The Spring Festival on the first day of the first Chinese lunar month is known as the “Chinese New Year" "Lunar New Year" or the “New Year". It is the most important traditional Chinese festival. The Spring Festival marks the ending of the coId winter with snow, ice and falling leaves and the beginning of the spring when all the plants start re-growing and turning green.
From the 23rd day of the last lunar month, also known as Xiaonian (meaning small new year), people begin a series of activities to send off the old and welcome the new in preparation for the big celebration of the Spring Festival. These new-year celebrations will continue until the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, which officially concludes the Spring Festival.
1、History of the Spring Festival
The Spring Festival originated from ancient rituals to worship gods and ancestors. It was an occasion of thanksgiving for god's gifts taking place at the end of the year's farming activities.
Due to the differences of the Chinese calendars used in different dynasties, the first day of the first lunar month was not always the same date in the Chinese calendar. Until modern China January 1st was set as the New Year's date based on the Gregorian Calendar and the first date of the Chinese lunar calendar was set as the first date for the Spring Festival.
2、The Legend of the Chinese New Year's Eve
According to an old folklore, there was a mythical demon called Nian (meaning year) in ancient times. He had a ferocious look with a cruel personality. He lived on eating other animals in the deep forests. Occasionally he came out and ate human beings. People were very frightened even when they heard the people lived after dark and went back to the forests at dawn. So people began to call that night “Eve of Nian" (eve of a new year). Whenever on the New Year's Eve, every household would cook dinner early, turned off the fire in the stove, shut the door and had the New Year's Eve dine inside Because they were uncertain about what would happen that night, people always made a big meal, offered the food to their ancestors for the family reunion first and prayed for a safe night for the whole family. After dinner, all family members spent the night sitting together chatting and eating to keep them from falling asleep. When daylight came, people would open their doors to greet each other and celebrate New Year.
Even though it was scary, the demon Nian (Year) feared three things: red color, flames and loud noise. Therefore, people would also hang a mahogany peach-wood board, build abonfire at the entrance and make loud noise to keep the evil away. Gradually, Nian no longer dared to get close to crowds of human beings. From then on, a new year's tradition was established, which included pasting New Year couplets in red paper on the doors, hanging red lanterns and setting off firecrackers and fireworks.
3、Customs of the Spring Festival
The Spring Festival is an ancient festival with many customs established over thousands of years. Some are still very popular today. The main functions of these customs include rituals worshipping ancestors, expelling the old to bring in the new, welcoming fortune and happiness as well as praying for a bountiful harvest in the coming year. The Spring Festival customs and traditions to celebrate Chinese New Year vary widely in different regions and ethnic groups.
The Spring Festival traditionally kicks off by worshipping the Kitchen God on the 23rd or 24th day of the last lunar month, after which activities to prepare for the celebration of the Chinese New Year officially begin. This period till the eve of the Chinese New Year is called “Days to Greet the Spring " during which time people clean their houses, buy presents, worship ancestors and decorate doors and windows with red color paper-cuts, couplets, new year pictures and pictures of Door Guardians, hanging red lanterns. On the New Year's Eve, the reunited family sit together to have a sumptuous “Dinner of Eve", sets off firecrackers and stay up all night.
On the first day of the Spring Festival, every family open the door to greet their relatives and friends wishing them good luck and fortune in the coming year. There are sayings that the first day is to greet your own family, the second day is to greet your in-laws and the third day is to greet other relatives. This activity can continue till the 15th day of the first lunar month. During this period, people also visit temples and street fairs to enjoy all the festivities and celebrations of the New Year.
Post time: Feb-23-2022