Who knows the earliest origin of "paste"?

New Year's Eve, also known as "except for the night", "New Year's Eve" and "New Year's Eve", is a traditional folk festival popular all over China. "Except" means to go, that is, to get rid of the old and welcome the new, and "evening" means the end of the day, "New Year's Eve", that is, the night of the twelfth lunar month "the day when the poor and the old are exhausted". On this day, if there is a so-called "big moon", it is on the evening of December 3 of the lunar calendar, and if there is a so-called "small moon", it is on the night of December 29.

The origin of "New Year's Eve" is related to the ancient Fang Xiangshi's custom of "Nuo at the end of the year". According to legend, in ancient times, there was a tall and brave warrior named Fang Xiangshi, who was said to be able to dispel ghosts and pave the way. Xuanyuan Huangdi, the ancestor of the Chinese nation, asked him to hold a halberd at night to defend himself and clear the way to protect the spirit in order to prevent wild animals from invading the body of his dead wife. Later, every year at the end of the twelfth lunar month, when people held the "instrument of great sacrifice", they invited Fang Xiangshi to preside over it. He wore a bear skin, wore red clothes and black trousers, and held a Goyang shield, and led many people with peach sticks to beat and jump around the alley and the grassy graves in the countryside to drive away ghosts. This custom was still very popular in the Western Zhou Dynasty, but it had been presided over by a ceremonial official who followed the title of "Fang Xiang". With the changes of the times, the custom of "exorcising at the end of the year" is constantly changing. The large-scale "instrument of exorcism" is getting smaller and smaller, and people pay less and less attention to it. It even disappears among the people, and instead, every household hangs exorcism ornaments on its doors to avoid misfortune. According to Ying Shao in the Eastern Han Dynasty's "Customs and Righteousness", people at that time "often decorated peach people with wax New Year's Eve, hung reeds and painted tigers at the door, all of which pursued the past and hoped to ward off the fierce". Since then, "New Year's Eve", as the name of the day when the year ends and the year begins, has appeared among the people and has been gradually inherited. After the Song Dynasty, celebrating "New Year's Eve" began to become a major event. According to Wu Zimu's Dream Liang Lu in the Song Dynasty, it was recorded that it was the day when "all the ordinary people, big or small, swept their doors, cleaned their homes, changed their door gods, hung Zhong Kui, nailed peaches, put up spring cards, offered sacrifices to their ancestors, and prepared offerings of fragrant flowers at night to pray for the safety of the new year". At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang sent a message to officials, officials and ordinary people. Before New Year's Eve, a pair of Spring Festival couplets should be added to the door. On New Year's Eve, Spring Festival couplets made of red paper with auspicious and festive couplets were pasted on the door frame, and "hanging thousands" (commonly known as "hanging money" in some places) engraved with auspicious words on red paper were pasted on the lintel and window lattice, and "Fu" was pasted on household utensils.

on new year's eve, Chaoshan people are commonly called new year's eve. New Year's Eve and Spring Festival are connected, and the customs are different but related. The theme of Chaoshan New Year's Eve is to get rid of the old and the new, and to reunite and celebrate. The main customs and activities are ancestor worship, posting Spring Festival couplets, cooking around the stove, giving lucky money, keeping old age, resigning old age and so on.

1. Worship the gods

In addition to the ancestors, other gods should be worshipped on New Year's Eve. For example, when the water tank at home is filled with water, cover the wellhead with bamboo poles, commonly known as sealing the well, and then offer sacrifices, worship the well's mother and wait until the New Year's Spring Festival to open the well. That night, the farmer's water tank should be filled with water, and the rice tank should also be filled with rice, and the lights can't be put out, which symbolizes the good omen of "more than one year old" and "continuous cooking every year".

Second, paste Spring Festival couplets

After offering sacrifices to their ancestors, the men began to tear down the old couplets at the gate, hall and door and paste new Spring Festival couplets. As a result, the portal at home has taken on a new look.

Spring Festival couplets, Chaoshan commonly known as door symbols. Those posted on both sides of the door frame are called couplets; Sticking to the top of the door frame is a horizontal shawl; Sticking on two door leaves is called door mesh; If it is a small door with a single door, put a bucket on it. According to "Song History? "Shu Family" contains: Meng Chang, the master of the late Shu Dynasty, ordered a bachelor's degree as a peach symbol, and with his non-work, he pretended to write a poem saying: "New Year's Qing Yu, JiajieNo. Changchun." It is said that this is the earliest Spring Festival couplets in China. Later, the Spring Festival couplets stipulated that red lead paper should be used and written in ink or gold pigment, and the contents were auspicious words. Judging from the Spring Festival couplets posted by households in Chaoshan, they reflect different aesthetic tastes and values. Many of them reflect the characteristics of hipsters' hard work, unity and progress, and harmonious coexistence, such as "a harmonious family adds a hundred blessings, and the word peace is worth a thousand dollars", "diligent production of five grains, good management of six domestic animals and prosperity" and so on. The most popular Spring Festival couplets, Lin Daqin, the champion of Chaozhou in the Ming Dynasty, wrote, "People live longer in the days, and the spring is full of work and happiness.". There is such a record in the Ming Wanli block-printed "Textual Research on the Top Scholar": "(Lin Daqin) was smart since childhood, and his composition was extraordinary. When Weng Wanda sees something different, please recruit him as a husband. On Yue's birthday, a pair of congratulatory letters from Daqin Book Association said,' As time goes by, people will live longer, and spring will be full of work and prosperity.' The meaning is broad and open, and Weng said,' Only the top scholar is also talented.' "Sure enough, then Lin Daqin won the top prize at the age of 22. This pair of birthday couplets he wrote was later changed to Spring Festival couplets, which became popular all over the country. In Chaoshan Spring Festival couplets, you can often see a single door or shrine with the word "Spring" on it. The word "spring" has two meanings: first, it means that spring returns to the earth, and everything is renewed and full of vitality; The second is to skillfully use the harmony between "spring" and "existence" to express the good wishes of having more than one year. This is similar to eating fish at a wedding banquet in the north, and the homonym "Yu" has the same effect.

Third, sticking to the door gods

In addition to putting up Spring Festival couplets, there is also the custom of sticking up portraits of door gods on Chaoshan folk New Year's Eve. Door gods have a long history. According to legend, as early as the Yellow Emperor, shentu and Yu Lei were the door gods. The Book of the Yellow Emperor is quoted in Ying Shao's Custom Tongyi in the Eastern Han Dynasty: In ancient times, there were two brothers, Shencha and Yulei, who lived on Dushuo Mountain. There is a peach tree on the mountain, and the shade is like a cover. Every morning, they review the ghosts under this tree. If an evil spirit harms the world, tie it up and feed it to the tiger. Later, people painted portraits of shentu and Yu Lei on two mahogany boards and hung them on both sides of the door to ward off evil spirits. However, the real keeper recorded in history books is not shentu and Yu Lei, but an ancient warrior named Cheng qin. Ban Gu Han Shu? Biography of the King of Guang Chuan: The portrait of Cheng qin, an ancient warrior, was painted on the door of King Guang Chuan's temple, with a short coat and trousers and a long sword. In the Tang Dynasty, the position of the keeper was replaced by Qin Shubao and Wei Chijingde. The Journey to the West zai: The Dragon King of Jinghe River made a bet with a diviner, and as a result, he broke the rules of heaven, so he should be punished. The Jade Emperor appointed Wei Zhi as the supervisor. In order to survive, the King of Jinghe pleaded with Taizong. Emperor Taizong agreed, and when the dragon was killed, he summoned Wei Zhi to play against him. Unexpectedly, Wei Zhi took a nap in the rain, so he ascended to heaven and beheaded the Dragon King. The Dragon King complained that Taizong had broken his word and cried for his life outside the palace day and night. Emperor Taizong told his ministers that Qin Shubao, the general, invited Wei Chijingde to "stand outside the door in uniform". Taizong agreed. As a result, nothing happened that night. After Taizong, because he couldn't bear the hardships of the two generals, he ordered the skillful painter Dan Qing to draw the true face of the two generals and stick it on the door. Later generations followed each other, so these two generals became the gatekeepers of thousands of families.

After the Republic of China, there were portraits of Wei Chijingde holding Strafe and Qin Shubao holding an iron mace. There are four statues of heavenly kings with tiger helmets, big waist and glaring swords; There are portraits of Zhao Yun and Xue Rengui. With the development of society and the change of consciousness, the door gods posted by the people not only require avoiding disasters and evil spirits, but also hope to gain fame and fortune. So deer, magpie, treasure, bat, bottle, god of wealth, lucky longevity star, harmony and so on appeared, borrowing the beauty of images and sounds of things to pray for auspicious reception. After liberation, the door paintings posted by Chaoshan folk on New Year's Eve once focused on heroes and celebrating a bumper harvest and making a fortune by omen.

No matter what kind of door gods are posted on New Year's Eve, the two door gods should face each other, which is in line with the rule of eliminating evil and welcoming auspicious. If the left and right door gods are posted by mistake, the back faces each other, then something will happen this year, which will bring bad luck. Therefore, when putting up the door painting, people in every household carefully put up the portrait of the door god, hoping that the whole family, men, women and children, will have good luck in the new year.

Fourth, paste the word "Fu"

On New Year's Eve, almost every household in Chaoshan will paste a few words "Fu" written in red on doors, windows, niches or walls. In recent years, some families have followed the example of the North and pasted the word "Fu" upside down.

what's the meaning of posting "fu"? The word "Fu" is a knowing word, which is reflected in Oracle Bone Inscriptions's worship of the altar with both hands and pouring wine on the altar, which is a portrayal of ancient sacrifices. "book? Hong Fan said, "Five Blessingg: One is longevity, the other is wealth, the third is Kangning, the fourth is kindness, and the fifth is the end of the exam." Therefore, it is the first meaning of the word "Fu" in the Spring Festival to get the "rich and longevity test" in the new year. "Shuo Wen? Shibu said, "Blessing is also good." Explain that the word "Fu" has a meaning of "Blessing". People want to stick the word "fu" for blessing, and turn the misfortune into luck. In ancient times, sacrifices were made to bow down, so the word "fu" can be interpreted as "worship". The novel "The Edge of a Mirror Flower" goes back to the eighty-fifth time: "So facing the stage, I am blessed." The word "fu" in the sentence means "worship". In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose of affixing the word "Fu", it is necessary to pay homage to the gods and spirits of heaven and earth.

If you post the word "Fu" backwards, you will get the meaning of its blessing. There is a story about the custom of putting the word "fu" upside down in our country. It is said that on the eve of the Spring Festival one year, in order to win the favor of the master, the head butler of Prince Gong's palace in Qing Dynasty wrote several words of "Fu" and told his servants to stick them on the warehouse and the gate of the palace. A servant, unable to read, put the word "Fu" upside down on the gate. Prince Gong Fujin was very angry and wanted to be punished by whipping. Fortunately, the master butler is an eloquent man. When he sees something bad, he is afraid of involving himself. He hurriedly kneels before his master and says, "I often hear that Prince Gong lives a long and prosperous life, and now Dafu has really arrived. This is an auspicious sign." When Prince Gong heard this, it was reasonable. He thought, no wonder passers-by said that Prince Gong's house was blessed (down), so he rewarded the housekeeper and the servant with fifty taels of silver each. Since then, the custom of posting the word "Fu" upside down has spread from Wangfu to the people. Chao dialect "Dao" and "Dao" are not homophonic, so there was no custom of putting the word "Fu" upside down in Chaoshan area in the past, which was introduced from the north after the reform and opening up.

V. Surrounding the stove

After worshipping their ancestors, men are busy posting Spring Festival couplets, door gods, etc., while housewives are busy preparing to make the most abundant and meaningful reunion dinner in a year, which is called surrounding the stove.

In the form of New Year's Eve, in ancient times, a there's a stir of red in the quiet stove was set in the middle of the hall, and the whole family ate dinner around the fire and warmed up and talked. The Records of Haiyang County in Guangxu, Qing Dynasty, said: "On New Year's Eve, a stove is set in the hall to eat around each other, which is called' surrounding the stove'." With the evolution of the years, the stove evolved into a small stove with a copper stove core and a tin dish basin connected together, which can not only hold vegetables and hot soup, but also add charcoal and fire to the banquet table. In recent years, it has evolved into a gas stove or an induction cooker, which is more convenient. No matter what method is adopted, family members eat around the table, which is also called "around the stove". The dishes around the stove like to take homophonic characters symbolizing auspiciousness, such as the homophonic word "making a fortune" for Nostoc flagelliforme and the homophonic word "more than enough" for fish. Eating pork intestines and fried garlic with pig blood means that "you can calculate and grow long." Eating cockroaches is a special custom food for people who can buy cockroaches in coastal areas. The clam is also called Quelu, Queclam and Wallongzi. Because it is a combination of two shells, the tide customs also call it "double earning" and "shell money" Eating for profit and engaging in business "double earning" can make money and save money. Surround the stove early, the sooner the better, "eat early and send early." When you are around the stove, you should say auspicious words, and the person in charge should wish the elders health and longevity, and hope that the children will be smart and courteous, and the later generations will work hard. When eating, if children accidentally drop dishes and bowls, adults will say auspicious words such as "Open your mouth and be rich".

New Year's Eve cooking around the stove is also called "reunion dinner", which reflects the Chinese people's desire for reunion, happiness and inseparable cohesion. No matter how many places the family members are usually scattered, they must come back before the stove to get together and have a drink with their families. Even if a few families have had such contradictions in peacetime due to financial difficulties, dissatisfaction with life, or mental troubles and imbalances, they will generally put aside their differences on New Year's Eve and let things like gratitude and resentment dilute in the atmosphere of family laughter.

"I miss my relatives twice every festive season". On the occasion of New Year's Eve surrounded by lights, the atmosphere of family reunion in Chaoshan, the hometown of overseas Chinese, is particularly strong. Many overseas Chinese, compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and their relatives working outside the home make every effort to get back to get together with their families and enjoy family happiness. People in the hometown of overseas Chinese also miss their relatives who are far away from home, and send New Year's greetings to their relatives at home and abroad, reflecting the great changes in their hometown and the ever-changing new life, and sending them to their hometown.

At present, the custom of surrounding furnaces has changed in cities. Many brothers and sisters live apart, but they all have the traditional concept of reunion, so they often go to hotels to surround the stove for convenience and interest. Old people in rural areas like to take turns eating at their children's homes. As the saying goes, "Food is thorough, and prosperity is thorough".

6. Giving lucky money

Giving lucky money is an important custom in Chaoshan New Year's Eve. The elders at home should give lucky money to their children. As the saying goes, "pressing the belly and waist" means that their pockets will be full and rich from beginning to end throughout the year. The younger generation who can earn money should also send money to their elders. Ordinary shops also give money to shop assistants at the end of the year. The amount depends on the quality of the business and the size of the position. Relatives and friends who live abroad often send money at the end of the year, which is of course limited to economic prosperity. When you send lucky money, you can't send it directly to wait for a while, but you can put it in a profit-making bag, or wrap it in a piece of red paper. In ancient times, copper coins were woven with a red line.

As usual, when adults distribute lucky money to children, they also have some auspicious words of encouragement and blessing. In the evening, this gift is literally "pressed" under the children's pillows to accompany them to spend a happy and peaceful New Year's Eve and welcome the new year. The purpose of giving lucky money to children is to avoid evil and seek good luck. The popular belief is that on New Year's Eve, there will be evil spirits coming to the door to relieve the disaster, and children's blood gas is weak and unbearable, so it is necessary to rely on coins with the function of suppressing evil spirits to subdue sneakiness, or to bribe them and turn them into good luck. Therefore, the original meaning of lucky money is to "suppress money", and its source is a kind of monetary mascot specially used to exorcise evil spirits and pray for good fortune-to suppress money. The idea that money can connect with the gods, and then it can serve ghosts and spirits, originated very early. In the pre-Qin period, people used money to sacrifice ghosts and gods, which already contained the meaning of money. Among the five baht coins handed down from ancient times in Han Dynasty, there were some popular auspicious words such as "get out of the way (choose) and be suitable for future generations", or "set aside the enemy's troops and go to the center (disaster)". Obviously, they were specially cast to avoid evil and get rid of evil, so people generally believe that winning money first appeared in Han Dynasty. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, there was a phenomenon that ordinary coins were used to wish good luck in the Spring Festival. It took another time to give money to children on New Year's Eve, but it was not until the late Ming Dynasty that it became a popular custom. Qing Gulu's "Qing Jia Lu" has a special article "Lucky Money", which quotes many previous works, such as Guo? Jia "Huaiyin year apart? The poem "Chanting Lucky Money" says: "Red rope bronze penetration"; The preface to Wu Manyun's "Jiang Xiang Festival Ci" says: "Hang customs, children spend the New Year, elders and money, always use red, put them in their beds, and call them' lucky money'".

VII. Keeping watch over the old age

Keeping watch over the old age is one of the traditional customs of the Chinese nation. In the old days, it meant that on New Year's Eve, the family got together in front of the lamp and stayed up all night, drinking wine and delicacies, catching up with the old and bringing forth new ideas. There are two sources: one is that people love life and cherish time, because after New Year's Eve, it means that a year has passed and time is no longer there, which is a bit reluctant.