Written on the front
The Spring Festival is a very important traditional festival in China, symbolizing reunion and new beginnings. The Spring Festival customs are rich and colorful, such as pasting Spring Festival couplets, setting off firecrackers, New Year's greetings, etc. Sticking Spring Festival couplets means blessings and auspiciousness, and the sound of firecrackers can drive away evil spirits and avoid evil. New Year's greetings are exchanged between relatives and friends to express New Year's wishes.
In addition, there are unique customs such as eating reunion dinners, making dumplings, and giving red envelopes. These traditional customs not only enrich the cultural connotation of the Spring Festival, but also convey people's good wishes for the new year.
In the custom of New Year's greetings, giving red envelopes is a profound tradition. Red envelopes, also known as New Year's money, symbolize blessings and good luck. The elders give red envelopes to the younger ones, symbolizing the good wishes and good luck of the New Year to them, wishing them health, peace and success in the new year.
Of course, in addition to the above Spring Festival customs, there are also some unique customs in various provinces and cities, which reflect the folk inheritance of traditional culture.
Northeast chapter
In the Northeast, people will wear red underwear and underwear, saying that it is to "ward off evil spirits", indicating good luck in the coming year.
In addition, when making dumplings, a coin is placed in them, and whoever eats the dumplings with the coin will have good luck in the coming year.
In addition to the common characters and dumplings that are common to northerners, there are also unique folk activities in winter such as ice lantern gardens and ice and snow sculpture art exhibitions in the Northeast.
Among them, Harbin Ice and Snow World is an ice and snow theme park full of magic and romance, which attracts thousands of tourists every year.
Beijing
The distinctive custom of the Chinese New Year in old Beijing is the temple fair. Visiting temple fairs is an important way for Beijingers to celebrate the Spring Festival. For example, the Changdian temple fair, which people are more familiar with, began in the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty and flourished in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty.
On Chinese New Year's Eve, red lanterns are hung in front of every house, symbolizing light and hope.
Shandong
In Shandong, dumplings must be eaten during the New Year, because the shape of dumplings is like ingots, which means "attracting wealth and entering treasure". Dumplings must be eaten at the first meal of the Spring Festival.
The firewood used to cook dumplings is sesame straw, which heralds the new year, just like the sesame seeds bloom and become more and more red as the days pass.
Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai
In Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, during the Chinese New Year, people generally put on new clothes and go door-to-door to greet their elders and wish them good health, which is similar to local customs.
Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai regions ushered in the day of the stove sacrifice on the 24th day of the lunar month, and since this day, Shanghai people have taken "sending the stove" as the starting point to officially kick off the preparation and celebration of the Spring Festival. In Shanghai, everyone will also fly kites and visit the City God Temple.
In Jiangsu, on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the younger generation of the family will bow to the elders to express respect for the elders and wish for the New Year, and then receive the New Year's money.
Hubei chapter
The dragon and lion dance in Hubei is full of joyful local characteristics and festive atmosphere, colorful dragon and lion dance in the streets and alleys, and the vigorous and powerful posture conveys people's ardent expectations for the new year, hoping to drive away evil spirits and avoid evil, and pray for good luck.
Hubei rice cakes are rich in profound folk meanings and life emotions, and the glutinous rice cakes made by each family imply a bumper harvest and a sweet life in the coming year.
Guangxi chapter
In the Zhuang area of Guangxi, during the Spring Festival, activities with ethnic characteristics such as "song bazaars" or flower grabbing are usually held. The unique feature of Zhuang folk songs is the singing form of duet, which is called "song market".
Cantonese chapter
Cantonese pastries are very famous. Many families often buy pastries such as egg dumplings, oil horns, fried dumplings, fried rice crackers, etc. In Guangzhou, after Chinese New Year's Eve had a Chinese New Year's Eve meal, the family began to happily go out to visit the flower street.
Fujian chapter
Fujian puppet shows, Hong Kong float parades, and Macao fireworks displays are all very local Spring Festival celebrations.
The intangible cultural heritage puppet show in ancient Quanzhou, commonly known as puppet show, has a long history, since the Ming and Qing dynasties, and has endured for a long time.
Henan chapter
Henan people like to fry fried buns and eat braised noodles. On the occasion of the Chinese New Year, every household will make big buns. The process of making the steamed bun involves kneading the fermented dough into a round shape, which is about three times the size of the usual steamed bun.
In addition, two leaves are carefully made on top of the bun and delicately garnished with red dates.
Chongqing
In Chongqing, during the Spring Festival, plum blossoms bloom in the streets and alleys, and the fragrance is overflowing. When it comes to Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, an indispensable delicacy for Chongqing people is tangyuan.
People who are studying usually eat three grains, symbolizing the "three steps to Dengke", which means academic progress and rising step by step, while office workers generally eat four grains, which means that the four seasons are safe and the career is smooth.
Shaanxi Shanxi chapter
In Shaanxi, people welcome the New Year with gongs and drums, as well as traditional performances of dragon and lion dances. On the 23rd day of the lunar month, the god of the stove is sacrificed to pray for a bumper harvest of grains in the coming year.
In Shanxi and Shaanxi, there are many Chinese New Year customs, including steaming different forms of flower buns, hanging door gods, beating vinegar altars, and lighting fires.
Flower buns come in a variety of forms, some of which are cleverly shaped into animal figures, implying the prosperity of six animals and a bumper harvest of grains in the coming year. The lighting of the fire symbolizes prosperity and prosperity, and also has the implication of driving away evil spirits and avoiding disasters.
Gansu chapter
In the rural area of Yuzhong, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, during the Chinese New Year, people watched the lively and jubilant social fire performance, and everyone warmly celebrated the upcoming Spring Festival in this festive way.
The women of the village put on heroic costumes, carried the majestic Taiping drum, and with the sound of the drum, they changed their formation, sometimes presenting the auspicious scene of "Three Sheep Kaitai", and sometimes simulating the majestic momentum of "Yellow River Torrent".
Tibet
Tibetan residents in Lhasa begin to hang brand-new prayer flags high on the roofs of their houses at the first rays of the morning sun. In this way, they sincerely pray for a good harvest and good luck in the new year, and may the blessings of the gods and the gifts of nature come to the land.
Write on the back
The Chinese New Year customs are different in each region, and you are welcome to leave a message and share the unique Spring Festival customs in your hometown.
A selection of Miao Dad's previous articles
Dong Yuhui interviewed Andy Lau Ning Hao, sold out 600,000 tickets in 8 minutes, and made a wonderful summary again
The wisdom of life of 40 ancient and modern sages, the supreme realm of self-cultivation and helping the world, and listening to the voices of the sages
Dong Yuhui and Hui made their live broadcast debut, 3 details were touching, and 2 eulogies were outstanding
Top 10 ancient Chinese articles, you must memorize 10 ancient and strange texts in your life, who can be ranked first?
Dong Yuhui's 3 stages of English counterattack, what is 7 steps to memorize calligraphy?