Say goodbye to the old and welcome the new.

February 24, 65438 is the day when "immortals from all walks of life" go to heaven to pay New Year's greetings. Therefore, on 23rd or 24th, in Chaoshan countryside, it is a custom to offer sacrifices, steam sacrifices and bid farewell to gods. The custom of "sending God" began with sending "Kitchen God". Who is the kitchen god? Xu Shen's "Five Classics and Different Meanings" in the Eastern Han Dynasty said, "Zhuan Xu has a son named Li, who is Zhu Rong. The temperature is just right and he is worshipped as the kitchen god." It can be seen that the Kitchen God is the familiar Vulcan Zhu Rong. It is one of the five great sacrifices in ancient times. "Book of Rites Moon Order" Xia Meng's moon cloud: "Its emperor Yan Di, its god Zhu Rong ... its sacrificial stove." The purpose of the kitchen god is to "blame those who are white, and those who are big will seize the discipline for 300 days; Small is a hundred days. " (Tang Duanshicheng's Biography of Xiyang Zanuo) So, there are hundreds of people in the world. In order to let Kitchen God put in a good word for himself, and let God bless him to make a fortune, live a long life and be safe, it is convenient to "sacrifice dolphin wine to Kitchen God one day." It can be seen that the custom of "sending gods" originated from the above-mentioned "sending kitchen gods". Ancestors brought this custom from the Central Plains to Chaoshan and made it "worse". On this day, it was sent to heaven with other immortals. The Spring Festival is the most solemn traditional festival of the Chinese nation, especially the Han nationality. Han people used to call it "Spring Festival". That is, the first day of the first month of the summer calendar every year, and the old name "New Year's Day" is the New Year. From "offering sacrifices to stoves" on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month to "Lantern Festival" on the 15th day of the first month of the following year, it is the scope of Chinese New Year. The origin of the Spring Festival comes from the original commune's "La Worship" and "Zuo Zhuan Xi Gong Five Years": "It's not trouble." Du in the Western Jin Dynasty pre-noted: "The twelfth lunar month, the end of the year, is the name of offering sacrifices to the gods." That is to say, after a year of farming, in order to repay the gift of the gods, an activity to celebrate the harvest is held, which is the so-called "Spring Festival". Second, "Year" means a bumper harvest of fruits and ripe grains. Celebrating the harvest in "2008" is a custom in the Yao and Shun era. "Three Years of Huan Gong": "All grains are ripe, so there is a year." The earliest Oracle Bone Inscriptions wrote the word "year" as "day" and wrote two strokes under the word "harmony". The whole glyph is like a long millet, which is used to indicate the bumper harvest of grains. From this point of view, "nian" is a kind of plant, which is a general term for cereal plants.

There is a common legend among the Han people: In ancient times, there was a fierce monster called Nian. At the end of every year, people come to the village to eat people and livestock, and people are very scared. Once Nian went to a village, walked to the edge of the village and scared away when he heard the whip of the shepherd boy. It ran to another village and saw a child in red. It also ran away in fear. He ran to the third village and saw the bright lights in the village, which made him dizzy and scared away. So it dared not enter the village for three days in a row, and finally starved to death in the wilderness forest.

People sum up that there are three fears in the year, namely, fear of "sound", "red" and "light". Therefore, whenever Chinese New Year comes, people write couplets on red paper, post them, and beat gongs and drums, set off firecrackers, and stay up all night. This year, which is harmful to mankind, will not dare to enter the village. After a long time, established holiday customs will be formed. Every year when the twelfth lunar month is over, the taste of the New Year comes. On the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, every household eats "five beans", which is a custom for thousands of years. The so-called "five beans" means eating porridge made of five kinds of beans. The night before, I took out five kinds of beans, such as soybeans, mung beans, peas and Jiang Dou, and soaked them in clear water overnight. After getting up the next morning, housewives cooked porridge with rice (both rice and millet), put it in the soaked five beans and cooked a pot of rich "five-bean porridge". The first meal on the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month is to eat "five beans". Every family, without exception, has formed established customs. As the saying goes, "You get confused after eating five beans." It means to work hard and live frugally all year round. During the Chinese New Year, we must be willing to spend money and have a prosperous year. For example, buying new year's goods, eating fat and drinking sea, giving gifts and so on. It looks very confused, but every family is so afraid of falling behind.

The custom of "eating five beans" is widely spread in rural areas all over Shaanxi. The specific method of eating is similar, because the conditions are different.

For example, in Guanzhong Plain, rice or millet is the main ingredient, and five kinds of beans are used to cook porridge. Everyone should drink a bowl of porridge for breakfast, and then eat staple foods such as Guo kui, steamed bread and oil cake. Wealthy families also cook and drink, and are good at meat dishes, showing their abilities. In Tongchuan rural areas, the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month is called "Five Beans Day", and breakfast is made with "barley porridge" and five kinds of beans, which indicates a bumper harvest of wheat and beans this year. Every year in the twelfth lunar month, the farmer's market is unprecedentedly active, and people who run new year's goods are in an endless stream. The rural trade center in this period undoubtedly served the Chinese New Year. The whole market presents a prosperous and festive scene. Exchanges with agricultural and sideline products on the market; There are furnishings for Beijing-Guangzhou groceries; There are holiday gifts available, and so on. All kinds of groceries are dazzling and varied. The most prominent ones are woodcut New Year pictures, door gods, window grilles, all kinds of fireworks and fireworks, as well as clay toys and all kinds of paper of Han people, which are beautiful and in short supply; Those precious snacks, assorted sweets, alcohol and tobacco are simply insatiable; There are also various non-staple foods such as meat, eggs, chickens, ducks and fish prepared for the New Year Festival. The goods are piled up like mountains and you can choose at will.

Rural fair trade has rules in peacetime: some people collect money in one day, while others collect money in two days. However, after the twelfth lunar month, the days of parties became more frequent. In addition to the daily trading, it has been added several times. Near the Chinese New Year, it is held almost every day.

The market in the twelfth lunar month is particularly prosperous. The market is crowded with people. In addition to trading, there are various places for entertainment and juggling in the market. There are people who sing big plays; There are circus runners; There are monkeys selling plasters; Some play "Western Scenery" and "Tree Rings"; There are "storytellers and good deeds" and so on.

In order to have a rich "new year", people rush to buy new year's goods before the new year. In addition to food, use and holiday gifts, there are several kinds of items that are absolutely indispensable to deal with the contents of new year's goods. It is on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month that the kitchen god is invited in front of the "sacrificial stove". Buying a portrait of the kitchen god should not be called "buy", but "please" to show respect. And a waxed paper table dedicated to the gods; Fireworks, fireworks, etc. Used to celebrate; Red paper (writing couplets and Spring Festival couplets), door gods, New Year pictures, etc. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), the color of feudal superstition gradually decreased, and the activity of "inviting jujube masters" was once cancelled. In recent years, old customs and activities have been restored in rural areas. After the 23 rd day of the twelfth lunar month, that is, after the sacrifice to the stove, people in the village are busy writing Spring Festival couplets to prepare for the New Year.

What are Spring Festival couplets? It is a kind of couplet written in red paper (also written in other colors). According to historical records, Spring Festival couplets evolved from the symbol of peach. Legend has it that there is a big peach tree in Dushuo Mountain in the ancient East China Sea, and its branches and leaves extend to the death gate in the northeast, where all ghosts enter. There are two immortals under the tree, one is called Tu and the other is called Tu. They often guard the ghost gate and watch the ghost's actions. If anyone is found guilty, tie it up with a rope and feed it to the tiger. Therefore, since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, people have carved the portraits of Shen Tu and Lei Yu on two mahogany boards every year to ward off evil spirits. This is the origin of the peach symbol. Wang Anshi's poem "January Day" said: "In the sound of firecrackers, the spring breeze sends warmth into Tu Su. Thousands of households always exchange new peaches for old ones. "

It started with Meng Changjun, the master of the later Shu Dynasty. Meng Changjun personally wrote "New Year's Qing Yu, No Festival A". Changchun. " It can be said that it is the earliest couplet in China.

The couplets posted during the Spring Festival are called "Spring Festival couplets". Spring Festival couplets also include "Spring Festival couplets" (single couplets), "Spring Talk" (a paragraph congratulating the Spring Festival) and "Doufang" (words written on a square paper). During the Spring Festival, colorful Spring Festival couplets are posted everywhere in the yard of every household, such as "Happy New Year and Happy Spring every year." (Banner: "The earth is full of spring") Spring articles such as Going out to see happiness, Greeting the DPRK, and Bamboo Reports Peace. Fighting is to write a word "Fu" on a square piece of red paper. When posting, you should stick it backwards, taking its homophonic meaning of "Hongfu arrival". "Spring talk" is generally a congratulatory word or an encouraging language. For example, "filial piety comes first, all evils come first", "extravagance is hard to return to thrift."

The contents of Spring Festival couplets and Spring Festival couplets are rich and colorful. When posting, we should be tailored to local conditions and have a clear aim. For example, paste "look up and see happiness" on the roof beam; Stick "22,000 gold coins" and "the way to make money" on the silver cabinet (figure 2 of the popular figure 1). Stick "rice noodles like mountains" on the jar; Stick "blessed land" and "longevity is better than Nanshan" on the old man's kang; Stick "strong body" and "less pregnant" on the bedside of young people; Post "Full Courtyard Brightness" and "Good Luck" on the courtyard; Post "Mules and Horses in Groups" and "Six Livestock are Safe" in the stable; Stick "bumper harvest every year" and "bumper harvest in five grains" on the granary; Post "Caution for Lighting" and "Fire Prevention" in the fire room; Stick a "bucket of gold a day" on the bucket; Stick "Travel thousands of miles a day and eight states at night" on the axle. Wait a minute. In short, the content should be targeted and make people happy and satisfied. The thirtieth night of the twelfth lunar month is the last hour of the year. "One night for two years, five more for two years." This is the alternation of old and new years. People attach the most importance to New Year's Eve, so there is a custom of "keeping old on New Year's Eve". Keeping the year is to seize the time and don't want to let this year pass.

This custom has a history of more than 2000 years. Jiang Kui, a poet in the Southern Song Dynasty, specially wrote the poem "Shousui": "Thousands of doors are scattered in the forest, children return home, and they are tireless in observing the age, and the small window comes to snuff in the spring." Su Shi, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, also wrote a poem "Shousui": "If you want to know how old you are, it is like going to the snake. Half of the scale has fallen off. Who can cover it? The situation wants to tie its tail, although it is diligent and knows how to do it! There will be no year next year, and my mind is empty. Do your best tonight, and the teenager can boast! "

The custom activities of observing the age are rich and colorful. Generally, after eating the "annual meal" at noon on the 30 th, I began to prepare for a year of mourning. At this time, every household consecrated ancestral tablets, posted door gods, New Year pictures and window grilles. Post Spring Festival couplets on the main and small doors, post Man Chun and Chunzi in the courtyard, hang a pair of red lights in front of the door, and post rise of the legend (cut into small rectangles with diamond eyes with red and green colored paper). And paste catkins (cut with a yellow watch, shaped like rise of the legend). At this time, gongs and drums were loud and firecrackers were ringing. According to traditional customs, at this time, creditors can't come to collect debts, and even the poorest families can feel at ease for the New Year.

When the lights are turned on, the lights in front of and behind the house are as bright as day. At this time, the whole family (all those who work, study and do business outside will go home for the New Year) are sitting in front of the ancestral hall, talking about family happiness. Some people tell stories, talk about experiences, laugh and make jokes, and hold all kinds of juggling, such as playing cards, mahjong, solve riddles on the lanterns and hide-and-seek. At this moment, regardless of generations, men and women, old and young, are enjoying themselves until dawn, which is called "keeping the old age on New Year's Eve" or "celebrating New Year's Eve".

It is a happy day for children to keep watch on New Year's Eve. They can enjoy themselves and have fun. Late at night, they fell asleep one by one. When firecrackers woke them up from their dreams at dawn the next day, they found a red paper bag under their bedside and pillow, which contained brand-new money. This is the traditional "lucky money". Every Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), people have to sacrifice to the gods, which has been a custom for thousands of years. Almost every village and stockade has a land temple, a main (Guandi) temple, and a city god temple. , guarding one side. On New Year's Day, that is, after New Year's Eve 12 o'clock, all villages and communities should burn incense for these temples and offer sacrifices to the gods. The procession of burning incense is spectacular, with colorful flags flying, gongs and drums roaring in the sky, carrying rich sacrifices and scrambling to burn the "first incense burner" (the first incense burner after zero). It is said that after burning the first incense burner, everything was booming all year round. At that time, all clubs and teams will gather in front of the temple, and the gongs and drums teams of all villages and clubs will overwhelm each other with their own advantages to strive for art. Everyone wants to burn incense, but there can only be one incense. There will inevitably be quarrels and fights. There is a village program in the village, and every household has a family program, so we should win glory for our village.

It is common for son-in-law not to let father-in-law and nephew not to let uncle burn incense.

During the Spring Festival, every household in the countryside offered sacrifices to the gods. Almost every household has to offer sacrifices to the six gods at home, namely, the god of the earth, the god of heaven and earth, the god of the dragon, the god of the kitchen, the god of the barn and the owner of the cow (horse). In addition, Sun Simiao was sacrificed by a drugstore, Lu Ban was sacrificed by a carpenter, and Li Longji was sacrificed by people in the theater, all of whom were sacrificed by ancestors of their respective industries.

For these sacrifices, we should set up a incense table and worship solemnly, "kowtow three times in the morning and burn incense burners three times in the evening." But if you don't forget your roots, you must worship your ancestors first in the New Year. Ordinary families will hang ancestral tablets in the main room of the court, set up incense tables, offer offerings and make solemn sacrifices. These are the established customs of the Spring Festival. Before their ancestors, the custom in southern Shaanxi wrote the five characters of "Heaven and Earth" as the first sacrifice.

During the Chinese New Year, ordinary families also pay homage to their ancestors. Draw portraits of three generations of ancestors and hang them in nave. Those who died later were made into wooden boxes about a foot long and five inches wide, which were called "god boxes" and contained the spirits of their deceased parents. For example, "People's heritage reveals the sacred position of ××××", "People's heritage reveals the sacred position of ××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××

The food sacrificed depends on the wealth of the family, and there are three kinds of sacrifices (cattle, sheep, pigs or chickens, ducks and fish); There is vegetarian food (sweets). Generally, there are nine bowls, or twelve pieces, weighing eight or twenty-four pieces.

"Jujube Flower Cake" is a special product in China during the New Year. It is used to worship "jujube flowers" up to three feet wide and one foot wide in front of the ancestral hall, showing women's craftsmanship. Some "jujube flower cakes" are white and delicate, and the color is fresh, which shows that this woman is unique. In contrast, the "jujube cake" made by those clumsy daughter-in-law is greatly inferior.

"Jujube Flower Cake" is not only a sacrifice, but also some small "jujube flower cakes" are steamed as gifts for the newly married childless daughter, which means "having a baby early". After getting up on New Year's Day, the first memorable activity is to pay New Year's greetings. First shoot and burn incense, and then worship the ancestors. In front of the incense table, the lights are brightly lit and cigarettes are lingering. Then pay New Year greetings according to the size of generations and congratulate the Spring Festival.

After paying New Year's greetings at home, I went out to pay New Year's greetings to my neighbors and family. When people meet, they greet each other and say, "Happy New Year!" " "Congratulations on getting rich" or "Happy New Year" or "Wish you a long and healthy life." (junior to elder). On the first day of New Year's Day, gongs and drums are loud, firecrackers are ringing, and people who pay New Year's greetings are bustling and coming and going, showing a festive atmosphere of "celebrating every year and having a new atmosphere everywhere".

From the second day of the first month, I will pay New Year greetings to my relatives and friends. Pay New Year greetings to my uncle's family and my in-laws, and then to my aunt's family and aunt's family. Then, according to the relationship between alienation and thickness, one by one pays New Year greetings. This New Year greeting activity lasted until the 15th day of the first month. New Year greetings between friends can last until the end of the month.

New year's gifts are thick and thin. Generally, gift buns (cakes, oil towers and steamed buns) and snacks are given in Guanzhong area. Send yellow rice cakes, fried fruits, wine, meat, etc. In northern Shaanxi; The gift for the bride (the first daughter-in-law) is thicker than the general gift. When a new son-in-law visits his father-in-law's house, he must pay at least four "four-color gifts" (wine, meat, steamed buns and cakes) or four other gifts in the first year, ranging from "eight gifts" to "twelve gifts" (12). Return gifts (sending things back after receiving gifts, indicating that you can't go back empty) are also particular: in the first year after marriage, before the daughter gives birth to a child, eight to sixteen "egg buns" (egg-sized white buns) are sent back. One to several "jujube flowers" (steamed bread made by rolling dough into a cylindrical spiral) are sent back to the children (generally depending on the number of children).

As for the New Year greetings between friends, generally only one (about a catty) of "southern dim sum" and one (almost) of "local dim sum" are given to people with poor economic conditions. People with status hang business cards on the cover of snacks. Visiting each other in this way is actually a social activity. From the second day of the first month, the leaders in charge of social fires in each village (leaders in charge of fighting social fires) called relevant people to study the problem of fighting social fires this year.

Everything went according to plan.

The content and scale of playing social fire depend on the quality of that year. Generally speaking, in prosperous times, the weather is favorable, the country is rich and the people are safe, the people are well-fed and well-fed, and traditional social fire activities come and go.

The plan to play social fire is generally divided into three steps.

1. Challenge the village community that advocates playing social fire. First, one party will dress up a few tables of social fire and "try it out" that day. The first step in a village procession is to mobilize the masses. Then go to the neighboring village club for activities. No matter where you go to participate in activities, you must be warmly received. Wherever the social fire team passes by, it is necessary to set up incense tables, put candy and drinks, entertain each other and set off firecrackers to express a warm welcome. In this way, I go to the neighboring village community several times a day and play a social fire parade, which is called "challenge" Until the neighboring village community promised to "take the battle", it also dressed up several tables of community fire and played together.

2. Some villages in the team didn't want to play social fire. The party who advocates playing social fire "challenges" several times a day, deliberately arousing the other party to "fight". They salute the enemy first, dress up some relaxed and pleasant social fire first, so that the other party can appreciate it, which is intended to arouse the interest of the other party and participate in playing social fire. If the opponent is stubborn and stops playing, the challenger will deliberately insert offensive programs into the content of the social fire, such as "beheading", "taking Changsha" and "killing four doors". In the play, it is implied that the opponent is called a rat and does not dare to "take the battle". Even use programs such as "Fighting Seven Chivalrous Men", "Destroying Six Kingdoms", "Three Mothers Teach Children" and "Mother-in-law Tattoo" to stimulate the other side to "take the next battle". In this way, after some "challenges" and "battles", the two sides reached an agreement to play social fire together, and a vigorous social fire activity began.

3. Making a fire is a popular collective entertainment activity among the Han people. Social fire is a general term, including lion, dragon lantern, core, stilts, bamboo horse, dry boat and so on. People call "playing with social fires" "making social fires", and troublemakers are also competitions. Make fun, make art, and give people beautiful enjoyment.

There are many kinds of social fires popular in Shaanxi. The common social fire in Guanzhong area is a flat table, which is disguised as a drama on the Eight Immortals table and carried by four people. If you play "Broken Bridge", you will set dramatic figures of White Snake, Xu Xian and Qing Er on three tables. This kind of social fire is called "dumb bar play", and the makeup is very clever and very popular. A little more advanced than the flat table is the core. The core includes platform core, acrobatic core, rotating core and hanging core. The core features are smart, subtle, mysterious and unique. For example, playing "Zhao Kuangyin Send Jingniang Thousands of Miles", let Jingniang stand on the dragon stick held by Zhao Kuangyin, which can give people a mysterious artistic sense and is very attractive. There is also a large-scale social fire called "Mountain Social Fire", which is three feet high and carried by more than fifty people below. This kind of social fire has won many people and is very spectacular. Social fires that are often played during the day, as well as stilts (also called wicker legs), can walk back and forth when playing, perform while walking, and make fun of them. They are colorful and intriguing. The social fire in the Middle East is martial, and there is a horse social fire, which is a social fire covered with a horse-drawn cart. Blood and fire are murderous, swords and shadows, bloody and bloody scenes. The social fire of Kansai House is literary, which means drama, exquisite, and winning by mystery, implication, beauty and perfection. Most of the social fires in southern Shaanxi are dry boat running, dragon boat rowing and sightseeing in the mountains, which are deeply loved by the masses. Social fires in northern Shaanxi are mainly popular in yangko, Xintianyou and gongs and drums competitions. For example, Ansai waist drum and Luochuan jumping drum are all famous overseas.

4, the next stage "the next stage", that is, the meaning of acting. The scale of the performance is large or small, or county or district or film. This location is located on the main road, which is convenient for the concentration of surrounding villages. On this day, social fires from all directions were concentrated on the ground of "Xiachang" and held a grand exhibition match. The presidium is composed of leaders of various village communities and sits solemnly on the rostrum. Hire experts and scholars and knowledgeable experts from rural areas as "judges" to carefully examine and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of social fires. At the beginning of the performance, firecrackers rang and gongs and drums were loud. Then, the participating village clubs held eye-catching community fires, walked around the rostrum in order, performed while walking, and then marched in nearby villages.

When the village fire brigade passed the rostrum, firecrackers exploded, applause thundered, and experts and the masses, leaders and ordinary people combined to evaluate the pros and cons of the fire. Mass organizations or individuals who watch the social fire on the spot will give red (hanging red satin quilts) and arranging flowers (wearing big red flowers) to the actors of the social fire, and reward them with bonuses to show their encouragement. See whose social fire wins more bonuses and wears more flowers, and you will think who is recognized as a good social fire.