What are the changes in Spring Festival customs?

A change: from "three pounds of glutinous rice and one pound of sugar" to "nuts and seafood gift package".

New Year’s gifts are a must-have item during the Spring Festival. "Every New Year greeting must be brought with you as a New Year gift." Aunt Zhang, 68, who lives in Dafeng District, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, recalled that in the 1980s and 1990s, it was basically "three pounds of glutinous rice and one pound of candy." "At that time, Everyone is not living well, so bringing these New Year gifts is a kind of blessing.”

In the impression of 49-year-old Brother Zhang, the standard New Year gift is “two cigarettes and a box of wine.” "Later, everyone's life got better and better. We usually went to the cigarette shop to bring wine and cigarettes to give New Year's gifts. It was both convenient and face-saving."

Brother Zhang said that when relatives come to pay New Year's greetings, they usually bring them Serve melon seeds, peanuts, and sesame candies as treats. "The atmosphere is relatively relaxed, everyone is chatting, and we don't stick to some old rituals."

What New Year gifts do you bring now? On the eve of the Spring Festival, the reporter saw at the Nanjing Railway Station that many people traveling from north to south were carrying exquisite boxes with gift packages of various nuts, milk, salted duck, and seafood... said Li, a classmate who lives in Lianyungang and was waiting for the train. : "Nowadays, everyone is not just celebrating the New Year with a big meal of fish and meat, but eating more delicately and healthily."

"Life was tight in the past, and the New Year's rituals were so heavy. Sugar is different now. Everyone is rich and pays attention to what they eat." Aunt Zhang said with a smile, "We all want to be in good health and enjoy the good life now. Nothing is worse than giving health."

Second change: from "playing cards, drinking and setting off firecrackers" to "drinking tea, singing and watching performances".

The entertainment methods during the Spring Festival are also changing. Aunt Zhang told reporters that there were few entertainment options in the past, and playing cards, drinking, and setting off firecrackers was the most common. "A few people get together to play cards. It's originally for entertainment, but some people gamble on it just to find excitement. When they are happy, conflicts arise."

The reporter interviewed in Huai'an, Yancheng and other places in Jiangsu It can be seen that there are obviously fewer people playing cards during the Spring Festival this year. A staff member of the Huai'an Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection said that during the Spring Festival, civilized celebrations are advocated and gambling is strictly prohibited, and the atmosphere has improved significantly.

Set off firecrackers is also very common. From the night of New Year's Eve until the early morning of the next day, the sound of firecrackers was heard one after another at midnight. "I was woken up by the sound of firecrackers as soon as I put the child to sleep. I was very helpless," said Mr. Wu, a resident of Greenland Century City Community in Huai'an City.

During the Spring Festival this year, Huai'an City banned fireworks in some areas. "It's obviously much quieter. The occasional sound of firecrackers doesn't affect our rest," Mr. Wu said.

“It turns out that drinking is very popular during the Spring Festival. After the host has finished drinking, the west has drunk, and they often make a fuss. If you don’t get high, you won’t feel happy.” Mr. Wu said, “This trend has happened a lot in recent years. A big change, everyone started to drink tea slowly, and the atmosphere of gathering and chatting was much fresher.”

Ms. Chen from Huai’an District, Huai’an City said that she and the little sisters around her also often do this during the Chinese New Year. Have a party to drink tea, or go to a KTV to sing together. "A few people book a box, order some small plates and drinks, and sing all afternoon. It's very fun."

Some families choose to watch during the Spring Festival show. "Everyone is usually very busy, and it is rare to get together." Mr. Yang from Jiangning District, Nanjing City, brought his family to Nanjing to celebrate the New Year this year. "During the Spring Festival, please invite your family to watch the performances together and have an elegant New Year."

Three changes: from the traditional "family reunion" to the "gathering of relatives and friends".

The Spring Festival is a festival of reunion. Every Spring Festival is a great migration of people. According to a big data report released by Tencent, during the Spring Festival, the population of first-tier cities decreased significantly, but county towns experienced a large amount of traffic. Reporters saw long queues of cars on village roads in some villages in Jiangsu, creating traffic jams that were only seen in cities before.

The reporter's interview found that the content of the Spring Festival, a traditional reunion festival, is changing, gradually transforming from the traditional "family reunion" to a "gathering of relatives and friends."

The New Year’s Eve dinner is the highlight of the Spring Festival. "It used to take a long time to prepare for the New Year's Eve dinner, and we were very busy." Aunt Zhang said, "You don't necessarily have to eat the reunion dinner at home. We go to restaurants to eat during the Chinese New Year, which saves time and worry." It is understood that the phenomenon of eating New Year's Eve dinner in hotels has become It’s so common that some hotels’ New Year’s Eve dinners are fully booked months in advance.

The Chinese New Year is no longer limited to family reunions, but has expanded to include gatherings of family members, relatives, classmates, comrades-in-arms and other relatives and friends. "It's rare that everyone comes back to celebrate the New Year, so classmates get together." Mr. Liu, who works in Shanghai, returned to his hometown in Yancheng and spent a lot of time "arranging" gatherings with his junior high school and high school classmates to "reminisce about old times and talk about school days." It’s embarrassing, it feels like time really flies by.”

More and more families choose to go out to celebrate the New Year. Ms. Wang from Nanjing took her family to travel to Thailand during the Spring Festival. “Now there are more and more choices for how to celebrate the New Year. It doesn’t matter where, the most important thing is to be with family and friends.”

Abundance, Civilized, modern... Spring Festival customs are like a window into the times. From its changes, we can feel the changes in society.