Opening the encyclopedia of knowledge, the explanation and examples about "sealing the year" are as follows: The Legend of Yue is the first time: "On New Year's Eve, the prison officer Ni finished three seats of wine, first sent two seats to the room, and then sent another seat of Ni's relatives to the room to buy it, saying,' Today is New Year's Eve, and the little official specially prepared a glass of wine for him.
This is the earliest recorded saying of "sealing the year".
New Year's Eve, that is, New Year's Eve, is the warmest and happiest day of Chinese New Year. On New Year's Eve, every household should worship the Bodhisattva and the Great God.
On this day, portraits of ancestors will be hung in the halls, bright red Spring Festival couplets will be posted at the gate, and red notes will be posted on the barn door, in front of the livestock fence, on the furniture bed and next to the water tank, which is called "sealing the year" or "smearing red". Adults and children should take a bath and put on new clothes.
Cleaning for the new year. Families should also set the table, arrange incense tables, set chicken, fish, meat, fruit and so on. To worship their ancestors.
It is also said that "sealing the year" originated from the traditional concept of "filial piety comes first", "being cautious in the end, thinking about the source when drinking water". When we bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, we should express our filial piety and nostalgia for our ancestors. At the same time, people are convinced that ancestors can bless future generations and look forward to the prosperity of their families. Every New Year's Eve, a ceremony of "sealing the year" is held to thank our ancestors and pray for the future.
In quanzhou county, Guilin, Guangxi, there are several meanings of "year closure":
After the girl gets married, every year in the twelfth lunar month, the girl's in-laws will prepare 96 or 39 festivals, including two festivals (the size of a big plate means that the family is round and round) and two chickens and some candy cakes to the girl's new home to "seal the year";
Another girl gave birth to a child, and the grandmother's family also chose Baba (two New Year's Eve dinners) and the child's new clothes, as well as two chickens (said to be accompanying chickens) or red envelopes to "seal the year" for the child.
There is also a kind of "New Year's Eve" ceremony, which is quite exquisite. The most grand ceremony is to give "New Year's Eve" to ancestors, three days before New Year's Eve (especially New Year's Eve on the 30th).
As New Year's Eve is coming, every household will buy paper incense, firecrackers and fireworks and other sacrificial items. An elderly man, with his men, women and a row of young descendants, walked into the smoky Shan Ye cemetery and found the ancestral graves of his ancestors. Everyone performed their duties.
Remove the weeds around the grave, add soil, cut a beautiful but leafy branch and stick it on the grave, and stick paper money (at least 9 pieces, the more the better, which means prosperity and development, also called "cash cow").
After putting paper money in front of the grave and around the tombstone, meat, wine and paper incense were arranged. The old man held three incense sticks and distributed them to the men and women attending the ceremony. While holding incense as a worship, he prayed for the family situation of his ancestors in the past year.
Your eldest grandson got married today and gave birth to a great-grandson. Your little granddaughter was admitted to a key university this year. I hope your old man will continue to wish your younger generation by going up one flight of stairs a happier career and a happier family. ...
After praying, light firecrackers and fireworks. Leave the cemetery in a smoky and explosive atmosphere.
After "sealing the year" for all the deceased relatives and ancestors of the family, they will go home and put wine and meat in front of the livestock and poultry stalls, granaries and bedside to "seal the year" for all the gods.
When it's all over, everyone will sit around. Before the opening of the New Year's Eve, there will be wine and meat, paper money and firecrackers to make the gods celebrate first, and then a glass of wine and a bowl of meat will be placed on the table to invite the deceased relatives and ancestors to celebrate the festival together.
The ceremony of "sealing the year" is solemn and warm, which is a profound family friendship and a fine tradition of the Chinese nation. How can there be a future without the past? Think of the source when drinking water, and never forget the root when being a man.