Is it necessary to go home for the reunion dinner during the Spring Festival? What is the origin of the reunion dinner?

Is it necessary to go home for the reunion dinner during the Spring Festival? What is the origin of the reunion dinner?
Introduction: The Spring Festival is a traditional festival with a long history and grand style in our country, and going home to have a reunion dinner during the Spring Festival is the wish of many people who are away from home. So is it necessary to go home for the reunion dinner during the Spring Festival? What is the origin of the reunion dinner? If you want to know more about the 2018 Spring Festival, please pay attention to our Fortune Teller website!

Is it necessary to go home for the reunion dinner during the Spring Festival?

Saying goodbye to the old year means having a sumptuous dinner on New Year’s Eve, commonly known as the "New Year’s Eve dinner". In some places, it is called "family reunion dinner", "family reunion", "New Year’s Eve wine", "New Year’s Eve wine" or "New Year’s farewell wine". The custom of bidding farewell to the old year has been very popular since the Jin Dynasty. On that night, families gather together, with children and grandchildren around them, and talk about reunion under the lights and wine.
Eating a reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve is a traditional custom for almost every household. On this day, people who work outside will rush back home as long as they have time. The family will get together, take out the most sumptuous food, and have a reunion dinner.
Eating reunion dinners is not the same in all parts of China. In the south, this meal usually has more than a dozen dishes, among which tofu and fish must be included because these are homophones of the Chinese character for "wealth". In the north, reunion dinners mostly consist of dumplings, which are made by the whole family together. Dumplings are a type of food made by wrapping delicious meat fillings in round, thin dough. After being wrapped, they are cooked in boiling water and added with seasonings. The whole family then sits at the table and enjoys the meal in a lively atmosphere. "Dumplings" symbolize reunion.

What is the origin of the reunion dinner?

There are many interesting legends about the origin of the New Year's Eve dinner. Among them, the most widely circulated one is the story about people working together to resist "Nian".
In ancient times, there was a ferocious monster that lived in the deep mountains and dense forests. People called it "Nian". It has a hideous appearance and a cruel nature. It feeds on birds, beasts, reptiles and insects. Its taste changes every day. People are terrified when talking about the "Nian". Later, people slowly understood the activity pattern of "Nian". It would sneak into places where people gathered to taste fresh food every 365 days. It would appear after dark and return to the mountains and forests at dawn when the cocks crowed.
After calculating the date when "Nian" would wreak havoc, the people regarded this terrible night as a critical juncture, called "New Year's Eve". On this night, every household would prepare dinner in advance, turn off the fire and clean the stove, then lock the chicken coop and cattle pen, seal the front and back doors of the house, and hide in the house to eat the "New Year's Eve dinner". Because this dinner has an uncertain implication of good or bad luck, it is prepared very sumptuously. In addition to the whole family eating together to express harmony and reunion, they must also offer sacrifices to their ancestors before eating, praying for the blessings of the ancestral spirits so that they can spend the night safely.
After dinner, no one dared to sleep, and they sat together chatting to build up their courage. You can’t survive the New Year without eating the New Year’s Eve dinner. Therefore, the custom of having a reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve gradually formed.
Another legend of the reunion dinner
On New Year’s Eve, we have a reunion dinner. This "reunion dinner" is made by cooking together things from heaven, earth and water.
According to legend, a long time ago, there was an old man who hired a good chef. His family had an only son who was drafted into the army. When the Chinese New Year was approaching, the old man and his wife remembered that their son had not sent a letter home for a year, and they didn't know whether he was dead or alive. So they had stern faces all day long and had no intention of celebrating the Chinese New Year. The old chef saw it and felt sad for the old couple, but there was nothing he could do. He just wanted to cook better and make the old couple happy.
On the 30th day, the old chef went to the street early in the morning to buy some pigeons, chickens, fish and vegetables, cooked them in the kitchen, and was about to serve them when the old man's only son came back. The old man was very happy and pulled his son aside to ask him many questions. This again put the old chef in a difficult position. He had only prepared two dishes, which were meant for the old couple. But now there were three people. It would be very disappointing to serve two dishes. If he made another dish, there wouldn't be enough. What should he do? After thinking for a while, the old chef came up with an idea. He piled the cooked dishes and the leftover dishes together, fried them into a large plate and served them.
The old man took a bite of the dish and thought it tasted good, so he asked: "What is this dish called? It tastes really good." The old chef didn't know either! He thought: Your family is reunited today, and I made this meal for your reunion. Just said casually: "Family reunion dinner." From then on, this kind of meal was passed down. Every year on the 30th day of the lunar calendar, people would prepare a "reunion dinner" to represent the reunion of the family.
Summary: The above content is about [Do you have to go home for the reunion dinner during the Spring Festival? What is the origin of the reunion dinner? 】Problem analysis, hope it can help everyone!

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