Breaking a taboo on New Year's Eve? "Xi" is originally a monster

Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

News on Chinese culture, CCP

News (1) to (3) / Producer : Scanning Current Affairs Team / Editor : Li Hong / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/02/09/a103850932.html

News (1)

There is something particular about pasting Spring Festival couplets

Speaking of Lunar New Year customs, most Chinese people in mainland China will set off firecrackers, eat dumplings, and of course, traditionally every family will post Spring Festival couplets. However, there is something special about posting Spring Festival couplets.

Because posting Spring Festival couplets has the meaning of praying for blessings in the new year and warding off evil spirits. Therefore, there are still some taboos. First of all, the number of characters in the upper and lower couplets of the Spring Festival couplets must be odd, because the odd number is yang; the even number is yin. When posting Spring Festival couplets at the gate, remember to post the odd number that symbolizes auspiciousness. So if you look at this Spring Festival couplet, the first couplet is "Blessings and wealth will come, and good fortune will come", the second couplet is "Home and family, people and everything will be in harmony", both of which are 7-character odd numbers, and the horizontal couplet is "safety in and out".

Some people have never been able to figure out which is the first line and which is the second line. It is actually very simple. The last word in the first line uses the "oblique tone" (that is, the third and fourth tones), and the last word in the second line uses the "ping tone" (the first and second tones). ), like in this "auspicious arrival", the word "dao" for "auspicious arrival" is the fourth tone, and the word "hé" for "everything is harmonious" is the second tone.

In addition, you must first tear off and tear the old Spring Festival couplets, and then put the new ones on them. This has the meaning of "removing the old and spreading the new". Don't be greedy for convenience and directly paste the new Spring Festival couplets on the old ones.

Furthermore, posting Spring Festival couplets requires time. The best time is "between 6 am and 12 noon on New Year's Eve" because during this time the Yang energy is strongest and can bring good luck. No matter how late it is, it must be in time for the sun. Paste the Spring Festival couplets before going down the mountain.

News (2)

"New Year's Eve" breaks taboo in China

Speaking of New Year's Eve, it has been a Chinese tradition for thousands of years. Now I don't know who has offended someone. The word "New Year's Eve" has become taboo. On Thursday, the topic "Tomorrow's New Year's Eve" once appeared on Weibo. It was on the hot search list, but was quickly replaced with another word.

On 8 February 2024, the day before New Year’s Eve, the hot search term “New Year’s Eve tomorrow” appeared on Mainland Weibo early in the morning. In the past hot searches, there would be a column introducing hot search words, but this time "Tomorrow's New Year's Eve" not only did not have an introduction column at the beginning. Before 10 o'clock in the morning, the word "New Year's Eve tomorrow" fell from the hot search list and was replaced by "Twelfth lunar month twenty-nine".

At the same time, the "New Year's Eve tomorrow" introduction column appeared, but it only said "I wish you a happy New Year!" while the "Twelfth lunar month 29th" column had a rich introduction, saying "Today is the day before New Year's Eve. It is also called 'Little New Year's Eve'. A banquet is held at home, and people call it 'Farewell New Year'..." and so on.

Someone left a message and pointed out that because the official did not designate New Year's Eve as a national holiday, they were still working on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month. Speaking of which, this rule was decided on October 25 last year when the General Office of the State Council of the Communist Party of China released the New Year holiday arrangements for 2024. Chinese people need to work normally on New Year's Eve. At that time, "no holiday on New Year's Eve" became a hot topic among the public.

People have been speculating that the Chinese Communist Party does not allow New Year's Eve to be a holiday because "New Year's Eve" is a homonym for "remove Xi", an allusion to the leader of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping. Therefore, some people suggested that everyone say "Happy New Year's Eve" on New Year's Eve. As a result, someone working in a state-owned unit revealed: "I received a notice from my superiors that on 9 February 2024, it is strictly prohibited to use the word New Year's Eve in works and comments in major media and online platforms. From now on, the New Year's Eve holiday will be canceled every year and replaced with New Year's Eve thirty."

News (3)

It turns out that "Xi" is a monster

Image : Video Screenshot

Speaking of the word "New Year's Eve (Xi)", it really has a special origin. According to legend, in ancient China, there was a monster with long horns on its head, named "Xi". At the end of the year, it would come out to eat and harm people. Later, People found that the monster "Xi" is most afraid of the colour red and loud noise, so on New Year's Eve, every household posted red Spring Festival couplets and set off firecrackers to drive away the monster "Xi".

It is good now. Many cities do not allow firecrackers to be set off on New Year's Eve. Doesn't that mean that the "demons" in the world are allowed to harm people?

Someone posted a satirical post: When Yuan Shikai became emperor, he changed the name of "Yuanxiao" to "Tangyuan" in order to avoid reading the meaning of "Yuan Xiao". Mao Zedong, the atheist leader of the Communist Party of China, visited Henan several times, but never once to Luoyang. Because people compare Mao Zedong to a red sun, he would not go when the sun sets. Jiang Zemin never went to Zhenjiang. Hu Jintao never went to Wuhu. So don’t ask again why there is no holiday on New Year’s Eve (Xi). When choosing the chairman in the future, you must not choose someone named Zhou, otherwise even the weekend will be cancelled!

Although CCP China no longer allows "New Year's Eve" and all the demons and monsters have entered the house, no, on the morning of February 8, at the Great Hall of the People, the CCP held a group visit as usual. The leader of the CCP said impassionedly, "Looking at the world, it is still 'the best scenery scenery' here.”