Xiaonian customs and taboos: What are the Xiaonian taboos and what can’t be done during the Xiaonian?
In China, the Chinese New Year is more important than anything else. So when does the Chinese New Year begin? There is a folk saying that the Little New Year is not as good as the Spring Festival. The Little New Year is usually counted on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, and in some areas it is counted on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month. Xiaonian is an important entry point to the Chinese New Year. On this day, we need to complete many customs and rituals to express our welcome and preparation for the Spring Festival. The many preparations for the Little New Year and the importance attached to this festival express the working people's good wishes to bid farewell to the old and usher in the new, and to welcome good luck and fortune. The main folk activities during the Little New Year include pasting Spring Festival couplets, sweeping the house, and offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God. It is also said that both adults and children must take a bath and have a haircut. There is also a saying among the people that "Whether you have money or not, you should get a haircut during the New Year." So what are the taboos on the day of Little New Year? Let us follow them to bring good luck to the coming year so that people can welcome the Big New Year and the Spring Festival with peace of mind.Things to do in the New Year1. Offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God <br /> According to legend, the Jade Emperor assigns a Kitchen God to each household to supervise the household's actions throughout the year and report back. When offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God, melt Guandong sugar with fire and apply it on the Kitchen God's mouth, so that he cannot say bad things in front of the Jade Emperor. There is also a folk custom that "men do not worship the moon, and women do not worship the Kitchen God", so worshiping the Kitchen God is limited to men. During the Yongzheng period, the royal family began to worship gods and the kitchen god in Kunning Palace on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month every year, and their descendants followed suit.2. Sweeping the dust <br /> Sweeping the dust is actually cleaning the household environment. Traditionally, every household gets up at dawn on this day to sweep the house, clean the windows, wash clothes, scrub the pots and pans, and carry out a thorough cleaning. According to "Shiyi Ji", this custom can be traced back to more than 3,000 years ago. At that time, it was a religious ceremony to drive away plague ghosts and pray for health. The latter word "chen" is homophonic with "chen", so sweeping the dust means sweeping away all the old things, which refers to both the old dirt in the courtyard and the unpleasantness encountered in the old year. 3. Write Spring Festival Couplets After the Little New Year, every household will write Spring Festival couplets. People believe that couplets must be posted wherever there are gods, on every door, and on every object. Particular attention is paid to couplets in front of gods, most of which are words of respect and blessing. The couplets on the front door are the face of a family and are given special attention. They may be lyrical or descriptive. 4. Cutting paper-cuts <br /> Cutting paper-cuts is the most popular folk activity. 5. Bathing Both adults and children need to take a bath and have a haircut. There is a saying among the people that "Whether you have money or not, you should get a haircut during the New Year." 6. Marriage After the 23rd, people believe that the gods have gone to heaven and there are no taboos. There is no need to choose a date to marry a wife or a daughter, which is called a hasty marriage. There are a lot of wedding ceremonies held until the end of the year. There is a saying in the folk song, "At the end of the year, villages are busy with weddings, and Yichun sends invitations to celebrate the spring. Sisters whisper to each other in front of the lamp, and this year's staying up late is the bridal chamber." Things that you can’t do in your childhood1. In some places in Henan, people are taboo about pounding garlic, believing that pounding garlic during the Little New Year will make the family poor.2. In Taiwan, people avoid pounding rice. It is said that this may bring down the God of Wind, which may bring about wind disasters in the coming year. 3. According to legend, in some areas of Hubei, people avoid slaughtering animals on the Minor New Year. 4. According to the lunar calendar, there are some things that cannot be done on the day of Xiaonian (the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month in 2017): Fasting and offering sacrifices, praying for blessings, opening of business, traveling, moving coffins, breaking ground, starting drilling, burial, accepting betrothal gifts, getting married, raising beams, erecting pillars, seeking wealth, building, offering sacrifices, moving into a new house, installing doors, separation, breaking ground, setting up beds, closing tents, coming of age, coffining, building a house, purchasing property, releasing water, accepting livestock, and migrating. |
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