What are the customs of New Year's Eve? It turns out that the ancients would do these five things during the New Year

The 2017 Spring Festival is coming soon. Do you want to know what the customs are on New Year’s Eve? Next, let’s take a look at what people in ancient times did during the Spring Festival.

What are the customs of New Year's Eve?

Setting off firecrackers on New Year's Eve

During the Chinese New Year, people in ancient times would set off firecrackers. A poem by Wang Anshi of the Song Dynasty reads: "Amid the sound of firecrackers, the year is gone; the spring breeze brings warmth to people as they drink Tu Su." According to "Shenyijing", there is a mountain gourd in the western mountains. If you offend it, you will get chills and fever. But it is afraid of the sound of bamboo exploding. So people burned bamboo to drive it away.

Plum blossom makeup

In ancient times, people would paint plum blossom makeup in the first month of the lunar calendar to celebrate the New Year. Legend has it that during the reign of Emperor Wu of Song, Princess Shouyang lay in Hanzhang Palace on the first day of the lunar calendar. Plum blossoms from under the eaves fell on the princess' forehead, forming a kind of decoration.

New Year greetings and business cards

Nowadays, many people send New Year cards as New Year greetings, which is a continuation of the ancient custom of sending business cards as New Year greetings. Qingbo Magazine states: "During the first year of the Yuan Dynasty, servants were often used to carry business cards to send New Year greetings."