Minnan Spring Festival custom

The Spring Festival customs in southern Fujian include: dust-blowing day, steaming bowls and cakes, worshipping God, posting Spring Festival couplets, and holding ceremonies.

1, dusty day:

Minnan has the custom of Spring Festival dust removal day, which is a year-end cleaning. In order to welcome the new year, people use tender bamboo branches and leaves, banyan branches and leaves, or long dusters tied with straw and sugarcane leaves to clean the dust cobwebs on the corner beams, and also use "tablecloths" to wipe all kinds of farm tools and articles.

The main purpose of "dust removal" is, of course, to clean up and let us spend the coming year in high spirits, but also to drive away the epidemic, sweep away the plague and pray for peace in the coming year.

2. Steamed bowls and cakes:

After the Dust Festival, in many places in southern Fujian, such as Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Shishi and other coastal areas, many people have to steam "bowls of cakes" in order to have a good Spring Festival. This kind of "bowl cake" is also called "hair cake". In Minnan language, the fatter the rice cake, the better, because "fat" means getting rich and developed.

Steaming "bowl cakes" must be "fermented" first, so "bowl cakes" means being able to develop and make a fortune. Moreover, after rice noodles are fermented and steamed with strong fire, the top of the cake will crack, which means "smiles are always open" and symbolizes the happiness of the whole family. "Bowl cakes" are mostly steamed with sugar, which is sweet, meaning that life is sweet and smooth.

3. To God:

Sacrificing to heaven is the most solemn ceremony on the first day of the first month in southern Fujian every year. On the first day of the new year, we worship and pray to heaven that this year's harvest will be safe. A couple of children (zero), firecrackers everywhere, people set up a case in the hall at home, put three sacrifices, fruits, green tea, gold and other offerings, burn three pots of incense, light candles, worship "God" and worship their ancestors. The worship will last until the fourth day of the fourth lunar month.

4. Post Spring Festival couplets:

On New Year's Eve, people take off the old Spring Festival couplets and blessings on all the doors and replace them with new ones. In some areas, posting Spring Festival couplets is usually done by men at home. As a result, the family became brand-new and happy.

5. Openness is:

On New Year's Eve, families get together for a reunion dinner. The elders at home will give red envelopes to their children first and then jump into the fire.