Why can't we turn off the lights on New Year's Eve? What is the meaning of not turning off the lights on New Year's Eve?

New Year's Eve is also called the Big New Year's Eve. On this day, there is a folk tradition of staying up all night and keeping the lights on all night. Why is that? Why can’t we turn off the lights on New Year’s Eve? What is the meaning of leaving the lights on New Year’s Eve?

Why can't we turn off the lights on New Year's Eve?

There is a folk saying that the lights cannot be turned off on New Year's Eve. Because there is a folk custom of keeping lights on all night to drive away the ghost of poverty, so that the coming year will be smooth. Moreover, on New Year’s Eve, longevity lamps must be lit and kept bright all night long. From New Year's Eve until the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, every household hangs red lanterns, and lights them at night. They must be lit all night long and not turned off, which means longevity and continuous incense burning.

In addition, there are many customs on New Year's Eve.

1. Ancestor worship

That is, ancestor worship. Chinese people will never forget their deceased ancestors during festivals, and the Spring Festival is no exception. At this time, we will offer food or flowers to show our feelings. It is a ritual commonly used by Chinese in our country. The form of ancestor worship may vary depending on religious beliefs, but the meaning of commemorating ancestors is the same.

2. New Year’s Eve Dinner

Eating the New Year’s Eve dinner is the most lively and happy time for every family during the Spring Festival. On New Year’s Eve, the table is filled with sumptuous New Year’s dishes. The whole family gathers around the table to eat the reunion dinner together. The sense of fulfillment in my heart is truly indescribable.

3. New Year's money

At midnight, with the arrival of the time to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, the sounds of firecrackers, laughter, and blessings and greetings merge into one, interweaving together, and every family presents a scene of enthusiasm, joy and peace. The children are most looking forward to and excited at this time. They kowtow to their elders and wish them a happy new year, and the elders are busy giving them "lucky money". In ancient times, New Year’s money was called "money to ward off evil spirits" or "money to ward off victory". It first appeared in the Han Dynasty.

4. Paste the word "Fu"

While pasting Spring Festival couplets, some people will paste large and small "Fu" characters on the doors, walls and lintels of their houses. Pasting the character "Fu" during the Spring Festival is a long-standing custom among the Han Chinese people in my country. The word "Fu" means blessing and good fortune, and it embodies people's yearning for a happy life and their wishes for a better future.

5. Stay up all night

Staying up all night on New Year's Eve is one of the most important traditional activities during the Chinese New Year, and the custom has a long history. The earliest record can be found in "Fengtuzhi" by Zhou Chu of the Western Jin Dynasty: On New Year's Eve, people give gifts to each other, which is called "gifting the year"; they invite each other to drink and eat, which is called "saying goodbye to the year"; the young and the old gather together to drink and give blessings, which is called "dividing the year"; everyone stays up all night waiting for dawn, which is called "keeping the year". "One night connects two years, and the fifth watch divides two days." On New Year's Eve, the whole family gets together, eats the New Year's Eve dinner, lights candles or oil lamps, sits around the stove and chats, waiting for the moment to bid farewell to the old and usher in the new, and stays up all night, symbolizing the driving away of all evil plagues and diseases, and looking forward to a prosperous new year. This custom gradually became popular. In the early Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, wrote a poem called "Shousui": "The cold winter snow is gone, and the warmth comes in the spring breeze." To this day, people still have the habit of staying up on New Year's Eve to welcome the new year.