Why China ancient custom requires children to ‘sell ignorance’ on Lunar New Year’s Eve

2026-02-25 - 08:05

While many people in today’s China watch the state media CCTV’s gala show on the Lunar New Year Eve, about 1,000 years ago children took part in a special and playful routine to celebrate a festival called “selling ignorance”. Known in Chinese as mai meng dong or mai chi dai, the practice began during the North Song dynasty (960-1127), a period of advancing culture and economy. It involved groups of mischievous children running through streets after eating the New Year Eve dinner and shouting...