial", "God of Wealth" and "Wu Caishen" are holy emperors.

The belief in the God of Wealth is popular in Yuan Qiu, Dexing, Jiangxi. The initials of the titles of the five brothers are all "immortals", so they are called "five immortals". Rob the rich and help the poor before death, punish the evil and promote the good after death, and bless the poor. There are five temples of God of Wealth outside Andingmen in Beijing.

The "literary god of wealth" is also called the "god of wealth". His paintings are often juxtaposed with "Fu", "Lu", "Shou" Samsung and XiShen, and together they are Fu, Lu, Shou, Wealth and Happiness. With long white hair and a cornucopia in his hand, the word "the way to make money" came from this. Most people will hang this painting in the main hall during the Spring Festival and pray for good luck.

"Wu Caishen" Guan Jun is Guan Yunchang. It is said that Guan Yunchang managed the military horse post station, and was good at counting, which made his invention increasingly thin and stressed credit and loyalty, so he was worshipped by merchants. Generally speaking, businessmen regard Guan Gong as their patron saint, and Guan Gong is also regarded as the god of wealth.

On the fifth day of the first month, shops open. In the early morning, golden gongs, firecrackers and sacrifices are used to welcome the god of wealth. Gu Tieqing, a poet in A Qing, quoted a poem by Cai Zhuzhi in Jia Qinglu, describing the scene of Suzhou people welcoming the god of wealth on the fifth day of May: "Seek financial resources for five days, and be willing to pay for one year; Beware of meeting God early elsewhere, and hurry all night. " "Holding the road" means "welcoming the God of Wealth". Businessmen who believe in Guan Di Sheng Jun will sacrifice, set off firecrackers and burn gold paper for Guan Gong on the fifth day of the first month, and ask Guan Di Sheng Jun to bless a prosperous year.

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the custom of "receiving the god of wealth" prevailed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republic of China. It is still popular among the people. Only the God of Wealth, the so-called Marshal Zhao Gong, is said to have become immortal as early as the Shang Dynasty. Jiang Ziya assisted King Wu of Zhou to attack Zhou. He ran down to Zhong Nanshan to meddle and stood on Shang Zhou's side against the righteous teacher. Unfortunately, he was killed. A wandering soul was appointed as the true god, responsible for welcoming Fu. Under his command, there are four little gods: Zhao Baotianzun, Natian Zhenzun, Lucky Messenger and Lishi Xian Guan. When he came into contact with this rich team, Marshal Zhao Gong became the object of worship for those who hoped to make a fortune. Or he is lazy and indifferent. He only goes to Tan Xuan once a year on the fifth day of the first month, and it is random. He may not go to any one. Therefore, everyone will set off firecrackers, burn incense and sacrifice early on this day and wait for him in advance. However, it was discovered that this deity's birthday was July 22nd of the lunar calendar, so instead of making a fuss on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, a grand sacrifice was quietly prepared on the day of "God of Wealth's Birthday", expecting him to sneak in through the back door and enjoy it. We can often see that there are "God of Wealth" in some businesses and restaurants. On weekdays, electronic incense sticks are turned on and off, and suddenly four dishes and one soup are quietly placed on this day, which is proof that we have mastered the information.

Folk also say that the god of wealth is a five-way god. The so-called five roads refer to the east, west, north and south, which means that you can get money when you go out of five doors. Lu Gu's Jia Qinglu in the Qing Dynasty said: "The fifth day of the first month is Shen's birthday." Golden gongs and firecrackers are full of sacrifices. In order to compete for the market, you must get up early to meet them, which is called the end of the road. He also said: "The road ahead today is the god walking in the five sacrifices." The so-called "five roads" are the middle ears of east, west, north and south. "The five sacrifices are to worship the household gods, kitchen gods, land gods, door gods and mind-wandering. The so-called "road head" is to go to the gods in the five sacrifices.

Send the poor

On the sixth day of the first month, "sending the poor" was a very distinctive custom in ancient China. It means to sacrifice to the poor god. Poor God, also known as "poor boy". According to Song Chen Yuanliang's "Guang Ji at the Age of Years", it is quoted from Wenzong Beiwen: "When Zhuan Xu was here, a son was born in the palace, and he was called a poor son in the palace. He died in the first month and was buried in the palace, saying,' Send this poor son today.' "According to legend, the poor god is the son of Zhuan Xu. He is weak and short, and likes to wear rags and drink porridge. Even if new clothes are given to him, he will tear them or burn them before wearing them, so "it's a palace difference." "The custom of sending the poor was quite popular in the Tang Dynasty. Han Yu, a great writer, once wrote an article "Send the Poor", in which he said, "(the master) worships the poor god three times and tells him,' I have money to send, and I am interested in doing it'? "Yao He, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, also wrote a poem" Three Poems to Send the Poor Day ".The first poem said: Every year on this day, we have to go to the streets to drink and worship. Thousands of families are watching, and no one does not send the poor.

As can be seen from the last two sentences, the custom of sending the poor was quite common at that time. After the Song Dynasty, the custom of sending the poor still prevailed. The words of the former dynasty recorded in A Qing's Jade Quyuan, "Three Notes on Sending the Poor God to the Tea Room" are: Persuade Mr. Lang to send the poor god for nothing. There are several opinions about the date of sending the poor: one-year-old Guangji quoted one-year-old miscellaneous notes, saying that it was the day before "People's Day" (the seventh day of the first month), that is, the sixth day of the first month. It's a book, which is quoted from the "Illustration" and says: "Chiyang custom takes the 29th day of the first month as the ninth day of poverty, and it's called sending the house to the poor." There is also a saying that it is on a cloudy day, that is, the last day of the first month, because according to the northern literature of Wenzong, the "poor god" died on the cloudy day of the first month. Although the three days to send the poor are different, the days to send the poor are different in different places, but one thing is the same, that is, they are all arranged on the first day of the first month. According to Miscellanies of Poor Years, the custom of sending the poor to rest in peace is this: "If people don't go, build seven cakes and abandon the main road to send them to poverty." Han Yu mentioned in "Sending the Poor" that it is necessary to "make a car for the poor god, and lead the sail to the wall". In other words, when sending the poor, a symbolic car and boat should be prepared for the "poor god" and dry food should be brought to the "poor god". In some places, there is also the practice of "sending the poor with banana boats". It seems that every place has its own way to send the poor. The custom of sending people to poverty, which is widely circulated among the people, reflects the traditional psychology that Chinese people generally hope to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, send away the old poverty and hardships and welcome a better life in the new year.