What is Chinese Festival?

Spring Festival, the new year of Chinese traditional calendar, is one of major traditional national holidays in China. In ancient times, people called the Spring Festival as New Year. The reason for why ancients arranged the beginning of the year in cold days was that people had few work to do instead of harvesting in autumn, collecting in winter and ploughing in spring, weeding in summer. Farmers made full use of such a slack season to celebrate joyfully.

In order to rejoice at the New Year, people wished others a happy new year and blessed heartily. Some stick calligraphies full of joy on doors, most of them were antithetical couplet, phrase, individual character, such as: blessing, longevity, luckiness, propitious New Year and so on. Whereas, some people pasted paper-cuts for window decorations to do away with the old and set up the new, the patterns of paper-cuts mainly consisted of figure, flower, character, any of the twelve animals representing the twelve Earthly Branches, and other animals.

It was in recent times that people called the New Year as the Spring Festival. Although China had conducted legislative reform for several times, Chinese traditional calendar was still applied, only after the Revolution of 1911, the Gregorian calendar had begun to be applied. For distinguishing two new years in Gregorian calendar and Chinese traditional calendar, additionally, the new year in Chinese traditional calendar is around the Beginning of Spring, so people termed the new year in Chinese traditional calendar as the Spring Festival.

Chinese Festival Custom?

>> Jiao Zi (Dumpingls) and Zao Wang Ye (the kitchen God)
Chinas Spring Festival, the general Jizao from the kick off. Ballads "23, Tanggua stick" refers to the annual that is 23 or 24 Jizao, the so-called "four officials San Chuanjie 5", that is, and officials in 23, General in 24, compared with 25 Jizao still boat dwellers there. 

 Jizao, is a very influential people in our country, the custom is a very wide spread. Old, almost every family Zaojian have a "Zaowangye" tablets.  People call this respect God "Siming Buddha" or "Zaojunciming" He is legend closure of the Jade Emperor, "nine East Siming kitchen stove Wangfu Monarch", responsible for the management of the various Zaohuo was as a god of protection by the worship.  Most lesions Wang niches in the north or east Zaofang middle for the Zaowangye images.  Wang did not focus niches families, but also will be posted on the wall, images of the direct. Some statues Zaowangye only one painting, and some have both male and female, the Goddess was known as the "stove Grandma Wang."  This is probably imitate human couples image.Zaowangye like most also printed on this years calendar, a letter to the "East Siming main kitchen," "human surveillance God," "head of household" text to indicate the status of the Kitchen God. Along with the moniker of "God good statement, the lower bound for security and peace" couplet, the youngest of the family to bless the peace.
Zaowangye since last years New Years Eve, has been to stay at home, in order to protect and monitor one; will have to ascend to heaven on the 23rd Zaowangye whereabouts of the Jade Emperor in heaven on the familys good or evil, the Songzaoshen ceremony known as the "stove send" or "speech kitchen."  According to the Jade Emperor Zaowangye report, and we agreed that one in the new year should be the fate of the bad fortune to pay Zaowangye hands. Therefore, a people, Zaowangye reporting is a major stake.

Send stoves, and more time in the evening at nightfall.  A person first Zaofang and put it on the table, to the shrine located in the kitchen wall Zaowangye offer joss sticks, and for use on the face and caused Yitang Tanggua such. Then splits Zhacheng paper horses and feeding livestock fodder. Zaowangye with Yitang worship, so that he thought the elderly mouth. In some places, will be sugar coated Zaowangye around the mouth, while Tu: "fine words to say, say bad words." This is gagged with sugar Zaowangye mouth and let him say Huaihua.  In the Tang Dynasty book "under the age of mind", there was "distillers grain coating on the stove Siming (Zaowangye) drunk," records.  People with sugar coated End Zaowangye mouth, then statues, and paper together with the smoke has risen. In some areas, is at the yard Duishang sesame stalk and pine branches, then for a year as Zaojun out of the shrine, along with paper horses and fodder, and set ablaze. It was in the courtyard fire Tongming, when people around a fire kowtowing, and at the burning edge prayer: this year to 23, King sent Zaojun, Nishi.  A strong horse, forage, a pleasant journey to peace.  Tanggua for the sweet and sweet, good words into the Jade Emperor.

As throughout the different customs, civil also "jump-focus" and "stove-play" activities.  "Jumping kitchen King" is a nongovernmental from ancient "Flooding Nuo" developed from a form of activities, mainly to the activities of beggars from the 1st to 24 is "jump-focus" days. beggars were small groups, the play kitchen stove with bamboo poles in Great sect, begging for money, is known as the "jump-kitchen", also contains evil intention.  This activity mainly in the south-east to China.

>> Spring Festival Couplets


>> Old New Year Poctures
      (A picture printed from an engraved or etched plate.)


>> Door Gods
     (Door gods are pictures of deities posted on the door, where they can protect the household from evil.)