What is the festival on the fourth day of the first lunar month? Do you know what the fourth day of the first lunar month is?

The fourth day of the first lunar month is the fourth day of the New Year. I believe some people are still partying, while others may be sad. The sad ones may be those who go to work. . So what festival is on the fourth day of the first lunar month?

What festival is on the fourth day of the first lunar month?

The fourth day of the first lunar month is also known as Sheep Day. It is the day when Chinese people welcome gods. In the old imperial calendar, the sheep is the zodiac sign, so the phrase "three sheep (yang) brings good luck" is a symbol of good luck and is also the day to welcome the Kitchen God back to the people. On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the whole family eats Zheluo together. The so-called Zheluo is a hodgepodge of leftover food from the past few days. They also clean the house and collect garbage into one place, which is also called "throwing away poverty" in Chinese folk customs.

Customs on the Fourth Day of the Lunar New Year

Welcoming the Kitchen God and Sending Off the Fire God

The fourth day of the Lunar New Year is when the gods return to the world from heaven. There is a saying that "send off the gods early in the morning, and welcome them late". It means that sending off the gods should start early in the morning, while welcoming them in the afternoon is not too late. As for offerings, three kinds of meat, fruits, wine and food must be complete, and incense, candles and gold clothes must be burned. If the boss wants to fire someone, he will not invite him to worship the gods on this day.

Connect to five roads

Originally it meant to welcome the five traveling gods, and later evolved into welcoming the five wealth gods. In the old days, after the Spring Festival holiday, businesses would usually invite the Five Gods of Wealth on the fourth night of the New Year and open for business on the fifth day for good luck.

Tie up the Vulcan

In the north, on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, every household in some rural areas will tie up the God of Fire. Tie corn stalks or wheat stalks to a stick, light it, and send it from your home to the river, which represents a year without fire in your home.

Sheep Day

The fourth day of the first lunar month is the "Sheep Day" in the Nuwa creation myth. Dong Xun of the Jin Dynasty wrote in "Questions about Customs and Etiquette": "The first day of the first lunar month is for chickens, the second day is for dogs, the third day is for pigs, the fourth day is for sheep, the fifth day is for cows, the sixth day is for horses, and the seventh day is for people. On New Year's Day, paint a chicken on the door, and on the seventh day, put a person on the tent." In the old imperial calendar, the sheep is the zodiac sign, so the often-said "Three sheep (yang) bring good luck" is a symbol of good luck, and it is also the day to welcome the Kitchen God back to the people.

Eat Zheluo

On this day, the whole family eats Zheluo together. The so-called "zheluo" is a hodgepodge of leftover food from the first to the third day of the Chinese New Year. "Zheluo" is a special term in old Beijing and Hebei region.

"Throwing away poverty"

On this day, the whole family mixes together the leftover food from the past few days and prepares for the New Year. Dust the room, sweep the floor, and pile the garbage in the yard ready to "throw away poverty." Most shops will host a banquet for their employees and distribute red envelopes on the fourth night of the New Year. There is wine and food at the banquet, and the custom is to eat buns after drinking. The shopkeeper personally picks up the buns for the meal. Whoever the bun is put in his bowl is implied to have been fired. The fired person will automatically pack up and leave after the meal, so this banquet is commonly known as "eating the get-out buns."