New Year greeting is a traditional folk custom in China, and it is a way for people to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and express their best wishes to each other. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a monster named Nian who went out to eat people from house to house on the night of the twelfth lunar month. 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. Cui Mang in the Eastern Han Dynasty recorded in the "Four-person Moon Order": "The first day of the first month is called the exact day, ... worship your ancestors in a clean way, drink alcohol to calm your spirit, ... and serve your parents with pepper and cypress wine, which is said to be a blessing to prolong life and make people happy." Government subordinates also exchanged congratulations. Biography of Wu Liang: (Liang) was a county official at the beginning, and at the age of eighteen, Dan and the official entered He (Taishou) Gate.

In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, roosters crowed and set off firecrackers in front of the court to drive away evil spirits in the mountains. As everyone knows, I wear clothes. I congratulate you. "(see Liang Zonggu's Chronology of Jingchu in the Southern Dynasties).

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 god of heaven and earth and his deceased ancestors. After getting up on the first day of the first month, you should first set up a portrait of your deceased ancestors in a prominent position in the altar in the hall, set up offerings, burn incense and light candles, and kowtow to your 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.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Happy New Year