Small year, near reunion, sweeping dust festival stove to welcome the new year!

According to the Cultural Tourism Liaocheng:

The small year, which usually refers to the day of sweeping dust and offering sacrifices, is regarded as the beginning of a "busy year". Due to the different customs in the north and south, the days called "Little Year" are also different. The twenty-third day of the Waxing Moon is commonly known as the "Little Year" in the north, and the twenty-fourth waxing moon in the south, and some regions call the night before the Chinese New Year's Eve the Small Year. How much do you know about the origin and customs of the little year? Let's take a look at it with Xiaobian

The origin of the small year

There are many legends about the origin of the small year, the most widely circulated of which is the legend of the commoner Zhang Sheng. Legend has it that the prince of The Stove was originally a commoner Zhang Sheng, and after marrying his wife, he spent all day drinking wine, and lost his family business and fell to begging on the street. One day, he begged to the house of his ex-wife Guo Dingxiang, ashamed and embarrassed, and went under the stove and burned to death.

After the Jade Emperor knew, he thought that Zhang Sheng could change his mind and not be bad to the end, since he died at the bottom of the pot, he was named the king of the stove, and every year on the twenty-third and twenty-fourth days of the waxing moon, he reported to heaven, and Chinese New Year's Eve returned to the bottom of the stove, so the people felt that the king of the stove must be respected, so the folk had the saying that the sacrifice stove of the twenty-third and twenty-fourth months of the waxing moon was "small year" and prayed for peace and fortune in the coming year.

The custom of the small year

Sweep the dust

This custom dates back more than 3,000 years as a religious ritual to drive away demons and pray for well-being. After the harmonic sound of "dust" and "chen", sweeping dust also means to sweep away the old things, which refers to the old dirt in the courtyard and the unhappiness encountered in the old age.

Cut the window flowers

Cut-and-paste window flowers are one of the most popular folk activities in the New Year, it has a long history and unique style, and is deeply loved by people at home and abroad. The style of the window flower generally has a better meaning, such as lion rolling hydrangea ball, three sheep (yang) Kaitai, lotus (lian) year fish (yu), Mandarin duck playing in the water and so on.

bathe

Adults and children are required to take a bath and get a haircut. There is a saying in the folk that "there is no money, shave your head for the New Year".

Sacrifice to the king of the stove and eat sugar melon

"Twenty-three, stove to heaven". On the day of the Little Year, the most important custom is to send the Stove King to heaven, the method is to burn the portrait of the Stove King, in order to let the Stove King say a few words in front of the Jade Emperor, he seals his mouth with maltose and buys his heart with wine. "Twenty-three, sugar melon sticky" came from this, which later evolved into the custom of eating sugar, which is still preserved.

Winter Tibet turns into spring, small year small reunion! Xiaobian wishes everyone a happy new year, all the best, and a family reunion!

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