The Spring Festival is the most distinctive traditional festival in China, and naturally there are various traditional customs passed down by Chinese people from generation to generation. So what Xiaobian is going to talk about next is about the traditional customs of "going to relatives" during the Spring Festival?
It is a custom passed down from generation to generation by Chinese people to go to relatives and return to their mother's home. It is a kind of great exchange of kinship between relatives. In some areas, it is called "visiting relatives". When it comes to visiting relatives, there is a series of knowledge in it, from the time and order of visiting relatives to gifts. This is also a headache for many young people. Well, if you don't want to talk, let's follow Haimei to find out.
How many gifts do relatives usually bring? What do relatives care about
What do relatives pay attention to during the Spring Festival?
1. Time to visit relatives during the Spring Festival
The custom of "time goes to relatives" has been continued from the second day of the first month to the 16th day of the first month. During this period, almost every family is soaking in alcohol, bathing in fragrance and enjoying the joy of life and family. In the past, it took years to go out, and there was a saying that "grandma in the third day of the third year, aunt in the fourth year, and mother-in-law in the sixth day of the fifth year". Now it's the second day of the first month, when the taste of the new year is strong, Jiaodong people start to walk away from relatives, and most of them are "first look at the father-in-law, then look at the uncle, uncle and uncle are behind". From this evolution, the pace of life is accelerating, and women's status is improving. On the second and third day of the first month, the married daughters took their husbands and children back to their mother's home to celebrate the new year.
2. The order of relatives in Spring Festival
The general order of going to relatives is: nephew goes to grandma's house, daughter goes to mother's house with son-in-law, and then to aunt's, sister's house. Except in special circumstances, we should pay homage. There is a folk saying that the moon is beautiful on the first day of the first year and the moon is beautiful on the second day of the third year.
(1) new year's Day: the younger generation salutes the elder.
New year's greetings generally begin at home. In the morning of the first day of the new year, when the younger generation gets up, they should first pay a new year's greetings to the elder generation, and wish the elder a long and healthy life and all the best. After the elders are worshiped, they should give the prepared "lucky money" to them. After celebrating the new year for the elders at home, when people meet outside, they should also congratulate the new year with a smile on their faces, saying to each other auspicious words such as "congratulations on making money", "all the best in the four seasons" and "Happy New Year". The neighbors, relatives and friends also visit each other to celebrate the new year or invite each other to drink and have fun. Most places don't go to relatives on the first day of the new year. The real Spring Festival starts from the second day of the new year.
(2) the second day of the Lunar New Year: the son-in-law must visit his father-in-law and his mother's home.
The son-in-law must go to his father-in-law and his mother's house, and he must bring a gift. If you are a newly married son-in-law, this gift has a lot of attention. You must take a serious look at the following companion gifts. My nephew goes to my grandma's house, and my daughter goes to my mother's house with my son-in-law. This custom is said in the folk that on the first day of the first lunar month, the second lunar month, and on the third lunar month, the fourth lunar month are good festivals. After entering the gate, first kowtow to the Buddha, the image of ancestors and the memorial tablets, then kneel down to the elders in turn. Can stay to eat and play.
(3) they started to leave other relatives after the third day of the lunar new year.
Since the beginning of the third day of the lunar new year, some other relatives have begun to leave. Since the third day of the lunar new year, we generally start to leave relatives, so we must pay attention to the arrangement of time when we go to relatives. First, we should confirm whether the host is at home. Second, we should not choose to go to the door in the morning or late. In the morning, it is easy to affect the rest of the host, making people unprepared. In the evening, if we stay, we should pay attention to the arrangement of time It will disturb the master's rest for a long time. Finally, we should pay attention to that the stay time is generally half an hour to 40 minutes. In this way, it is not impolite and does not affect the host's reception of other guests.
3. Accompanying gifts for relatives during the Spring Festival
(1) usually go to my uncle's house and uncle's house first. When these relatives go, their gifts are heavier.
In traditional customs, it is a knowledge to walk with relatives during the Spring Festival. Generally, first go to my uncle's house and uncle's house. When these relatives go, they will have heavier gifts. They must take a gift bar (about 4 jin of pork ribs), and then match it with a powder bar or dessert. When they return, they can't give them any other gifts. They must bring back to the old girl the baked bun of the 23rd Kang in the last few months, which is also the meal of their mother's house. Secondly, go to the aunt's house, aunt's house and other relatives. Generally, two packages of snacks (a kind of fried sweet food, also known as fruit) will be given as gifts. When returning in the afternoon, relatives will bring some fried sesame leaves (fried diamond shaped flour leaves), snacks, biscuits, etc.
(2) generally, if you go to relatives, you should bring some gifts appropriately, which should not be too expensive and luxurious.
Generally speaking, if you go to relatives, you should bring some gifts properly. The gifts should not be too expensive and luxurious, but also be able to 'hold hands' to express your mind. It is better to give some gifts as you like. If there are children in the family, they should also be prepared with new year's money, put it in red envelopes, and write wishes. New Year gifts should also pay attention to hygiene. For example, the pastry given by others should not be transferred to others; the fruits given to the elderly or the sick should be beneficial to the health of the other party. In addition, we should also pay attention to frugality. It's also a very good idea to make some small gifts by yourself, which can not only show your mind, but also show your talent.
4. Etiquette of relatives during the Spring Festival
(1) don't call other people's names to urge people to get up, don't pour sewage, garbage, sweep the floor, don't take out other people's pockets, don't ask people for debts, etc.
There are some taboos around the new year, such as: do not call others' names to urge people to get up, do not pour sewage, garbage, sweep the floor, do not take out other people's pockets, do not collect debts from people, etc. So when we go to relatives for the new year, I must pay close attention to these so as to avoid taboos and embarrassment.
(2) in the chat, we should follow the principle of "saying good things in the new year, and saying good luck in the export".
In chatting, we should take "saying good things in the new year and exporting auspiciousness" as the criterion. Even if there is a grudge in our daily life, we should not mention it. When chatting, we should not talk about vulgar things or boring low-level words.
(3) it's difficult to visit one by one. You should also make a phone call or send a greeting card.
If there are too many relatives to visit one by one, you should also make a phone call or send a greeting card to send your heart.
(4) etiquette that children should pay attention to during the new year.
The last is the etiquette that children should pay attention to during the Spring Festival. Spring Festival is also a good time to teach their children traditional Chinese etiquette. Parents can take this opportunity to let their children have a spring festival and be more sensible. When you take your child to a relative's house for a guest, you should teach your child to take the initiative to greet "Happy New Year". When your relatives and friends give red treasure to your child, you should teach your child to take the red envelope with both hands and say "thank you". Do not open the red envelope in front of the guest, which is very impolite. When you eat, you can't be as casual as you usually are at home. You should be polite. Parents should tell their children to take their elders' seats first, then invite them to have a taste, and then eat by themselves, even if they see their favorite food, they can't rush to eat. When picking up the dishes, try to take the ones in front of you. Don't stir them in the bowl or plate. If you can't reach the dishes, politely ask others for help. Don't stand on the chair or cross the table to get the food, let alone grasp it by hand.
China is a country with vast territory and abundant resources. There are some differences in the customs and stresses of Spring Festival in different regions. Here's a list of the general customs and stresses of relatives during the Spring Festival. It's only for reference. Please be sure to take the local actual situation as the criterion.