What are the customs of Shaowu New Year

The Spring Festival is known as "New Year's Day", which refers to the beginning of a new year. It is also called the "New Year Festival", commonly known as "New Year".

The Spring Festival is the most solemn and grand traditional festival for people of all ethnic groups in Fujian Province, and the centerpiece of the Spring Festival is the first day of the first month in terms of time. Folk activities are mainly the opening of the first day of the first month, sacrifices, New Year's worship and fun.

1. Kai Zheng

This refers to the New Year's Eve between midnight and dawn, choose a good time, open the door, while burning incense and candles, firecrackers, not only to indicate the beginning of a new year, but also to pray for good luck and good fortune. The time of "Kai Zheng" is calculated according to the year's Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and people generally act according to the records in the almanac. At the time of "Kaizheng", before dawn, every house is brightly lit with incense smoke and the sound of firecrackers is heard one after another, making it a bustling event.

"Kaizheng", in Longhai, called "spring"; in Gutian, called "the beginning of the year"; in Shaxian, called "take the year! "; Nanping, Shaowu, Shunchang, Glossy, Liancheng, Changting, Qingliu and other places are called "open door" or "open the door". The ceremony of "opening" is similar across the province. In Xiamen, "on New Year's Day, incense and paper are burned, firecrackers are set off, and the door is opened and closed. In rural areas of Jiangle, if there are many families *** living in one house, the person who opens the door must be a respected elder with many grandchildren, in the hope that he will bring good fortune and well-being to everyone in the new year. In some rural villages in Ninghua, firecrackers are set off and walked through the rooms of the house before the door is opened. In Wuping, the whole family should be present when the door is opened, and outsiders, if any, are not allowed to attend; after the door is opened, they will kowtow to the God of Wealth as shown in the "Spring Cow Picture". In Shaowu, if someone is unintentionally "open" firecrackers bleeding, called "blood color", is said to be a very good omen, this year can make a fortune.

Now, the practice of choosing the "Kai Zheng" hour is basically gone, generally at zero o'clock on New Year's Eve at the turn of the new year when the firecrackers, fireworks, to welcome the new year. In recent years, the popularity of television sets, most of the province's urban and rural families are sitting around the television to watch CCTV's "Spring Festival Gala" program. Zero o'clock, when the New Year's bell rings in the TV, people coincide with the firecrackers, fireworks, the spectacle is by no means comparable to the old days "open positive". This new custom is especially prevalent in towns and cities, so much so that the public security department notified the public, limiting fireworks and firecrackers to places where they can be set off and advising residents to pay attention to fire safety. The province's major cities have banned fireworks and firecrackers and replaced them with audio cassettes containing the sound of firecrackers.

2. Sacrificing to the gods

Sacrificing to the gods is an important and indispensable ritual in the olden days, after the "Kaijung". Sacrifices to the gods mainly include sacrifices to heaven and earth, family gods and ancestors. Before the ceremony, offerings are set up on a long table in the hall. The offerings vary from place to place, and generally consist of wine, fruit (mostly mandarin or orange), rice cakes, tea, livestock, "rice" with red paper flowers, and flowers. In some places, it is purely vegetarian, "setting up fasting fruits, tea, wine, and annual rice to worship heaven. In Yongchun, there is round soup, in Zhangzhou, there are thread noodles boiled with brown sugar, and in Tongan, there are golden needles, dried longan, etc. Many people in Quanzhou put the New Year's Eve rice and flowers on the table. Many people in Quanzhou move the "Tian Gong Festival" on the ninth day of the first month of the lunar year to after the "Kai Zheng" festival, and the offerings are even more elaborate, with three animals, five fruits and six fasts. When sacrificing to the gods, presided over by the elders of the family, the whole family dresses up, first worships the gods of heaven and earth, burns incense and candles, burns gold paper and prays for the safety of the whole family in the new year, all the things are going well, and there will be more blessings and more longevity, that is, the so-called "rituals of the gods to pray for the New Year". The second is in accordance with the eldest and youngest ancestor worship. In Luoyuan, "on New Year's Day, the incense case is set up to bow on the same day, which is called 'Qiyin'". There are also places where the rituals are held at other times. In Xiamen, the ancestors are worshipped at noon on the first day of the month. There are also some places where rituals are held at other times. In Xiamen, ancestors are worshipped at noon on the first day of the month. In Liancheng, ancestor worship is called "Baitu", and it is performed at the ancestral temple on the morning of the first day of the year by the head of the clan at the rate of the descendants of the clan. In Daitian, the folk have the first day of the morning to drink ginger tea (i.e., sugar boiled water with ginger, rice flowers) custom, this time should be a cup of ginger tea in front of the ancestral shrine, the sacrifice is carried out in the ancestral ancestral temple after breakfast.

After worshiping the gods, offerings are left for a day before being removed, and some are kept until the fifth day of the lunar calendar. Some of the offerings are kept until the fifth day of the first month. Fruits such as red tangerines are kept until the 15th day of the first month of the first lunar month. In Fu'an, the incense on the long table in the hall lasts for three days.

In Longhai, fishermen on the Longjiang River buy large bundles of sugarcane with leaves and tie them to the masts of their boats with red silk cloth to pray for a sweet New Year. Sugar cane can only be taken down and eaten after the third day of the Lunar New Year, otherwise it is said to be a bad omen.

Nowadays, the ceremony of worshiping the gods is not popular, but there are still people who set up offerings of fruits, incense and candles, which are not without the intention of worshiping the ancestors, but also add to the festive atmosphere.

3. Worshipping

Worshipping, also known as "Worshipping", "Hezheng", "Hechun", is one of the important activities of the Spring Festival. There are three types of Niancai:

The first one is in one's own home, after worshiping the gods and ancestors, the younger generation pays homage to the elders in turn. In the old records, "the youngest and eldest in order to worship"④ and "the youngest and youngest in order to worship their elders"⑤ belong to this type. In the old days, we had to kneel and bow, but gradually changed to bowing and bowing, and although there are some bowing and bowing people, most of them only say words such as "pay respects to the New Year" and "longevity". Elders in the acceptance of the younger generation after the New Year's greetings, to reward the red envelope (i.e., the New Year's money, some of the New Year's money in the New Year's Eve to give.) or red oranges, etc. Nowadays, the time for paying New Year's greetings has also changed. Since many sons and daughters in towns and cities are separated from their parents, they usually bring their children back to pay New Year's greetings to their parents on the morning of the first day of the year.

The second type is the clan-based New Year's worship in the ancestral temple, similar to the current "group worship". According to the Republic of China (Republic of China) "Lianjiang County Records" "rituals and customs" (Volume 19) records: people in the worship of God, ancestors, "followed by the ancestral temple, the order of the clan to worship to the side of the cypress leaves inserted into the orange, the person led one or two, to take the meaning of a hundred things good luck." Where in the ancestral temple to worship ancestors, after the ritual are the custom of clan worship. Now this type of worship has been unfashionable.

The third type is between friends and relatives, neighbors and old friends. (Guangxu) "Zhangzhou Prefecture," "folk style" (Volume 38) records: "New Year's Day after the festival, no noble or lowly Royal new clothes, to visit the relatives of the New Year's greetings. Masters out of Xinpan **** payment, pedestrians look at each other in the road, five days is stopped. Longhai, Nanjing and other old records also have the same record. This is to pay New Year's greetings to relatives. New Year's greetings, the guests bow to the host, wishing the host all the best, the family peace, New Year's fortune, the host also to bow back to congratulate. The popular greeting in Fuzhou is "Qi Fa, Qi Fa". Some places pay attention to the time of New Year's greeting. In Liancheng, there is a saying, "The first day of ancestry, the second day of Lang. The first three, the first four wild son-in-law Lang, the first five or six, there is no meat and wine". Said the first day of worship clan, the second day of worship father-in-law, uncle, if the third and fourth to the father-in-law, uncle to pay homage to the New Year, is slow, can only be "wild son-in-law Lang". If you go on the fifth or sixth day of the Lunar New Year, you will be late, and you will be treated poorly. Take children to pay New Year's call to relatives, children will often get a "New Year's money", at least two red oranges, so the Fuzhou region, as the saying goes: "New Year's call to pay tribute to the New Year, no orange is also money". In Zhao'an, friends and relatives congratulate each other on the New Year's Eve, and they have to say "Xinzheng Ruyi" and the other party has to reply "Everyone, everyone" to show that they are all as they wish. New Year's greetings to bring two red oranges, some candies and so on, the other side of the gift received, red oranges returned to show that both sides are auspicious. In the Sanming area, you must first go to the relatives of the elders and teachers at home to pay tribute to the New Year, or else there is a breach of etiquette. But to go to the first family must not be surnamed Wang (harmonic "dead"), Wu (harmonic "no"), for the family name of Sang (harmonic "funeral"), Jia (harmonic "false") family. ") should also be avoided.

Students to the teacher's home to pay tribute to the New Year, to see the hands bowed, said "New Year", "congratulations", and then withdrew, generally do not accept hospitality. If you go to a good friend's home to pay homage to the New Year can be casual, the host to smoke, tea, candy, red oranges and other hospitality. Is the general acquaintances, met on the road, also said "congratulations" and other auspicious words.

New Year's greetings are usually held from the first day of the month to the fifth day of the month, but there are some exceptions. On Matsu Island, after New Year's Eve, friends and relatives begin to pay their respects to each other. In Zhangping, Ninghua, Youxi, Shaowu and Chong'an, they do not go out to pay New Year's Eve on the first day. The custom in Ninghua and Youxi is to go to the public **** place to play on the first day of the year, but not to go to the house. Now these customs have not existed.

In Ninghua, Shaowu and other places, the second day of the New Year only began to friends and relatives. But in some places in Xiapu, but the taboo on this day to celebrate the New Year will be relatives. The same family name in the old man life, should send birthday noodles. In the past to worship life is the first half of the first month of the night, said "warm life", now it is not bound to this case.

In Fu'an, the second day of the festival, you can do things such as laundry, chopping wood, but can not go to the guests, and do not receive guests. In Fuqing, the second day of condolences for the dead day, where there is a new funeral home, should be set up for the deceased seat, so that friends and relatives condolences. In Putian, Xianyou and some places in the north of Hui'an, the second day for the visit of the dead. According to legend, Ming Jiajing forty-two years (1563) Japanese invasion, killing and looting. After Qi Jiguang, the national hero, defeated the Japanese, the people who took refuge in the mountains returned to their homes one after another on the second day of February, but they saw that wherever the Japanese hooves passed, the corpses and bones lay on each other, and the whole place was full of devastation. Friends and neighbors do not know who suffered a disaster, dead people, so they visit each other, to help collect loved ones. Later generations, the second day of February will be called "visit the dead day". Later, the anniversary of this change in the "New Year's Eve" (New Year's Eve) and "New Year's Eve" (the fourth day of the first month, see after the "New Year's Eve" article) between the second day of the first month. Since then, the second day of the first month of the year, people do not go to each other's door to avoid "visit the dead" taboo. But ultimately there are many inconveniences, it is agreed: where the first morning string of doors, pay respects to the New Year's Day, the second day again on the door will not be considered a taboo. For this reason, the first day of the New Year's Day, especially more people, in exchange for the second day of freedom of movement.

Old Fuzhou water residents (commonly known as "day people") has a special New Year's Eve customs: the second day of the first month after a few days, three or five companion water residents (men and women, young and old, mostly middle-aged women), dressed with baskets, to the city's various streets and alleys, singing songs to congratulate the New Year. Those who are congratulated are given food such as rice cakes and rice kuey teow. It is said that at least one person from each family, whether rich or poor, must participate in the New Year celebration, which is similar to eating a hundred meals, and can keep the whole family safe and sound for a year. The song is harmonious and pleasant to the ear, and more with the local customs, New Year's luck, so it is quite popular.

Hakka custom in western Fujian, the first day of the first month, children under 16 years of age are carrying a cloth bag to each household in a team, "playing the cake", also contains the meaning of New Year's greetings. Each to a family, the host will give a person a grain of sugar, a piece of cake, the young failed to arrive, then by the brother, sister on behalf of the collar.

Now the custom of New Year's greetings is still prevalent, and has increased the new content of "group worship" and telephone New Year's greetings. "Group worship" that is, for the collective New Year's. Many units are scheduled around a certain time before and after the New Year. Many units are scheduled around a certain time before and after the New Year, get together, pay congratulations to each other, not only to promote friendship, but also to avoid the labor of home visits. In addition, there are military and civilian "reunion", military and political "reunion". In the countryside, the return of cadres, students also often have a "reunion". Telephone New Year's greetings are a novelty in recent years, mainly in towns and cities. Once the New Year's bell rings, people will pick up the phone to friends and relatives to congratulate the New Year, both timely and convenient. With the increase in the number of private phones, the new custom of telephone New Year's greetings has gradually become popular.

4. Fun

The Spring Festival has many fun activities, the main large-scale fun activities are lion dance, dragon dance, stilt walkers, dragon lanterns, and so on, and the second is to watch the drama, guessing riddles, and there are also playing four-color cards, mahjong, playing pai gow, and gathering gambling for fun.

In Pinghe and Zhangpu, "the teenagers, or the costume of the lion and geibi, Baxian, bamboo horse and other plays, the heel of the door call dance, sounding gold drums, noisy and unusual. The hosts would give them fruits. In the case of a family with good fortune, the labor is twice as much as usual. In Zhangping, during the Spring Festival in the old days, a small band of three or five people (whose main instrument is the suona, with small drums and cymbals) would go from house to house playing auspicious music, commonly known as the "Drum Blower Dazai". The proprietor should firecrackers to welcome, and rewarded with red envelopes. Jinyin gentry rich family, and even a lion dance team (commonly known as "lion dance") to pay New Year's visit, the same firecrackers to welcome, reward the red envelope. Lion dance team also danced in the street or square. In Qingliu, there are in the street or a large family lion dance performance. Each to a family, are very popular, leaving the same red envelope reward color. In addition, there are people who invite singers to their homes to play and sing. In some rural areas, young peasants take pleasure in swinging. Years ago, they first set up a simple swing frame with bamboo poles, from the first to the fifteenth, gathered together, or single, or double, for a variety of swinging competitions, the spectators gathered. In Mingxi, during the Spring Festival, there are also entertainment such as welcoming the gods and dancing dragon lanterns and lion lanterns.

In Fuzhou, the most popular entertainment for children during the Spring Festival in the old days was to play "gongs and drums", which was also played by adults. "There are many styles of gongs and drums, and the most common ones are "big board", "small board" and "traveling board". "They not only entertain themselves, but also compete. Women are teamed up to travel, or shopping, or tour of the West Lake, the White Pagoda, but also play four colors (i.e., four-color cards), playing mahjong. Men's entertainment in addition to listening to the theater, listening to commentary, not drinking and talking about the day, is to play mahjong, smoking Pai Gow. In the old days, playing poker was only an elegant affair for the upper class.

In southern Fujian, the Spring Festival fun content is rich, in addition to the dragon dance, lion dance, there are local theater, song and dance, such as Nanyin, Gezai opera, drums, umbrella dance, car drums, and martial arts performances, such as the "set of Songjiang" and so on. In Zhaoan, there are also dancing birds, that is, using bamboo gimlets as a skeleton, covered with white cloth and colored paper, decorated with the shape of the bird, the person set in the inside of the bird performing the dance.

After 1949, the province's Spring Festival fun more colorful, in addition to the traditional lion dance, dragon dance, dragon lanterns, dry boats, etc., there are a variety of cultural performances, garden tours, dance parties, sports competitions. Cinemas put on new films and TV stations broadcast wonderful programs. In the countryside, the cultural and sports departments also organize many cultural and sports activities. Some townships and villages organize their own basketball and chess tournaments. Since the 80's, there has been a new tendency for rural people to go to the city for fun during the Spring Festival, and for townspeople (especially in the cities) to go out for hiking, etc. Every Spring Festival, Longyan people go hiking in the mountains. Every Spring Festival, Longyan's Denggao Mountain, Lotus Mountain, Liancheng's Guanzhi Mountain, Changting's Wolong Mountain, Yongding's Beimen Mountain, Donghuashan, especially lively, and its grandeur is better than Chongyang. Fuzhou's Gushan, Quanzhou's Qingyuan Mountain, Chong'an's Wuyi Mountain is even more so.

In recent years, popular in the rural areas of southern Fujian, the game of attacking the Cannon City, interesting. The so-called "Cannon City", is a string of bamboo poles hanging up rows of cannons (large firecrackers), respectively, set up several places, rows of cannons from the ground from eight to twelve meters. Attacking the "city" must be lit firecrackers thrown to the rows of cannons to light the rows of cannons for the win. "Attacking the cannon city" prizes are very generous, common TV sets, recorders, bicycles and so on. The level of prizes depends on the difficulty of the attack (i.e., the height of the cannons from the ground). Before the attack on the "city" began, each "city" on the side of a large red paper labeled with the name of the prize. This exciting game often attracts a large number of "city" attackers and more spectators.

"Attacking the Cannon City" is usually held in the Spring Festival, but there is also a selected day during the agricultural leisure time. The village that sets up the "Cannon City" first collects money to buy prizes, sets up the venue, and then determines the time of the "attack" and sends out a notice. "On the day of the siege, people from nearby villages came to the "battlefield" early. "Most of the attackers are young people, and the firecrackers they bring are not five or ten packs, but boxes and boxes. After arriving, they chose the "city" they wanted to attack and occupied favorable terrain. The crowd of onlookers was huge. When the host announced the start of the "siege", the battlefield of the strongholds were suddenly loud gunfire, smoke filled the air. Together with the shouts of the spectators, the whole battlefield boiled up, extremely lively. The "Attack on Cannon City" was very intense and lasted from the morning until the evening. Some who could not capture the "Cannon City" on the same day continued to do so on the next day. The attackers spent boxes and boxes of "shells" and kept on until all the "gun city" was captured before withdrawing their troops.

The results of the "attack on the cannon city" varied. Experienced people by two people, a person to send "shells", a person "attack". Sometimes, a box of firecrackers is not finished, "city" will be taken. They happily carry the prizes and return in triumph. Inexperienced people, despite the consumption of several boxes of firecrackers, but a "city" has not been down. However, they are also happy and have no remorse.

5. Food Customs

Fujian old custom for the first day of the first month of the diet is very careful, the more common is to eat "the next year rice" (rice), thread noodles, rice cakes, vegetarian. The morning of the first day of the year generally do not cook new rice, eat "rice of the next year" to get a "yearly surplus" of good luck; eating noodles means longevity; rice cake means high yearly; and vegetarian food is related to the worship of God, Buddha, in order to show piety, and pray for a year of peace and good will. In the will be happy around this proverb: "a meal to eat fasting, four seasons without disaster; a day to eat fasting, disaster does not come".

Eating customs vary from place to place. Fuzhou area, breakfast must be thread noodles, and to be accompanied by two "peace egg", symbolizing a year of longevity, peace as desired. In Xianyou, breakfast is thread noodles and spinach, called "age noodles". In Quanzhou, Hui'an and Fuding, thread noodles are also served for breakfast. In Zhangzhou and Longhai, sweet longevity noodles and red eggs are eaten to pray for peace and longevity. Vegetarian food is quite common everywhere. In Shunchang, the breakfast food is "New Year's rice" with vegetarian dishes, mainly carrots (full of red), tofu (contentment), mustard greens (longevity), in addition to dried flour (taking the whiskers and hair all white and longevity of the meaning of). Nanping folk breakfast on the first day of the first day of the man up to cook snacks (longevity noodles), breakfast and lunch two vegetarian meals. In Chong'an (now Wuyishan City), "morning and afternoon meals vegetarian, evening feasts such as New Year's Eve" (7). In Jianyang, Shaowu, Jiangle, Jianning, Daitian, Yong'an, Yongding, Shanghang, Liancheng, Zhangping, Wuping, Zhao'an, Dehua, Nanjing, Fu'an, etc., there are a lot of people who are vegetarians. Among the folk of Youxi, breakfast is mostly vegetarian, with wired noodles and long-life vegetables cooked whole. Some people also in the first day of the three meals more than a set of tableware, in order to add Ding; son of the weak crown, is more than a chicken, said to be able to marry a good daughter-in-law. Shaxian folk breakfast regardless of vegetarian and meat, should eat garlic (all things go well), spinach (red head to see happy), tofu (meet). In Zhangpu, most of the breakfast to eat peanut oil fried leeks, spinach, celery, tofu; leeks, spinach, not cut, called "long years of vegetables", meaning fasting and longevity. Pinghe also has a similar custom. Changting's vegetarian diet must have celery, garlic, green onions, leeks, harmonic "diligent, calculating, intelligent, skillful" for good luck. Some places pay attention to the first morning sweet, in addition to eating rice cakes, but also drink sweet tea. In Youxi, drink ginger tea before breakfast, said to eat "sweet". In Xiapu, "rich or poor, people eat mochi soup bowl, commonly known as 'line time'. Cover 'mochi' and 'time' homophonic, take the auspicious meaning" ⑧.

Now, the first day of eating most of the customs are still popular, but vegetarian food has been rare, with the continuous improvement of living standards, people's table food is richer, more elaborate.

6. Other

Folk activities during the Spring Festival is rich and colorful, Zhangzhou has a customary ballad, said: "early on the first day, early on the second day, early on the third no Zi Niang (southern Fujianese, referring to the women), the first four (God) landing, the first five false open. The sixth touch, the seventh touch, the eighth and ninth to honor the God of Heaven. The first ten Galang Sheng, eleven eleven blessings, twelve return to worship (meaning congratulations to the guests have gone home), thirteen people light lamps, fourteen knot lamp shed, fifteen Lantern Festival all night long, sixteen filial piety adults". Quanzhou's jingle is: "The first one, the second one, the third one is without a mother, the fourth one is God falling sky, the fifth one is scooping fat, the sixth one is separated from the machine, the seventh one is seven yuan, the eighth one is completely, the ninth one is born in the sky, the tenth one is good to eat the day, the eleventh one is down to seek (visit the mother's home), the twelfth one is invited to be a son-in-law, the thirteenth one eat minced meat with mustard, the fourteenth one builds a lantern shed, the fifteenth one is all night, the sixteenth one is born in the earth's mom and seventeenth one is 'that how to be born'! 'Na He Sheng' (meaning that the Spring Festival has passed in this way)."

The first day of the year is the first day of the year, and the second day of the year in Quanzhou is the first day of the year in which the casino is set up. In Zhangzhou, "early on the second day of the month" means getting up early and getting busy, as one has to worship one's ancestors and prepare to receive one's daughter and son-in-law. In Longhai, Nanjing, Hua'an, Pinghe, Zhangpu, Zhao'an, Quanzhou, Fuzhou and other places, it is the day to invite the son-in-law, so the second day of the month is also known as "son-in-law day". There are many sayings related to this, "There are filial daughters and sons-in-law on the first and second day of the month, and unfilial daughters and sons-in-law on the third day of the month are late 'over to the day' (noon)" (Zhangzhou); "Filial daughters and sons-in-law on the second day of the month", "There are filial daughters, come on the second day of the month" (Pinghe); "There are filial Chazai (daughters) on the second and third day of the month, and there are no filial Chazai on the half of the first month of the month" (Zhao'an) and so on. Son-in-law to bring gifts to the door to dedicate to the in-laws, at the same time to give the children to share the red envelope, orange or candy and so on. In Zhaoan, daughters should return to their mother's home to bring stewed pig's feet and rice cakes and other gifts to their parents to pay tribute to the New Year, commonly known as "under filial piety". The mother's family accepts the gifts, but has to return two red oranges. In Zhangpu, daughters and son-in-laws are expected to give "pot meat". The parents-in-law usually host a banquet for the son-in-law and daughter. In Zhangzhou, the daughter and son-in-law must return on the same day, and cannot spend the night at the mother's house. Since the second day of the month is "son-in-law day", it is also taboo for bachelors to visit families with young girls in Hua'an.

"The first three without Zi Niang", one said that this day women do not go out on the street, another said that the second day back to the mother's home Hezheng, more than being stayed at the mother's home. In the southern Fujian area, the third is known as the "red dog day", the legend of the red dog god of evil, once hit, the whole year shall not be safe, so this day people do not go out, do not invite. In Nanjing, also known as "fecal sweep day", this day should do health, so in the countryside to avoid visiting friends and relatives. In Xiamen, "the third day of the new mourning the family sacrifice of the deceased, relatives to cry, called 'eliminate new worries'. This day is not to go to the family to congratulate the New Year". Zhangping also has this custom. In Xiapu, "the year of the new funeral, ...... each relatives and friends in the third day to come back to pay respects, commonly known as 'worship New Year'. On the fourth day of the lunch that is offered to sacrifice the rest, commonly known as 'eat new year's rice'. These two days with the funeral home should be entertained, customary taboos, do not congratulate the New Year, will not be pro"⑩. In Fu'an area, the third day of the year is considered a good day to go to relatives, strings, birthday wishes, hosting banquets and so on. Around Fuqing and Pingtan, the third day of the Lunar New Year is a vacation day, and stores start to operate. In Fuqing, there is a newly married daughter of the family, sent brothers of the generation of young people to invite the bride and groom to return to the bride's home, commonly known as "the first year, please the third". In the Xianyou area, the third is "do ten" (i.e., birthday) and store days.

In southern Fujian and Pingtan, Ningde area, the fourth is the day to receive God. God, some of them are generalized, that is, the so-called sky god, and some of them refer to the family god Zaojun and Zao Ma. The ceremony is quite grand, and the old practice is to prepare sacrifices and set up sweet, burn incense, candles and paper, and pray to the gods to bless the peace of the family. In Fuzhou and most suburban counties, the fourth day of the holiday, the beginning of work and normal life.

In the southern Fujian area, the first five "false open", referring to the New Year has passed, the businessmen to write on red paper, "open big auspicious", "big auspicious city" and so on posting, sounding the opening of the market. People also began to busy themselves. Quanzhou, "the first five days to scoop the fat", referring to the pulling out of manure, the beginning of farming. In Shaowu, this day is considered to be the birthday of the God of Fortune, store reopening, burning incense and firing cannons to welcome the God of Fortune, wishing business prosperity. In Fu'an folk, it is believed that the various gods descended to the world on that day, so more vegetarian, burning incense, sound cannons to meet.

In Putian, Xianyou, the first five "do big year". As mentioned earlier, after the Japanese were defeated, fleeing the rate of return, aftermath, about the fifth (or the fourth) to make up the line of the New Year's Eve, called "do big year". But it was the fifth day of February. According to the "Japanese disaster record": "since that year (according to: Ming Jiajing forty-two years, that is, 1563), the crowd set every year on the fifth day of the first month of the ceremony to do a big year, because to do a big year can not be in February also." To this day, the Putian area every Spring Festival are over the second year, some "do big year" even more than the first day of the year is more grand.

Zhangzhou "six touch, seven touch", refers to the housewives are busy preparing for the first eight, the first nine to honor the birthday of God. In Quanzhou, "the sixth day of the month" means that the looms are organized and the women begin to weave cloth. "The first seven days of the seventh month, the seventh yuan, refers to the seventh day of man, take fruits and vegetables for the "seven treasures soup". It is said that eating the "Seven Treasures Soup" can get rid of all diseases. "The eighth day of the month, refers to the reunion of the whole family. Minnan generally believe that the first nine is the birthday of the God of Heaven, the family "set up incense to the outdoor worship. The sound of firecrackers up to the day. The day after, to offerings to relatives, mutual rewards. Those who are in mourning do not." (11)

After the first ten days, people are busy preparing for the New Year's Eve Festival.