Chinanews client, Beijing, January 25th (Reporter Shangguan Yun) "Twenty-three, sugar melons are sticky." With the advent of the Lunar New Year, the pace of the Lunar New Year is getting closer.

  For Xiaonian, people may have the impression of offering sacrifices to stoves, eating candied melons, etc.

In addition, different places have different dates.

The date of the year will be different

  Xiaonian usually refers to the days of sweeping the dust and offering sacrifices to the stove.

Due to different customs in different places, the days called "Xiao Nian" are not the same.

Data map: Welcome to the Spring Festival and send Spring Festival couplets.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita

  Talking about the reasons for the different dates of the Xiaonian, folklore expert Wang Juan said that the ancient royal family would revise the calendar, and there would usually be a clearer statement like which day was the Xiaonian.

But specific to each region, local people will have different understandings out of actual needs.

Over time, inconsistent dates are inevitable, which fully demonstrates the diversity of traditional Chinese folk culture.

  She believes that China's "Chinese New Year" lasts for a long time, and there will be some iconic dates.

No matter what day the new year is, it expresses the staged distinction of the celebrations.

The new year represents people's good wishes to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.

What is the significance of "Sacrificial Stove"?

  When I was young, there was an important folk custom, which was "Sacrificing the Stove".

  Wang Juan introduced that in ancient times, "Sacrificing the Stove" was a very important thing, and it was one of the five sacrificial sacrifices.

Later, the custom of sacrificing to the stove became more and more common, and both the official and the public had to "save the stove".

  She said that as the saying goes, "official three people, four boats and five families", it refers to the old government's "sacrificial stove" on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month.

There are twenty-four "sacrificial stoves" among the people, and twenty-five "sacrificial stoves" for boatmen.

Therefore, in many places, the time of "Sacrificing the Stove" is not uniform.

  In folklore, the "Stove God" is responsible for controlling the stove, managing food, and supervising the family's actions for one year, and reporting to the "Jade Emperor" when he was young to determine rewards and punishments.

  According to the custom, people should "sacrificing the stove" and sending away the "stove master" in the small years.

  The reason for this is that bumps and bumps are inevitable in daily life, and people are worried that the "Stove God" will make small reports, so they are close to it, commonly known as "Meishao".

When offering kitchen sugar to "Stove Lord", he prayed "Sweet, sweet and stinky, and the Lord of the Kitchen is silent", and hoped that he would say more good things after he ascended to heaven.

Data map: The peasant dragon dance team carries out the traditional folk activities of dragon dance walking in the village.

(Aerial photography) Photo by Zhao Chunliang

  Wang Juan explained that the ceremony of "Sacrificing the Stove" existed in the Xia Dynasty, and it became one of the customs of childhood after the Han Dynasty. 

"Busy Year" Begins

  A small year is often seen as the beginning of a "busy year".

From this time to New Year's Eve, the preparations for the New Year are more lively.

  For example, "sweeping the dust" is similar to year-end cleaning.

Every household must clean up, wash all kinds of utensils, remove and wash bedding and curtains... Prepare to welcome the New Year cleanly.

  Not only that, during this period, adults and children also have to take a bath, get a haircut, and feel refreshed.

People think that this also means "saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new".

  In those activities to prepare for the New Year, it is also very interesting to cut and paste window grilles.

For example, the contents of the window grilles include magpies climbing plums, swallows wearing peach willows, lotus (lian) years with fish (yu), etc. There will also be various drama stories.

  In addition, a series of folk activities after the small year have emphasized the "sense of participation", which means that people are busy for the upcoming Spring Festival and look forward to a happy reunion.

(Finish)