New Year's Eve is a day that every child looks forward to. There are a lot of delicious foods on this day.
Of course, there are many things to do besides eating and having fun.
Worshiping ancestors: Worshiping ancestors is the first important event on New Year's Eve. In many places in our country, on this day, people will put rich meals at home, light incense and candles, and parents will lead their children and grandchildren to worship. In some rural areas in the north, paper money is also burned at home.
New Year's Eve dinner: The New Year's Eve dinner is also called the reunion dinner. According to Zong Mo's "Jingchu Years' Records", the custom of eating New Year's Eve dinner has been in existence at least in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Because it is winter, northerners often set up a hot pot in the middle of the dining table, so it is also called a stove.
Keeping the year old is a custom that has been recorded as early as the Western Jin Dynasty and has been passed down to this day. It is also called keeping the fire on the year and shining on the year. In some places, the most common one is called Zhaosui. At midnight, a bundle of wheat straws is lit. After it turns to ashes, the ashes are placed in a semicircle around the door of the house, which means to keep the family's luck and wealth, and everything will go well in the coming year. .
Making dumplings has always been a tradition. Dumplings must be eaten on New Year's Eve, so every household will get up early to make dumplings. Among the many dumplings, only a few are made with peanuts or other nuts. Who eats them? Dumplings like this herald good luck in the new year and are auspicious.
New Year's money: The ancients were very particular about New Year's money. The copper coins used should be large coins, new coins, and then strung into various shapes with red rope. Some wear hundreds of copper coins, which means "long life"; some wear them in auspicious shapes such as carp, wishful thinking, dragon shape, etc., which means "money dragon" and "money surplus", in order to bring good fortune. Good luck and good luck.
Posting Spring Couplets: Spring couplets, also called "door pairs", "spring posts", "couples" and "couples", are a type of couplets and a unique literary form. The earliest Spring Festival couplets in the world, "Three Yangs began to be laid out, and the Four Seasons began to bloom" were recorded in the Dunhuang suicide note unearthed from the Sutra Cave of Mogao Grottoes. The couplet was written by Liu Qiuzi of the Tang Dynasty, and was written in the 11th year of Kaiyuan (723). )
You may not understand why cleaning is included in all festivals? This time it is really different. This cleaning is at the end of the year, before the New Year. It is intended to remove the old and replace the old with the new. For people, cleaning is also It means getting rid of bad luck and welcoming blessings. In addition, according to legend, the God of Wealth likes clean and tidy homes the most, so naturally everyone will rush to be the first to pick up the rag and not miss every corner.
Lighting lanterns is also for the sake of celebration. On New Year's Eve, red lanterns are hung in front of the house, and during the Spring Festival, they are kept lit all night. From the New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, lights cannot be turned off, which means longevity and continuous incense. (The above data comes from Baidu. There is still a big difference between the author's side and the north.)
Of course, worshiping ancestors is something that generally girls are not allowed to do, especially children who are not yet in their prime.
Boys can worship their ancestors as long as they are 7 years old or older.
Generally speaking, ancestor worship means offering a year's harvest to the ancestors, talking about the things of the year, talking about expectations for the coming year, and wishing the ancestors a happy life.
The most important thing is to pray for a good harvest, good weather, and no disasters in the coming year. Of course, every farmer has this wish. After all, even though she is a scholar, farmer, or merchant, no matter how high her status as a farmer is, it cannot change the fact that she has to farm, and the income is not high, and her social status will still be low.
