Chapter 349: Nian Beast (Introduction to Nian Beast Legend)
During the Spring Festival, various New Year celebration activities are held across the country, with strong local characteristics.
These activities are mainly about removing the old and bringing in the new, exorcising evil spirits and warding off disasters, worshiping gods and ancestors, and receiving blessings and praying for good luck. The forms are rich and colorful, embodying the essence of traditional Chinese culture.
In the early days of observing time and timing, the year was determined based on the changing stars, and "Dou Bing Hui Yin" was the beginning of the year.
"Dou Bing Hui Yin" the earth rejuvenates, the end comes again, everything is renewed, and a new reincarnation begins.
In traditional farming societies, the beginning of spring is of great significance, and a large number of related New Year's Day customs and cultures have been derived.
In the historical development, although the calendars used are different and the dates of the New Year Festival are different, the festival framework and many folk customs have been inherited.
Nowadays, people set the Spring Festival on the first day of the first lunar month, but it usually does not end until at least the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
The Spring Festival is a major folk festival that integrates worshiping gods and ancestors, praying for blessings and warding off evil spirits, reuniting relatives and friends, celebrating entertainment and eating.
Headed by the Hundred Festival Year, the Spring Festival is the most solemn traditional festival in China.
"Wow, that sounds like fun!"
Li Li's eyes were shining with a playful expression. She suddenly began to look forward to the New Year celebration that Guan He said. It must be very interesting!
Meng Guanhe looked weird. On New Year's Day, the elders always give red envelopes to the younger ones. As the highest elder of the Meng family, the ancestor is probably going bankrupt!
"I'm very rich!"
Li Li said unconvinced, "Don't worry, no matter who it is, I will give you a big red envelope on New Year's Day!"
She is the richest dragon cub, not a pauper!
"Um, are you sure?"
Meng Guanhe looked uncertain. There were more than two hundred people in the Meng clan from top to bottom!
This is definitely a big family, and based on his understanding of the ancestors, the ancestors' red envelopes must be quite large. If everyone is given out, are they sure they won't go bankrupt?
"Are you doubting my princess' words?"
The little guy looked displeased. She was an ancestor, and this unworthy descendant dared to doubt her. He should be beaten!
"Disciples don't dare!"
Meng Guanhe shook his head bitterly. The ancestor's pressure was so terrifying that he almost fell down due to fear.
Hey, our ancestors are indeed our ancestors!
"Tell me a little more about this Chinese New Year!"
"yes!"
It seems that the ancestors are very interested in celebrating the New Year. I have to behave well, maybe I can deceive the ancestors. Bah, bah, bah, the ancestors rewarded me with some resources.
Now, everyone in the Meng family doesn't know that the ancestor's hand is loose, and being with the ancestor is definitely a blessing cultivated in the previous life, and cannot be lost!
"Let me give you the New Year traditions first!"
"Well, tell me!"
The little guy was lying lazily on the sofa, watching cartoons and listening to Meng Guanhe telling her the New Year customs. He is definitely a model of multitasking!
The first custom of the New Year is to keep the year old, also known as keeping the fire, lighting up the year, etc. It has a long history. Chinese Han people have the habit of keeping the year old on New Year's Eve, which is commonly known as "staying up for the year".
It is the custom of not sleeping on the last night of the old year and staying up late to welcome the arrival of the new year. It is also called staying up late on New Year's Eve, and is commonly known as "staying up late".
Looking into the origin of this custom, there is an interesting story spread among the people.
In ancient times, there was a ferocious monster that lived scattered in the deep mountains and dense forests. People called them "Nian". It had a ferocious appearance and a ferocious nature. It specialized in eating birds, beasts, and scale insects. It changed its taste every day, from kowtowing insects to
Keep eating until you are alive, which makes people look pale when talking about "New Year".
Later, people gradually grasped the activity pattern of "Nian". It would rush to crowded places to taste fresh food every three hundred and sixty-five days, and its appearance time would always be after dark, until the rooster crows and dawn.
, it returned to the mountains and forests.
After calculating the date when the "New Year" would be rampant, the people regarded this terrible night as a critical moment, called it "New Year's Eve", and came up with a whole set of ways to celebrate the New Year's Eve.
Every night on this day, every household prepares dinner in advance, turns off the heat and cleans the stove, fastens all the chicken pens and cattle pens, seals the front and back doors of the house, and hides in the house to eat the "New Year's Eve dinner".
Because this dinner has an unlucky meaning, it is very sumptuous. In addition to having the whole family gather together to dine together to express harmony and reunion, they must also offer sacrifices to their ancestors before eating, praying for the blessings of the ancestors' gods, and for a safe and peaceful dinner.
After spending the night and dinner, no one dared to go to sleep. They crowded together and chatted to strengthen their courage. Gradually, they formed the habit of staying up late on New Year's Eve.
The custom of keeping the year old arose in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Many literati in the Liang Dynasty wrote poems and essays about keeping the year old. "One night lasts two years, and the fifth watch divides two years."
People light candles or oil lamps and keep vigil all night, symbolizing driving away all evil plagues and looking forward to good luck in the new year. This custom has been passed down to this day.
Besides this, there is another way to say it.
According to legend, in ancient times, a young man named Wannian saw that the seasons were very chaotic at that time, so he decided to fix them.
But he couldn't find a way to calculate time. One day, he was tired from going up the mountain to chop firewood, so he sat under the shade of a tree to rest. The movement of the tree shadow inspired him.
He designed a dial to measure the sun's shadow and the sky's time to measure the time of the day. Later, the dripping spring on the cliff inspired him, and he started to make a five-layer clepsydra to calculate the time.
As time went by, he discovered that every three hundred and sixty days, the four seasons cycled around again, and the length of the days repeated themselves.
The king at that time was named Zu Yi, and he was often troubled by the unpredictable weather conditions.
After Wan Nian found out, he took the sundial and the clepsydra to see the emperor and explained to Zu Yi the principles of the movement of the sun and the moon.
Zu Yi heard that Hou Longyan was overjoyed and felt that it made sense, so he left Wannian behind and built the Sun and Moon Pavilion in front of the Temple of Heaven, as well as the sundial platform and leaky pot pavilion.
He also hopes to accurately measure the laws of the sun and the moon, calculate the accurate morning and evening times, and create a calendar to benefit the people of the world.
Once, Zu Yi went to learn about the progress of the Ten Thousand Years Test Calendar.
When he climbed up to the Temple of the Sun and the Moon, he saw a poem carved on the stone wall beside the Temple of Heaven: The sun rises and sets three hundred and six times, and it starts all over again.
The withering and flourishing of grass and trees are divided into four seasons, and there are twelve circles in one year.
Knowing that Wannian's calendar had been created, he personally went to the Sun and Moon Pavilion to visit Wannian.
Wan Nian pointed to the sky and said to Zu Yi: "Now is the end of the twelve months. The old year is over and the new year has begun. Please pray to the king to set a festival."
Zu Yi said: "Spring is the beginning of the year, so let's call it the Spring Festival."
It is said that this is the origin of the Spring Festival.
Winter passed and spring came, year after year, ten thousand years later, after long-term observation and careful calculation, he worked out an accurate solar calendar. When he presented the solar calendar to his successor, his face was covered with silver whiskers.
The monarch was deeply moved. In order to commemorate Wannian's achievements, he named the solar calendar "Wannian Calendar" and named Wannian as the sun, moon and longevity star. From then on, people hung up their longevity during the New Year to commemorate the venerable Wannian. (Above information
from Baidu)
Meng Guanhuai couldn't help but sweat, "You are very talented in telling stories!" This chapter has been completed!