What are the customs of Xiangfan?

I hope it helps you. In the old society of Xiangfan folk family, Xiangfan native or foreign immigrants settled in one place and developed into a big family because of its prosperous population. Some villages are named after their surnames. For example, Dong Shi in Dongtai, Chen in the suburbs and Liu in the suburbs are all mixed, with family property, family rules and family expectations, and family leaders have the final say. People with great wealth and high seniority also have a certain right to speak, and intra-clan organizations are often mixed with village government organizations. Some parents are township heads or Chang Bao, Jia Chang, and clan power regimes. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), the family organization disintegrated, but the consciousness of the head of the family of all ethnic groups in rural areas still exists, and the legacy of naming after genealogy still prevails.

Xiangfan people have always been hospitable, greeting each other with their hands, saying "rare guests", waiting for tea and chatting with each other. The guests went out, said goodbye and told them to "walk slowly" and "come again". If you stay for dinner, there must be wine. There is a saying that "wine doesn't blame food", and it is called "wine has no food, and guests don't blame it; If you have food and no wine, stand up and leave ",which is intended to emphasize the importance of wine. It's not like we don't prepare vegetables and rice. Be sure to drink it before meals, not after meals, otherwise it will "offend people" (homophonic "on meals"). Food and wine must be strongly recommended, and it is better for guests to be drunk. If the host can't drink well, please ask someone who can drink to persuade him to drink. Rice is also added by force, so as not to make the guests have enough to eat. Often when the guest's bowl is not full, the host takes another bowl and knocks the guest's bowl from behind while the guest is not paying attention until the guest can't finish eating and there is still some left, and the host is satisfied. This is called "knocking rice" (reading Kangmi in Xiangfan dialect). The present farewell ceremony has been cancelled and replaced by a handshake. The custom of knocking rice is rare, but the gift of persuading wine is more popular than in the old days. Seating in the old days, guests were invited to hold banquets, and seating was very particular. Invite the elders, teachers and middle-aged people in the neighborhood as guests, and be sure to sit on them. Generally, if the door of a house doesn't face south, take the door as the orientation sign, with the back against the cabinet and the person facing the door as the upper seat. The left and right are the accompanying seats, and the opposite is the lower seat. The wood grain of the table seam should be horizontal and vertical, not facing the seat. If more than two seats are arranged at the same time, the main hall is the chief and the host and guest are seated. The lobby is the second seat, where ordinary guests sit. The identity, qualifications and age of the accompanying guests should be equivalent to those of the guests. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), these customs still exist, but they are far less strict than those in the old society. There is no such emphasis between public officials and colleagues. Xiangfan has been simple in folk customs since ancient times, emphasizing righteousness over profit. When friends communicate, they tend to respect teachers and elders. Gifts are exchanged between relatives and friends, and there are many names. On holidays, weddings, funerals, celebrations, imports, and birthday moves, gifts and banquets should be given. This is called "sending people a favor", and there is a saying that "human feelings are as big as debts". Some neighbors get along very well, and they are like a family every day, and they are closer than relatives. As the saying goes, "a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor, and a close neighbor is not as good as the opposite." After the founding of New China, the loyalty of Jianghu faded, and the custom of "giving gifts" gradually faded. Since the late 1970s, the trend of "giving away people" has once again prevailed, becoming a bad habit that everyone hates and cannot get rid of. Marriage is an important part of family continuity. The ancients attached great importance to it, and the etiquette was very complicated. There are six ceremonies, including accepting lots, asking names, Najib, accepting marriage and inviting weddings. The old-fashioned marriage in Xiangfan has gradually evolved into several steps: engagement, date selection and wedding banquet. First of all, the man's parents invited the red master (matchmaker) to propose marriage to the woman's house. If the woman's parents agree, Grandpa Hong will give the woman's "eight-character Geng sticker" (that is, a Cambodian sticker indicating the date of birth of the woman) to the man. Commonly known as "taking eight characters", it is also called "passing Geng". On auspicious days, the man's parents ask a trusted fortune teller to calculate the eight characters of this man and a woman, which is called "matching eight characters". If two people are guilty of each other's lives, then the proposal is abandoned; If they are compatible with each other, they can get engaged The whole betrothal process is decided by parents, and young men and women are not allowed to ask. As the saying goes, "parents' orders, matchmakers' words." Select a date. After the engagement, men and women give the woman a gift once a year, which is called "Geng Chong" at an appropriate time. The man asks Grandpa Hong to discuss the wedding date with the woman, and the woman puts forward the specifications of the bride price. After the two sides agree, the bride price is given and the wedding date is determined, usually on auspicious days of the ecliptic or on double days of the lunar calendar. Xiangfan people like to choose the eighth, eighteenth and twenty-eighth days of the eighth day, which is called "making a fortune without leaving eight" and the wedding ceremony is also called "overdue". The day before the wedding, a banquet was held to entertain the guests. The man called it "warm lang wine" and the woman called it "comb wine". On the wedding day, the groom is dressed neatly, dressed in red, sitting in a sedan chair or riding a horse, holding a sedan chair to meet the bride. Firecrackers and gongs and drums kept ringing all the way. Go to the woman's house and worship her ancestors. The bride wears a feather crown, a red coat and a skirt. After bidding farewell to her ancestors, she gets into a sedan chair, which is presented by her brother or nephew. Then, the groom's sedan chair (horse) takes the lead, followed by the bride's sedan chair and dowry, and gongs, drums and firecrackers greet the man's home. When they got off the sedan chair, they were assisted by the bride, and the bride and groom worshipped heaven and earth, worshipped the high hall and went into the bridal chamber to drink. On this day, guests, cousins and uncles can participate in a "noisy room", which is called "three days without size". During this period, guests are given a big banquet, which is called "drinking a wedding banquet". All relatives and friends who give gifts are included in the banquet. The bride's family should take the chief seat, attend the banquet and go home immediately after the banquet. On the third day, the bride's brother or nephew came to meet the newlyweds, which is called "returning to the door". Go back to the man's house after dinner, which means "no room for three days" In the whole wedding process, there are many trivial symbolic studies. For example, sowing peanuts, chestnuts and red dates in the bridal chamber bed is a good omen for "early decision" (jujube chestnuts) and flowers (children alternating). Putting the shoes of the bride and groom together symbolizes that they will grow old together, and so on. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), the state promulgated the Marriage Law, abolished the feudal arranged marriage system and changed the old wedding ceremony. Men and women can freely fall in love and register for marriage. Weddings are mostly held in national legal or traditional folk festivals. The 1950s and 1970s were proud of simplicity. The woman does not want a bride price, and the man does not count as a dowry. He greeted the bride on foot or by bike, and his manners were generous and simple. When national public officials get married, they usually hold a ceremony in the office to celebrate the hospitality of Yan tea. Although the folks entertain relatives and friends, they are also very simple. In the 1980s, people's living standards generally improved. Some families buy high-end furniture, household appliances, send their families away by car, and have a big banquet for several days in a row, often hollowing out the savings of both families for many years. Some young people and their parents advocate frugality, do not show off, do not treat guests, and invite newlyweds to participate in collective weddings organized by relevant departments. After a warm and simple ceremony, the newlyweds planted concentric trees, which not only symbolizes. In the old society, when a man is widowed and remarried, the etiquette is the same as the first marriage, which is called "mistress". Generally speaking, women no longer marry, but remarry, commonly known as "going to another home." There is no ceremony for remarriage, and the man can welcome him to his home. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), widows' remarriage was affirmed by society and protected by law. Birthdays celebrate birthdays, commonly known as "living" or "doing life". Children eat longevity noodles on their birthdays, wear new clothes, and elders give toys, stationery or food. Old people's 50th, 60th and 70th birthdays are even more grand, and most of them are presided over by the younger generation, congratulated by relatives and friends, presented with birthday couplets, birthday plaques or other gifts, and treated with wine by the host. In the old days of funeral, burial was popular, and coffins (also known as longevity wood) were particularly exquisite. They are made of high-quality wood, such as fir, cypress and catalpa, which are packed inside, carved outside and painted repeatedly. After death, people wash bodies, put on shroud and put them in coffins, which is called "burial". The coffin was put into the mourning hall and stopped for 3 days accompanied by relatives of the deceased at night. Then the dutiful son and grandson sent it to the cemetery for burial. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), the feudal superstitious activities in the funeral were gradually abolished. Cremation was advocated in the mid-1970s. National public officials and most citizens only set up mourning halls, wreaths and elegiac couplets to hold memorial services to prepare for funerals. Family members and relatives wear black veil on their left arm to mourn, and the etiquette is solemn and solemn. In recent years, some old customs in folk funeral have risen again in a few places. The first day of the first lunar month is the Spring Festival. Xiangfan people attach great importance to the Spring Festival, which is not only grand and lively, but also lasts for a long time. In fact, as soon as they entered the twelfth lunar month (commonly known as the twelfth lunar month), they began to prepare for the festival. Street and village organizations rehearse entertainment programs, tie lanterns, practice dragon lanterns, dry boats, cars and other folk songs and dances. Every household buys seasonal food and utensils and preserves bacon such as chicken, duck and fish, which is commonly known as "buying new year's goods".

1February 23rd is called "off-year" (24th is off-year for foreign residents). In the old custom, the stove was sacrificed on this night. Every household cleans the indoor and outdoor sanitation, cleans and paints the stove, and puts an incense table in front of the portrait of the kitchen king and his wife, so that the stove candy (glutinous rice candy) and the stove cake (sugar cake) can make fruits as sacrifices in time. Some people also light lamps in the stove chamber and sprinkle items such as stove candy and stove cakes. After the sacrifice, the portrait of the kitchen god was burned and sent to heaven. Then buy a new portrait and post it on New Year's Eve, which means welcome the kitchen god home. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, this old custom was abolished, and only the tradition of cleaning indoor and outdoor environmental sanitation was inherited, and the candy stove cake also evolved into seasonal food, and superstitious sacrifices were no longer carried out. The thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month is New Year's Eve. On this day, we will stick up the door gods, put up Spring Festival couplets, greet the family gods, set off firecrackers, make braziers, have family reunion and have a "reunion dinner". Housewives scatter water chestnuts in the four corners of the house, and put some onions and garlic seedlings in the pockets of the bedside and children (water chestnuts are pronounced as "no taboo" in Xiangfan dialect, and onions and garlic are homophonic "scattered"). It is said that this can avoid bad luck and dispel disasters. It is called "Shousui" to wrap "Yuanbao" at night (equivalent to jiaozi in the north, but Xiangfan people use trapezoidal pages to wrap, which is similar to silver Yuanbao, hence the name) and stay up all night. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the door gods evolved into adult paintings, and the Spring Festival couplets also changed their contents. The custom of welcoming home gods was abolished, and Bao Yuanbao was inherited. With the popularity of TV in recent years, it has become a habit to watch Spring Festival Gala programs on New Year's Eve. Every night at midnight. At the beginning of the new year, firecrackers exploded in the streets to welcome the arrival of the Spring Festival. The first day to the third day of the first month is the Spring Festival. Worship ancestors in the early morning of the first day. The younger generation pays New Year greetings to the elders, and the elders give the younger generation "lucky money" (or New Year's Eve). In Tomb-Sweeping Day, lucky money is made of hundreds of red strings, meaning "centenary". After that, paper money was widely used, and the amount of money was different according to the family economic situation. Eating jiaozi for the first meal at the beginning of the year is called "Debao", which symbolizes that you will have good luck in the new year. Then, relatives and neighbors pay New Year greetings to each other, depending on the distance, and treat them with rock tea cakes or wine and rice. Merchants and owners generally don't personally visit distant peers and customers, but only send shop assistants and students to distribute New Year greetings. The next day, the son-in-law brought gifts to her parents-in-law to pay New Year greetings. The Yue family will entertain guests with wine and rice. As the saying goes, "I worship my parents on the first day and my mother-in-law on the second day." This gift is absolutely indispensable. Secondly, I worship my aunt and uncle. On the fourth day of the third grade, relatives and friends usually congratulate each other, and close relatives and friends begin to pick up spring guests. The fifth day is called "Breaking Five". The whole family ate "Yuanbao" and held a banquet, which was as grand as the first day. There is a saying that "breaking five is like a year". In the past, during the Spring Festival, there were many taboos. For example, it is not allowed to cook fresh rice before the fifth day (except "Yuanbao"). Even if people eat and drink, their staple food can only be steamed bread and steamed buns cooked years ago. There are fish for dinner, so we usually don't eat them. If the fish head points to a lower position when placing the fish plate, it means that the owner has prepared more fish (more than enough) and this fish can be eaten. If the fish head points to the upper position, it means that the fish must not eat, leaving the whole fish, which symbolizes more than enough. Water can't be spilled on the ground, and swill (swill) garbage can't be poured out of the door. Sweeping from the gate to the house means that the treasure will not flow out. Exquisite people are not allowed to say unlucky things even from the beginning of the twelfth lunar month. If they cannot avoid it, they should use synonyms or established words instead. For example, "the meal is finished" is unlucky, but it should be said that "the meal is finished"; It is unlucky to say that "people are dead", but "people are old", and so on. Doorman couplets that have lost their homes need to be written in yellow paper, and they should not go out to pay New Year greetings to relatives and friends.

After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), with the destruction of feudal superstition, folk sacrificial activities gradually disappeared. Many taboos are no longer particular. During the Spring Festival, many workers in factories, mines, enterprises and institutions stick to their jobs and production posts. Leaders at all levels took to the streets to clean and clear the snow on the first day of the New Year's Day, and distributed it to the families of martyrs, retired cadres, model workers, soldiers in the army, elderly people in welfare homes and employees who stuck to their posts to pay a New Year call for them. Some units hold collective worship, and a new fashion gradually takes shape. Lantern Festival The fifteenth day of the first month is the Lantern Festival, also known as Shangyuan Festival and Lantern Festival, which is the first major festival after the Spring Festival. According to the old custom in Xiangfan, on the first day of the Lantern Festival, a busybody dressed as a county grandfather and a clown, with a big tobacco pipe or a 3-foot-long folding fan in his hand, rode a wooden barbell with a bowl mouth more than ten feet thick, and was carried by two civilian workers. In front of him, there was a waiter holding up the sign of "Silence" and "Avoid" to clear the way, and then there was "Riding a donkey". At the door of every business gentleman, the "servant" shouted, "Boss, is the light ready?" The host immediately entertained himself, pretended to be afraid, bowed and replied, "I'm ready." The officers turned and told the "County Grandfather", who immediately made a gesture and improvised some "orders" and "reward and punishment regulations". The "lady" on the donkey is singing and dancing. Handyman begins with "chamber pot" toasting "County Grandfather", which is full of humor and joy. Folk call it "a master riding a thick stick." On 15, the Lantern Festival was celebrated. Every household hangs lanterns in front of the door, which are colorful and dazzling. Lions, dragon lanterns, dry boats, stilts, mussel shells, stories of high platforms and other acrobatics walk through the streets and lanes, which are very lively. Some craftsmen choose the radish with red skin and white skin, carve various patterns on the outer skin, hollow out the inner pulp, install candles and thread lifting, and call it "radish lamp", which is exquisite and lovely for children to play along the street. Tangyuan on the 15th, boiled, fried or fried, was delicious.

16 continue to play with lights. Guotian Festival is a unique festival in ancient Xiangfan. In the Song Dynasty, the left Stewed Chicken Ribs said, "The 21st day of the first month in Xiangyang is called the day when the clouds turn south and flowers bloom. The county moved to the bank of the Hanshui River, and the whole city was flooded with green boats. Women wear perforated clothes for Xiaobaishi on the beach, thread colored silk through it and hang it on their heads as good luck. " On March 3, there was Guishan in Xisi Lane, Xiangyang City, commonly known as Gongshan. Zhenwu Temple is also called "Little Wudang", "Xiaoding Mountain" and "Zhenwu Mountain" because it is built on the mountain. Xiangfan residents mistakenly call it "Zhougong Mountain". According to the old custom of Xiangfan, a visit on March 3 can avoid disaster.

In addition, more than 20 miles west of the city, there is also a land where Zhuge Liang cultivated and studied-Longzhong. Every March, peonies are in full bloom, and Xiangfan people compete to watch them, so there is a custom of "seeing peonies in March in spring". After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhenwu Temple was destroyed, and the superstitious custom of going to Zhenwu Mountain to eliminate disasters was abolished, while the custom of spring outing in Longzhong still existed. Different from the old times, it is not only to watch peony, but also to develop into an educational activity for young people to love their hometown and motherland.