There are many traditional festivals in our country. Near the Spring Festival, I think you will often hear the word "small year". Do you know the time and origin of small year? What are the differences between small year and big year?
What is Xiaonian
On December 23 and 24 of the lunar calendar, it is a traditional day of sacrificing to the kitchen, also known as "Xiaonian". It's said that the kitchen Lord was originally a common man, Zhang Sheng. After he got married, he spent a lot of money and lost his family business and went to the streets to beg. One day, he begged his ex-wife Guo Dingxiang's house. He was so ashamed that he went under the stove and burned himself.
When the Jade Emperor knew about it, he thought that Zhang Sheng could change his mind, but it was not so bad. Since he died at the bottom of the pot, he became the king of the kitchen. He reported to heaven on the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month every year, and then returned to the bottom of the kitchen on the 30th of the new year. The common people feel that the kitchen king must be respected because he will report to heaven. Therefore, the Han people have a "small year" of sacrificial stoves on the 23rd and 24th of the 12th lunar month, praying for peace and wealth in the coming year.
Fan Chengda of the Song Dynasty said in his poem of sacrificing to the kitchen: "it's said in ancient times that on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, the kitchen king would like to talk to the heaven. Cloud car Wind Horse small Liulian, home cup and plate Fengdian worship. The pig's head is rotten and the hot Pisces are fresh. Men drink to offer their daughters to avoid, sprinkle wine to burn money, and the kitchen master likes it. You should not hear about the struggle between your maids and your dogs. You should not be angry when your dogs and cats are in the corner. You should be drunk to go to the gate of heaven. If you have a long ladle and a short one, you should not go back to the clouds. You should beg for the share of the profit market. It can be said that this poem vividly illustrates the customs and habits of the ancient Han people about sacrificing to the kitchen. Of course, this is just a folk legend of the Han nationality, which is not believed. Sacrifice in a small year
Xiaonian is a day for people to sacrifice to the kitchen. It is said that on this day, the kitchen god will report the good and evil of the family to the Jade Emperor, who will reward and punish them. When sacrificing to the kitchen, we should melt Guandong sugar with fire and put it on the mouth of the kitchen Lord, so that he can't speak ill in front of the Jade Emperor. The custom of "men don't worship the moon, women don't sacrifice the kitchen", so the sacrifice to the kitchen Lord is limited to men. As the Chinese people basically eat rice, cooked food is not easy to preserve and must be cooked at any time.
What is the new year
The Spring Festival of the Han nationality is called the Spring Festival of the Mongolian nationality. Before the Spring Festival, we should kill cattle and sheep, make new clothes, and prepare all kinds of exquisite food. On the evening of the thirtieth year of the new year, the whole family sat around the table full of meat, milk and wine. On the table, there was a large piece of paper with the name of the ancestor written on it to show that they had dinner together with their ancestors, singing and dancing, which was called Shou Sui. From the first day to the fifth day of the new year, they stepped on the steeds one after another. Take hada and wine with you and pay a new year's Eve to your friends and relatives. New year's greetings are often accompanied by a small bag of tea, which means taking joy home.
The custom of Xiaonian
1, sacrifice kitchen
Xiaonian is also a day for people to sacrifice to the kitchen. According to the folklore, on the 23rd of the 12th lunar month, the kitchen god would report the good and evil of the family to the Jade Emperor and let him reward and punish them. Therefore, people put candy, clear water, beans, fodder, couplets and grass on the table in front of the kitchen King's statue when delivering the kitchen stove. Among them, the last three are materials for his mount. When offering sacrifices to the kitchen stove, we should melt Guandong sugar with fire and smear it on the mouth of the kitchen Lord. In this way, he can't speak ill of the Jade Emperor. In addition, on the evening of the Lunar New Year's Eve, the kitchen king and the gods will come to celebrate the lunar new year. On that day, there must be a ceremony to receive the kitchen stove and the gods. When families burn sedans and horses, sprinkle three glasses of wine, and send the kitchen god away, it's their turn to worship their ancestors.
Buy a new kitchen god portrait after the new year and invite the kitchen god back. In the middle of these days, because there is no supervision of the kitchen god, ordinary people indulge in excessive drinking and gambling, and indulge in making some small mistakes that they usually think should not be made.
2. Sweeping
In December, every family is ready for the new year. The purpose of sweeping the dust is to remove the old and welcome the new, and to remove the bad. Every household should clean the windows carefully and thoroughly. In Beijing, the 24th of the 12th month is usually the house sweeping day.
Sweeping is mainly to clean the house thoroughly. Housewives usually cover the bed furniture in the room, wrap their heads with headscarves, and then sweep the walls up and down with brooms. After cleaning the house, clean the tables and chairs and wash the floor. After the house cleaning, the shops and residents' homes are all new. The newly pasted Spring Festival couplets are bright and dazzling, showing the prosperous scenery of Hongfu. The vivid door god, looking up to see the joyful banners, exquisite window flowers, colorful new year pictures, colorful lanterns, and abundant offerings on the shrine, all show the joyful and thriving festival scene.
3. Bath and haircut
There is a saying among the people that if you have money or not, you can shave your head for the new year. The bath and haircut activities, mostly concentrated in the small years before and after.
4. To drive out a disorderly marriage
After twenty-three, the people think that the gods have gone to heaven and there is no taboo. To marry a daughter-in-law or hire a daughter-in-law without choosing a day is called a disorderly marriage. Folk songs have a busy marriage in the village of nianyan, and the posts of Yichun amuse Chunguang. In front of the lantern, my sister said in private that keeping the year old is the saying of the bridal chamber this year.
5. Window decoration
After the window is built, it is pasted in a new house, which adds a lot of joy to the family.
There are various animals, plants and figures in the window pattern, such as magpie, peacock, etc.
After the Spring Festival, there are only six or seven days left. The preparations for the new year seem more busy. To thoroughly clean the room, commonly known as sweeping dust, sweeping dust is to remove the old and welcome the new, remove the ominous. Every household should clean the windows carefully and thoroughly.