Customs and habits of Spring Festival in Jiuquan.

Jiuquan people have already started preparations for the Spring Festival half a month before the Spring Festival (that is, in the middle of the twelfth lunar month). First of all, every household should do a general cleaning, which is called "sweeping the house" (sweeping the house), and then buy meat, vegetables and other Chinese New Year supplies one after another. Farmers kill many pigs and sheep, and burn steamed bread and fish for oil and fruit (including offerings for worship), so they are as busy as a bee. Spring Festival couplets are posted on the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month. At night, families burn incense and light candles to welcome the kitchen god and worship the family god. Before that, we must first "clean the house".

"Cleaning the house" means selecting a small pebble from the wild in advance, taking it home, then washing it, burning it in the kitchen fire, taking it out and putting it in a horse spoon, pouring half a bowl of good black vinegar on it, and the stone immediately sizzles and emits a lot of carbolic acid gas. Two or three people must act at the same time, one with a torch to lead the way, open the door and enter each room; Cooking people followed closely, turning around the four corners of each room, making the room filled with charcoal smoke, and pouring some vinegar on the threshold when going out; The third man followed the cook with a lantern and closed the door behind him. Three people walk quickly, avoiding stones to cool, and there is no smoke; Finally, send out the gate and put the stone back. This practice is also called "playing vinegar charcoal".

The 23rd of the twelfth lunar month is the Kitchen God Festival, also known as off-year. On that day, housewives branded it as "dry food" (in the shape of a small moon cake) and offered it to the kitchen god when it was dark. People with good conditions have to kill chickens and sacrifice. Then take down the old statue of Kitchen God and replace it with a new one. Burn the old statue of the kitchen god together with the "kitchen god", send the kitchen god to heaven, and report the diligence and kindness of the master to the Jade Emperor. On the 30 th night of the twelfth lunar month (New Year's Eve), every household will burn incense and set off firecrackers to welcome the kitchen god back. At the same time, there are couplets on both sides of the new Kitchen God statue, which say "Heaven says yes, and returning to the palace brings good luck".

After the 23 rd day of the twelfth lunar month, we will enter the preparation stage of the New Year. The first thing is to "sweep the house". At this time, the whole family mobilized and made great efforts to clean up. This good custom has been passed down to this day.

A few days before the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, all men, big or small, have their hair cut. "Having money and no money to shave for the New Year" has become a mantra. This habit has been passed down to this day.

Sticking couplets is also an important part of Jiuquan Spring Festival custom. No matter how rich or poor, pasting couplets is a visual symbol of festivals. Most people paste couplets, door gods and flowers after the 30th cleaning in the twelfth lunar month, and some even cut paper-cut stick grilles, which is bright and shiny, adding a scene of the Spring Festival. Scholars pay more attention to the content of couplets to express their literary talent. In the old society, some families could not ask a gentleman to write couplets, so they printed seven circles on the couplets with ink at the bottom of the bowl. Some people put an ink painting of Zhong Kui on the door to drive away evil spirits and ghosts. Outside the street gate, there are also short couplets of "going out to see happiness" and "welcoming happiness and receiving happiness", also called "reporting notes" to welcome the spring. Stick "good health", "longevity and health" and "blessed land residence" on the kang wall of the house; Stick "Good Grain" and "Rice Man Cang" on the granary; Even the corral should be labeled as "bad head is flourishing" and "cattle and sheep are full of corral" to pray for a prosperous life and six animals in the coming year.

In the old society, there was a habit of sitting at night (staying up all night) on the thirtieth night of the twelfth lunar month. It is said that sitting at night can prolong life, so it is also called "longevity". In the evening, women scrambled to make New Year's Eve dinner (including jiaozi), while the host told the children about family rules and historical stories, or invited literate people to read books (folk classics), one to persuade kindness, and the other as family entertainment. Adults usually sit and wait for God in the morning.

From the first day of the first month to the fourth day of the first month, farmers do not do farm work. Therefore, after breakfast on the fifth day of the first month, every household in the countryside lights wheat straw in front of the door, places offerings, sets off firecrackers, and rushes to the scene with cattle and sheep to eat grass. People walk through fire, which is called "going out" and "breaking five". This means that after this day, it's time to work or go out to work or do business.

The fifteenth day of the first month is the Lantern Festival. Urban residents eat Yuanxiao to celebrate, while rural families steam white flour into "flour cows" (bigger than ordinary steamed bread, with oil noodles and sugar inside) and "flour rats" as sacrifices. Giving cattle is intended to protect livestock and develop production. The "face mouse" doesn't make eyes (called "blind mouse"), which means cursing the mouse for being blind and not ruining food.

The 23rd day of the first month is said to be the day when the goddess fills the sky. In the old society, on this day, every household had to spread pancakes to worship the gods. As a sign of mending the sky, there is still the custom of eating pancakes on this day.

Thirty days after his death, beginning of spring was shocked. According to the lunar calendar, on this day, the climate gets warmer, the ice and snow melt, the earth recovers, and the vegetation is full of vitality. On this day, everyone eats fried eggs, which are fragrant and enlightening, moistening the lungs and clearing the stomach. In rural areas, farmers boil radish soup with clear oil or big oil to spit cattle and horses and clear stomach fire.

On March 3rd, the Cold Food Festival is generally called the105th day from winter to the future, which is one or two days before Tomb-Sweeping Day. This festival is to commemorate the arrival of the Spring and Autumn Period. When meson pushed Zhong Er, the son of the Jin Dynasty who was exiled to other countries, he cut the meat on his thigh to satisfy Zhong Er's hunger. Zhong Er later became king (Jin Wengong), so he let meson push in charge of the state power and become a big official. But meson tui had no choice but to live in seclusion with his mother in Mianshan. Jin Wengong let Yamakaji go and forced the meson to push out. The meson pushed hard and refused to come out. He crashed into a tree and died. Jin Wengong was very sad and regretful. He buried his mother and son in Mianshan, built a temple, changed Mianshan into a boundary mountain, and ordered that fireworks should not be set off on this day every year to show his grief.

Tomb-Sweeping Day, the grass on the ground has sprouted and turned green. Every family goes to the cemetery to pay homage to their ancestors. Children fly kites and young men and women go for an outing.

On the eighth day of April, Sakyamuni Buddha's birthday, Buddha Bath Festival. From the first day to the eighth day, Jiuquan people go to Manjusri Mountain and Fazhuang Temple to catch temple fairs, give alms and bathe in Buddha.

The Dragon Boat Festival in May is a festival to commemorate Quyuan's investment in the river. In addition to making rice cakes and eating zongzi, people in urban and rural areas also put mugwort leaves, willow branches and Elaeagnus angustifolia flowers on their doors to prevent epidemic and eliminate disasters. Girls and young wives make sachets (also known as sachets). They wrapped herbs, borneol and musk in rags or paper, tied them into various shapes, wrapped them with various silk threads and put them on their chests to avoid epidemics. And exchange gifts to enhance friendship, and it is also a token for young men and women to express their feelings.

On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, people in urban and rural areas go to the fields to stir wormwood, take it home to cook soup and bathe their children, or tie it up and hang it on the wall for disinfection and disease prevention (wormwood has a clear fragrance). Folium Artemisiae Argyi is dried and mashed into velvet, which is used to treat diseases during acupuncture. On this day, Dunhuang and Anxi have the custom of washing sand and bathing.