Relate it to reality and tell me how you celebrate the Spring Festival.

I saw the graded skin care in the rooms of Cliff Hotel and near the road

Answer: Trading Day - Level 2009-1-20 16:02

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No haircuts are allowed on the day of the Spring Festival

Answer: tingyan33 - Level 4 2009-1-20 19:19

In the Chaoshan area, there are many unique features during the Spring Festival folk customs. There is a saying in Chaoshan that there are "eight festivals in the year", and the Spring Festival is the first of the eight festivals and the most solemn festival. The New Year begins on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month. After "sweeping the dust" on this day, some people begin to put up New Year paintings and New Year couplets to heighten the festive atmosphere; every household buys candied fruits, tea ingredients, and sugar, and puts them in front of the "Siming Zaojun" on the stove, brewing them to make them fragrant. Tea, then burning incense and setting off firecrackers to see off the "Zao Lord". There are still many days before the Chinese New Year, and every household will happily prepare New Year's goods to welcome the New Year.

Dear listeners, we invite guest Ning Yu to talk to you about Chaoshan Spring Festival customs. Hello Ning Yu.

Guest: Hello host.

Ning Yu, would you like to first tell us about the custom of worshiping ancestors during the Spring Festival in Chaoshan?

Okay. The Han people's custom of worshiping their ancestors on New Year's Day was formed in the Han Dynasty. After the Song and Ming Dynasties, it became popular throughout the country. Before the Ming Dynasty, Chaoshan had the custom of worshiping ancestors on the first day of the first lunar month. Since then, there have been many detailed records of this in the literature of the past dynasties. Before the founding of New China, there were two types of ancestor worship in Chaoshan: clan sacrifice and family sacrifice. Clan sacrifices are held to honor distant ancestors and are held in the public hall of the ancestral hall, while family sacrifices are held in the main house. Clan festivals often invite paper shadow troupes and theater troupes to perform, which is more grand.

The items used to worship ancestors during the Spring Festival "are all vegetarian items: bento, fungus, melon, rotten sticks, sweets, persimmons, etc., as well as various homemade vegetarian dishes on New Year's Eve." It is said that On this first day of the Lunar New Year, Maitreya Buddha is seated, so he has a fast meal. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, we have to worship ancestors again, this time using meat dishes, such as fish, pork, goose, chicken, duck, etc. In the past, ancestors were worshiped in ancestral halls on New Year's Day. This is an important ceremony for clan sacrifices, usually with meat dishes, but in some places five kinds of vegetarian dishes are also added.

Moderator: Everyone in Chaoshan knows that in addition to the Spring Festival, in the Chaoshan area, there are ancestor worship activities during the other "eight festivals of the year". The forms are similar, but the sacrifices are slightly different. Some seasonal fruits and vegetables and some are added. Special pastries. The "New Year's greetings" during the Spring Festival in Chaoshan are even different from those in other places. Now, let's talk about the custom of "New Year's greetings" in Chaoshan.

Paying New Year greetings is also known as walking in the spring and exploring the spring. According to legend, there was a monster in ancient times with a single horn on its head and a mouth like a blood basin. People called this monster "Nian". Every New Year's Eve, it goes from house to house looking for food and eating people. People had no choice but to put the meat outside the door, then close the door tightly and hide in their homes. They did not open the door until the morning of the first day of the first lunar month to congratulate themselves on not being eaten in the new year. So the trend of New Year greetings spread from generation to generation. In fact, in Chaoshan, paying New Year greetings is the most important etiquette and custom for Chaoshan people, just like worshiping ancestors. There are three main types of New Year greetings among the trendy people, with different etiquette and customs.

Guests: The first type is New Year greetings between family members. In Chaoshan, after worshiping their ancestors in the morning, the younger generation first pays New Year greetings to their elders, wishing them a "happy new year" and "health and longevity." In the old society, the younger generation had to wear new clothes and bow down to their elders. Then the elders send their expectations to the younger ones, hoping that the children will "grow up in the new year" and "learn and progress". The second type is New Year greetings between relatives and friends. After breakfast, family members either together or separately pay New Year greetings to relatives and friends. New Year's greetings between relatives and friends often take place in the morning of the first or second day of the Lunar New Year. Therefore, there is a proverb in Chaoshan: "If you want to pay New Year's greetings on the first or second day of the Lunar New Year, you have no intention of paying New Year's greetings on the third or fourth day of the Lunar New Year." What it means is that the earlier the New Year's greetings are, the better, and the more sincerity will be seen. .

In this way, when Chaozhou people visit relatives and friends to pay New Year greetings, they always bring betel nuts or olives and Teochew mandarins as gifts. There is no limit to the number, but it must be an even number, not an odd number. The host's coffee table always has a plate of red and green Teochew oranges, betel nuts and olives, plus candies, to welcome guests. Because Chaozhou mandarin oranges are larger than oranges, they were named Dajiu. Oranges are the same pronunciation of auspicious, and when the homophony is used to understand the meaning, it becomes "big auspiciousness". The origin of "Daji" is quite interesting. Ning Yu, come and tell us this story.

Guest: OK. A long time ago, in a village in Chaozhou, the villagers all suffered from thirst. It was almost the New Year, and a beautiful and smart girl in the village dreamed of an immortal telling her: "Eating oranges will bring good luck." The girl told her mother when she woke up. The mother and daughter ate the mandarin oranges with hesitation, and they were indeed cured. Since then, Teochew mandarin orange has become a symbol of good luck. Betel nut and Binlang have the same pronunciation, which means guests. Therefore, the homophony of "Betel Nut and Big Orange" means "Best Guests". Chaozhou people have a long history of using betel nuts to entertain guests during New Year greetings, which is recorded in the county annals. After the late Qing Dynasty, the custom of eating betel nuts in Chaoshan gradually declined. This is because food customs change with the development of the times, and the process of eating betel nut is cumbersome, and Chaoshan is not a betel nut producing area. Later, because Chaoshan was rich in olives, which were very similar in shape and taste to betel nut, Chaozhou people used olives instead of betel nut. Due to the lag in the change of customs, the trendy people also call olives the betel nut.

When the guests come in and say auspicious words to each other such as "Good luck in the new year" and "Congratulations on getting rich", the host will treat the guests to eat olives, candies and drink Gongfu tea. The Hakka people in Jiexi also have the custom of serving tea and rice to their guests. Before guests say New Year's greetings and leave, they also exchange oranges and give each other red envelopes for children, which is called "good luck" and embodies the best wishes of "exchanging good luck and greeting each other". For some close relatives and friends, the host will also diligently ask them to stay for lunch.

Let’s go back and talk about the third type of New Year greetings, which is the New Year greetings between colleagues and colleagues. This is mostly a ceremonial behavior. After meeting, they greet each other with auspicious words such as "get rich" and "promote". The third type of New Year greetings does not contain the warm atmosphere of family and friendship as much as the first two types. Host: However, in recent years, due to the progress of society and the development of science and technology, people have adopted New Year greeting cards, New Year phone calls, New Year mobile phone text messages, and New Year "Yimeier" greetings. Most work units hold "group worship" on the first day of the Lunar New Year, where people gather together to congratulate each other, which not only saves time but also takes into account many aspects, which is also a good thing.

Host: The Spring Festival is the most lively, grandest and most valued of the traditional festivals of the Chinese nation. Ning Yu, you know a lot about the Spring Festival customs in Chaoshan area. Please introduce them.

Guest: Yes, the Spring Festival is the first of the year. In ancient times, it was also called "New Year's Day", "Yuan Day", "Yuan Zheng", "Yuan Shuo", "Zheng Dan" and "Xin Zheng". wait. After the Revolution of 1911, the first day of the first lunar month was designated as the New Year, and the first day of the first lunar month was renamed the Spring Festival. This festival is still followed today. The Spring Festival is commonly known as "Celebrating the New Year" or "Celebrating the New Year" among the people. In the Chaoshan area, there are many folk activities to celebrate the Spring Festival. These customs have similarities and differences with those in the Central Plains area.

In the Chaoshan area, there are different ways to set off firecrackers. Early in the morning on the first day of the first lunar month, every household will worship Nanchen, Beidou, Tiangong, and the gods enshrined in the home in front of the door or on the balcony, hoping for peace and good luck in the new year. After worshiping the gods, firecrackers are set off. Firecrackers are also called "firecrackers", "firecrackers" and "firecrackers". Ancient people used pine branches and bamboo to make torches and lit them in the courtyard for lighting. The bamboo joints make a popping sound when burning, which is an early "firecracker". Furthermore, people use this to drive away ghosts and evil spirits and hope for good luck. According to the book "Records of the Years of Jingchu": "The first day of the first lunar month is the day of the Three Yuan Dynasties. It is called the Dragon Boat Festival in the Spring and Autumn Period. When the rooster crows, firecrackers are fired in front of the court to ward off the evil mandrills."

Guest: Yes, Chaozhou people follow this custom to drive away evil spirits and pray for good health in the new year, abundant grains, prosperous livestock, and everything goes well. After the reform and opening up, with the improvement of material living standards, it has become more common for people in Henan Province to set off firecrackers during the Spring Festival, which has become an emotional expression for people to see off the old and welcome the new, celebrate joyfully, and wish good luck in advance.

Dear listeners, Chaoshan’s cultural activities are very active during the Spring Festival, including dragon dance, centipede dance, riddles and many other projects. Among them, lion dance and playing with gongs and drums are relatively popular and the most eye-catching. Guest: Yes, lion dance is very popular during the Spring Festival. I heard that Chaoshan lion dance is divided into two types: one is "literary lion" and the other is "martial lion".

"Wen Shi"? "Martial Lion"?

Guest: "Wen Shi" consists of two people wearing masks and pretending to be a smiling "Tudi Gong" and "Tudi Po", holding sunflower fans and attracting The lion dances and walks, and the lion keeps shaking its mane and rolling. Whenever someone sets off firecrackers in front of the door, the lion dance team has to stop and pay New Year greetings to the owner. As soon as the lion team arrived, the owner lit firecrackers, and the gongs and drums sounded. The most exciting thing was that the lion team performed tricks such as rolling, jumping, and jumping. At the first place, the host hung the red envelope from the entrance of the second or third floor. With the help of the owner, the lion dance team used big stools and small stools to climb up to the bottom of the red envelope. He climbed up to the top of the table, then jumped up and opened his mouth to take out the red envelope. Thunderous applause and cheers broke out from the crowd of spectators, and the lion bowed his head and bowed in all directions to bless the people. The lion dancer raises his head and moves his head, and walks quickly in a circle, dancing like a tiger descending a mountain. When he reaches the center of the dance, he immediately sits down on the ground, sometimes scratching his belly and back with his feet, and sometimes turning around. Biting the tail with its head is called "tickling and biting lice", and then rolling on the ground is called "turning over on its belly"; then it is said that the lion is sitting on its back and taking a nap, and its movements are lifelike. There is also a person who wears a mask and teases the lion at will, which adds a lot of interest to the lion dance. After the lion dance performance, there is a martial arts performance. The program is basically the same. At the end, the lion dance is performed again, and people give "red envelopes" after the performance.

Host: During the Spring Festival, there is also a Chaozhou gong and drum troupe playing Chaozhou music. Touring the streets and alleys, the Chaozhou gongs and drums are a large ensemble with percussion as the main component and the suona as the leader. The drummer is both the lead performer and the band conductor. . The drummer directs the performance of the band by hitting the heart, rim, and rim of the drum, using techniques such as snapping, dulling, heavy hitting, light hitting, rhythm changes, and adding patterns with the hammer.

: Chaozhou gong and drum entertainment teams often use flags to clear the way, and the flags carried on their shoulders are called "biao". They use green bamboo with tails as flagpoles, and mascots are hung on the tops of the poles. Most of the flag-bearers are young women. Then came the carefully dressed golden girls, who carried firecrackers and eight treasures on their shoulders, bringing auspiciousness to the people. There were also dolls pretending to be actors and performing some huge scenes from the Teochew opera. Continuous gongs and drums band. The performance form of Chaozhou gongs and drums is very flexible. If it is played during the march, it is called "Changxing Tao". If it is played in a fixed venue, it is called "Paizitao". For large-scale performances, the band often has thousands of people and is magnificent.

When the gongs and drums team arrives, the famous people and merchants will set off firecrackers to welcome them. Perform a performance to celebrate the New Year. After the performance, you will receive a red envelope from the host.

Host: Ning Yu, please introduce to everyone the custom of sending spring baskets.

Guest: OK. Spring basket is a folk item in Chaoshan. It is a bamboo basket with three or four layers and a lid. It is usually used in pairs. On the first day of the new year, the natal family will give gifts to the daughter’s family who is getting married. The gifts include more than a dozen kinds of oranges, sugar cane, bananas, etc., which are packed in a pair of large spring baskets and carried by the married woman's brothers. It is commonly known as "spring baskets". When the brother-in-law arrives, the in-laws will slaughter three birds and treat him warmly. Therefore, there is a folk proverb: "When the uncle comes, he plunders the chicken basket." After the daughter's family received the gift from her brother-in-law, the mother-in-law would carry the flower basket and the red plate and distribute the gifts to the neighbors, which is commonly known as "Xiawushi". Since there are daughters-in-law in every village, it is very lively to send gifts to each other on this day. This unique folk activity in Chaoshan embodies the fine tradition of Chaoshan people attaching importance to neighborly friendship, living in harmony, and being united and progressive.

Moderator: Now let me introduce to you the Chaoshan Spring Festival and the custom of opening wells.

In 1914, Shantou City built its first tap water plant, so the city had tap water supply. But residents in other towns and villages have to draw water from wells or ditches.

Every village must have wells, both public wells outside the courtyard and private wells inside the courtyard.

Guest: Chaoshan people worship wells very much, and there is a folk myth and legend about Jing Gong and Jing Po. The well mouth must be sealed on New Year's Eve, and the well must be opened after paying homage to Jing Gong and Jing Po during the Spring Festival. Usually, public wells in the countryside are disabled on the first and second days of the new year, and can only be used on the third day of the new year. In some places, they can be used from the second day of the new year. When opening a well, the old woman in the village should take the lead and offer gifts such as oranges, tea, brown sugar, and fruits to the well platform to worship. Afterwards, the old woman officiating will lift the manhole cover and pour half of the brown sugar and 3 cups of tea into the well. Finally, 12 buckets of water were taken from the well and poured onto the ground. Every time you pour a bucket of water, recite 4 auspicious poems. This ritual activity is "opening the well". When the well is opened for home use, the mother-in-law of the family must also worship it. The ceremony is similar to that of a public well. Nowadays, rural areas in Chaoshan basically consume tap water, and well sacrificial activities have gradually disappeared.

Host: On the first and second day of the first lunar month, married daughters should take their husbands and children back to their parents’ homes to pay New Year’s greetings to their parents. This is an expression of filial piety by a married daughter to her parents. There is a folk proverb that goes: "On the first and second day of the Lunar New Year if you are filial, if you are not filial, the gods will fall to the sky, and you will not be able to celebrate the Lantern Festival." This is the truth. When a daughter returns to her parents' home, she should prepare a large bag of biscuits and candies for her mother to distribute to the neighbors and villagers, to express the girl's longing for the villagers. When there is a nephew in the family, red envelopes are distributed to the nephew. After her daughter had lunch, she had a small talk with her parents and rushed back to her husband's house before dinner. Therefore, it is commonly known as "eating the sun and the day" among the people.

Guest: The fourth day of the first lunar month is the day when the gods fall to the sky. Every household must worship at home to welcome the gods to the world. The sacrifices include red peach cake, which is a good omen of "a good start"; a plate of brown sugar, which implies the sweetness of life; a plate of rice, which means a good harvest, as well as oranges, black beans, wicks, paper horses, etc. In addition to worshiping at home, they also go to temples in the countryside to burn incense and give blessings. Some people also write the family's birth year and year on red stickers and tie them to the palanquin to make wishes to the gods and thank them. "God has said good things." , landing to ensure safety."

Moderator: In the customs of Chaoshan people, Chaozhou snacks are always indispensable during the Spring Festival. The wide variety, cheap and high-quality Chaozhou snacks are deeply loved by the masses; Ning Yu, I heard that Chaozhou City There are nine categories of snacks***.

Guest: Yes, snacks in Chaozhou City include nine categories: soup, barbecue, fried food, cakes, sweets, soy products, snacks, porridge, and late-night snacks.

Moderator: Roast suckling pig is a delicacy in the barbecue category. Use a suckling pig weighing more than 20 kilograms, disembowel it, remove the internal organs, head and feet, cut the whole body in half, wash and peel it clean, use an iron fork to grill it on the charcoal fire. Flip and add sesame oil while grilling.

The roasted suckling pig is golden in color and can be discerned by the light. The meat is fragrant and the aroma is alluring. The skin tastes crispy and the meat is tender, neither burnt nor greasy. Add some sweet sauce and it is smooth and delicious. It is indeed a delicacy. Drinking wine in the winter months is the preferred delicacy.

Once upon a time, there was a Songji Restaurant at the entrance of Branch Lane in the city, which was famous for selling roasted suckling pig. The owner of this restaurant was known as "Roasted Pig Song".

Ning Yu: There are many soup-type snacks, and fish ball and shrimp dumpling soup is a good one.

Guest: Yes, white fish balls, light vermilion shrimp dumplings, a dozen green chopped green onions, and a few drops of clear yellow sesame oil float in the clear soup. sink, becoming a bowl of soup that is both pleasing to the eye and delicious. It has the deliciousness of fish without the fishy smell, and the sweetness of meat without the greasy smell. It tastes refreshing and pleasant in the mouth. It is a soup that is suitable for all seasons.

In the past, the two fish ball and shrimp dumpling restaurants on the north side of the east gate of Taiping Road and in front of Youying on Xima Road were both very famous.

Moderator: Yusheng is a good late-night snack. Yusheng, as the name suggests, means raw fish. From late autumn to early spring every year, it is the season to eat raw fish. Grass carp (commonly known as grass carp) is fatter in these seasons.

The best fried dish is Supi Shaobing. Use oil and flour to make the crust of the cake crispy. Use fine meat cubes, small shrimps and shiitake mushrooms mixed with "preserved iron" powder as the filling. Deep-fry in slow fire until cooked, the cake will be yellow in color, crispy in skin and fragrant in filling.

The person who made the crispy biscuits was a hawker who set up a stall at the entrance of Zhuangyuanting Lane. He was called "A Fat" because of his fat body.

After "Ah Fei" became a hit, it pushed the original pork buns to a higher level among snacks. "Ah Fei" is a big bun filled with fresh shrimp mixed with chives or chicken mixed with lotus seeds. The Luo Weixin Teahouse at the entrance to Zhuangyuan Pavilion also sells fermented bean curd buns, making this bun spot famous throughout the city. Guest (15): The original producer of thick oyster brand in Chaozhou City is "A Fei". In the past, when making oyster bake, you would grease the cauldron with thin oil, just heat the cauldron, sprinkle in pink water and green onions, pour it, put down the fresh oysters, and cover with egg drop. "Ah Fei"'s thick oyster bake uses sausages, fresh meat and other ingredients as ingredients. Fresh oysters and powdered water are put into the pot at the same time. Eggs are often used. The oyster bake is fried thickly and fiercely over a high fire. It has the aroma of oysters, meat, eggs and chopped green onions. , merge into a delicious and rich aroma, and dipped in high-grade mustard, it will really make people drool before eating. This kind of thick oyster braid is called "A Fei" oyster braid. Later, all the oyster bake shops (stalls) in the city imitated the "Ah Fei" oyster bake method.

Moderator: Gusu Xiangfu is a leader in soy snacks.

Speaking of the production of Gusu Xiangfu, there is a little story. It is said that during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, there were two sisters-in-law in Chaozhou City who were devout Buddhists. In order to keep fasting for many years, they carefully made this kind of fragrant fu that is moderately salty and sweet, soft and delicious. Later, people called this kind of Xiangfu Gusu Xiangfu.

The most famous workshop in Chaozhou City for making Gusu Xiangfu is Laojun Tang on Xia Dongping Road. The process of making Gusu Xiangfu in this shop is meticulous and requires repeated boiling and drying. Therefore, the fragrant tofu they produce here has soft skin and moist flesh, is sweet and delicious, and is rich in nutrients. It is the best soy product.

Tofu pudding is another famous soy snack. In the early morning, bursts of "Kong Kong Kong" gongs came from deep in the alleys. This is a unique way for tofu sellers to use small gongs instead of shouting. It is called "Kuan Kong" among the people.

Powdered sugar should be sprinkled on the surface of each bowl of tofu pudding, and a pinch of ground galangal should be added to remove the beany smell. Among the cakes, fermented bean curd cake is also a famous snack in Chaozhou City. According to legend, there is a story behind its creation. Ning Yu, would you please introduce me to everyone.

Guest: Okay. In the early years, there was a bakery in Chaozhou City, specializing in five-kernel dragon and phoenix cakes. The owner of the shop was mean and angered the bakery. Once, in a rage, the master poured a jar of red fermented bean curd, half a basket of garlic and a bottle of wine into a vat of pie fillings, mixed them with the pie fillings into a hodgepodge, and then resigned. The bakery hired another chef, who didn't know the details, so he prepared the vat of hodgepodge cake fillings for the market. As soon as the cake was baked in the oven, a strange aroma came out. The product was put on the market, and the eaters kept saying it was good, and it was sold out. The shopkeeper hurriedly made more cakes for the market, but the newly made dragon and phoenix cakes did not have the same aroma. The boss didn't know the reason, but later the boss's wife was very careful and guessed that the secret might lie in the master. I invited him back with generous gifts.

Host: Dear listeners, what you just heard is the Spring Festival special program we produced for you, and we talked with you about the Spring Festival customs in Chaoshan.

Host: Happy New Year and all the best!

Reference: /boomerarng/r/?329

Answer: In the Deep Eyes - Level 5 2009-1-21 03:32

Spring Festival Customs

The Spring Festival is an ancient festival in my country and the most important festival of the year. How to celebrate this festival has formed some relatively fixed customs and habits over thousands of years of historical development. Many of them are still passed down to this day.

Sweeping dust

"On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, dust and sweep the house." According to "Lu Spring and Autumn Annals", my country had the custom of sweeping dust during the Spring Festival in the era of Yao and Shun. According to folklore: because "dust" and "chen" are homophonic, sweeping dust in the New Year means "removing the old and spreading the new", and its purpose is to sweep away all bad luck and bad luck. This custom entrusts people with their desire to destroy the old and establish the new and their prayers to say goodbye to the old and usher in the new. Every Spring Festival comes, every household has to clean the environment, wash all kinds of utensils, remove and wash bedding and curtains, sweep the Liulv courtyard, dust away dirt and cobwebs, and dredge open ditches and ditches.

Everywhere is filled with the joyful atmosphere of doing hygiene and welcoming the New Year cleanly.

Spring couplets

Spring couplets are also called door pairs, spring posts, couplets, couplets, peach charms, etc. They describe the background of the times and express good wishes with neat, dual, concise and exquisite words. , is a unique literary form in my country. Every Spring Festival, every household, whether in urban or rural areas, selects a red Spring Festival couplet and pastes it on the door to add a festive atmosphere to the festival. This custom began in the Song Dynasty and became popular in the Ming Dynasty. By the Qing Dynasty, the ideological and artistic quality of Spring Festival couplets had been greatly improved. Liang Zhangju’s Spring Festival Couplets monograph "Three Couples on the Threshold" has a detailed introduction to the origin of the couplets and the characteristics of various works. All discussed.

There are many types of Spring Festival couplets. According to the place of use, they can be divided into door centers, frame pairs, horizontal drapes, spring strips, bucket squares, etc. The "door center" is affixed to the upper center of the door panel; the "frame pair" is affixed to the left and right door frames; the "horizontal stripe" is affixed to the crossbar of the door; the "spring strips" are affixed to the corresponding places according to different contents; "Dojin" is also called "door leaf", which is square and diamond-shaped, and is often attached to furniture and screen walls.

Pasting window grilles and pasting the word "福" upside down

In the folk, people also like to put various paper-cuts - window grilles - on their windows. Window grilles not only enhance the festive atmosphere, but also integrate decoration, appreciation and practicality. Paper-cutting is a very popular folk art in my country and has been loved by people for thousands of years. Because it is mostly pasted on windows, it is also called "window flower". With its unique summary and exaggeration techniques, window grilles vividly express auspicious symbols and good wishes, decorating the festival with prosperity and splendor.

At the same time as pasting Spring Festival couplets, some families have to paste large and small "福" characters on their house doors, walls, and lintels. Posting the word "福" during the Spring Festival is a long-standing folk custom in my country. The word "福" refers to blessing and luck, expressing people's yearning for a happy life and their wishes for a better future. In order to more fully reflect this yearning and wish, some people simply paste the word "福" upside down to express "happiness has arrived" and "blessing has arrived". Folks also use the word "Fu" to make various patterns with detailed drawings, such as longevity star, birthday peach, carp jumping over the dragon gate, good harvest, dragon and phoenix showing auspiciousness, etc.

New Year Pictures

Hanging New Year pictures during the Spring Festival is also very common in urban and rural areas. The thick black and colorful New Year pictures add a prosperous and joyful festive atmosphere to thousands of households. New Year pictures are an ancient folk art in my country, reflecting the people's simple customs and beliefs and reposing their hopes for the future. New Year pictures, like Spring Festival couplets, originated from the "door god". With the rise of woodblock printing, the content of New Year paintings is no longer limited to monotonous themes such as door gods, but has become rich and colorful. In some New Year painting workshops, "Three Stars of Fortune, Luxury and Longevity", "Blessings from Heavenly Officials", "Five Grain" Classic color New Year pictures such as "Prosperous Harvest", "Prosperity of Six Livestocks", "Welcoming Spring and Receiving Good Luck" can satisfy people's good wishes of celebrating the good year. There are three important producing areas of New Year paintings in our country: Taohuawu in Suzhou, Yangliuqing in Tianjin and Weifang in Shandong. They have formed three major schools of Chinese New Year paintings, each with its own characteristics.

The earliest New Year paintings collected in our country today are the woodcut New Year paintings of the Southern Song Dynasty, "Slender and Slender with the Beauty of the Country", which depict four ancient beauties: Wang Zhaojun, Zhao Feiyan, Ban Ji and Luzhu. The most widely circulated among the people is a New Year painting of "Mouse Marriage". It depicts an interesting scene of a mouse marrying a bride according to human customs. In the early years of the Republic of China, Shanghai Zheng Mantuo combined the calendar with New Year pictures. This is a new form of New Year pictures. This two-in-one New Year picture later developed into a wall calendar, which is now popular all over the country.

Keeping the year old

Keeping the year old on New Year’s Eve is one of the most important annual customs. The custom of keeping the year old has been around for a long time. The earliest record can be found in the "Fengtu Zhi" of Zhouchu in the Western Jin Dynasty: On New Year's Eve, each person greets each other with gifts, which is called "giving the new year"; "Dividing the year old"; everyone stays up all night waiting for the dawn, which is called "keeping the year old".

“One night is two years old, and the fifth watch is divided into two days.” On New Year’s Eve, the whole family gets together, has New Year’s Eve dinner, lights candles or oil lamps, sits around the fire and chats, waiting to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year. At this time, the all-night vigil symbolizes driving away all evil plagues and looking forward to good luck in the new year.

This custom gradually became popular. In the early Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, wrote a poem about "keeping the year old": "The cold leaves the winter snow, and the warmth brings the spring breeze." To this day, people are still used to staying up late on New Year's Eve to welcome the new year.

In ancient times, staying up late had two meanings: older people staying up late meant "saying goodbye to the old year", which meant cherishing time; young people staying up late meant to prolong the life of their parents. Since the Han Dynasty, the transition time between the new and the old year has generally been at midnight.

Firecrackers

There is a saying among Chinese folk that "firecrackers open the door". 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. Setting off firecrackers can create a festive and lively atmosphere. It is a festive entertainment activity that can bring people joy and good luck. With the passage of time, the application of firecrackers has become more and more widespread, and the varieties and colors have become more and more numerous. During major festivals and happy events, as well as weddings, house construction, openings, etc., firecrackers must be set off to celebrate and for good luck. Now, Liuyang in Hunan, Foshan and Dongyao in Guangdong, Yichun and Pingxiang in Jiangxi, and Wenzhou in Zhejiang are famous hometowns of fireworks in my country. The firecrackers they produce are of various colors and high quality, and are not only sold well across the country, but also exported to the world.

New Year greetings

On the first day of the New Year, people get up early, put on their most beautiful clothes, dress up neatly, and go out to visit relatives and friends, pay New Year greetings to each other, and wish each other New Year’s greetings. Good luck in the coming year. There are many ways to pay New Year's greetings. Some are led by the clan leader and several people go from house to house to pay New Year's greetings; some are colleagues inviting a few people to pay New Year's greetings; and others get together to congratulate each other, which is called "group worship." Since it was time-consuming and laborious to pay New Year greetings at home, some upper-class figures and scholar-bureaucrats later used various stickers to congratulate each other, and the later "New Year's greeting cards" developed from this.

When paying New Year greetings during the Spring Festival, the younger generation should first pay New Year greetings to the elders, wishing the elders longevity and health. The elders can distribute the New Year's money prepared in advance to the younger generation. It is said that the New Year's money can suppress evil spirits, because "year" and "evil" "Homophonous" means that if the younger generation gets the lucky money, they can spend one year in peace. There are two types of New Year's money. One is made of colorful ropes threaded into a dragon shape and placed at the foot of the bed. This record is found in "Yanjing Years' Notes"; the other is the most common, which is given by parents wrapped in red paper. Children's money. New Year's money can be given to the younger generation in public after paying New Year's greetings, or parents can secretly put it under the child's pillow when the child is asleep on New Year's Eve. Nowadays, the custom of elders distributing lucky money to younger generations is still popular.

Spring Festival Food Customs

In ancient agricultural societies, from about the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, housewives would be busy preparing food for the New Year. Because pickling cured meat takes a long time, it must be prepared as early as possible. Many provinces in my country have the custom of pickling cured meat, among which Guangdong Province’s cured meat is the most famous.

Steamed rice cake. Rice cake has become a must-have seasonal food for almost every household because of its homophonic pronunciation of "year high" and its varied tastes. The styles of rice cakes include square yellow and white rice cakes, which symbolize gold and silver and convey the meaning of getting rich in the new year.

The taste of rice cakes varies from place to place. Beijingers like to eat red date rice cake, mince rice cake and white rice cake made from glutinous rice or yellow rice. People in Hebei like to add jujube, red beans, mung beans, etc. to rice cakes and steam them together. In northern Shanxi and Inner Mongolia and other places, it is customary to eat fried rice cakes made with yellow rice flour during the Chinese New Year. Some are also filled with bean paste, date paste and other fillings. Shandong people steam rice cakes with yellow rice and red dates. Northern rice cakes are mainly sweet and can be steamed or fried. Some people even eat them dipped in sugar. The rice cakes in the south are both sweet and salty. For example, the rice cakes in Suzhou and Ningbo are made from japonica rice and have a light taste. In addition to steaming and frying, it can also be sliced ??and fried or cooked in soup. The sweet rice cake is made of glutinous rice flour with ingredients such as sugar, lard, rose, osmanthus, mint, and sujiang. It is carefully made and can be steamed directly or dipped in egg white and fried.

The night before the actual Chinese New Year is called Reunion Eve. People who have traveled far away from home have to rush home thousands of miles away. The whole family will sit together to make dumplings for the New Year. The dumplings are made by mixing the dough first. Make dumpling skins, and then use the skins to wrap the fillings. The content of the fillings can be varied, including various meats, eggs, seafood, seasonal vegetables, etc. The orthodox way to eat dumplings is to boil them with water, scoop them out and season with Eat with soy sauce of vinegar, minced garlic, and sesame oil as condiments. There are also ways to eat fried dumplings and baked dumplings (pot stickers). Because the word "和" in noodles means "合"; the characters "dumpling" and "Jiao" in dumplings are homophones, and "合" and "Jiao" also mean getting together, so dumplings are used to symbolize reunion and joy; and they are also used to symbolize reunion. The meaning of Jiaozi is very auspicious; in addition, because dumplings resemble ingots in shape, eating dumplings during the Chinese New Year also has the auspicious meaning of "bringing in wealth and treasure". The whole family gathers together to make dumplings, talk about the New Year, and have fun.