Can't talk during New Year's Eve dinner? What are the differences between the Spring Festival customs in the north and south?

As the saying goes: "Customs vary every ten miles." Due to differences in climate, diet, geographical location and many other aspects, the New Year customs in the north and south are also different. So today, the editor will take you to talk about the differences in customs during the New Year in the north and south.

Little New Year Customs

Xiaonian usually refers to the day of house cleaning and offering sacrifices to the kitchen god. In the south and north, Xiaonian is not on the same day. In the north, Xiaonian falls on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month. In many places, dumplings are eaten during Xiaonian. There are also sugar melons, maltose, and fire cakes. In some areas, relatives and friends are invited to eat pork together, and the stuffed blood sausage is distributed to the guests to take home. In the south, Xiaonian falls on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month. In many places, rice cakes, glutinous rice balls, and rice dumplings are eaten. In some areas, rice cakes are also made.

Although the dates are different, the actions of people across the country are surprisingly consistent.

Spring cleaning. On the day of Little New Year, people will get up early and start cleaning, washing pots and pans, washing clothes, and doing a spring cleaning of the house to drive out the dirt and bad luck of the year to welcome the arrival of the New Year, which means a new look in the new year.

According to custom, people also worship the Kitchen God on the day of the Little New Year. Usually, they will paste a New Year picture of the Kitchen God on the wall next to the stove, facing the wind box, and put some food on the table. In the north, they mainly put stove sugar, steamed buns, and fruits, while in the south, they mainly put candy, water, and beans. They put the food on the table for worship, praying that the Kitchen God will say good things in heaven and keep the world safe.

Bathing and haircut. On the day of the Little New Year, adults and children in the north basically have to bathe and have their hair cut. There is a saying among the people that "rich or poor, you should get a haircut during the New Year" and "Don't get a haircut in the first month of the year", so many people will choose to get their hair cut on the day of the Little New Year. However, there is no such custom in the south, and most people bathe and get their hair cut before New Year's Eve.

Prepare New Year's goods. When the Little New Year comes, every household will start preparing New Year's goods, preparing food for New Year's worship, New Year's Day, and the days after the New Year. For example, New Year pictures, chicken, fish, meat, eggs, melon seeds, peanuts, candies, and fruits are needed during the New Year. In some places, various kinds of steamed noodles and fried foods are also prepared.

Spring Festival Customs

Pasting Spring Festival couplets. Early in the morning on the Spring Festival, pasting Spring Festival couplets and auspicious characters have become a must-do for northerners. Whether it is on the door, wardrobe, or car, the corresponding Spring Festival couplets must be pasted. In addition, pasting window flowers is also a custom in many northern regions, but in the south, window flowers are usually pasted when there is a happy event at home.

New Year's Eve dinner . Dumplings are an indispensable food for the New Year's Eve dinner of northerners, symbolizing the alternation of the old and the new, and the change of the year. In order to seek good luck, northerners will also put coins, sugar, peanuts and other festive lucky symbols in the dumplings, which means making a fortune in the new year and gold ingots rolling in. Some regions also have some fixed dishes, such as carp, sweet dumplings, etc. In the south, the staple food is mainly rice cakes and dumplings. Since the homonym of rice cakes is "year high", it is a good omen for good luck and also means family reunion. It is worth noting that in Shanxi, people are not allowed to talk while eating dinner on New Year's Eve; in Jilin, frozen pears are a must-have item after the New Year's Eve dinner.

Hang red lanterns. In the north, from New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, every household hangs red lanterns. On the night of New Year's Eve, the lanterns must be lit and kept lit all night, symbolizing longevity. However, in the south, there is no such custom.

Lucky money. After the New Year's Eve dinner, the elders in the northern region will start distributing lucky money to the children. This is an annual tradition, and the amount of each red envelope is relatively large, ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. But in the south, red envelopes are also called "Paili See", which means good luck and good fortune. Most of them are for good omens. Generally, after the New Year, some business people will pray to the gods and give benefits to employees. The amount is not as large as in the north.

Many northerners prepare candies, dried fruits, melon seeds and other snacks. After dinner, the family watches the Spring Festival Gala and chats. At midnight, firecrackers sound, and the family enters the new year together. In the south, people usually sit around the stove on New Year's Eve, prepare fruits and tea. Although the customs are different, they share the same thing: recalling the ups and downs of the past year and welcoming the beginning of the new year.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year , people in the north usually open their doors and set off firecrackers, which is called "opening firecrackers". This indicates that the new year will be smooth and prosperous. At the same time, many younger generations will pay New Year's greetings to their elders. In terms of food, dumplings are the main food in the north, while glutinous rice balls are still the main food in the south. Of course, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, some regions have different customs. For example, people in Jiangsu do not eat porridge on the first day of the Lunar New Year; people in Zhejiang eat bean porridge and entertain guests with "tea bowl tea"; people in Shandong eat wontons; people in Guangdong exchange oranges for New Year's greetings, etc.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year , the first meal in the north is usually noodles, which means a smooth new year. There are many rules for eating noodles. The noodles must be left over from making dumplings on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and they are all served in cold soup. In the south, people usually have a New Year's Eve dinner, especially business people. In addition to eating some dishes with good meanings, they will also spread enoki mushrooms with lettuce, which means "making money" or "money all over the floor." At the same time, this day is also the day for married women to return to their parents' home to visit relatives.

Lantern Festival

Tangyuan and Yuanxiao. Many people say that Tangyuan and Yuanxiao are the same thing. But in the north and south of China, the two are different. Tangyuan is eaten in the south, and Yuanxiao is eaten in the north. Although both are made of glutinous rice flour, the production methods are different. Tangyuan is made by mixing glutinous rice flour with water to form dough, and then wrapping it with fillings. The flavors are sweet, salty, meaty, and vegetarian. Yuanxiao, on the other hand, is mostly filled with sweet fillings, such as red bean paste, black sesame, hawthorn, etc., which are directly rolled out layer by layer with glutinous rice flour.

Lantern Festival customs. In the south, guessing lantern riddles, lion dancing, stilt walking, setting up lanterns, setting off sky lanterns, and burning tile lanterns are essential activities during the Lantern Festival. In the north, on the 15th day of the first lunar month, carrying lanterns, playing fire clubs, watching lanterns, setting off fireworks, lion dancing, and visiting temple fairs are indispensable activities every year. In Guangdong Province, some people pick lettuce, cook it with cakes and eat it for good luck; in Henan, there is also the custom of newly married women sending lanterns and setting off fireworks to their families.

Traditional customs vary from place to place . What are the customs for celebrating the New Year in your place? Come and share with us ! I also wish you all a good omen in the new year, and wish you all happiness and success every year.

(The above customs are purely collected by the editor. If there are any errors, please gently correct them ~)

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