Spring Festival customs

1.Paste Spring Festival scrolls

The origin of Spring couplets can be traced back to the Later Shu period of the five dynasties, when Emperor Meng Chang wrote a joint sentence during the Spring Festival: “New Year Yu Qing, the festival number Changchun.” In the Ming Dynasty, Spring Festival couplets were officially named and widely promoted. Nowadays, every Spring Festival, every family will paste Spring Festival couplets to add festive atmosphere.

2.Set off firecrackers

The custom of setting off firecrackers during the Spring Festival began in the Han Dynasty. At first, people used bamboo to burn in the fire to make a noise to drive away the evil spirits of the mountain. After the Tang and Song Dynasties, firecrackers made of gunpowder were invented. Today, lighting firecrackers is still one of the important activities of the Spring Festival, symbolizing driving away evil spirits and warding off disasters to welcome the arrival of the New Year.

3.Pay a New Year call

The custom of paying New Year’s greetings was first practiced in Kyoto during the Ming Dynasty. When officials were in contact, they worshipped each other, whether they knew each other or not, while the common people worshipped their relatives and friends. Qing Dynasty Shixing in the Spring Festival to send “worship box”, that is, the New Year in a delicate and beautiful decorative box to friends and relatives. In modern times, paying New Year’s greetings has become a traditional custom. People go from house to house to pay New Year’s greetings to each other.

4.Money given to children as a lunar New Year gift

Lucky money is a traditional Chinese folk custom, which means that the elders pray for the younger generation. It is said that in ancient times there was a leprechaun called “Tai”, who came out every New Year’s Eve to harm children, people lit up all night and put copper coins on the child’s pillow to ward off evil, which was “Shou Tai” and “pressure Sui”, later also known as “Shousui” and “pressure Sui”. Opinions differ on when the custom of lucky money really began, but it is still an indispensable part of the Spring Festival.

5.Have the New Year’s Eve dinner

On New Year’s Eve, the whole family gets together for the New Year’s Eve Dinner, which is one of the most important family gatherings of the Spring Festival. The New Year’s Eve dinner usually includes a variety of auspicious dishes, symbolizing reunion and happiness. For example, dumplings are shaped like ingots, meaning that money is rolling in; Rice cake means good luck and high year after year.

6.Put up window flowers and New Year pictures

Window decorations and New Year pictures are also traditional customs during the Spring Festival. Window flowers are usually made of various patterns cut out of paper and pasted on the Windows to add to the festive atmosphere. New Year pictures mostly depict auspicious scenes, pasted on walls or doors to express people’s good wishes for the New Year.

7.Sweep dust

On the eve of the Spring Festival, every household will carry out a thorough cleaning, called “sweeping the dust”. This custom carries people’s wish to set up a new old and pray to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. By cleaning, people hope to clear away the bad luck of the past year and welcome the New Year.

8.Stay up late on New Year’s Eve

On New Year’s Eve, people will stay up late and wait for the arrival of the New Year. The custom of Shousui originated from the ancient people’s reverence for time and their expectations for the New Year. During the Shousui period, family members will chat, play games or watch the Spring Festival Gala together to share the happiness of the family.

These customs are just some of the many traditions of the Spring Festival, and each region and family may have its own unique way to celebrate it. These customs not only enrich the cultural connotation of the Spring Festival, but also enhance the cohesion of families and society.