Spring Festival
Spring Festival is not only a traditional festival in China, but also one of the biggest festivals in the world.
Historical origin of Spring Festival
The origin of the Spring Festival has a long history, dating back to the ancient Chinese tribal period about 4,000 years ago.
The origin of the Spring Festival has a profound historical background, which can be traced back to the Yellow Emperor period about 4,000 years ago. According to historical records, the ancients prayed for a good harvest and drove away evil spirits through sacrificial activities, especially at the end of winter, when the farming season was slack, to welcome the new farming season.
In the pre-Qin period, each tribe and clan in China had its own specific festival activities to worship natural gods and ancestors and pray for a good harvest in the coming year. Initially, there was no unified date for the celebration of the Spring Festival. It was not until the Han Dynasty that the tradition of celebrating the first day of the first lunar month gradually formed.
Traditional customs of the Spring Festival
As history progresses, the Spring Festival has gradually evolved into a festival that combines family reunion, ancestor worship, folk entertainment, and leisure vacations. During the Spring Festival, many customs and activities not only express good wishes for the new year, but also become an important symbol of Chinese culture.
Clean the house
The dust sweeping before the Spring Festival usually takes place a few days before New Year's Eve and is called "cleaning" or "sweeping the dust". By sweeping the dust and unclean things in the house, it means getting rid of the bad luck and misfortune of the past year and welcoming the new year. For example, when sweeping the dust, you must not sweep the "corners" because "corners" symbolize wealth and luck. At the same time, old things and old debris will also be cleaned up in this process, symbolizing the abandonment of past troubles and burdens and keeping the home fresh and clean.
New Year's eve family dinner
New Year's Eve dinner is one of the most important family dinners during the Spring Festival, and it is also the most symbolic meal in the traditional customs of the Spring Festival. Usually, the New Year's Eve dinner is held on New Year's Eve. It is a time for the whole family to reunite, representing the unity and happiness of the family. The dishes of the New Year's Eve dinner are very particular, rich and full of symbolic meanings. For example, the New Year's Eve dinner must include fish (symbolizing "abundance every year"), dumplings (symbolizing wealth and reunion), and glutinous rice balls (implying reunion and happiness). These dishes are not only for the appetite, but also for the good wishes for life in the new year.
Pasting Spring Festival couplets
Spring Festival couplets are an indispensable traditional decoration for the Spring Festival. They usually consist of a pair of couplets and a horizontal scroll. The content of the couplets is mostly auspicious blessings, expressing good wishes for the new year. The custom of pasting Spring Festival couplets can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty, and the form and content of the couplets have gradually evolved to this day. The couplets often contain wishes such as "Congratulations on making a fortune", "Everything goes well", and "Great plans", which means praying for peace and success in the new year, successful career, and happy family.
Dragon and lion dances and temple fairs
Dragon and lion dances are grand folk celebrations during the Spring Festival, especially in the south and some big cities. Dragons and lions symbolize strength and good luck, and dragon and lion dances have the traditional meaning of exorcising evil spirits and bringing good luck. Temple fairs, as traditional activities during the Spring Festival, are often full of lively atmosphere. Various folk performances, folk artists' performances, special snacks, etc., make temple fairs a part of the Spring Festival celebrations.
The relationship between the legend of the beast Nian and the Spring Festival
The relationship between the legend of Nian and the Spring Festival The story of Nian has been passed down to this day, and it can be traced back to an ancient Chinese folk legend. It is said that in ancient times, there was a ferocious monster named "Nian". Every winter, it would come out of the mountains, invade villages, and devour livestock and humans. Because this monster was so scary, the ancients often regarded it as a symbol of disaster and prayed to escape its harm.
Nian has a strong seasonality, and it usually appears on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month (i.e. New Year's Eve). This annual disaster frightened the ancients, so they were determined to find ways to resist the invasion of Nian.
How to drive away the Nian beast
Setting off firecrackers
The sound of firecrackers is harsh and loud, and the ancients believed that this could scare away the Nian monster. Every New Year's Eve, villagers would start setting off firecrackers, making a loud noise to drive away the Nian monster.
Hang red decorations
Nian is afraid of red things, so on the eve of the Spring Festival, people will hang red lanterns, red spring couplets, red cloth strips, etc. at the door. These red decorations are believed to have a powerful effect of exorcising evil spirits and deter Nian.
Lighting up fires
The Nian monster is afraid of light, especially in the dark night, and fires and bright lanterns can also effectively drive it away. Therefore, the fires and fireworks during the Spring Festival are not only celebratory, but also closely linked to the traditional custom of driving away the Nian monster.
The significance of the Spring Festival
The traditional customs of the Spring Festival are a microcosm of Chinese culture, embodying people's good wishes for the New Year, their cherishment of family reunion, and their pursuit of a happy life. From sweeping the house to having a New Year's Eve dinner, from pasting Spring Festival couplets to setting off firecrackers, these activities not only fill the festival with a joyful atmosphere, but also carry a profound cultural heritage and spiritual connotation. With the development of the times, the traditional customs of the Spring Festival have surpassed the simple form of celebration and have become an important carrier of national identity and cultural inheritance.