Taboos During the New Year period from the first day to the third day of the first lunar month, the main taboos are: children are not allowed to say bad words, bad words, and are not allowed to make loud noises; both young and old must be careful and must not If you break the dishes, if you miss them, you must immediately say "Blessed Sui Sui (broken pieces)" three times to ward off the disaster; you must not sweep the floor or pour water outside during the Chinese New Year, especially on the fifth day of the first lunar month when "receive the God of Wealth and worship the God of Wealth" "It was even more banned that day. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, you have to go outside to pick up a load of water from the well, which not only means "not losing wealth", but also means "getting started with Bai Rui (water)" (in Huizhou dialect, "Rui" and "Water" "Homophonous"), "to attract wealth and bring treasure"; family members are not allowed to take medicine for the three days of the new year, so as not to ruin the good omen and make them take medicine from the beginning of the year to the end of the year; on the night of "Lighting", family members must stay up with the ever-burning lanterns. Don't let the candles go out, let alone let the candles tip over and burn out the lanterns, causing a fire; you are not allowed to fry or cook for three days on New Year's Day to avoid "quarrels"; adults and children are not allowed to use scissors, but you can use needle and thread. It means "only standing but not broken".
Now, as the "Spring Festival", "Lantern Festival" and other national festivals have officially become "China's first batch of intangible cultural heritage", people have begun to pay attention to how to inherit and protect Huizhou's traditional customs and culture, and at the same time Enjoy the New Year customs that are innovative and keep pace with the times, such as watching the Spring Festival Gala on TV; paying New Year greetings with phone calls, text messages, greeting cards, and girls; having New Year's Eve dinner with the whole family in a big hotel, etc., and serving the "Taste of the New Year" It is thicker, the "Hui flavor" is heavier, and the "fun" is more. According to legend, in ancient times, people had the custom of lighting red candles and setting off firecrackers every New Year's Eve in order to scare away the ferocious monster called "Nian". , slowly "Nian" has become the most important traditional festival in China, containing rich folk culture. The lively atmosphere created by "Nian" and the family affection and friendship it carries are irreplaceable by any other festival.
Nowadays, we often hear people say that the flavor of the New Year is getting weaker and weaker. Yes, today, as people’s living standards have been greatly improved, the New Year can no longer bring us new clothes, The joy of eating white noodles, however, "Nian" has never left us. It is not only synonymous with family reunions and gatherings of relatives and friends, because it has long been rooted in the souls of the Chinese people.
No, the Chinese New Year is coming soon. Aunt Wang Jingzhen, who is in her 70s from the Anyang machine tool factory’s family home, is thinking about what New Year’s goods to buy while chatting to her grandchildren about the New Year in Anyang and the past. year and now.
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“When I was a child, my family was poor. In addition to millet, mung beans, cowpeas, etc., there were also radish, manjing, and sweet potato in Laba porridge. There were often more than 8 items, including sugar. There is no food left, but it still tastes delicious.” Aunt Wang is 71 years old, and her family is in Wadian Township, Anyang County. The Spring Festival has begun to feel vaguely like the New Year, but the real Spring Festival begins with worshiping the stove. "At that time, when you came to worship the stove, you had to first place an incense burner in front of the old stove god, offer stove sugar, and then kneel down to pray: 'The stove king ascends to heaven. , say more good things than talk about them, and finally burn the old statue and send the Stove Lord to heaven."
Does the Lunar New Year start with Laba Festival or the Stove Festival? People in different eras and regions have different explanations, but the same opinion is that in the old days, when there was a slack season in winter, it was difficult to prepare New Year's goods. Many people started to prepare for the New Year after Laba Festival.
Steamed Steamed Buns
After offering sacrifices to the stove until New Year's Eve, it is the busiest time for the family. There is a folk saying: "On the twenty-third, sacrifices are made to the stove official, on the twenty-fourth, the house is cleaned, and on the second Fifteen grinds tofu, twenty-six steams steamed buns, twenty-seven kills a rooster, twenty-eight applies flowers (referring to pasting couplets, window decorations, New Year pictures, etc.), twenty-nine buys wine, and thirty peels off the skin (changes to new clothes). )". Prepare New Year's goods, buy new clothes, and then the whole family, young and old, clean the courtyard, decorate the house, wash, cut, steam, fry, and fry. Vegetables, tofu, chicken, duck, and fish must also be diced, minced, and pureed for later use. , the filling of dumplings must be enough for the whole family to eat "Po Wu", the steamed buns should be enough to last until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, red couplets and blessing characters are posted all over the house, and the wrapped dumplings are piled up in cupboards and cutting boards. When everything is ready, New Year's Eve has arrived, and it's time to have New Year's Eve dinner.
Aunt Liu Suqin, 76, who lives in the same courtyard, is a native of Anyang. What she remembers most clearly is steamed steamed buns and various sacrifices. “When steaming steamed buns, you also need to steam noodles. Fish, flower cakes and hedgehogs are offered on New Year's Eve.
Steamed noodle fish is said to bring fish back year after year; flower cakes are also very particular, and many have to be steamed 6 layers, which is said to make them rise step by step; a double-faced hedgehog carries jujube flowers on its back and is placed at the door of the house, which is said to attract wealth. ”
Thirty Children’s Offering
The concept of “going home to celebrate the New Year” is deeply ingrained in people’s minds. Children who are away from home will definitely go home before New Year’s Eve to have fun with their families. Have a warm reunion dinner.
Before eating the New Year’s Eve dinner, you must worship the gods and ancestors, which is also called the "Thirty Years' Offering". The god should be worshiped in the middle hall and placed with flower cakes, flour fish and various sacrifices. Five bowls are required to worship gods, and four bowls are required to worship ancestors. If conditions are good, pig heads are offered. Gods, ghosts, and gods are three. All men in the family have to kneel down and kowtow. "Aunt Liu said that after the memorial ceremony, the firecrackers went off and the dumplings were served. First, a bowl was brought to the table for the gods and ancestors to have a taste. Then the whole family could gather around the table to eat.
"On New Year's Eve. It is unlucky to see kitchen knives, scissors, etc. from the evening to the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, so you should hide them before the New Year’s Eve dinner and take them out at noon on the first day of the Lunar New Year. "Aunt Wang said with a smile that there were many taboos during this period from the time when the thirty-year-old lit firecrackers at night to the "breaking five" period. No matter how much the child cried, he could not hit the child on the head. It was said that it would easily bring bad luck in the coming year; he could not sweep the floor and could not clean it. The ashes, especially the ashes of firecrackers, are said to be afraid of sweeping away the blessings with a broom. In Aunt Wang's hometown, the newly married daughter-in-law has to go to the graves of ancestors on the first day of the Lunar New Year, otherwise the ancestors will not recognize her after her death.
New Year's greetings
On the first and fifth watch of the Lunar New Year, the younger generation goes to their elders to kowtow to the New Year and ask for some red envelopes as usual.
As usual, they have to set off a firecracker first. , commonly known as "opening the door" "In the past, kowtowing in rural areas required kowtowing all over the street. This is still a custom in some places. In most places, people now hold their hands in front of each other and say some blessings, and basically no longer kowtow. "Aunt Liu said, "In places such as Huaxian, Junxian, and Neihuang, people have to eat dumplings before paying New Year's greetings at the fifth watch, and then have breakfast after returning home from the New Year's greetings. This is not very popular around the urban area. "It is said that if two families usually have conflicts, visiting the door to kowtow to the old man during the Chinese New Year is equivalent to an apology. This has become a special and effective social way in rural areas.
Because "Sui" and "祟" It has the same pronunciation, so the New Year's money has the meaning of suppressing evil spirits. The younger generation can spend the first year of life in peace by receiving the New Year's money.
Send it to the poor god
"You can't go on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and you can't go past noon. , said to be unlucky. "Aunt Wang said clearly, "On the second day of junior high school, you go to your parents' house, and after the third year of junior high school, you go to your aunt, uncle or sister's house, etc. "In Huaxian, Neihuang and other places, gifts for visiting relatives need to be doubled. When you come back from dinner at noon or in the morning, you usually have to return half of the gift and "return the gift" (that is, send a junior to the other person's home to pay homage).
The fifth day of the first lunar month is "Po Wu". People usually do not visit relatives, but stay at home to improve their lives. In the east of Anyang, there is an old custom of taking out the ashes and sending them to the middle of the street, which is called "sending ashes to the poor". It is said that It can ensure good fortune and good fortune in the coming year; Aunt Wang said that she would put a bamboo pole at the door of the house after sending the poor god, saying that she was afraid that the family's wealth would go up the mountain.
"This. I've gotten older a few years ago and don't go out much. In the past few years, every year before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, I would choose a day to go up the mountain. "Aunt Wang said that Dagong Mountain in Junxian County, Jiulong Mountain in Shuiye, Yunmeng Mountain and Lingshan Mountain in Qixian County were all crowded before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Aunt Liu had been to Dagong Mountain in Junxian County, and she said that she had the deepest memory What's more, the branches on the mountain are covered with red-headed ropes. I heard people say that this can not only pray for a child, but also bless young men and women to meet a good match early. It is especially effective in places with temples. There are temple fairs on the 15th day of the first lunar month, and they are most popular on the 15th and 16th day of the first lunar month. Every time they go to the temple fair, the old man always buys something like Junxian's "nigugu" or a wooden red-tasseled gun. "The children like it very much. "
Watching "Tricks"
On the 15th and 16th of the first lunar month, in addition to eating Yuanxiao, making lanterns, and watching fireworks, the old man's favorite thing is to watch "Tricks" ("Tricks" It is the common name for acrobatics or social fire)
Aunt Liu was born and raised in Anyang. What she remembers most clearly is the "tricks" in the old West Street Square. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, she came from the back of Qugou. Pavilions, raised pavilions, stilt boats and folk acrobatics abound. "What I remember most clearly is the 'Horse Up the Mountain', where a few children somersaulted back and forth on the poles. It was really beautiful.
"Aunt Liu said that old Anyang used to send the statue to the City God on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and carry the statue all the way from the City God's Temple to Beiguan. At this time, a large paper boat floated on the Anyang River with various statues of gods and paper flowers tied on it. It was a very beautiful thing. After a memorial ceremony, the paper boat was burned and the City God was sent to heaven. "There were so many people in those days, and the streets were packed with people. ”