Recording Vlogs, watching the Winter Olympics, and dressing up in cyberspace, this year’s young people’s Spring Festival ceremonies are very unique—
when the trend of “new ceremonies” floods into traditional festivals
Zhang Zixuan can now imagine the happy scene at home during the Spring Festival holiday - father, mother, herself and a pet dog named Duoduo occupy the four "pits" on the sofa, the Winter Olympics games are broadcast on the TV, the coffee table Loaded with snacks.
The family of three are avid sports enthusiasts. The opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics happens during the Spring Festival holiday. Watching the Winter Olympics together will definitely become a must-have ceremony for this year's New Year.
"My mother will stand up nervously when she sees a critical moment. When she is excited, the whole family will cheer together, and if she sees a lot of family members shouting, she will also shout together, although I don't know if it understands or not. ." While thinking about it, she laughed.
When some friends around him put "New Year's headbands" on their avatars, Hu Miao, a graduate student in a college in Fujian, smelled the atmosphere of the Spring Festival.
He has a small New Year's ceremony for himself and his friends.
Not long ago, a netizen mentioned to him that he had prepared a New Year's gift for him, "I told him that there is no need to give gifts, just write a few words and I will be very happy."
So the two hit it off and decided to write a handwritten letter to each other.
Hu Miao bought beautiful "happy candles", stuffed the written letter into a gift box, and sent it to netizens.
"Bookmarks, postcards, handwritten letters, I love them all. These rituals inject more memories into important moments."
The Spring Festival, the most important traditional festival, is coming.
With the development of technology, in addition to expecting a series of traditional New Year ceremonies such as making dumplings, pasting Spring Festival couplets, visiting relatives and friends, and reunion dinners, many young people have also brought some brand-new activities into the celebration of the Spring Festival, creating a trendy sense of the Spring Festival ceremony. .
The China Youth School Media launched a questionnaire survey on related topics among college students in 217 colleges and universities across the country, and a total of 4,531 valid questionnaires were recovered.
The survey shows that 92.30% of the respondents believe that the New Year needs a sense of ceremony, of which 44.91% of the respondents attach great importance to the sense of New Year's ceremony.
65.33% of the respondents believed that there was a difference between the past and present "New Year's rituals", and now there are many new New Year's rituals.
The style of painting has changed greatly, and young people will celebrate the Spring Festival with trendy new ceremonies
Following the magical music, the gray-haired grandparents stood on tiptoes briskly, swinging their arms twice to the left and twice to the right in accordance with the rhythm.
Around them, mom and dad, aunts and uncles, and Ai Hao and her cousins, all grinning while doing the same thing.
Last Spring Festival, the video went viral in Ai Hao's family group.
This large-scale group dance in the living room was inspired by Ai Hao's cousin.
"On New Year's Eve, he suggested that our whole family dance the 'swing dance' together and record it as a souvenir." This dance is low-intensity and easy to learn. It is "no pressure" for elders to learn, and the dance moves are magical and funny. Ai Hao and his brothers The sisters also thought it was very interesting, so there was this video of a dozen people in the whole family crowding the living room, "laughing" at each other while dancing.
Before going to university, every New Year's Eve, Ai Hao and his peers were always led by their elders, and they followed the customary New Year's ceremony step by step.
But now, family gatherings during the Spring Festival have become the home of the younger generation.
In the university club, Ai Hao learned many ice-breaking games such as "Every Seventh Pass" and "Visit Three Gardens", so in the first Spring Festival after college, she organized small games at family gatherings, and also Record the whole family playing the game and make a short video.
Every year after the Spring Festival, the Spring Festival program planned by Ai Hao and his brothers and sisters will become a big axis show at the party.
The reason why he thought of bringing ice-breaking games to family gatherings was because Ai Hao discovered that family reunions were rare during the Spring Festival, but after not seeing each other for a year or even several years, it was inevitable that there would be some strangeness between relatives; It was just the elders chatting with each other, and Ai Hao and his siblings felt less involved.
"Find a game that everyone can play, and you can get the whole family together to chat and have fun together."
The post-95s and post-00s who gradually entered the social life also took the initiative in family gatherings during the Spring Festival, and contributed their creativity in creating a new sense of the Spring Festival ritual.
According to a survey conducted by the China Youth School Media, respondents liked the sense of new Chinese New Year rituals, such as setting off smoke-free fairy sticks (61.33%), exchanging New Year gifts with friends (54.09%), hosting or participating in New Year parties (53.70%), photographing New Year’s photo photos (53.87%), making New Year’s Vlogs (51.20%), buying new year decorations such as ambient lights (46.74%), skating or skiing with family members (44.63%), changing social network outfits (37.63%), etc.
Lai Xin, who is studying in a college in Jiangxi, seldom accompanies her parents, who are carrying large and small bags, to visit relatives and friends.
Recalling the sense of ceremony of the Spring Festival in recent years, Lai Xin first thought of the New Year's photo that she "must take every year".
"From the beginning of my freshman year, I will take a part of the New Year's money to take pictures. Basically, it is based on red, and it is a festive picture." In order to prepare for the photo, Lai Xin will start to lose weight a month in advance. She would meticulously frame them and place them at the head of the bed.
In addition, Lai Xin also has some "be careful" with a sense of New Year's ceremony: "For example, put on the cover of the circle of friends with the flower words 'Xiao Lai's greetings to you in the early years', or prepare some red scarves. , an emoji with a red lantern."
Yu Xiuwen, who is a senior this year, has a whole set of "New Year's Ritual Sense Process" every Spring Festival - changing his avatar, changing his signature, changing the cover of his Moments, and posting to Moments.
In recent years, as the elderly at home have also begun to use smartphones, Yu Xiuwen will also take the whole family to take New Year's emojis together.
"Grandma and grandpa make heart-to-heart gestures, with those dynamic stickers, it's quite cute."
In addition to the gatherings with her family, during the Spring Festival in recent years, she will also hold New Year's parties with her friends, and record these moments into videos, make a New Year's Vlog, and publish it on social platforms, so that she and her friends can be at any time. Relive these beautiful moments.
"Of course, at such an important moment as the Spring Festival, we must take pictures as souvenirs." For those friends who cannot meet during the Spring Festival, Yu Xiuwen will exchange New Year gifts with them.
"Unpacking New Year's gifts from friends, and enjoying the triple happiness of receiving gifts, celebrating the New Year, and opening blind boxes."
The Winter Olympics are coming, and "booking" the whole family to watch the games has become a new favorite in the Spring Festival
When the Spring Festival meets the Winter Olympics held by her own country, Zhang Zixuan feels that this adds a lot of atmosphere to the Spring Festival.
"Now that there are fewer Chinese New Year gatherings, it is a very happy thing to be able to watch the Olympic Games at home with my parents." Zhang Zixuan's parents are both sports enthusiasts and are very concerned about sports events, "During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, my family was the The whole family cheers every day. In this year's Winter Olympics, we will definitely pay attention to all the schedules of the Chinese team, and the game will not fall."
"My small family will also lead the big family to watch the Winter Olympics." Zhang Zixuan's father is a "science-based athlete". During the Tokyo Olympics, he posted the game preview in the family group to attract family members to watch the game, and he also found out Player historical data is sent to the group.
"My dad has watched many Winter Olympics. He is now a family Winter Olympics instructor. For events such as curling that people don't understand the rules, he will popularize science in the family group. Although he is not all events. He understands all of them, but most of the projects involving Chinese players, he knows the rules very well." Zhang Zixuan said.
There are four generations in her family group. Her 11-year-old nephew often asks questions in the group, and Zhang Zixuan's father is a sports popularizer in the group.
Now, under the leadership of Zhang Zixuan's family, the entire family has become sports enthusiasts.
"Families also talk about games during dinners. During the Tokyo Olympics, they watched the games while making dumplings at their elders' homes." Zhang Zixuan expected that such a scene would most likely occur during the Spring Festival.
"Cheering and cheering together also unites the family. This is probably another charm of sports other than competition." In addition to watching the game, her family also participates in sports in person. She plans to hold a family sports meeting.
"I'll plan." Zhang Zixuan said with a smile.
According to a survey by the China Youth School Media, 81.54% of the respondents will watch the Winter Olympics as one of their New Year's ceremonies this year.
Ai Hao also plans to watch the Winter Olympics with his family during the Chinese New Year.
Experience tells Ai Hao that the Winter Olympics will resonate with the whole family.
"When we watch the Olympic Games at home this summer, when our country's athletes stand on the field, or when the national anthem is played, our whole family will instantly resonate. At this time, the emotions and expressions of emotions are the same for generations. "It's different from the fact that the whole family has their own preferences for TV shows. Ai Hao usually watches variety shows. Grandma wonders why these handsome guys can't tell the difference. Mom and Dad also have jokes and memes that they don't understand, but everyone knows sports stars. , Ai Hao regards this as a treasure, such a family has a common language and can share the joy of experience.
"Watching games can also inspire 'sports DNA'." During the Tokyo Olympics last year, Ai Hao and his parents watched a table tennis match, then went downstairs to play table tennis and badminton, and couldn't help but take a few shots.
She, a "southern child", has never seen snow in such a big age. Now, she also wants to experience the joy of skiing in the north.
Ge Guanghe, who is a third-year graduate student at a university in Jilin, also included watching the Winter Olympics in his Spring Festival schedule.
When the Beijing Winter Olympics meet the Spring Festival, Ge Guanghe believes that there will be different sparks.
"I believe that athletes from all over the world in Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou can not only feel the atmosphere of the Olympic Games, but also feel the unique emotions of the Chinese people for the Spring Festival, and feel the atmosphere of reunion. There is nothing better than this moment. It interprets the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind."
The ceremony is changing, the constant is reunion
According to a survey by the China Youth School Media, 33.83% of the respondents believed that although the New Year's ceremonies are different from those in the past, many traditional ceremonies have been preserved.
10.17% of the respondents preferred the new New Year ceremonies, believing that they were more trendy and interesting; 37.65% of the respondents preferred traditional New Year ceremonies, believing that they were more traditional and classic; 50.32% believed that both traditional and trendy New Year ceremonies were Very good, looking forward to a fusion of the two.
Ge Guanghe is most looking forward to the Spring Festival gathering with his family.
"My mother's cooking is always incomparable outside. Every New Year's Eve, my mother will cook all kinds of delicacies. Beef pie is her specialty, and it is full of juice when you bite into it. It is also a must for our family's New Year's Eve dinner. Prepare dishes." During the Chinese New Year, many relatives will return to their hometowns, and the children at home will always surround the adults who cook and act as little helpers.
According to the survey by the China Youth School Media, the most important New Year ceremonies among respondents are eating reunion dinner (84.35%), sticking blessing characters and couplets (82.76%), collecting New Year’s money (77.42%), making dumplings and other New Year delicacies (72.57%) %), setting off fireworks (71.26%), visiting relatives and friends (68.31%), watching the Spring Festival Gala (65.39%), offering sacrifices (39.22%), etc.
Hu Miao also has a special nostalgia for the traditional ceremonies of the Spring Festival.
From the first day of the new year, parents take turns taking Hu Miao to visit the elders' homes.
Hu Miao attaches great importance to this link. Many relatives only see each other once during the Chinese New Year, or even once in a few years.
"This is a kind of ceremony to connect the family. My parents feel it is necessary. They said that when I grow up and get married, I have to visit my elders."
Every Spring Festival, Yu Xiuwen would go back to his hometown to spend time with his grandparents.
When she is with her family, she always feels like a child.
She and her brother posted Spring Festival couplets together, and like when she was a child, she smeared the paste all over the place, and the two of them could be noisy and playful all afternoon.
"When we were fighting, my grandmother and grandpa were busy conducting sacrifices, playing yellow paper, placing small bowls in different places, and placing 'hard goods' according to the specifications in front of the plaque of 'Heaven and Earth's parents and teachers'." On New Year's Eve, the family sat around the charcoal fire, roasting dried fruit, and chatting about the trivial things of the year.
At this moment, she was full of happiness.
Ai Hao cherishes the family reunion time.
Parents who used to get along every day and grandparents who often visited, now often only meet during holidays.
"When I grow up, I realize how precious the time I spend with my family is. So I hope to try my best to bring a relaxed and happy atmosphere to my family and leave more memories."
This is why Ai Haole is loyal to introducing new rituals into the Spring Festival reunion time. As an online aboriginal, while completing traditional rituals with her family, she can always introduce the Internet life that has infiltrated every part of life. Even cooking New Year's Eve dinner will be closely tied to the Internet.
For the New Year's Eve dinner at Ai Hao's house, everyone had to contribute a dish.
One year, Ai Hao learned an apple dumpling on the Internet. When she brought this somewhat confusing dish to the table, it was unexpectedly popular, "So this kind of dumpling has become a regular customer at my dining table. I will also make it and eat it.”
There is not an either-or relationship between new Chinese New Year ceremonies and traditional customs.
Every Spring Festival, Ge Guanghe will go back to his hometown to worship his ancestors, paste Spring Festival couplets, watch the Spring Festival Gala with his parents on New Year's Eve, and also attend some New Year's parties and record New Year's Vlogs.
In Ge Guanghe's eyes, with the development of the times, the way of celebrating the New Year is constantly changing, and the sense of new and old rituals are constantly blending and colliding.
"The Internet era has spawned a new way of interpreting New Year's customs, which is more technological and modern; on the other hand, the old traditions of Chinese New Year have not been forgotten and are deeply loved by young people. The traditional folk customs of the Spring Festival are constantly integrated with modern elements, with A trendy and interesting way to bloom with new colors." In his view, young people's identification and love for traditional culture is the epitome of cultural self-confidence.
When the old tradition meets the new culture, it not only gives new meaning to the ancient custom culture, but also carries the creative expression and new interpretation of the traditional culture by young people.
In Lai Xin's view, the blessing of the sense of ritual will make her look forward to the new year. "Although the New Year's ceremony has changed, the core of the sense of ceremony is still reunion and farewell to the old and welcome the new." Lai Xin looks forward to the future. More integration of the new and old New Year rituals will make traditional folk customs more "trendy", and more and more young generations will pay more attention to the inheritance of festival culture.
(At the request of the interviewee, Hu Miao and Ai Hao are pseudonyms in the text)
China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily trainee reporter Bi Ruoxu trainee Yang Zilin trainee reporter Luo Xi Source: China Youth Daily