What are the customs and traditions of the Little New Year’s Eve? What are the customs and traditions of the Little New Year’s Eve in 2024?

Speaking of Xiaonian, the dates in the north and south are actually different.In the south it is the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, while in the north it is the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month.The arrival of the Little New Year means that people have to start preparing new year’s goods, sweeping dust, offering sacrifices to stoves and other activities.There are many customs and taboos that come with it.From a modern perspective, these customs and taboos seem to be feudal superstitions, but from the perspective of the inheritance of traditional culture, these customs and taboos are people’s yearning for a better life and express their good wishes to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new.We should inherit what our ancestors left behind.So, what are the traditional customs of Xiaonian? Please continue reading below to learn more about the festival customs of Xiaonian.

What are the customs and traditions of New Year’s Eve

Taking the New Year celebrations in the north as an example, there are specifically the following five customs.

1.Sacrifice the stove:Xiaonian is a day for people to offer sacrifices to the stove.Sacrificing stoves originated from the ancient custom of worshiping fire.It has thousands of years of history in our country.On this day, people will not only place sugar melons, cakes, etc.on the table in front of the Stove God statue, but they will also replace the old Stove God portrait and put up a new Stove God portrait that every household "invites" back.

2.Sweeping dust:When entering the New Year, people will start cleaning, with the purpose of getting rid of the old and welcoming the new, in preparation for the new year.

3.Eat sugar melons:The main raw material of sugar melons is maltose, which is rich in viscosity.Using sugar melons to worship the Stove can stick to the mouth of the Stove Lord, preventing him from reporting bad things to the Jade Emperor.After the Stove Lord eats sugar, his mouth will be sweet and he will have more food.say good things.

4.Take a shower and shave your head:"If you have money or not, shave your head to celebrate the New Year." On this day, you have to take a shower and shave your head

5.Eating dumplings:It means "sending off dumplings to meet the wind".Eating dumplings on this day is to send off the Stove Lord and express our longing for a better life in the coming year.

What are the festival customs for Xiaonian?

Take the Southern New Year celebrations as an example.In comparison, the customs of the Southern New Year are much richer.

1.Sacrifice to the Stove King

Xiaonian is a day for people to worship stoves.According to legend, the Kitchen God is a god sent by the Jade Emperor to every household to monitor people’s daily good and evil.At the end of each year, he returns to the Heavenly Palace to report the people’s sentiments to the Jade Emperor and let the Jade Emperor decide rewards and punishments.Therefore, when delivering the stove, people put candies, water, beans, and mosses on the table in front of the Stove King’s statue, the last three of which are to prepare the Stove Lord’s mount for ascension to heaven.When offering sacrifices to the stove, Guandong sugar must be melted by fire and smeared on the mouth of the Stove Lord.The purpose of this is to prevent the Stove Lord from saying bad things, which is what we often call "sugar melon sticky".Commonly used Kitchen God couplets often include words such as "God speaks good things, and returns to the palace will bring good luck" and "God speaks good things, and the lower world will be safe."

On the night of New Year’s Eve, the Kitchen God and other gods will come to earth to celebrate the New Year.On that day, there will be a ceremony to “receive the stove” and “receive the gods”.Therefore, there is a saying of “Go on the 23rd and come back on the first and fifth day of the lunar month.” statement.

At the stalls selling New Year pictures at the end of the year, there are often images of the Stove Lord, which are posted during the "receiving the stove" ceremony.There is a saying in northern my country that "men do not worship the moon and women do not worship the stove", which is used to It means that men and women are not close to each other.However, in some places, the Stove God and the Stove God’s grandma are jointly worshiped, but this theory does not exist.

　2.Cut window grilles

Cutting window grilles is to prepare for the New Year.The window flowers contain anecdotes of various animals and plants, such as swallows walking through peach willows, peacocks playing with peonies, magpies climbing plum blossoms, lions rolling hydrangea, deer, cranes, tung chun (sixth year of spring), five bats (blessings) holding longevity, rhinoceros looking at the moon, three There are many kinds of patterns, such as Yang (Yang) Kaitai, Erlong playing with beads, etc.

　3.Sweep the dust

"Chen" and "Chen" are homophonic, so sweeping dust is intended to remove the old and welcome the new, and to eradicate the bad luck.Sweeping dust is called "sweeping the house" in the north; "dust dusting" in the south.Traditionally, on this day, every household gets up at dawn to conduct a comprehensive cleaning inside and outside the home.

4.Set off firecrackers

It is very important to set off firecrackers during the New Year, because it is the first shot of the new year.Chinese people like to be lively during the festival, so firecrackers are naturally indispensable.

5.Write Spring Festival couplets

Folk proverb goes:"Twenty-four, write in big characters." This is also a custom of celebrating the Little New Year."Writing big characters" means writing Spring Festival couplets to express good wishes.

6.Make rice cakes

On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, people in Wuxuan and Guiping, Guangxi have the custom of making rice cakes.Rice cakes are made with glutinous rice flour as the main ingredient, sesame seeds, peanuts, and sugar as ingredients.They are put into molds and shaped into round shapes, and then steamed at high temperatures.They have the meaning of "round and round".

7.Eat rice cakes

In the south, making rice cakes on Xiaonian Day is a traditional custom in many places.Nian Gao, also known as "Nian Nian Gao", is homophonic with "Nian Nian Gao", which means that people’s lives will become higher and higher.

8.Eat "New Year Zong"

Eating "New Year’s rice dumplings" is a custom of Nanning people.New Year’s rice dumplings are a symbol of auspiciousness in the New Year.They are different from the cold rice dumplings of the Dragon Boat Festival.They have fillings, big and small, long and short, round and flat..Glutinous rice is used as the skin, and mung beans and pork are used as fillings.Some people also use their favorite foods as fillings.

9.Bathing and Wedding

On the day of Xiaonian, both adults and children have to take a bath and have their hair cut.There is a saying among the people that "if you have money or not, you should shave your head to celebrate the New Year." After the 23rd, the people believe that the gods go to heaven and there are no taboos.Therefore, there is no need to choose a date when marrying a daughter-in-law or a daughter-in-law, which is called "random marriage".Therefore, in some places, at the end of the year, there are particularly many people getting married.

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