What are the traditional cultural etiquettes of the Chinese Spring Festival? I want to teach children.

China’s Spring Festival is a festival with the most cultural connotation and traditional charm, as well as the most cohesive festival. Although with the progress of society and the acceleration of the pace of life, this festival has gradually lost its importance in cities. The original charm has been lost, but in rural areas, the culture that has lasted for thousands of years still shows its vitality. There is the tranquility of a small mountain village, the thickness of the loess soil, the mysterious and warm atmosphere of the Spring Festival, the solemn etiquette and the strong and honest human touch. People living in cities are drifting in society like duckweeds with broken roots, so people always have an urge to find their roots.

China’s Spring Festival gives people a feeling that is too strong to dissolve, a kind of honest flavor that has been brewed over the years. This is the "root of culture" that gives birth to us. The Spring Festival is integrated into the artistic conception and symbol of a culture, and assumes a cultural function: First, it is to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, tie a knot in life, and separate the past and the future; second, it is to offer sacrifices, remember the virtues of ancestors, and inherit The aspirations of ancestors integrate the world and all things, and pray for happiness in life; the third is the ritual exchanges between clans, arrange the order of life, connect family members from generation to generation, find personal position, and shoulder social responsibilities; the fourth is folk entertainment, expand social exchanges, spread traditional culture, and vent Waves of emotion, savor the joy of life.

The Spring Festival has become the carrier of Chinese traditional culture, passed down from generation to generation, and deposited heavy gold-bearing mineral deposits. Wang Anshi of the Song Dynasty once wrote a poem "Yuan Ri": "The sound of firecrackers eliminates the year, and the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu. Thousands of households always replace old talismans with new peaches." The essence of culture has not changed for thousands of years. of.

1. Pasting Spring Festival couplets and door gods

Spring couplets originated from Taofu. "Peach charms" are rectangular peach boards hung on both sides of the gate in the Zhou Dynasty. According to "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Etiquette", the peach charm is six inches long and three inches wide, and the two gods "Shen Tu" and "Yulei" are written on the peach board. On the first day of the first lunar month, a peach charm is made and placed in the household. It is called a fairy tree and is feared by all ghosts. Therefore, the Qing Dynasty's "Yanjing Shisui Ji" said: "Spring couplets are peach charms." During the Five Dynasties, in the court of Western Shu, someone wrote couplets on peach charms. According to the "History of the Song Dynasty: Shu Family": "Meng Chang, the Lord of Later Shu, ordered Zhang Xun, a scholar, to inscribe a mahogany board. Since he was not a craftsman, he wrote the inscription in his own Mingbi: "New Year's greetings are celebrated, and the festival is called Changchun." This is my country's first Deputy Spring Festival couplets. Until the Song Dynasty, Spring Festival couplets were still called "Taofu". There is a line in Wang Anshi's poem that says, "Thousands of households are always replacing old talismans with new peaches." In the Song Dynasty, the peach charms were changed from peach wood boards to paper, called "spring stickers".

2. Posting New Year pictures

During the New Year, in addition to pasting Spring Festival couplets and cutting window grilles, people also like to hang New Year pictures in the living room and bedroom. The New Year paintings add a joyful festive atmosphere to every household.

3. New Year greetings

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

In ancient times, the original meaning of the word "New Year's greetings" was to congratulate the elders on the New Year, including kowtowing to the elders, giving greetings, 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.

4. Set off firecrackers

In ancient times, people used fire to burn bamboos during the New Year, and they exploded to make sounds to drive away ghosts. This is where the name "firecrackers" came from. "Records of the Years of Jingchu" says: "On the first day of the first lunar month, the rooster crows and firecrackers are fired in front of the court to ward off evil spirits." Later, due to the evolution of society and folk customs, the firecrackers underwent two major changes: First, after the invention of gunpowder, burning bamboo developed into using paper tubes filled with gunpowder to detonate. After the explosion, the sound was loud, paper scraps flew, and the smell of gunpowder overflowed. Therefore, firecrackers were also called "firecrackers." Later, people used hemp stems to weave firecrackers into strings and set them off, which was called "weaving firecrackers." Because the sound is as clear and crisp as a whip, it is also called "firecracker". On the basis of "firecrackers", various fireworks and even fireworks appeared. Second, the function of firecrackers has been completely transformed from warding off evil spirits and expelling ghosts to bringing auspiciousness, liveliness, celebration and joy to the festival. Wang Anshi's poem said: "The sound of firecrackers eliminates the new year, and the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu." Therefore, in the past, people believed that it was not a New Year if they did not set off firecrackers and drink alcohol.

5. Sweeping the dust

Sweeping the dust is the year-end cleaning. It is called "house sweeping" in the north and "dust dusting" in the south. Sweeping dust before the Spring Festival is a traditional habit of our people. 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.

From north to south, everywhere is filled with the atmosphere of joyful hygiene and cleanliness to welcome the New Year.

6. New Year's money

New Year's money has a long history. In ancient times, it was called "Weisheng Qian", "Ya Chong Qian", "New Year's Money", etc. In the coin series, it is classified as For spending money. As early as the Han Dynasty, New Year's money has appeared in my country, mostly with round holes and round square holes. Most of the money has auspicious words on the front, such as "to remove disaster and eliminate evil". "Fushan and Longevity", "Longevity and Wealth", "Strengthen the Body", etc. Some have money characters on the front and auspicious patterns on the back, such as "Big Dipper", "Turtle and Snake", "Tiger", "Bagua", "Zodiac" and other patterns.

7. Sacrifice to the stove

Sacrifice to the stove is a custom that has great influence among Chinese people and is widely spread. In the old days, almost every kitchen had a "Kitchen Lord" statue in the kitchen. People call this god "Si Ming Bodhisattva" or "Zao Lord Siming". Legend has it that he is the "Jiutian East Chef Si Ming Zao Wangfu Lord" conferred by the Jade Emperor. He is responsible for managing the kitchen fires of each family and is regarded as the protector of the family. worship. Most of the Kitchen King's niches are located on the north or east side of the kitchen room, with the statue of the Kitchen King in the middle. Some people who don't have a niche for the Kitchen King stick the statue of the god directly on the wall. Some statues only depict the Kitchen God alone, while others include two men and women. The goddess is called "Grandma Kitchen God". This is probably an imitation of the image of a human couple. Most of the statues of the Kitchen God also have a calendar for that year printed on them, with words such as "Master of the East Chef", "God of Human Supervision", "Head of the Family", etc., to indicate the status of the Kitchen God. The couplets "God says good things, and the lower realms keep you safe" are pasted on both sides to bless the whole family.

8. Worshiping Ancestors

Chinese people never forget their dead ancestors during festivals, and the Spring Festival is no exception. Offering food or flowers to express our feelings is a commonly used ritual. The form of ancestor worship may differ depending on religious beliefs, but the meaning of commemorating ancestors is the same.

9. Eating New Year’s Eve dinner

Eating New Year’s Eve dinner is the most lively and enjoyable time for every household during the Spring Festival. On New Year’s Eve, the table is filled with sumptuous New Year’s dishes. The whole family is reunited, sitting around the table and enjoying the reunion dinner. The sense of fulfillment in my heart is really indescribable. People not only enjoy the table full of delicacies, but also enjoy the happy atmosphere. There are big dishes, cold dishes, hot stir-fries, and snacks on the table. Generally, two things are indispensable, one is hot pot and the other is fish. The hot pot is boiling, steaming, warm and sultry, indicating that it is prosperous; "fish" and "yu" are homophonic, symbolizing "abundance in auspicious celebrations" and "abundance every year". There are also radish, commonly known as cabbage, which is used to wish good luck; fried foods such as lobster and abalone are used to wish prosperity for the family, just like "fire cooking oil". The last part is usually a sweet dish, wishing you a sweet life in the future. On this day, even if you don’t know how to drink, you can drink a little. In ancient times, when drinking during the New Year, great attention was paid to the quality of the wine. Some wines are no longer available now, leaving only many touching wine names, such as "Grape Fermented Fermented Rice", "Lanwei Wine", "Yichun Wine", "Plum Blossom Wine", " "Peach Blossom Wine", "Tusu Wine" and so on.

10. Making Dumplings

Dumplings have a history of more than a thousand years and have been called Lao Wan, Shui Jiao, Wonton, Dumpling, etc. in the past dynasties. What did they call dumplings later? The original name of dumplings is "Jiao", "Fan Jiao" refers to the Jiao made of flour, and "Shui Jiao" refers to the Jiao cooked in water. Because northerners pronounce "Jiao" and "Jiao" similarly, they later called it "Jiao". . According to the book "Guang Ya" written during the Three Kingdoms period: "Wonton, shaped like a crescent moon, is a popular food in the world." This wonton is a dumpling, and Yanyue is a half-moon shape. "Youyang Zazu" of the Tang Dynasty has described "Long Shang Lao Wan Steamed Dumplings" and "Tang Zhong Lao Wan Steamed Dumplings".

Dumplings in today’s prosperous times are even more colorful. In terms of fillings, there are hundreds of kinds such as minced chicken, fresh shrimps, assorted vegetables, and three delicacies; in terms of cooking methods, there are various methods such as soup boiling, cage steaming, pot pot, pot stickers, etc., and products such as quick-frozen dumplings and ready-to-eat dumplings are also available. There are many. Dumpling restaurants are also springing up all over China. Hongxinglou Restaurant, one of the "Eight Buildings" in Beijing, can shape 25 small dumplings from one or two sides, each with its own flavor. The dumpling banquet at Tangcheng Dumpling House in Xi'an is famous at home and abroad. It is said that some foreigners complain of bloating while eating and try their best to stuff it into their mouths. "Laobian Dumpling House" in Shenyang is famous for its steamed dumplings and dumplings cooked in soy chicken soup. Tianjin’s halal “Baiji Dumpling House” and Taiyuan’s “Jiyili Dumpling House” are also famous for their top-quality dumplings, making passers-by salivate and become popular. In Guangdong Cantonese cuisine, steamed shrimp dumplings have a tendency to catch up with others, and people from the north are flocking to it when they go south.

In addition, during the Spring Festival, there are also customs such as steaming rice cakes, pasting the word "福" upside down, staying up late on the New Year's Eve, welcoming the Spring Festival, and returning to one's parents' home.