Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival, Lunar New Year, or CNY, is the most solemn and traditional festival for the Chinese people. It symbolizes unity, prosperity, and new hope for the future. It all started with Yu Shun(虞舜). More than 2,000 years ago, Shun was the Son of Heaven and led his subordinates to sacrifice to heaven and earth. From then on, people set this day as the first day of the first lunar month. According to legend, this is the origin of the Chinese New Year, later known as the Spring Festival. The Spring Festival used to be also called New Year’s Day. The month where the Spring Festival is located is called the first month.

Traditional festival ceremonies and custom activities are an important part of festival elements, carrying a rich and colorful festival cultural heritage. The Spring Festival is an ancient festival in China, and it is also the most important festival of the year. In the course of historical development, a variety of folk customs from many places have been mixed together, forming some relatively fixed customs and habits, many of which are still passed down to this day. For example, offering sacrifices to gods, gods to meet the weather, respecting ancestors, ancestors to maintain family ties, exorcising evil spirits to seek peace, leisure and entertainment to relax the mind. It not only embodies the ideological beliefs, ideals, aspirations, life, entertainment, and cultural psychology of the Chinese nation, but also, is a carnival display of blessings, disasters, food, and entertainment.

One of the best customs as of right now, but definitely not in the future, are New Year’s money, because I would be the one giving out money- out of my own pocket. After the New Year’s dinner, the elders will distribute the prepared New Year’s money to the younger generation. The original purpose of the New Year’s money is to suppress evil and exorcise evil spirits. Because people think that children are vulnerable to ghosts, they use lucky money to drive away ghosts.

Another one of my favorite customs as a child is burning firecrackers. The purpose of firecrackers is to welcome gods and exorcise evil spirits. Later, with its strong festive color, it developed into a symbol of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new. Burning firecrackers can create a festive and lively atmosphere, and is a kind of recreational activity during festivals, which can bring people joy and auspiciousness.

There are definitely more traditional customs that we celebrate and stories to explore. But overall, the main purpose of celebrating the Spring Festival is to remember ancestors, respect the elderly, and wish for a better year!