What is the custom of New Year in Henan?

If you are not from Zhengzhou, you will look puzzled when you hear that you stole Zhai Deng. Stealing lent lanterns is an ancient custom in Zhengzhou. Before New Year's Eve, every household should steam steamed bread.

Parents will leave a piece of flour and make it into a small bowl. After steaming, they will pour some cooking oil into it, put some twist on it, and light it in front of the shrine in front of the door or the memorial tablet at home to thank the Buddha for his blessing to the family in the past year, also known as Zhai Deng.

Step 2 send lights

Every new year, basically every household will have a long night light. Especially in rural areas, every household lights up on New Year's Eve. Twenty or twenty years ago, there were candles at every door. At that time, you didn't have to bring matches and lighters to light guns. In recent years, the lights are turned on at 30 nights until the next day, so even if you surf outside all night, you are not afraid to go home in the dark.

In Nanyang, it is a custom for our ancestors to celebrate the New Year on New Year's Eve. On the thirtieth night, people will send paper lanterns to the grave and light them all night, so that ancestors can celebrate the New Year together. However, with the development of the times, many places in Nanyang have abandoned this practice.

Step 3 take a five-minute break

In addition to not shaving your head in the first month, there is a custom of breaking the fifth day in Zhumadian, Henan Province, which means that there are many things you can't do between the first day and the fifth day of the first month. For example, if we don't sweep the floor, sweeping the floor will sweep away the god of wealth and the blessings of the year, no matter how dirty it is.

At the same time, you can't break the ground, you can't pour sewage, and you can't use scissors to avoid the disaster of the sword, and you are afraid of breaking the money. There are still some needles and threads that can't be used But in recent years, they have become less and less concerned about these things, and the taste of the year is getting weaker and weaker.

Step 4 sacrifice the stove

In Henan, there is a custom of offering sacrifices to stoves on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. This custom is said to come from a legend. In ancient times, a couple had to send their son to a coal mine because of their poor family.

Later, because he missed his son, the old man went to see him. On the way, he met a barefoot man. They get along well. I learned from the chat that he was ordered by the prince to recruit 100 miners. The old man prayed that his son would survive. Barefoot agreed and asked him not to tell anyone. The old man agreed.

Three years later, on the 22nd of the twelfth lunar month, the old man remembered this incident and couldn't help telling his wife, which happened to be heard by the kitchen gentleman ... On the evening of the 23rd, he told the Jade Emperor about it. Barefoot film was not only punished, but also the old man's son was taken away. Since then, there has been the custom of offering sacrifices to the kitchen stove for 23 times, just to prevent the kitchen god from telling people right and wrong.

5. scold the stove for being on fire

Although there are many customs in Henan that can't be finished in three days and three nights, not many of them are really included in the intangible cultural heritage. Scolding the kitchen fire is one of them, especially in lingbao city, Sanmenxia. As long as you wear the fur coat inside out, you can go to other villages to scold each other, but there are three things you don't scold: a plowman, an outsider and your eldest daughter.

The cadres and top leaders in the village have become the targets of being scolded. This kind of confrontation is also a winner. In order to win, each village will also select specialized talents for training. Besides swearing, there are also fighting dances. However, this custom has long since disappeared.