Festivals and customs on the first day of the first lunar month What to do on the first day of the first lunar month

Chinese people have always attached great importance to traditional customs and culture. There are many taboos and etiquette in some important festivals. The first day of the new year is coming soon. What are the festivals and customs of the first day of the first lunar month? What should we do on the first day of the first lunar month?

Festivals and customs on the first day of the first lunar month

The first day of the first lunar month is the first day of the Spring Festival, the beginning of the lunar year, the beginning of the month, and the beginning of the day, so it is called "Sanyuan"; because it is also the morning of the year, the month, and the day, it is also called "Sanchao"; and because it is the first new moon day, it is also called "Yuanshuo". The first day of the first lunar month is also known as Shangri, Zhengchao, Sanshuo and Sanshi, which means that the first day of the first lunar month is the beginning of the year, month and day.
On the morning of the Spring Festival, firecrackers are set off first to wish for good luck when the door is opened. These are called "door-opening firecrackers". At this time, the streets were full of auspiciousness and joy. When everyone meets each other, they say "Happy New Year", and the new year begins. Putting three coins is called "three consecutive hits"; putting four coins is called "good fortune, wealth, longevity and happiness"; putting five coins is called "five blessings coming to the door"; putting six coins is called "six good lucks".
In addition, an important activity during the Spring Festival is to visit new friends and neighbors to wish them a happy New Year, which was formerly known as New Year's greetings. New Year's greetings are a traditional custom among the Chinese people. It is a way for people to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new and express good wishes to each other.

What to do on the first day of the Lunar New Year?

1. Eat rice cake <br/>Eating rice cake on the first day of the first lunar month is a Chinese tradition, symbolizing "prosperity on a daily basis." The styles of rice cakes include square-shaped yellow and white rice cakes, which symbolize gold and silver, and imply getting rich in the New Year.
2. New Year's greetings <br/>An important activity during the Spring Festival is to visit the homes of new friends and neighbors to wish them a happy new year, which was formerly known as New Year's greetings. New Year's greetings are a traditional custom among the Chinese people. It is a way for people to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new and express good wishes to each other.
3. Fortune-telling <br/>In the old days, the Han people would predict the harvest of the year based on the weather during the first few days of the new year. The theory originated from Dongfang Shuo's "Sui Zhan" in the Han Dynasty, which said that eight days after the year, the first day is the chicken day, the second day is the dog day, the third day is the pig day, the fourth day is the sheep day, the fifth day is the cow day, the sixth day is the horse day, the seventh day is the human day, and the eighth day is the grain day. If the day is sunny, the things it governs will flourish; if the day is cloudy, the things it governs will not prosper. Later generations followed this custom and believed that it was auspicious if the weather was clear, windless and snowless from the first to the tenth day of the lunar month. Later generations developed the fortune-telling into a series of sacrificial and celebratory activities. There is a custom of not killing chickens on the first day of the lunar month, not killing dogs on the second day, not killing pigs on the third day... and not executing people on the seventh day.
4. Incense-burning <br/>During the New Year, men, women, old and young wear new clothes, bring sacrificial offerings, gold paper, incense sticks and candles, and go to various temples to worship Buddha and pray for the safety of the whole family. Each temple will also prepare bright lamps, peace lamps, and even rituals for believers to burn incense and pray. It is commonly believed that praying on the first day of the first lunar month when the gates of heaven are opened will be particularly effective if the first stick of incense is burned. Therefore, as soon as the gates of heaven are closed and the hour of midnight passes, crowds of people will flock to famous temples, eating vegetarian fruits, burning incense and praying.