Happy new year!

New Year's Money in the Legend of the Spring Festival

Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a kind of black-handed and white-handed demon called "Xuan", which came out every night on the 30th of the New Year to harm children. As long as he touched the sleeping child's forehead three times with his pale hands, the child would have a high fever and speak loud words; when the fever went away a few days later, the original bright child would become unconscious and dull!

People are afraid of hurting their children by "sneaking". On this day, they stay up all night and "guard sneaking" to protect their children. Later, a family with a family name came to have children. In order to protect the hard-won children, they forced them to play this night, wrapping eight copper coins in red paper. The children took apart and wrapped them until they fell asleep.

But the couple dare not sleep and stay with their children. In the middle of the night, when the wind burst, the "Yin" came again. When it was proudly ready to touch the child's forehead with its hands, a bright light burst out on the pillow. The "Yin" was frightened and fled in panic. Later, the couple told everyone about "copper money wrapped in red paper". 

Every household followed this method every year to prevent "hidden", and the children were never hurt again.

It is said that the eight copper coins were changed by the Eight Immortals, secretly protecting the children's safety. The custom of "pressing the hidden" in red envelopes has also been passed down to this day. Because of the homonym of "age" and "hidden", the development of "pressing the hidden" is now naturally called "pressing the old".