What does it mean to turn on the light to give birth to a boy in Guangdong?
What does it mean to turn on the light to give birth to a boy in Guangdong? China has a vast land and rich resources. Different regions have very rich humanities and cultures. It is also the country with the largest number of ethnic minorities in the world. The customs and preferences of many regions are different. Let’s take a look at what it means to turn on the light when a boy is born in Guangdong. What does it mean to turn on a lamp when a boy is born in Guangdong? 1
The Cantonese people light a lamp. After giving birth to a boy, they light an oil lamp in the clan ancestral hall to tell the ancestors of the family that a new baby has been born, which means adding a child. It means adding wealth. Lighting lanterns is a local custom in Guangdong. Lighting lanterns is also called putting on lanterns and turning on lanterns.
Most Cantonese people can speak Cantonese, so Cantonese is also called Cantonese and Cantonese. Cantonese is mainly distributed in the central, western, southwest and Hong Kong regions of Guangdong Province in South China.
Guangdong is an important inheritance place for Lingnan culture. It has a unique style and distinctive local characteristics in terms of language, customs, living habits, history and culture.
Guangdong has a subtropical monsoon climate, with rain and heat at the same time, and evergreens all year round. The average sunshine hours in Guangdong Province are 1,745.8 hours, and the annual precipitation ranges from 1,300 mm to 2,500 mm.
"Lighting lanterns" in some places in Zhanjiang is only allowed if the baby is a boy.
The first boy born in the village every year is called "Dengtou", and the first lamp lit is his lamp. Those born after "Dengtou" are called "Dengtai", "Dengtai" They draw lots to take turns.
The "lamp head" born every year must complete the "lighting of lanterns" ceremony during the Spring Festival of the coming year and cannot postpone it to the next year, while the "lamp boy" can. "
Lighting lanterns" is available in every village in Longtou Town, and the sacrifices are roughly the same. The difference is that people's living standards are now better. Some villagers also customize cakes to worship together, such as Bu Bu Gao (Gao Bu Gao) ) means rising! In some villages, "women" can also light the "men's lamp", but they can only light the "women's lamp" after the "men's lamp" is lit, because men are "sir".
On the second day after lighting the "little lamp", the "lamp head" will be escorted to the village's land with colorful flags to open the way, loud gongs and drums, the sound of musical instruments, and a lion farewell. The temple (also known as Jingzhi Temple) is hung high. It is said that if a family wants to have a son in the coming year, they should wait until the "lamp holder" is hung in the Tutu Temple and then grab the "lamp eggs" hanging under the lantern.
On the second day of the Lantern Festival (that is, the 16th day of the first lunar month), all lanterns of all sizes in the village will gather in front of the Tutu Temple, together with the "lamp head" lanterns (commonly known as "big belly lanterns" than "lanterns"). (larger ones) were burned together, thus ending the year’s “lantern lighting” event. What does it mean to turn on a lamp when a boy is born in Guangdong 2
Lighting a lamp is also called putting on a lamp, adding a lamp, raising a lamp, etc. "Deng" sounds like "ding", and lighting a lamp (adding a lamp) means adding a child. This is a Xiang is a traditional folk custom that celebrates the birth of a boy and is officially written into the genealogy. It is grand and lively.
It should be noted that "boy" is a rigid rule that cannot be changed in the customs of lighting lanterns, and lanterns will not be lit in Timkou (girls).
In Zhanjiang, families with newly added children start preparing for the lantern lighting of their children long before the Spring Festival.
The first is the "fixed lantern" - scheduled revolving lantern. Normally, a craftsman is responsible for the production of revolving lanterns in a small village, based on the data and specifications required by the villagers, and then delivers them before the official lighting of the lanterns.
Secondly, inform relatives to give new clothes to boys, which is an important part of the custom of lighting up lanterns.
Around the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, the custom of lighting lanterns is carried out one after another in various places in Zhanjiang.
There is a general ceremony for lighting the lanterns. After the revolving lantern is hung in the ancestral hall or the temporary shed that symbolizes the temple, the next step is to hang the "lamp eggs" and light the internal oil lamp. Finally, the Taoist priests work together to light the lanterns. Family members (the boy who lights the lamp, his father, and grandfather who are still alive will also participate) perform a grand worship ceremony.
After the "lighting" is completed, the man's name is officially written into the family tree. On the one hand, it means being recognized and accepted by the collective, and it also contains various beautiful meanings, such as peace, smoothness, intelligence, and promise... …
The sign of "ending lanterns" is drinking "light wine".
On the 16th day of the year, the villagers will again invite Mr. Dao to preside over the "lantern knot" worship ceremony, and then take down the "lantern eggs" that symbolize the prosperity of the population and the longevity of the family for thousands of years - take them home Keep it carefully, complete the burning of the revolving lantern, and finally invite relatives and friends to drink lantern wine.
In Meizhou, the time for putting on lanterns varies from place to place, ranging from the ninth to the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, generally concentrated on the 12th, 13th, and 10th day of the first lunar month. Four.
Among the customs of lighting lanterns in Meizhou area, "please" for lanterns is one of the most important.
One or two days before the lanterns are put on, it is a customary convention for families of newbies to organize a procession to invite (buy) lanterns, led by the "Dingshou" - the parent who first gave birth to a boy in the previous year. Accompanied by the gongs and drums team and the dragon lantern and lion dance team, firecrackers were set off all the way and the sound of cannons kept "inviting" the lanterns.
Please take the lanterns home and place them solemnly on the Eight Immortals Table. On the day when the lanterns are put on, "Ding Shou" will summon other family members to invite the lanterns to come out and hang them under the beams of the ancestral hall. Hang up light strips that symbolize boys. The number of light strips depends on the boys born in the previous year. For five new boys, there will be five light strips, for seven boys, seven light strips, and so on.
Of course, "raising the lantern" is nothing more than simply raising the lantern. In fact, the lantern-raising ceremony is the climax of the entire event. Before the lantern is raised, white flowers are grabbed; when the lantern is raised, firecrackers and fireworks are also set off. Dragon dances, lion dances and other performances will be held...
Take Zhanjiang and Meizhou as examples. They both have traditional folk customs of lighting lanterns, but the "presentation" is very different. However, no matter how different the forms are, The meaning is always the same, one is the joy of having a baby, and at the same time, I hope that the child will be happy, safe and successful. What does it mean to turn on the lights when a boy is born in Guangdong 3
It is the custom of the Daojiao people to light up the lights after giving birth to a baby. Every family that had a baby last year will hold a lighting ceremony on the first day of the new year. On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year this year, the sound of gongs was heard from the prayer place of Ya Village, Daling, Daojiao, and three households of villagers were holding a "light-turning" ceremony together.
Villager Uncle Ye is lighting large lanterns for his grandson. Uncle Ye told reporters that there are three families in their village who are happy to have male children. According to Daojiao custom, they will have a baby on the first day of the first lunar month of the Year of the Ox. A "light-turning" ceremony was held for the same little baby.
Before the ceremony, they bought a large lantern early, hung it up at a good time, and hung a string of good luck at the bottom of the lantern. I hope that after lighting the lanterns, my grandson will be healthy, safe and grow up happily. I also hope that the family will be prosperous with hundreds of descendants.
Villager Aunt Wen told reporters that the lights should be turned on at eight or nine o'clock in the morning on the first day of the new year. The whole family puts on new clothes, prepares various tributes, and pays homage to their ancestors. The reporter saw that the tributes included roosters, pork, mushrooms, duck springs, sweet bamboo, taro, garlic, fruits, etc. By lighting lamps and praying for the new born, the ancestors can recognize their descendants and bless them.
Aunt Wen said that although the lighting ceremony is complicated and a bit troublesome to prepare, the whole family is still happy to do it because having a baby is a very happy event, even though there are no boys or girls now. The so-called, but the work of traditional customs still needs to be done well.
In Dongguan, most men born in previous years who are one month old will perform a "light-turning" ceremony between the Lunar New Year and the Lantern Festival, and the knotting of lanterns is usually held on the fifteenth or sixteenth day of the first lunar month. In Cantonese, "lamp" and "ding" are homophonic, so turning on the lamp means passing on the family line.
The origin of "Shang Deng"
In the Hakka, "Deng" is the homophony of "Ding" in the dialect, and it also means light, hope, lights starting a prairie fire, A symbol of endless life. The Hakka people made their way from their ancestral homeland in the Central Plains and finally settled in the area where Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi meet. Their unique life experience enabled the Hakka people to form a survival need for ethnic unity, unity and defense against enemies. The resulting Hakka people It is the tradition of people to respect their ancestors and express gratitude to them, and to celebrate the birth of a new child with the help of "lanterns".
"Putting on lanterns" means having a baby
In the Hakka clan society, all boys must hold a "lighting on lanterns" ceremony, which happens only once in their lives. The age of the person who "lights up the lantern" is regardless of age. A boy who has just been born is called "Sheng Xinding", and an older boy who does not have this ceremony due to various reasons is called "Sheng Laoding". Therefore, "lighting up the lantern" is actually a celebration held by all surnames and ethnic groups to celebrate the birth of a new boy that year.
Time to "light up the lantern"
Every year, anyone with this surname and clan having a "child" (that is, a boy) must hang a new lantern in the upper hall of the ancestral temple. (Hymonic for "Newcomer"). The earliest date for "lighting up" is the ninth day of the first lunar month, and the latest date is the nineteenth day of the first lunar month, but it is usually one or two days before and after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. "Shang Deng" means to report to the ancestors that a new member has been added to a certain family.
The form of "lighting up the lanterns"
When "lighting up the lanterns", "three sacrifices" must be done, wine and fruits are offered to the ancestors and the gods of heaven and earth, and those who are particular are also invited to "light up the lanterns". Relatives and friends reunited and congratulated. In areas where Hakkas gather, the etiquette of this custom is more complicated and has evolved. After "lighting up the lamps", they also "warm the lamps" (it is an activity in the process of "lighting up the lamps" and cannot be said to be "warming"). Festival of Lights").
At the end, "respect the ancestors and thank heaven and earth", which is very grand and warm, with the atmosphere of "a family has a new baby and the whole village celebrates".
Changes in the custom of "lighting up lanterns"
Hakkas who have given birth to a son will light lanterns in their ancestral halls on the Lantern Festival next year, that is, hang up a beautiful lantern, and then invite the dignified old man in the village to hold the boy and formally write his name into the genealogy. The boy will officially become a member of the family. Afterwards, a banquet will be held and all the men in the village will be invited to come and drink. .
With the advancement of social civilization, many people who give birth to daughters now also give birth to daughters, and their daughters have also entered the family tree.
The Hakka custom of lighting lanterns has a long history, some hundreds of years, some thousands of years. This custom has become more colorful now, which profoundly reflects the Hakkas' excellent cultural inheritance awareness.