Although there was new year's day in ancient times, the date was not fixed. In the Yin Dynasty, the first day of December was the new year's day. In the Zhou Dynasty, the first day of November, the first emperor of Qin Dynasty, and the first day of October were the new year's Day. It can be seen that the new year's day of each dynasty was different. The only thing that was the same was that the first day of each month was the new year's day.
During the period of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen set the first day of the first lunar month as the Spring Festival, and the first day of the Gregorian calendar as the new year's day, but there was no way to call it new year's day at that time, until after the founding of new China, it was called New Year's day. During the period of the Republic of China, although the first day of the Gregorian calendar was set as the new year, the common people didn't care much. At that time, only some schools and government departments had a day off. The common people still took the first day of the lunar calendar as the new year. It can be seen that the Spring Festival is deeply popular.
New year's day, as the name suggests, is the first day of the new year. Yuan is the first meaning at the beginning. Dan means that the sun rises from the horizon, which means the beginning of a new day. New year's Day is the yuan of a year, the yuan of a month, the yuan of a time, and the yuan is the first. 'Emperor Zhuan took the first month of mengchun as yuan, which was the spring of new year's day. "The book of Jin" made the initial record of new year's day, calling the first month yuan and the first day of the first year Dan.
It is also said that the day when Emperor Shun offered sacrifices to heaven and earth and the day when Emperor Yao was the first emperor should be the new year's day in ancient times. Yao's son had no talent, so he passed it on to shun who had both moral character. Shun did a lot of good things for the people and was loved by them. Therefore, the day of Yao's memorial was set as new year's day at that time. The celebration of new year's day in mainland China is equivalent to the miniature version of Spring Festival. Because after new year's Day is the Spring Festival, another new year's Day is not a traditional festival in our country, so it does not occupy a high position in people's hearts.
Of course, the upsurge of new year's Day is still on the rise. The common people celebrate New Year's day mainly by setting off firecrackers, killing three animals, worshiping ancestors and so on. The folk activities of writing spring couplets, writing Fu characters and dancing dragon lanterns have gradually become one of the main celebrations of new year's day. "This is Jiaqing's day. Xianzhuo ten thousand years, small Datong Yue Xi. Xin Lan, a poet of Jin Dynasty, recorded the scene of new year's day in his poem New Year's day. 'four spirits New Year's day, long life at the beginning of this day. LAN Ziyun, a Liang native in the Southern Dynasty, made a general record of new year's day in his poem Jieya.
Today's new year's Day occupies a better position in people's mind than in previous years. In fact, new year's Day is equivalent to a small year, while the Spring Festival is a grand year, which means reunion and bustle.
So the ancient New Year's Day is basically what we call the Spring Festival today.
For thousands of years, people have made the celebration of annual customs very colorful. Every year, from the 23rd of the 12th lunar month to the 30th of the year, people call this period "Spring Festival", also known as "dust sweeping Day". It is a traditional habit of Chinese people to sweep dust before the Spring Festival to do sanitation.
Then every family prepares the new year's products. About ten days before the festival, people are busy purchasing goods. The new year's products include chicken, duck, fish, tea, wine, oil sauce, North and South fried goods, sugar bait and fruit, which should be fully purchased. In addition, they should prepare some gifts for visiting relatives and friends during the new year. Children should buy new clothes and hats and wear them for the new year.
Before the festival, we should paste the new year's message in yellow on the front door of the house, that is, the spring festival couplet written in red paper. The house is decorated with colorful and auspicious New Year pictures. Smart girls cut beautiful window flowers and paste them on the windows. In front of the door, they hang red lanterns or paste Fuzi, the God of wealth and the God of the door. Fuzi can also be pasted upside down. When passers-by read fufu, that is to say, Fuqi arrived. All these activities are to add enough festive atmosphere to the festival.