Every year, my family has a birthday. What is the origin of their birthday celebration?

Keeping old at the age of 30, commonly known as endure the year. Why is it called endure the year? There is an interesting story in China from generation to generation: According to legend, there was a fierce monster in ancient flood times, which people called Nian.

Every New Year's Eve, Nian beast will climb out of the sea to kill people and animals, destroy the countryside and bring disaster to people who have worked hard for a year. In order to avoid the Nian beast, people close the door early on the 30th night of the twelfth lunar month, dare not sleep, wait until dawn, and drink to kill time and courage. On the first morning of the new year, you dare not go out until the Nian beast comes out.

When people saw it, they bowed to each other, congratulated each other, and were glad that they had not been eaten by Nian beast. After many years, nothing happened, and people relaxed their vigilance against Nian beast.

On the evening of 30th one year, Nian beast suddenly fled to a village in the south of the Yangtze River. A village was almost eaten up by Nian beast, and only a pair of newly-married couples in red curtains were safe and sound. There are also some childish people who lit a pile of bamboo and played in the yard. The flame was red, and the bamboo exploded after burning. Nian Beast turned around here and ran away in fear when he saw the flame.

From then on, people know that Nian beast is afraid of red, light and noise. At the end of each year, every household sticks red paper, wears red robes, hangs red lights, beats gongs and drums, and sets off firecrackers, so that Nian Beasts dare not come again. There is a record about the light of Tingliao in The Book of Songs Xiaoya Tingliao. The so-called pavilion is a torch made of bamboo poles and the like. After the bamboo pole burns, the air in the bamboo joint expands, and the bamboo cavity bursts and crackles, which is the origin of firecrackers.

However, villagers in some places don't know that Nian beast is afraid of red and is often eaten by Nian beast. This story later spread to Zixing in the sky. In order to save people, he is determined to destroy Nian beast. One year the beast came out, knocked it down with a fireball and chained it to a stone pillar with a thick chain. From then on, every New Year, people always burn incense and ask Zixing to come down to keep safe.

Extended data:

Keeping the old age is a folk custom in China on New Year's Eve, which is also called wasting time and staying up late. It refers to family reunion on New Year's Eve and staying up late to welcome the Lunar New Year. Keeping the Lunar New Year's Eve is one of the most important activities, and the custom of keeping the Lunar New Year's Eve has a long history. The earliest records can be found in the local customs of the Western Jin Dynasty: on New Year's Eve, all parties give gifts to each other, which is called "feeding the elderly"; Wine and food are invited, which is called "not old"; Young and old get together to drink and wish a complete song called "age division"; Everyone stays up all night, waiting for dawn. This is the so-called "shou sui".

Keeping the Lunar New Year's Eve is one of the most important activities in the Spring Festival, and the custom of keeping the Lunar New Year's Eve has a long history. The earliest records can be found in the local customs of the Western Jin Dynasty: on New Year's Eve, all parties give gifts to each other, which is called "feeding the elderly"; Wine and food are invited, which is called "not old"; Young and old get together to drink and wish a complete song called "age division"; Everyone stays up all night, waiting for dawn. This is the so-called "shou sui". ?

On New Year's Eve, the whole family get together, eat New Year's Eve, light candles or oil lamps, sit around the stove and chat, wait for the time to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year, and keep vigil all night, which symbolizes driving away all evil diseases and epidemics and expecting good luck in the new year. This custom gradually became popular. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, wrote a poem "Shou Sui": "Cold words and winter snow, warm with spring breeze". To this day, people are used to celebrating the New Year's Eve.

Family reunion dinner on New Year's Eve

Watching the New Year begins with eating New Year's Eve, and people sit at the table when they light lanterns. Some people have to eat late into the night. According to Zonggu's record of Jingchu's age, there was a custom of New Year's Eve dinner at least in the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

lucky money

Children will get lucky money from their elders when they are guarding their old age. It is said that lucky money can kill evil spirits, because "old" and "special" are homophonic, and younger generations can spend their first year safely with lucky money, which also symbolizes that they have money all year round.

This custom began in the Song Dynasty, when lucky money was specially made and could not be used to buy or sell things in the market. In ancient times, the smallest denomination coin was made of copper, so it was called copper plate, also called copper coin. Copper coins are round with a square hole in the middle, so scholars call money "Kong Fang brothers". There are characters on the square hole on the front of the copper coin, mostly the year number when the emperor issued it, and there are also characters on the left and right: "Bao Tong" or "Yuanbao". Copper coins issued in Yuan Dynasty and Qing Dynasty were printed with "Mongolian" and "Manchu" on the back.

The shape and size of lucky money are similar to copper coins, but the front and back of lucky money are mostly patterns related to growth and life. It was not until after the Revolution of 1911 that no one produced lucky money and paper money appeared that cash was put in a red paper bag as lucky money, which was called a "red envelope". Nowadays, the most popular mantra for children to pay New Year greetings is "Congratulations on making a fortune and bring a red envelope".

Why should New Year's Eve be divided into lucky money? What is the meaning of this custom? For minors, they are one year older after New Year's Eve, which is also called New Year's Eve. "Year" has two meanings: one is the date and the other is the age. Therefore, "suppressing the old age" means suppressing the old age and resigning the old age.

Why do you want to use the lucky money with the same shape as copper coins? Because the ancient copper coins represented the sky in a circle and the earth in a square hole, they were called "the land with a round sky". After heaven and earth, heaven and earth are the largest, and everything can be suppressed. Then, why do we still follow the custom of giving lucky money when we have entered a scientifically developed and highly civilized society? Because this custom contains concern for life, it reminds adults and minors to cherish life and stay away from all life-threatening behaviors: drug abuse, violence and drunk driving. ...

Step on age

Sticking sesame stalks into the shape of gold ingots made of yellow paper rolls and storing them in a bundle is called "cornucopia". Then the whole family crushed it with their feet to make "old" and "broken" homophonic, and borrowed the auspicious meaning of sesame blossom to wish the family prosperity and express their wishes and prayers for the new year.

amusement

In ancient times, on New Year's Eve, families got together, ate New Year's Eve, and talked and talked. Some vulgar families push pai gow, roll dice, bet on horses, play mahjong and so on. In modern China, people are more likely to watch TV programs together as a family, such as the Spring Festival Gala, waiting for the arrival of the New Year.

References:

Baidu encyclopedia-shou sui