Wang Dao: "I'd rather be flattered by Austria. "。 What is it? Confucius said,' Otherwise, God forbid you to ask for anything. "This is what I read this morning. Confucius, of course. Personally, I think this is the wisdom of our ancestors. Is it related to' off-year'? I haven't studied it carefully. I write here because I feel that we ordinary people have a great awe.
"Off-year" is a sacrifice to "Kitchen God". I have often seen this situation personally since I was a child. It's just that it's always been my father's contract
It is said that offering sacrifices to the kitchen god or kitchen god was formed in the Han Dynasty. Song Dynasty was the most prosperous. In our country, Kitchen God is called Kitchen King Bodhisattva. I remember offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God Bodhisattva when I was young. That day, I sent him to the Jade Emperor to report the situation of Vientiane to others. On New Year's Eve, I took it home for the New Year. All these sacred things were done by my father alone. Our children watched curiously. Helpless young, vague memory, little impression. It's just that my father will say something auspicious under the dim ink bottle kerosene lamp to show good luck.
After living in the city, I have never sacrificed to the kitchen god. There are white-walled kitchens, stainless steel stoves and other cooking utensils in the city, all of which are exquisite. I didn't post the idol of Kitchen God either. I think it's backward. Besides, I really don't know what formalities and etiquette to go through.
As I grow older, I miss the aftertaste of the Chinese New Year more and more clearly. I began to pay attention to the previous Chinese New Year, Laba, off-year, New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve and Lantern Festival. Especially after the' off-year', rural people generally enter the New Year mode. Handling New Year's goods, writing Spring Festival couplets, stick grilles, visiting relatives and friends, etc. And pray and congratulate each other. With the smell of bacon in the village, the sound of firecrackers and the children's frolicking, the flavor of the country is getting stronger and stronger.
Today is another "small year". Recording an ancient poem is also a comfort.
? This is a poem by Fan Chengda in Song Dynasty, "Ci of Sacrificing Kitchen".
After reading such an ancient poem, today, we are looking for a sacrificial scene to recall' off-year' from the records of the ancients. I think it's already a feeling. This poem, now read, is also interesting and rich in connotation. The worship of' Kitchen God' is simply understood as' Heaven speaks well, and the lower bound is safe'. ”'
Off-year is in the north and south, with the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. The same scenery is that people who travel abroad are rushing home for the New Year. In a hurry, everyone is smiling. Going home for the New Year may be the best gift for parents and family.
Speaking of "off-year", there are big cleaning and sanitation projects in rural areas. From the kitchen to the lobby, wing and so on. Beams, walls, windows and corners should be cleaned. In Sichuan, we call it "Dayang" (pronunciation). Maybe it's "dusting" Some people say it is' dusting'. At that time, rural people cooked and made fires, all of which were firewood and hay. The smoke in the kitchen lasted for a long time, and the natural black dust was very rich. So there will be a lot of smoke and dust accumulation on the beams, especially on the kang baskets and beams in the kitchen. We should clean the room thoroughly, commonly known as' sweeping the dust'. Sweep the dust is to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and remove the ominous. My mother told me to clean it carefully and thoroughly, so as to make the windows bright and clean. This is often the homework of mothers and children. Mom, you must wash and dry clothes and bedding. Wells, mountains and streams in the twelfth lunar month are extremely cold. But I haven't seen my mother complain. When my face was dark, my father who went to buy new year's goods had packed a lot of bags and went home empty-handed. I remember there are condiments for cooking New Year's rice, Spring Festival couplets, firecrackers and so on. And our new clothes, if possible. Father took it out, shook it and proudly said to us, honey, this is a new dress for the Spring Festival this year.
I remember when I was a child, my father was busy arranging for him to sacrifice to the kitchen god Bodhisattva. Mother won't attend the sacrifice.
Out of curiosity, I asked my mother. My mother has no education. She passed it from mouth to mouth. Maybe her ancestors told her. She took pains to tell me how she felt.
There is another legend about the origin of' Kitchen God Festival'.
Legend has it that the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month are the traditional days of offering sacrifices to stoves in China, also called "off-year". Legend has it that' Kitchen God' was originally a common people named Zhang Sheng. After getting married, he drank and had fun all day, lost all his meager property, and was reduced to begging on the street. One day, he begged at his ex-wife Guo Dingxiang's house and was very lively when he saw the atmosphere of his ex-wife's home for the New Year. I was so ashamed that when I got home, I plunged into my own stove and burned to death. When the Jade Emperor knew this, he thought that Zhang Sheng was still ashamed and could change his mind, but he was not completely bad. Since he died at the bottom of the pot, let's call him' the king of the kitchen'! Every year on the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month, I report my work for one year on earth, and then I go back to the kitchen to celebrate the New Year with people on New Year's Eve. We ordinary people feel that we must respect the Kitchen God, because he wants to report the good, evil, beauty and ugliness of the world to the Jade Emperor. Therefore, people celebrate the "off-year" on the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month, praying for peace and wealth in the coming year. It is also said that every year on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, when Kitchen God reports his work to the Jade Emperor, he will also report the good and evil of his master's family to the Jade Emperor, so that the Jade Emperor can judge the rewards and punishments. Therefore, when sending the Kitchen God, the owner will put candy, water, beans and grass on the console table in front of the Kitchen King statue; Among them, the last three are the mounts of the kitchen god ascending to heaven. When offering sacrifices to the stove, you should also boil the sugar and apply it to the mouth of the kitchen god. Kitchen God enjoys the sweetness of his master, and it is inconvenient to speak ill of his master at the Jade Emperor's place. There is a folk custom that "men don't Yue Bai, women don't offer sacrifices to the kitchen god", so when offering sacrifices to the kitchen god, it is limited to the main labor force men in the family. On New Year's Eve, the Kitchen God will return to earth with the gods for the New Year, and there will be ceremonies of "receiving the Kitchen God" and "receiving the Kitchen God" on that day. Every family burned the sedan chair horse, spilled three glasses of wine, and took back the kitchen god, so it was their turn to worship their ancestors. This was done in the ancestral home of the host family.
No wonder my cauldron of eyes was pasted on the wall with red paper mimeographed by the Kitchen God Bodhisattva, although I couldn't understand my eyebrows because of the smoke and oil. Sometimes I can see my mother wishing on idols, perhaps expecting a good harvest and more days to fill her stomach. After all, Kitchen God is the god in charge of people's diet.
After the "big Yang said" cleaning, there are only six or seven days left before the Spring Festival, and the preparations for the Spring Festival are more compact. Remember to post Spring Festival couplets, door gods and window grilles, which is my task. First, paste couplets from the door of the main room, then the door of the kitchen, the door of the wing and the door of the pig and cow. You should post them all. The redder the Spring Festival couplets, the more festive the better. At that time, I couldn't read too much, and I couldn't tell the upper part from the lower part. My father helped me correct it. We make our own paste for Spring Festival couplets. Our folks pay attention to sticking to God, every household and everything, so Spring Festival couplets have the largest number and the most complete content. The couplets in front of the statues are particularly particular, and they are mostly words of admiration and blessing. Heaven and earth have something in common: "the grace of heaven is as deep as the sea, and the virtue of the earth is as heavy as the mountain"; Land God Union: "White jade is born in the soil, and gold is born in the ground"; God of wealth alliance: "God of wealth in heaven, God of wealth on earth"; Jing Shenlian: "Well can lead to the four seas, and home can lead to the three rivers". The granary and the Spring Festival couplets in the granary are warm celebrations and expressions of hope. For example, "Five grains are abundant, and six livestock flourish", "Rice flour is as thick as a mountain, and oil and salt are as deep as the sea", "Cattle in Shannan are like tigers, and Ma Rulong in Beihai", "Big sheep flourish every year, and lambs increase every month" and so on. There are also some single couplets, such as "Looking up to see happiness" in each room, "Going out to see happiness" across the door, "Prosperity is soaring to the sky" on the fire, "The courtyard is full of gold" on the tree, and "Deep-rooted foliage" on the stone mill. The couplets on the gate are the facade of a family, which are particularly exquisite, lyrical or picturesque, rich in content and witty. After I went to junior high school, my family's Spring Festival couplets were basically written by my neighbor Zhang, the son of the landlord and a learned scholar in the village. I still remember that the keeper posted pictures like Weichi Gong and Qin Qiong. They are protectors who protect us. They are symmetrically attached to each other. Stick grilles paper, stick grilles. Window grilles are the most popular. The content is diverse and rich, and there are all kinds of animals and plants. For example, magpies climb plum blossoms, swallows wear peaches and willows, peacocks dress up as peonies, lions roll hydrangeas, Sanyang Kaitai, Erlong Play Beads, Liuhe Tongchun, Five Bats Celebrate their Birthdays, Rhino Watch the Moon, Lotus Year Fish, Yuanyang Play in Water, Liu Hai Play Golden Cicada, and Hehe Erxian. Of course, these are all bought, but my mother won't. I remember that I still have to take care of and post the map of agricultural proverbs ~' Spring Plowing Map', which was sent by Chun Guan.
Yang Shuo, posting Spring Festival couplets, etc. It looks simple. But when I finish, with the cooperation of adults, it will only take a day or two. After all this, the Chinese New Year's dishes have been picked and washed long ago, and pigs, grass and cattle are enough to eat for a few days. During the Spring Festival, we had a good time for a few days. Then my mother told me to take a shower and get a haircut. The child needs a bath, a haircut and a new look. There is a folk saying that "if you have money, you can cut your hair to celebrate the New Year". On New Year's Day, put on new clothes and welcome the New Year with a new look.
I remember the Spring Festival when I was a child, and the scene after the sacrifice to the kitchen god bodhisattva in' off-year', but I only vaguely remember it.
At that time, the material conditions may be worse, but I always feel that the taste of the year is very strong. Not only the New Year's Eve dinner, but also many rich old customs haunt my mind.
-YingYuan tea man, Ding You twelfth lunar month. The picture comes from the network.