The New Year Customs of Hakka in Qingxi

Hakka Spring Festival custom Spring Festival, commonly known as Chinese New Year, is the biggest and most grand festival in a year. In December of the lunar calendar, men try their best to find more money to buy new year's goods, and women cut more firewood and grass to prepare for the New Year. 1February 25th is "Entering the Year", commonly known as "Ghost Lock the Gate". Instead of cutting firewood and grass in the mountains, women clean up at home to welcome the New Year. In the 65438+ February of the lunar calendar, every household began to prepare "new year's goods" to catch up with "new year's goods". The indispensable new year's goods are as follows: Sichuan sugar. A sucrose produced in Longchuan, Heyuan and Zijin. It is characterized by strong stickiness and is suitable for making rice cakes. Almost every household has to buy several hundred kilograms. New clothes. Everyone should at least make a new suit, a new pair of shoes and buy a new pair of socks. Nianmi. Generally speaking, every household should have at least one month's rations, and no noise is allowed before the first month. In the past, there was no processing machinery such as rice mill, and it was all processed by hand, which was very heavy, and most of them had to work hard for three or four days to complete. Fried rice cakes. It is cooked glutinous rice or glutinous rice, dried in the sun, then mixed with sand, put it in an iron pan and stir-fried, or stir-fried with vegetables, which is called fried rice. Then stir-fry Sichuan sugar into slurry, put the ingredients such as fried rice, peanut kernel and sesame into syrup, stir well, pick it up, put it into a wooden frame made of plates, flatten and compact it, and cut it into rectangular pieces with a knife. Stir-fried rice cakes are sweet and crisp, and both adults and children like them. Fried rice cakes are very technical, not only the ingredients should be in proportion, but also the "heat" should be paid attention to when frying pulp. If it is not good, it will not become a piece, but will become a plate of scattered rice. Generally speaking, a barrel of rice should be exchanged for 2.5 Jin of Sichuan sugar, which can only be more, not less. Pay special attention to the "temperature". An experienced person puts a bowl of clear water on the stove, and Sichuan sugar will start to condense after a certain period of time. Drop a little syrup into the clear water with bamboo chopsticks. If it has become a "pine nut point", immediately put out the flame at the bottom of the pot and put the fried rice into the pot and stir it constantly. Try it with your hands. If it is sticky, you can pour the fried rice into a wooden frame and flatten it until it is solidified, and then cut it into small pieces with a knife. Oil fruit. Also known as "fried dumpling". The production of avocado is relatively simple. First, grind the glutinous rice into powder, and mix 2.5 kg of Sichuan sugar into each bucket of glutinous rice. Boil the sugar into a sugar solution and rub it evenly with glutinous rice flour. The longer it is rubbed, the softer it becomes. After kneading into powder balls, knead into powder balls the size of table tennis balls. Stick white sesame seeds on the surface, and then fry in the oil pan until it is dark red. Steamed and fried avocado is used as wine during the Chinese New Year and is an essential food for every meal during the Chinese New Year. Powder skin. Grinding glutinous rice into rice slurry, and adding ingredients such as soybean, sesame and peanut. Pour the rice paste into an iron spoon and fry in an oil pan until dark red. Fried vermicelli tastes crisp, and it is one of the foods of Xian Yi guests, regardless of age. Sesame crisp, peanut crisp. The cooking method is similar to fried rice. Using sesame seeds and peanut kernels as raw materials, Sichuan sugar is fried into paste, then stirred with the fried sesame seeds and peanut kernels, poured into an iron basin, leveled and compacted, and cut into small squares. Sesame crisp and peanut crisp are also essential foods for Chinese New Year. The above materials are necessary for every family, and they are all processed and produced by themselves. In addition, oranges, melon seeds, biscuits and sweets are also indispensable. In recent years, it is expected that most of the purchases in the market are small, mainly for entertaining guests. Generally, the above materials will be basically prepared before the "Year of the Year" (December 25 of the lunar calendar). Lunar calendar1February 25th is the definition day for entering the New Year, that is to say, after1February 25th, it will enter the New Year stage. People who go out to work and do business want to come back. Lunar calendar1February 25th to 30th are the most tense days. Men, women and children are busy, mainly preparing for the Spring Festival as follows: sweeping the house. The house cleaning after "entering the New Year" is extraordinary. It's three-dimensional cleaning, and the whole family does it together. After thorough cleaning, indoors and outdoors, the windows are bright and clean, and people's mood is extremely comfortable, showing a new scene of old cloth everywhere. Grinding bean curd, dried fish, killing pigs, chickens and ducks. On December 28th of the lunar calendar, every household began to visit grinding bean curd. There are small fish in front of most farmhouses. Lunar calendar1around February 27th and 28th, all the fish are released to catch fish. On the one hand, it should be used for cooking, and on the other hand, it is convenient to dig it for fertilizer after the Spring Festival. Meanwhile, start killing pigs. Most people use 30-40 kilograms of pork for the New Year, and some people kill a big pig for the New Year. The main purpose is as follows: 1. As a gift for relatives and friends, every family should send two or three Jin of pork, especially the meat from the parents-in-law's family, and the amount of pork sent by the newly married parents-in-law is even more impressive, otherwise it will be ridiculed as "a lonely soul and a wild ghost". The whole family is busy until1February 30, and all the new year's goods are ready. The family is happy, especially the children are happy, eat well and dress well, and are not scolded by adults. People who go out for business or work should go home for a "reunion dinner" on New Year's Eve at the latest. This day is also the busiest. I don't know how to do what everyone wants to do, but everyone is happy and full of spring breeze. December 30 of the lunar calendar, also known as New Year's Eve, is what you must do on this day: take a bath with grapefruit leaves. Picking pomelo leaves in the morning, after noon, every household puts pomelo leaves in a pot to cook, and everyone should take a hot bath with pomelo leaves, which means washing away filth, "poverty" and "decay" and entering the new year cleanly. After washing pomelo leaves, put on new clothes, hats, socks and shoes, and look brand-new from head to toe. Wash dirty clothes on the same day. Therefore, washing pomelo leaves and taking a bath contains the meaning of old cloth and new one. This custom is getting weaker every year. Send the kitchen god. Buy back the statue of Kitchen God from the town in advance, write down the kitchen space (write down the family name and age), prepare offerings such as gold ingots, incense sticks, three sacrifices, wine, vegetarian fruit, etc., set up an "Eight Immortals Table" next to the kitchen and put the offerings on the table. The whole family, old and young, gathered in front of the statue of Kitchen God to salute, sincerely sent Kitchen God back to heaven to report his work, and prayed that Kitchen God would put in a good word in front of the Jade Emperor, so as to bless and eliminate disasters, prosper in the coming year and keep the family safe. When people worship sacrifices, they will only pray a few auspicious words to the kitchen god, such as "Bless the disaster and bless the peace of the family". People with culture and knowledge should also make solemn sacrifices and read eulogies. The eulogy goes like this: "Only the monarch is the head of the family, and he is the first of the five sacrifices, so there is nothing blasphemous about cooking tombs and kitchens;" The prosperity of a family depends entirely on support. We are grateful on weekdays, respectful and rewarding tonight, relying on God, overlooking the worries, caring for the young and helping to increase happiness. Shangyi "Except for a few old people, this custom is no longer accepted. To our ancestors. After breakfast on the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, anyone who added men in those days would send someone to the ancestral temple to clean and paint the walls of the ancestral temple. In the afternoon, people went to the ancestral temple with gifts such as gift boxes, three sacrifices, firecrackers and gold ingots. After the salute, firecrackers and some spears were set off. Every New Year's Eve afternoon, the ancestral hall is filled with incense and firecrackers continue until dusk. This custom has gradually disappeared in recent years. Post Spring Festival couplets and New Year pictures. Red Spring Festival couplets are pasted on the front and back doors, Li is pasted on the lintel, and the words "Door God" or "Happiness" and "Auspicious" are pasted on the door panel. Kitchen, cowshed, pigsty, henhouse, toilet, etc. It should also be affixed with a "peach symbol" on red paper, and the words "Prosperous fortune, prosperous Ding" and "prosperous six animals" are written on the red paper. The hall, bedroom and guest room are all pasted with New Year pictures, which is a happy scene. Have a reunion dinner. The reunion dinner on New Year's Eve is the most grand family dinner. There are many rules: First, separated sons should go back to their parents for a "reunion dinner" on New Year's Eve. Second, the number of seats. Older people must sit down, and then rank them according to their seniority. At the same time, some empty seats should be reserved in the upper seats, and some empty bowls and chopsticks should be put so that the deceased ancestors can come back for reunion to show their respect. Third, all the prepared New Year's dishes should be covered by a bowl, and large round tables should be used for many dishes to show richness. Fourth, open loop. Parents don't allow their children to drink alcohol at ordinary times, but it is forbidden at the reunion dinner on New Year's Eve, and children can make an exception to drink alcohol. Fifth, taboo. Men, women and children should not say unlucky things. Some people worry that children can't abide by it, so they put up a red note on the wall of the canteen in advance that says, "Nothing is allowed if you are a child." Don't break bowls and chopsticks. If you accidentally drop your bowl and chopsticks, read "Good luck" when cleaning. If you break a bowl, wrap it in red paper and put it at an inconspicuous height. When eating, the younger generation should propose a toast to their elders and wish them a long life. The whole family, old and young, are polite and amiable, full of unity and harmony, respecting the old and loving the young. Send lucky money. Lucky money is also called "profit". Old people give their children lucky money, and they should put new paper money into red paper bags and distribute them one by one. The younger generation should also give "benefits" to the elders. Children can control their own money, and parents don't interfere. Wash dishes. According to the ancestral motto, you should not eat meat on the first day of the new year, but be vegetarian. Therefore, after the family dinner on New Year's Eve, all the tableware should be cleaned and there should be no meat, otherwise it would be disrespectful to our ancestors. All the meat belonging to animals is stored in one place and sealed with paper, which is called "sealing the year". This is objectively good for the stomach. After the reunion dinner, oil lamps (kerosene lamps) are lit everywhere in the house, and the whole house is brightly lit all night, which is called "lighting". Family members get together to taste fragrant tea, fruits, melon seeds, peanuts, sweets and so on. The elders tell the younger generation about family history and national history, and educate the younger generation to keep in mind their ancestral teachings, inherit their ancestors' virtues, be diligent in housekeeping, and be United and harmonious. After talking about family history and national history, some people beat gongs and drums, some set off fireworks, and they can't go to bed early, which is called "keeping the old age". Generally, children can't go to sleep until midnight, when they open the gate and set off firecrackers to welcome the New Year. Some people simply make trouble until dawn. Open the gate. The early morning of the first day of the first month (that is, zero) is the time to send the old and welcome the new. Every household will open the door and set off firecrackers. At this time, deafening firecrackers can be heard in every corner. There are a lot of firecrackers, which are very lively (in recent years, fireworks and firecrackers are prohibited in Heyuan city and some counties). Generally, the elders open the door, and the person who opens the door should drink loudly: "Open the door." The hall, kitchen hall, gate and small door light big red candles to burn incense and worship to welcome the New Year and the God of Wealth. On New Year's Day, people of all ages get up early. According to legend, not getting up early on this day means a bad year. Brush your teeth and wash your face after getting up. The woman went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. In fact, rice and vegetarian dishes are cooked every other night. Heat it again. The man was holding a box full of sweets, rice cakes, gold ingots and incense sticks, waiting to worship at the ancestral temple. The altar of the ancestral temple is filled with all kinds of vegetarian food, and all ages salute and go home for breakfast after the ceremony. Breakfast, lunch and dinner on New Year's Day are vegetarian. Vegetarian dishes include yuba, vermicelli, golden leaf (day lily), fungus, bean curd skin, mushrooms, celery (symbolizing diligence), garlic (cost-effective), onion (smart) and so on. Although there is no meat such as chicken, duck and fish, it is also very rich. Happy new year. After breakfast, parents took their children to their elders' home to pay New Year greetings. When they saw their elders, they bowed and gave them "Li" to wish them a long life and a happy New Year. In return, the elders gave "Li" and candy to the children and wished the younger generation "happy family and all the best". The old people with high seniority and age in those years were at a loss when their younger generation visited them almost all day. Although very tired, but also very proud, very gratified. When the peers meet, they congratulate and bless each other and give each other "gifts" and candy. When we meet on New Year's Day, we should never ask for sick leave or collect debts, otherwise it will not only be boring but also lead to disputes. There are also the most taboos on the first day of the lunar new year. Besides saying unlucky things, you can't change clothes, sweep the floor and take out the garbage, carry water in the river, herd cattle, raise pigs, chickens and ducks, beat and scold children, break ground and do housework. If something goes wrong, you will remember it for a whole year, so you should be very careful on the first day of the new year. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, also known as the "Year Pass", people generally don't go out. I started eating meat that day. The third day of New Year's Eve is also called "Poor People's Day". Get up early in the morning, the whole family will start cleaning, commonly known as "sweeping poverty." The cleaner you clean, the better. If there is a little scrap of paper on the ground, it will be considered "poor" In short, all rubbish should be swept out of the house. When cleaning, you should also read "the poor man goes out, the god of wealth comes in". The cleaned garbage is collected and sent to wild rivers and roadsides far away from home, and firecrackers are lit, indicating that the "poor man" has been driven away. Although sweeping the floor on the third day of the New Year contains some superstitious colors, it also meets the health requirements. You are not allowed to sweep the floor on the second day of the New Year's Day, and there is a lot of garbage piled up. It is also appropriate to have a general cleaning on the third day of the lunar new year. Because the third day of the New Year is the "Poor People's Day", the whole family, old and young, do not go out and visit other families. If you accidentally enter someone else's door, you will be regarded as a "poor man", unlucky and unpopular. Therefore, on the third day of the Lunar New Year, people generally don't enter other families. If it is necessary to come to the door under special circumstances, the host should be called out to speak. Guests consciously don't come in, and the host won't invite them in. On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, women began to go back to their parents' homes to visit relatives with gifts such as pork and rice cakes. Everyone walked together, talking and laughing all the way, and it was very lively. Men begin to engage in entertainment and sports activities, which are also called "making the New Year" and "engaging in the New Year". The main purposes of traditional folk literature and art are "lion dance", "dragon dance" and "playing lanterns". After the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, I began to go to work one after another.