After reading some of the answers above, I felt that none of them were comprehensive enough. I also searched for a good webpage with a very detailed introduction, including "The Origin of the Spring Festival" and "The Legend of the Spring Festival". ", "The Legend of the Year" and so on. You can take a look below for yourself and hope you return satisfied.

The origin of the Spring Festival

Author: Anonymous Source of article: Original number of hits on this site: 1575 Update time: 2005-9-12

The origin of the Spring Festival (1 )

Legend has it that many, many years ago, there was a small village at the foot of Dingyang Mountain with beautiful mountains and green waters. On the hillside at the head of the village, there is a small stone house where a young man named Wannian lives. He comes from a poor family and makes a living by collecting firewood and digging medicine. The season was very chaotic at that time, making it impossible for farmers to farm. Wannian is a scheming young man who wants to set the seasons accurately, but he doesn't know where to start.

One day, Wan Nian went up the mountain to collect firewood and sat under a tree to rest. The movement of the tree shadows inspired him, so he made a sundial to measure the shadow of the sun and calculate the length of the day. However, the sky was cloudy, foggy and rainy, which affected the measurements. He just wanted to make another timekeeping device to make up for the shortcomings of the sundial. That day, he went up the mountain to dig medicine and came to the spring to drink water. The rhythmic ticking of the spring water on the cliff caught his attention. He looked at the spring water in a trance. After thinking for a while, I returned home, drew a picture, tried it out, and finally made a five-layer clepsydra. From then on, he measured the shadow of the sun and looked for water leaks, working diligently. Slowly, he discovered that every three hundred and sixty days, the length of the day would repeat itself from the beginning. The shortest day is on the winter solstice.

The emperor at that time was called Zu Yi. The disorder made him anxious. Then he summoned all the officials. The troubles caused by the irregularity of the imperial meeting and the festival. The seasonal officer named A Heng didn't know the laws of the sun and moon, so he said that people were careless and offended the gods. Only by kneeling down and offering sacrifices sincerely can we obtain God's forgiveness. Zu Yi took a vegetarian bath. He led hundreds of officials to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices, and told the whole country to set up a platform to offer sacrifices to Heaven.

But the sacrifices came and went without any results, and the seasons were still in chaos; the people everywhere had to serve and donate in order to build the altar, which was really bile. Adding to the suffering. Wannian couldn't bear it anymore. He brought his sundial and clepsydra to meet the emperor.

Wannian met with the emperor and talked about the winter solstice and the cycles of the sun and the moon. After hearing this, Zu Yi was overjoyed and immediately ordered a large-scale construction project to build the Sun and Moon Pavilion, the sundial platform and the Leaky Pot Pavilion in front of the Temple of Heaven. Twelve more boys were assigned to serve him for ten thousand years. Wan Nian asked six boys to keep the sundial and six boys to keep the clepsydra, record carefully and report on time.

One day, Zu Yi asked A Heng to go to the Riyue Pavilion to inquire about the calendar making situation. Wan Nian pointed to the cursive calendar and said: "The sun rises and sets three hundred and six times, and the cycle starts from the beginning again. The withered grass and trees are divided into four o'clock. Years are twelve rounds long." When A Heng heard this, he felt it was right, but felt uneasy in his heart. He thought to himself: If Ten Thousand Years had set the seasons correctly, and the emperor would have been happy and used Wan Nian again, who would still listen to me, A Heng? Ah Heng thought and thought, wanting to get rid of Wan Nian.

That day, A Heng found out about a sharp customer who was good at shooting, so he sent someone to invite him to his home, held a banquet, explained the reason, and promised to treat him with great courtesy. The assassin promised to carry out the assassination that night. The assassin took advantage of the drunkenness to leave Ah Heng and ran towards the Sun and Moon Pavilion. Unexpectedly, there were guards guarding the Sun and Moon Pavilion around the Temple of Heaven. Assassins could not get close, so they drew their bows and arrows and shot at Wan Nian, who was watching the stars on the Sun and Moon Pavilion. Unexpectedly, the assassin drank too much and his eyes were dizzy. The arrow only hit Wan Nian's arm. Wannian fell to the ground with an ouch, and all the boys cried out to catch the thief. When the guards heard the cry, they mobilized to catch the assassin and bring him to the emperor.

Zu Yi asked for the truth, sent an order to put A Heng in prison, and immediately left the palace and climbed to the Sun and Moon Pavilion to visit Wannian. Wan Nian was very moved. He pointed at Shen Xing and said: "Shen Xing has caught up with the Silkworm Star, and the stars have recovered. At the end of the night, the old year is over and spring has begun again. I hope the emperor will set a festival."

Zu Yi said: "Spring is the beginning of the year, so let's call it the Spring Festival. Aiqing entered the palace and stayed there for three years. She worked hard and worked hard to create the lunar calendar based on the full moon. It is really a great achievement. Now Aiqing If you are plotted by a traitor, please follow me to the palace to recuperate."

Wannian said: "Although the lunar calendar is crude, it is not very accurate. There is still a little time left at the end of the year. At the end of the day, the sun and the moon are like a shuttle, and the calendar will be wrong again. I live up to the expectations of all living beings, and I am deeply favored by the emperor. I am willing to break my heart and calculate carefully to make the grass calendar accurate."

< p>In this way, for thousands of years in the Sun and Moon Pavilion, I carefully observed the growth and decline of the plants, wheat, and bean sprouts, carefully calculated, and incorporated the accumulated sun and moon at the end of the year.

In May of that year, Zu Yi went to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices to the gods. Then he climbed up to the Sun and Moon Pavilion and gave the fresh peaches in May to Wan Nian. Wannian presented the lunar calendar. Zu Yi looked at Wannian who worked day and night, his eyebrows and beard became white. He was deeply moved, so he named the lunar calendar Wannian calendar, and named Wannian as the sun, moon and longevity star. Therefore, later people also called the Spring Festival the New Year. During the New Year, a picture of the longevity star was hung in the house to symbolize longevity in the new year and to commemorate the ten thousand years of great merit and virtue.

The origin of the Spring Festival (2)

Among the people in Guanzhong, Shaanxi, there are magical legends about the Spring Festival.

Legend has it that in order to govern the human world, the Jade Emperor sent Maitreya Buddha from the Heavenly Palace down to earth. Tathagata Buddha found out about this, and he thought, I am the Lord Buddha, why don't you let me go? So, he went to the Jade Emperor to reason. After hearing this, the Jade Emperor was speechless and had to say: "Let's discuss it before we discuss it." Taking advantage of the discussion, the Jade Emperor thought of a way out of the siege.

He invited Maitreya Buddha and Tathagata Buddha, placed two pots of flowers in front of the two Buddhas, and said: "Each of you will take care of one of these two pots of flowers. Whoever's flower blooms first will go down to earth to manage it." The Tathagata Buddha has a keen mind and a lot of ideas. He knew that the Jade Emperor must be biased towards Maitreya Buddha, because he guessed that the Jade Emperor was afraid that he would not accept what he said, so he used flowers as an excuse to do this. For these two pots of flowers in front of me, I am afraid that the Jade Emperor has secretly made arrangements, so he also came up with a little plan. He took the opportunity of Maitreya Buddha to close his eyes and thank him, and quietly changed the positions of the two pots of flowers. The next day, the flowers of Tathagata Buddha bloomed, so Maitreya Buddha only stayed in the human world for one day, which was the first day of the first lunar month. It is said that Maitreya Buddha is kind-hearted. He asked people to eat well, wear clothes and sleep well on this day. Therefore, on the first day of the first lunar month, people rejoiced and spent the day happily. Later, in order to commemorate Maitreya Buddha, people called this moment of handover between the two Buddhas in early spring the "Spring Festival". Some people say that because Tathagata Buddha secretly changed flower pots and left behind the phenomenon of blindness, even now, there are still petty thefts in the world.

The origin of the Spring Festival (3)

Among the people in Fujian Province, there are wonderful legends about celebrating the New Year.

According to legend, in ancient times, there was a ferocious monster with a huge body, horn-like tentacles on its head, and round eyes. Live like two lanterns. A mouth so big that it can swallow a person in one mouthful. The name of this monster is "Nian".

It lives in a cave for years and is the overlord of the mountain. When tigers, lions, and black bears see it, they run away in fear; when goats, monkeys, and hares hear its roar, they collapse to the ground. He hunted animals in the mountains for years, and after eating, he lay down in the cave and slept. Whenever the severe cold is about to end and the new year is coming, Nian will run down the mountain and enter the village to eat people. Therefore, humans are also very afraid of it. When a child cries, as long as the mother says "it's new year", the child will be too scared to cry.

But at that time, there were two cattle herding children, one named Ashan and the other named Asui. They were good partners and both were very courageous. They often drove their cattle up the mountain to graze. The people at home said to them: "Child, there is Nian on the mountain, so you can't go!"

"Don't be afraid!" Ah Shan and Ah Shui had a plan, and said, "We carry bows and arrows, and if Nian comes When it comes, climb up the tree and shoot it to death!"

Having said that, the two of them went up the mountain several times, but Xingxi never encountered Nian. In a blink of an eye, it was the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, and it was dusk. Ah Shan and Ah Shui drove the cattle home. It was so strange that the cows mooed in panic and huddled together. What's going on?

"Hey, let's go!" Ah Shan and Ah Shui waved their bullwhips and whipped them several times. Suddenly, a strange cry of "gawa" was heard, and a monster was so frightened that it ran towards the road in front of the village.

Ashan said: "Ashui, look, it's a Nian that ran away!"

"It's really weird, Nian is a ferocious beast, why did he get so scared when he saw us that he ran away? ." Ah Shui felt very strange.

"Well," Ah Shan said decisively, "let's go after it and have a look."

The two little shepherd boys were so bold. They kept waving their bullwhips to urge the cattle to move faster. The crackle of the bullwhip made Nian run away faster. "Oh, that's right!" Ah Shan suddenly realized, "Turns out Nian is afraid of the sound of the bullwhip!"

Ashan and Ah Shui drove the cattle into the village and saw Nian rushing to Eunuch Wu's house from a distance. A bright red dress was hanging in front of Eunuch Wu's house. Nian was so frightened that he turned around and ran towards the back of the village.

There is also a village over there. At this time, night fell, and Nianyi saw lights flashing brightly in the windows of every house, which made him dizzy, and he turned around and ran away. At this time, Ah Shan and Ah Shui had already driven the cattle into the shed and chased after them.

They deliberately swung their whips so loudly that Nian screamed in horror and ran up the mountain.

Ah Shan and Ah Shui saw all this clearly. When they returned to the village, they said to the villagers: "It turns out that the New Year is afraid of noise, red, and fire. We know its weaknesses. From now on, You can resist it."

After hearing this, the villagers quickly came up with a good idea. Everyone lit a bonfire in front of the village. Ah Shan and Ah Shui threw in bamboos one by one, and the fire made a crackling sound. A few years ran down the mountain. When I saw the bonfire and heard the noise, I ran back again. In this way, the night passed, and the villagers were safe and sound. The next day, on the first day of the first lunar month, the villagers took out tangerines, peanuts and other delicious things to eat together and congratulated each other: "Congratulations!"

From then on, people called the first day of the first lunar month "New Year" . Whenever this day comes, every household puts up red Spring Festival couplets, sets off firecrackers, lights red candles, and wears red clothes, using "red" as a symbol of good luck. It is said that these customs gradually evolved from the methods used to resist the "year" in those days.

The origin of the Spring Festival (4)

In the folk areas of Handan, Hebei Province, there are myths and stories about the Spring Festival.

The Spring Festival, commonly known as the New Year, is a traditional folk festival that people value. People celebrate the Spring Festival by posting couplets, and the horizontal couplets often write the four words "the time of summer". The Chinese lunar calendar started from the Xia Dynasty, so it is also called the Xia calendar.

Legend has it that when King Xia ruled the world, the weather was smooth, the country was peaceful and the people were safe, people had enough food and clothing, lived and worked in peace and contentment, and their lives were wonderful! But later, no matter how many years passed or which dynasty it was, the world became chaotic. Sometimes it is dry, sometimes it is flooded, sometimes it is windy, sometimes it rains heavily. Some people became poor, some became rich, some became rich, and some became slaves.

At that time, there was a wealthy family in the village who employed several Mihan (long-term workers). One day, after dinner, people worshiped the Kitchen God. When Xiao Mihan saw it, he knelt quietly in front of the Stove Lord and prayed: "The Stove Lord appears. Don't let it clear when it's overcast. Don't let it shine when it's dark. Don't let it kill you if you get sick." I don't want to, This happened to be heard by the rich man. After Xiao Mihan left, the rich man also knelt in front of the Kitchen King and prayed: "The Kitchen King shows his spirit. When it is overcast, it will be dark, and when it is dark, it will be bright. If you want to be sick, let him get sick in his free time. When he is busy, he will make a living. ."

At that time, the Kitchen God was taking a nap. I didn't hear it clearly; I vaguely remembered the words "yin, sunny, rain, wind, sickness, pain..." and kept them in my mind.

As we speak, a year has passed. On the night of the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, all the gods and goddesses will go to heaven to pay homage to the Jade Emperor. Of course, the Kitchen God will also go. He went earlier than anyone else because he was always thinking about the rich man and Xiao Mihan praying. After meeting the Jade Emperor, he said without saying a word: "Your Majesty the Jade Emperor, the little god has something to report. At present, the yin and yang in the world are out of order, and the wind and rain are causing disasters. People cannot survive. A great god should be sent to deal with it as soon as possible..."< /p>

When the Jade Emperor heard this, he couldn't help being surprised: "Is this true?" , to manage the people’s food, clothing, housing and transportation. After the imperial edict, all the gods looked at me and I looked at you, but no one was willing to accept the edict.

This time. Suddenly I heard a cry from outside the Nantian Gate: "Gods, step back, I will do this job!" When I looked up, I saw a bald-headed, chubby gentleman with a big belly, squinting eyes, and laughing. God - Maitreya Buddha. This Maitreya Buddha is broad-minded and generous. He felt bored watching the scenery outside Nantianmen all day long. He wanted to do something good for people, so he took the initiative to take on this important task.

But it is said that when Maitreya Buddha came to the world, the first thing he did was to let people live a happy New Year, with good food, good clothes, and no work. Therefore, people followed his wishes and organized New Year's goods at every market, and they were really busy. Maitreya Buddha also specifically stipulates: twenty-four, clean the house; twenty-five, grind tofu; twenty-six, steam buns; twenty-seven, buy things; twenty-eight, kill the pig; twenty-nine, make rice wine; three 10. Eat flat food…………. At the same time, all the gods and goddesses must be invited, and all preparations must be made. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, which is the first day of the New Year, every family will wake up, set off firecrackers, dress up, congratulate each other, and eat, drink and have fun. At the same time, we have to visit relatives and friends, visit the graves of ancestors...

In this way, the world will really be peaceful. The Jade Emperor parted the clouds and looked down at the world. He saw a scene of joy, and he was naturally happy in his heart. A few more days passed like this, and on the fifth day of the lunar month, at dawn, there was a sudden noise.

It turned out to be Jiang Taigong's wife (people called her the God of Dirty, who was responsible for the huts and dung), and she was quarreling with the fat-bellied Maitreya Buddha.

It turns out that on New Year’s Eve, when people invite gods, they forget about the dirty gods. She couldn't get angry, so she went to make trouble with Maitreya Buddha. Maitreya Buddha was smiling all over his face, but he didn't answer. This dirty spirit was so angry that he beat his chest and stamped his feet, and his orifices were filled with smoke. Seeing that the matter was about to get serious, Maitreya Buddha said: "Let's do it! Today is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, let people fire a few more cannons for you, make dumplings once, and spend money once!" - This is the origin of "Powu" .

Unexpectedly, these cannons were heard in the Heavenly Palace, where the Jade Emperor was playing chess. When he heard the cannons, he thought something had happened in the world. Then he sent the God of Wealth to the human world to observe. The God of Wealth is the God in charge of gold and silver in heaven. When he came to the human world, he saw that there were fragrant foils everywhere. He was so happy that he forgot to go back.

The Jade Emperor also sent Cangguan down to earth. Cangguan is the god who specializes in warehouses. He saw that every house was piled with steamed buns to offer incense, and he didn't want to die.

The Jade Emperor sent several more gods to earth, but still no response. With that said, half a month has passed and the Jade Emperor's chess game has been finished. He suddenly remembered that the gods he sent had not returned, so he went to the human world to check it out in person. When he saw people dressed in brand new clothes, eating rice, white flour and meat and vegetables, and doing no work, he was very angry. He summoned Maitreya Buddha and shouted: "I asked you to take charge of all the affairs of the people. Who told you to do all the work?" Letting people eat well and wear good clothes is not enough for them to live?" Maitreya Buddha said with a smile: "Your Majesty, calm down, you want me to take care of people's food, clothing, housing and transportation, but you don't ask me to let people work!" , the Jade Emperor was speechless. The Jade Emperor thought about it, and it was right. Since he had already done this, it could only happen once a year. After spring, he would have to work in the fields. Therefore, since then, the old tradition has been left, and there is a Spring Festival once a year.

After that, Maitreya Buddha could no longer return to Nantianmen. To this day, there are still statues of him in some temples. People say that Maitreya Buddha cannot be entirely blamed for this. After all, he wanted to do good things for people. Therefore, people offered him incense as usual.

According to legend, in ancient China there was a monster called "Nian", which had long tentacles on its head and was extremely ferocious. "Nian" lives deep on the bottom of the sea all year round, only climbing ashore every New Year's Eve to devour livestock and harm people. Therefore, every New Year's Eve, people in villages and villages help the old and young to flee to the mountains to avoid the harm of the "Nian" beast.

On New Year's Eve this year, people in Taohua Village were helping the elderly and young to take refuge in the mountains. An old man begging came from outside the village. He was holding a cane, a bag on his arm, a silver beard flowing, and eyes like Long star. Some of the villagers sealed the windows and locked the doors, some packed their bags, some drove the cattle and sheep, and people were shouting and neighing everywhere, creating a scene of rush and panic. At this time, who still has the heart to take care of this old man begging.

Only an old woman in the east of the village gave the old man some food and advised him to go up the mountain quickly to avoid the "Nian" beast. The old man stroked his beard and said with a smile: "If my mother-in-law lets me stay at home all night, I will definitely take care of him." The "Nian" beast drove him away.

The old woman looked closely and saw that he was a boy with fair hair and a strong spirit. However, she continued to persuade him, but the old man smiled and said nothing, so she had no choice but to leave the house. , went up the mountain to seek refuge.

In the middle of the night, the "Nian" beast broke into the village. It found that the atmosphere in the village was different from previous years: the old woman's house at the east end of the village had a big red paper on the door and the house was brightly lit. The beast trembled and screamed strangely. "Nian" glared at her mother-in-law's house for a moment, then screamed and rushed towards the door. There was a sudden "bang bang bang bang" sound in the courtyard, and "Nian" shuddered all over. I didn't dare to move forward anymore.

It turns out that "Nian" is most afraid of the color red, fire and explosions. At this time, the door of my mother-in-law's house opened, and I saw an old man wearing a red robe in the courtyard. Laughing. "Nian" was shocked and fled in panic.

The next day was the first day of the first lunar month. The people who had returned from the refuge were surprised to see that the village was safe. At this time, the old woman suddenly realized that she hurried to the villagers. Telling the story of the beggar old man's promise, the villagers rushed to the old woman's house. They saw red paper on the door of her house, a pile of unburned bamboos in the yard were still popping, and a few red candles in the house were still burning. Looking out of the corner of my eye...

To celebrate the auspicious arrival, the overjoyed villagers put on new clothes and hats one after another, and went to the homes of relatives and friends to say hello. This incident soon spread in the surrounding villages. People all know how to drive away the "Nian" beast.

From then on, every New Year's Eve, every family posted red couplets and set off firecrackers; This custom of visiting relatives and friends to say hello has become more and more popular and has become the most solemn traditional festival among Chinese people.

The Spring Festival is the beginning of the year and is commonly known as "New Year" among the people. The Lunar New Year is the most important festival of the Chinese nation for thousands of years.

In ancient times, the first day of the year was called New Year's Day, also known as Yuan Chen, Yuan Ri, Yuan Shuo, etc. Yuan refers to the beginning, and Dan refers to the morning. "Mengliang Lu" written by Wu Zimu of the Song Dynasty said that "the first day of the first lunar month is called New Year's Day, and it is commonly known as New Year. This is the first of the first year of the year." After Qin Shihuang unified China, The month of Mengdong is the first month. "Zheng" was originally pronounced as "zheng", which means upright and bright. Why do people now habitually pronounce "zheng" as "zheng"? This started when Qin Shihuang proclaimed himself emperor. Because Qin Shihuang's surname was Ying Mingzheng, the two pronunciations of "zheng" and "zheng" were the same. To avoid taboos, he ordered the whole country to pronounce "zheng" in the first month as "zheng". From then on, people no longer called it "the first month", but pronounced it as "the full moon". After you become familiar with it, it will be passed down to future generations. By the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Sima Qian compiled the "Solar Calendar" based on the lunar calendar, and fixed the month of Mengchun, the first month of the year, as the first month. From the Han Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, the calendar of the Xia Dynasty was always used. Therefore, people still call the lunar calendar the summer calendar, and also call it the lunar calendar or the old calendar. In 1911, the Revolution of 1911 overthrew the rule of the Qing Dynasty and abolished the lunar calendar. China began to adopt the Gregorian calendar. January 1st of the Gregorian calendar is regarded as New Year's Day every year. In order to distinguish between the lunar calendar and the solar calendar, people only call the first day of the first lunar month the Spring Festival. It is no longer called New Year's Day.

According to historical records, the annual harvest celebration ceremony originated in the Zhou Dynasty (1121 BC - 771 BC). Although this ceremony takes place in the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, people have always believed that it is The origin of New Year customs. In order to show the authority of the "Emperor", ancient emperors often established their own calendars, so the New Year's Day months and days were inconsistent in the past dynasties. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (140 BC - 87 BC) decided to revise the calendar to make it consistent. Unification. The calendar we use today was revised by many dynasties after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. However, the first day of the first lunar month is "New Year's Day", which originated from the calendar set by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The annotation is: "Xia means Sui, and Shang means Nian." Since the Yin and Shang Dynasties, the full and missing moon has been regarded as January, the first day of the first lunar month is New Year's Eve, and the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is New Year's Eve, which is called "Wang". "New Year's Day" or "Yuan Day". It is said that the Spring Festival of the Xia Dynasty was in February, which is equivalent to the current February. In the first year of Taichu, Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, Sima Qian suggested the creation of the Taichu calendar and set the Spring Festival in the first month of Mengchun. The determination and changes of the Spring Festival , also reflects the development and maturity of our country's astronomy and calendar.

The Lunar New Year's Day also has many other names, such as: Yuanri, Yuanshuo, Yuanzheng, Yuanchen, Zhengdan, Xinzheng, and New Year. , New Year, etc., all refer to the first day of the year.

The Spring Festival, which is full of joy and auspiciousness, is a symbol that can never be parted from the hearts of every descendant of the Yellow Emperor. It is not only the symbol of three hundred and sixty-five. The freshest and most special day in the sky also carries the ancient culture of the Chinese nation that has been getting better and better for five thousand years.

The first day of the first lunar month is the Spring Festival, also called the lunar year, commonly known as the "New Year's Day". ". This is the most solemn and lively ancient traditional festival in our country. The Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Han people. However, our country is a multi-ethnic country. In addition to the Han people, there are also Manchu, Mongolian, Yao, Zhuang, Bai, More than a dozen ethnic minorities, including Gaoshan, Hezhe, Hani, Daur, Dong and Li, also have the custom of celebrating the Spring Festival. The Spring Festival has a long history. It originated from the activities of worshiping gods and ancestors at the beginning and end of the year in the Yin and Shang Dynasties. In ancient times, the Spring Festival was called "Yuan Day", "New Year's Day", and "New Year's Day". After the Revolution of 1911, the first day of the lunar calendar was officially named the Spring Festival. As the name suggests, it is the coming of spring. , everything is renewed, and a new round of sowing and harvesting is about to begin. People have enough reasons to sing and dance to welcome this festival, so before the festival, they put red paper and yellow characters on the door when the spring girl comes. At this time, I will recite a sentence that expresses my best wishes for the new year. With this recitation, good luck will really come. Things with the same meaning include hanging red lanterns and posting the word "福" and the statue of the God of Wealth. The word "福" must also be used. When passing by, passers-by think "luck has arrived", which means "luck has arrived". The Spring Festival is a festival for family members to reunite. The night before the real New Year is called reunion night. We sit together and make dumplings. The method of making dumplings is to knead the noodles first. The word "harmony" means "合"; the word "dumpling" is a homophone to "jiao", and "he" and "jiao" also mean getting together, so dumplings are used to symbolize it. Reunion. The festive atmosphere lasts for a month.

Before the first day of the first lunar month, there are ceremonies such as offering sacrifices to stoves and ancestors; during the festival, there are ceremonies such as giving New Year's money to children and paying New Year greetings to relatives and friends; in the second half of the festival, there is the Lantern Festival, when the city is full of lanterns and the streets are full of tourists. It is an unprecedented event. After the Lantern Festival, The Spring Festival is finally over. .

Another name for the Spring Festival is the New Year. What is "year"? It is an imaginary animal that brings bad luck to people. When the "year" comes, the trees wither and no grass grows; when the "year" passes, everything grows and flowers are everywhere. How can the "year" pass? It was necessary to use firecrackers, so there was a custom of burning firecrackers.

So where does "year" come from? There are two main theories among the people. One is: According to legend, in ancient China there was a monster called "Nian" with long tentacles on its head and it was extremely ferocious. "Nian" lives deep in the sea all year round. It only climbs ashore every New Year's Eve to devour livestock and harm people. Therefore, every New Year's Eve, people in villages and villages flee with their young and old to the mountains to avoid the harm of the "Nian" beast. . On New Year's Eve this year, people in Taohua Village were helping the elderly and the young to take refuge in the mountains. An old man begging came from outside the village. He was holding a cane, a bag on his arm, his silver beard was flowing, and his eyes were like bright stars. Some of the villagers sealed the windows and locked the doors, some packed their bags, some drove the cattle and sheep, and people were shouting and neighing everywhere, creating a scene of rush and panic. At this time, who still has the heart to take care of this old man begging. Only an old woman in the east of the village gave the old man some food and advised him to go up the mountain quickly to avoid the "Nian" beast. The old man stroked his beard and said with a smile: "If my mother-in-law lets me stay at home all night, I will definitely drive the "Nian" beast away." The old woman was shocked and looked closely, and saw that he had white hair, a childish face, a strong spirit, and an extraordinary bearing. But she still continued to persuade, and the old beggar smiled and said nothing. The mother-in-law had no choice but to leave her home and take refuge in the mountains. At midnight, the "Nian" beast broke into the village. It found that the atmosphere in the village was different from previous years: at the east end of the village, the old woman lived in her husband's house, with red paper on the door and bright lights inside. The "Nian" beast trembled all over and screamed strangely. "Nian" glared at her mother-in-law's house for a moment, then screamed and rushed towards her. As he approached the door, there was a sudden "bang bang bang bang" explosion in the courtyard. "Nian" trembled all over and did not dare to move forward. It turns out that "Nian" is most afraid of the color red, fire and explosions. At this time, the door of my mother-in-law's house opened wide, and an old man wearing a red robe was seen laughing in the courtyard. "Nian" turned pale with fright and ran away in embarrassment. The next day was the first day of the first lunar month. People who had returned from the refuge were surprised to see that the village was safe and sound. At this time, the old woman suddenly realized and hurriedly told the villagers about the beggar's promise to the old man. The villagers rushed to my mother-in-law's house. They saw red paper on the door of her house, a pile of unburned bamboos in the yard were still popping, and a few red candles in the house were still glowing. They were ecstatic. To celebrate the auspicious arrival, the villagers in the village put on new clothes and hats one after another, and went to the homes of relatives and friends to say hello. This incident soon spread in the surrounding villages, and people all knew how to drive away the beasts. From then on, every New Year's Eve, every family would post red couplets and set off firecrackers; every household would brightly light candles and watch the New Year's Eve. Early in the morning on the first day of the Lunar New Year, we also visit relatives and friends to say hello. This custom spreads more and more widely and has become the most solemn traditional festival among Chinese people. Another theory is that in ancient Chinese calligraphy books, the word "year" was placed in the "He" department to indicate good weather and good harvests. Because grains generally ripen once a year. Therefore, "Nian" was extended to be the name of the year.

Although ancient Chinese people had already had the custom of celebrating the New Year, it was not called the Spring Festival at that time. Because the Spring Festival mentioned at that time refers to the "beginning of spring" among the twenty-four solar terms. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Spring Festival generally refers to the entire spring. It is said that the Lunar New Year was officially named the Spring Festival after the Revolution of 1911. Since the solar calendar was switched to the Gregorian calendar at that time, in order to distinguish between the agricultural and solar festivals, the first day of the first lunar month had to be renamed "Spring Festival".

There is a folk legend about the origin of the year: In ancient times, There is a monster named "Nian" who often disturbs the people, kills people and sets fires, and does all kinds of evil. The people tried many methods but could not invade and kill it. Just when the people were complaining that the sky was not responding, the earth was not working, and they were preparing to move their families away, a strong man appeared. He was willing to sacrifice his life and die with "Nian" in exchange for the people to live and work in peace and contentment. Later, the strong man started a life-and-death struggle with "Nian" in the place where "Nian" often haunted. In the end, "Nian" was killed and the warrior died unfortunately. In order to commemorate this warrior and congratulate him for his new life, people held various grand celebrations on the day when "Nian" was killed. They also set off firecrackers and posted couplets about the door god to drive away evil. This gradually formed a habit. It has been passed down from generation to generation, and since then, humans have had the idea of ??"celebrating the New Year".

Nian is the common name for the Spring Festival. When we talk about spring, we naturally think of summer, autumn, and winter, and we also think of the 24 solar terms and 365 days in a year. So, who makes the disordered world orderly and the chaotic world clear? It's Emperor Yao. It was Emperor Yao who was the first to stand at the forefront of scientific research, stepping into the darkness of nature to explore and pursue laws, find light, and gain insight into the world.

"Ancient Chronicles of China: Five Thousand Years Romance" records: Yao, who became the leader, had benevolence as vast as the sky and was omniscient; wisdom was as subtle as the gods and omniscient. … Yao assigned Chong and Li to be responsible for observing the heavenly phenomena and divining heaven’s will. Over time, Zhong and Li actually became two astronomers! They also imparted their astronomical knowledge to Xihe and Xizhong, so that more people could understand celestial phenomena. After Yao appointed Hou Ji, the agricultural officer, farming became more and more developed. He also felt more and more that one must master the four seasons for sowing and harvesting, and to master the four seasons, one must understand the celestial phenomena. So Yao summoned Xihe, Xizhong and others, and ordered Xihe to observe the celestial phenomena carefully, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs to formulate a calendar based on the movements of the sun, moon and stars, so that people could engage in production according to the season. He ordered Xizhong to live on the eastern seashore, observe and record the position and time of sunrise, and use the equinox day as the spring equinox; he ordered Xizhong to live in Mingdu in the south, and observe how the sun moved southward to determine the summer solstice; He went to Shibuya in the west to measure the sunset to determine the autumnal equinox; Mingheshu lived in Youdu in the north to observe the direction of the sun moving from south to north to determine the winter solstice. After Yao finished the distribution, he said: "I tell you, we can roughly make a cycle of 366 days, and use the method of leap months to solve the remaining days. In this way, spring, summer, autumn and winter will be determined. Once the four seasons are determined, we will naturally be able to "It's definitely the new year."

Looking through "Shangshu Yaodian", we can see: (Emperor Yao) "It is ordered by Xihe, who looks like the sky, and looks like the sun, moon and stars, and warns the people about the time." Xizhong was appointed... The emperor said: "Consultation! Ru Xijihe, there are six days in the period of three hundred and sixty years, and the four o'clock are determined by the leap month, and the age is..." From this, it can be seen that the lunar calendar established by Emperor Yao is undisputed. of.

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve refers to the night of the last day of the twelfth lunar month every year, which is connected with the Spring Festival (the first day of the first lunar month). The word "Chu" in "New Year's Eve" means "to go; to change; to change". The meaning of New Year's Eve is "the end of the month and the end of the year." People have to get rid of the old and replace the old with the new. means, it is the last night of the whole year in the lunar calendar. Therefore, the activities during this period are centered around eliminating the old and bringing in the new, eliminating disasters and praying for blessings.

At the end of each year during the Zhou and Qin Dynasties, a "Dan Nuo" ceremony would be held in the palace to beat the drums to drive away the ghosts of plague and disaster, which was called "Zhuchu". Later it was also called the day before New Year's Eve. It is the Little New Year's Eve, that is, the Little New Year's Eve; New Year's Eve is the Great New Year's Eve, that is, the New Year's Eve.

The original concept of "year" is related to the periodicity of crop growth and the periodicity of human production labor. When crops get a good harvest, people cannot help but celebrate. Over time, it has become A festival. Therefore, the year is a symbol of harvest. It is said that "when the grain is ripe, it means the year." Another legend is: According to legend, in ancient times, there was a ferocious monster called "Nian", which lived in the deep sea all year round, but at the turn of the old and new years, it would come out to trample crops, harm people and animals, and make people complain incessantly. One time it ran into a village and committed mischief, and was scared away by the red clothes hanging in front of a house. When I arrived at another place, I was frightened by the light and ran away. So people understood that "Nian" was afraid of sound, red, and fire. Every year at the end of the year, people stick red couplets on their doorsteps, set off firecrackers, hang red lanterns, burn firewood in the yard, build a fire, chop vegetables and meat with kitchen knives, and make noises to scare the "Nian" into fleeing back into the sea. No more harm to humans and animals. Over time, it has become a variety of customs during the New Year. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, relatives and friends visit each other to congratulate each other on not being harmed by the "Nian" and escaping the difficulty of the "Nian", so "Chinese New Year" is also called "New Year's Eve", which is also the origin of New Year greetings.