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 Yingting's
China --- Jan. 1, 2001
Spring Festival
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  History...
Chinese traditional festivals
have evolved through the centuries from past major events.
It is said that the Spring
Festival is related to an activity known as the Winter Sacrifice.
It was a custom practiced by the people of primitive society.
As the cold winter began
to recede and the warm spring was about to begin, the people of
an entire clan gathered together, they used their bounty of hunting,
fishing and all kinds of the grain to say thanks to the great nature.
At the very beginning,
their activity had no fixed date but after the primitive society,
ultimately, it became a festival to bid farewell to the old year
and welcome in the New Year.
In Chinese, we also say
Guo Nian, meaning keeping off the monster of Nian.
Nian means Year in Chinese
and also there is an interesting legend about it, please come to
the legends about the origin of Nian.
 The
legends of the origins of Nian
There are lots of legends
about the origin of Nian.
It is said Nian was a
monster back in ancient times. It looked like a strong bull with
a head of a lion. Usually it hunted the beasts in the forest but
in winter for there was not enough food for it to eat it came to
the villages and began to eat the kids. People suffered a lot and
finally they found out the evil spirit was afraid of three things,
the red color, a bright flame and a loud
noise.
After realizing this,
just before Nian come, every household painted their door and burned
a fire in front of their doorways. They stayed up all night beating
on things to make a loud noise.
Ever since, Nian has
never again come to the villages.
Although it is a legend,
till now we still keep some of the ways people did in that legend.
Please follow me to the
next part the customs in the Spring Festival.
The
Customs in the Spring Festival
The first meal of a year
Since the Spring Festival
marks the first day of a brand new year, the first meal is rather
important. People from north and south have different sayings about
the food they eat on this special day.
Dumplings
In North China, people
usually eat Jiaozi or dumplings
shaped like a crescent moon. It is said that dumplings were
first known in China some 1,600 years ago. Its Chinese pronunciation
Jiaozi means midnight or the beginning of time.
According to historical
records, people from both north and south ate dumplings on Chinese
New Year¡¯s Day. Perhaps because rice is popular in south,
the southern people had many more other choices on that day.
Besides the dumplings,
the noodle, which is the symbol of
longevity, and the Niangao, which is
a symbol of happiness are also popular in that special occasion.
New Year's Card
Beginning in the Song
Dynasty in the tenth century, people began to send cards
to express a New Year¡¯s greeting. At first, the sending
of New Year¡¯s cards was limited to the circle of people
in high positions. So it was also a way to show off one¡¯s
social status. However, at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty in
the 14th century, ordinary people also began to exchange
cards. The practice continues today during the Spring Festival.
Recreational activities
We can use two words
to define the activities: various and colorful.
The dragon Dance and
Lion Dance are traditionally performed during the festival. The
dances did not have to be performed by professionals. Sometimes
the performers are farmers, street venders of craftsman.
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Hi,
Is it interesting?
Since we can enjoy
about 7- day- holiday in the Spring Festival, besides the traditional
ways to celebrate the special occasion, nowadays more and more people
travel to the different cities domestically and internationally.
I'm sure that will
be a fun if you come here in that period, watching the dragon dance,
eating the dumplings and playing the fireworks, wearing a traditional
Chinese Cheongsam, you can definitely enjoy more.
Following is a traditional
Chinese New Year's card, I hope it can bring my best wishes to all
of you!
Yingting
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