Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a monster named Nian who came out at night in the twelfth lunar month and ate people from house to house. People had to leave the meat at the door, then close the door and hide at home. Until the first morning, people opened the door to meet each other and bowed to congratulate each other for not being eaten by Nian beast. As a greeting at the beginning of the year, it has existed since ancient times and has been very popular since Qin and Han Dynasties.
In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, roosters crowed in front of the court and set off firecrackers to drive away evil spirits in the mountains. Throughout the ages, they all know that they are wearing clothes and they salute each other; In the Song Dynasty, New Year greetings were not only a form for ordinary people to congratulate the New Year, exchange ideas and strengthen family unity, but also a means for the upper class to contact feelings and expand interpersonal relationships. In the Ming Dynasty, people used New Year greetings instead of New Year greetings, and their New Year cards were designed more beautifully, with greetings such as "Happy New Year" and "Good luck".
Old New Year greetings
In ancient times, there were two main contents in paying New Year greetings at home: one was to pay New Year greetings to the gods of heaven and earth and the deceased ancestors. After getting up on the first day of the first month, you should first set up the portrait of the deceased ancestors in a prominent position in the hall, set up offerings, burn incense and light candles, and kowtow to the ancestors and all the immortals. Therefore, even if we have met on the road, we should personally come to the shrines of various families to pay a New Year call to our ancestors.
The other is that the younger generation pays New Year greetings to the elders who are still alive. Usually, we bow down to the deceased ancestors first, and then to the living elders, including kowtowing to the elders to congratulate them on a happy New Year and always being healthy.