Do you know why you should give lucky money for the Spring Festival? This is one of our traditional customs during the Spring Festival. The elders will give the younger generation lucky money with good expectations. Here are some things I collected about why I should give you lucky money during the Spring Festival. Welcome to read the collection.
Why do you give lucky money 1 for the Spring Festival? The implication of lucky money in folk culture is to ward off evil spirits and keep peace. Adults think that children are vulnerable to sneak attack, so they use lucky money to "suppress" and express their concern for the younger generation, which means blessing.
Lucky money, also known as "lucky money" and "lucky money", is one of the New Year's festivals. The original intention of lucky money is to suppress evil and drive away evil. People think that children are vulnerable to furtive attacks, so they use lucky money to defeat evil spirits, help children celebrate the New Year safely, and wish them good health and good luck in the new year. The history of lucky money can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. During the Spring Festival, the elders should distribute the prepared lucky money to the younger generation. It is said that lucky money can kill evil spirits, because "old" and "expensive" are homophonic, and the younger generation can spend a year safely with lucky money.
There are several legends about lucky money:
Legend 1
In ancient times, there was a little demon named Chong. On New Year's Eve, he came out and touched the head of a sleeping child. The child often cried with fear, and then he had a headache and became a fool. Therefore, on this day, every family will turn on the lights and stay up late, which is called "keeping special".
There was a couple who had a son in their later years and regarded him as their favorite. On New Year's Eve, they were afraid that "worship" would harm their children, so they took out eight copper coins to play with them. When the child fell asleep playing, they wrapped eight copper coins in red paper and put them under the child's pillow. The couple dare not sleep. In the middle of the night, an evil wind blew the door open and blew out the lights. As soon as Chong reached out to touch the child's head, the pillow flashed all over the floor, scaring Chong away. The next day, the couple told everyone about wrapping eight copper coins in red paper to scare them away. After that, everyone learned, and the children were safe. It turns out that these eight copper coins were exchanged by the Eight Immortals to secretly protect the children. Because "pilgrimage" and "old" are homophonic, it gradually evolved into "lucky money"
Legend 2
In ancient times, there was a fierce beast called Nian, which would come out after 365 days to hurt people, animals and crops. Children are afraid, adults use the sound of burning bamboo to drive "Nian" away, and comfort children with food, which is "earthquake suppression". Over the years, it turned into money instead of grain. In the Song Dynasty, there was a "scare of money". According to historical records, Wang Shaozi was carried away by bad people in Nanxun and exclaimed on the way. Unexpectedly, he was saved by the imperial car, and Song Shenzong gave him "golden rhinoceros money". Later, it developed into "lucky money".
Legend 3
"Lucky money" first appeared in the court of the Tang Dynasty, when there was a wind of giving money in the court. Wang Renyu said in "The Legacy of Kaiyuan Tianbao": During the Tianbao period of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, "every spring, three or five concubines in the inner palace put money into the show." Wang Jian wrote in "Gong Ci": "There will always be flowers in Zhaoyang before the makeup powder is exhausted tomorrow. People grow white in spring, and money is scattered in the library first. " From "throwing money for fun" in spring to "throwing money" and "giving money to wash children" in Sima Guang's Zi Tongzhi Jian, when Yang Guifei gave birth, "Xuanzong personally looked at her and gave her money to wash children" and congratulated her on exorcism. In the Song and Yuan Dynasties, a folk custom was formed. It combined with the Spring Festival on the first day of the first month to form the early "lucky money". But there was no currency in circulation at that time, just a special kind of "lucky money".
Why do you give lucky money for the New Year?
The "money" of the earliest lucky money is not the currency circulating in the market, but the auspicious items or evil spirits specially cast into coins, which are amulets worn by children. Because "sneaky" and "New Year's Eve" are homophonic, the lucky money has the witchcraft effect of "sneaky and tired". Since the Song Dynasty, people have used coins in real circulation as lucky money, which was widely popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the elders strung copper coins with red lines after the New Year's Eve dinner and gave them directly to the younger generation, or put them at the foot of the bed or beside the pillow after the younger generation slept. If the sleepy child is already asleep, the elder should keep a copy and put it under the pillow. The next morning, the child got up and turned out from under the pillow, which was a surprise.
After using paper money, parents prefer to use new paper money with serial numbers, because the homonym of "Lian" and "Lian" indicates that future generations will "get rich again and again" and "be healthy again and again". And red paper is wrapped in banknotes. This kind of lucky money is called "lucky red envelope", which is not only used for money, but also related to annual plates and fruits. The number of lucky money varies, but it can bring the happiness of independent consumption to children.