Paying New Year greetings is an indispensable and important activity in Hangzhou's New Year customs. On New Year's Day, the first thing the ancestors of Hangzhou did when they opened the door was to clap a stick, commonly known as opening the door, and post the word "open the door". Then worship the gods of heaven and earth, the family hall, the chef and the ancestors, and then pay a New Year call to the family according to their generations. More interestingly, in the Chinese New Year custom in Hangzhou, relatives and friends need to hold a business card when greeting each other, which was called "flying film" in ancient times, and the names of all the men in the visitor's family were written on it, sorted by generation, such as XXX, XXX, XXX, XXX and so on. And there is a note at the end of the film, the old saying is footnote. At the beginning of the new year, some educated families or well-off families should have a special register with the words "Feng" or "Liu Fang" written on it to record their relatives or flying pictures; The first four columns of the notebook are filled in by the owner for good luck. In the custom of celebrating the New Year in Hangzhou, the first person is a centenarian who lives in Centennial Lane. The second is a rich grandfather who lives in Yuanbao Street. The third is your infinite adult, who lives in the university archway; The fourth is Fu Zhao's neighbor, who lives in Five Blessingg Building. Although the tourist made it up, fortunately, Hangzhou does have a place name as a foil.
The entertainment activities of the old Hangzhou Spring Festival custom are generally gongs and drums, kites, dragon lanterns and fireworks. The so-called gongs and drums are also called New Year gongs and drums. In addition to big gongs and drums, crisp drums, small gongs and bamboo boards were added. On the fifth day of the first month, Niangong and Dagu are mostly used by merchants. In addition, Niangong and Dagu also have the function of poking fun at other entertainment activities. Hangzhou people have their own views on various New Year gongs and drums: named Yuanxiao Drum, Lucky Drum, sleet, 753; Those who listen to their voices and their words are called Fan Shi, Fengyunhui, Sixian gongs and drums; Hangzhou people who have neither rhythm nor words are collectively called firewood chopping.
The meaning of dragon lantern is relatively broad. To put it bluntly, it is made of paper or silk into lampshades of various shapes, which can shelter the candle from the wind. To put it bluntly, it is the general term for the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month or the fifteenth day of August. Old boat lights in Hangzhou are generally made of fine wood, tied into the shape of a boat, wrapped in leather paper or embedded with glass; There is also a lantern, which is tied into the shape of a horse with thin bamboo, but has no four legs. It is pasted with paper and divided into two sections. Each section lights a candle and binds it to the front and back of the child, just like riding a horse. There is also a kind of lantern, in which wheat straw stands upright and is inserted into thin nails. Above the lamp is a paper windmill, surrounded by people and horses with scissors. The windmill is driven by candle smoke, and the people on the lamp rotate. Lanterns and boat lights can only be hung but not moved. Lights of other shapes can quarrel with the Dragon Lantern Brigade in the street.
Fireworks are fireworks and firecrackers. The biggest custom of Chinese New Year in Hangzhou is to set off fireworks. We should put them in an open place to watch the fireworks flow, which is usually done by the state government or office when promoting political achievements or celebrating festivals. Followed by the flower tube, from small to large, Xian Yi, old and young, after lighting up, listen to its sound and observe its shape; Once again, it is a gun stick, which is especially popular with children. After it set off, it only wanted to listen to its thrilling voice. At that time, most of the fireworks released by people in Hangzhou were flower tubes. There are famous wooden pots playing with the moon and golden pots, pond water rats, Jiulong water intake, Erlong playing with pearls, white geese laying eggs, old storks playing with the sunset, etc., which are not limited by terrain and can be cast everywhere.
The above is the Hang Cheng New Year custom introduced by Bian Xiao for your reference! I wish you all a happy trip to Hangzhou!