Folk Customs of Ningde

The distribution of Chinese dialects in Ningde City is complex. According to the differences and similarities within the dialects, the Ningde dialect belongs to the eastern Fujian dialect area represented by Fuzhou dialect in the Minhai dialect group. Gutian and Pingnan counties belong to the southern area of the southeast Min subdialect; Jiaocheng District and seven counties (cities), including Xiapu, Zhouning, Zherong, Shouning, Fuding, and Fu'an, belong to the northeast Min subdialect area. The eastern Min dialect Fuzhou dialect can be freely communicated in the southern area, and the people of the cities (counties and districts) in the northern area can also basically understand Fuzhou dialect. Xiapu dialect can be freely communicated in Zhouning, Shouning, Zherong and other counties in the northern part of the area, and people in Jiaocheng, Xiapu and Fuding can also basically understand Xiapu dialect. The counties (cities) in the northern part of the Eastern Min dialect area do not have the phenomenon of rhyme change as in Fuzhou dialect. The Fuan dialect is turbid and heavy, with a hard tone; the Fuding dialect is light, clear and soft.

Meanwhile, there are some places in the territory that form islands of dialects outside the region. Bowls kiln and reef head villages in Feiluan Township, Jiaocheng District (*** more than 3,000 people) speak Minnanhua; some villages in Sansha Township and Shuimen and Yacheng townships in Xiapu County, as well as a few villages in Xiuhu, Baiyang and Changchun townships (*** about 70,000 people) speak Minnanhua; some villages in Fuding City's townships of Shacheng, Qianqi, Dansha, Bailin, Nodou, Guanling, Yushan and Jieshi (*** more than 130,000 people) speak Minnan; there are also a few villages (about 500 people) in Zhayang Township and Dongyuan Township in Zherong County that also speak Minnan. About 210,000 people in the whole region speak Minnanhua. Minnanhua is the third largest dialect in Ningde. There are also a few areas that form islands of Tingzhou dialect (Hakka dialect) and Putian dialect. Hakka is spoken in the two villages of Houxi and Zhuyang (about 5,000 people) in Fengdu Township, Gutian County, more than 300 people in Fudinglou Natural Village, Licheng Village, Baiyang Township, Xiapu County, and more than 100 people in Pelongshan Village, on the outskirts of the city in Zherong County. In addition, Hakka is spoken in Shukai Village, Shekou Township, Fuan City, Chixi Village, Panxi Township, Fuding City, and Guanyang Village, Nodou Township, as well as in individual natural villages along the southwestern border of Shouning County. Daiyu Village, Xinan Township, Xiapu County (more than 100 people) speaks Puxian; some villages in Xiabaishi, Fuan City (more than 400 people) speak Puxian; and villages such as Ao Wa, Shatan Township, Fuding City (hundreds of people) speak Puxian.

The Fuzhou dialect of the southern part of the Eastern Min dialect forms a dialect island in a few places in the territory. Qinyu Township of Fuding City (more than 35,000 people) all speak Fuzhou; Haidao Township of Xiapu County and Beiji Village of Baiyang Township and Keimei Village of Changchun Township (**** more than 14,000 people) speak Fuzhou.

Due to historical reasons and geographical conditions, border villages in some counties speak dialects of neighboring counties. The villages of Fuzhu, Shanglou, Dongfeng, Shangliyang and GeShe in Lingxia Township in northwestern Pingnan County speak Jianou dialect belonging to the northern Fujian dialect system because of its proximity to the city of Jianou in northern Fujian; the villages of Chiyan, Yangwei, Yangwei Lane, Wuchukeng, Wu Chuoping in Siqiao Township in northwestern Zhouning County, which shares a border with Zhenghua County, and Qianxi in Pure Pond Township speak Zhenghua dialect belonging to the northern Fujian dialect system; and the villages of Dongchong Peninsula in Xiapu County, which is across the sea from the Jianjiang Township in Luoyuan County, speak Fuzhou dialect in the north of the county. The Dongchong Peninsula in Xiapu County and Jianjiang Township in Luoyuan County are separated by the sea, and the villages of Dongchong, Shangqi and Xiaqi in Beibi Township in the county speak Luoyuan dialect. The traditional marriage of men and women in the territory usually consists of "discussing marriage", "marrying", "making trouble in the cave", "going to the kitchen" and "returning to the door". "back to the door" of several links, there are traces of the six rites of marriage in ancient China. The "marriage is not personally welcome" is a prominent feature of the Eastern Min wedding rituals.

Men and women to the age of marriage, after the parents to find, or young men and women free love, by the male parents to matchmakers to the woman's marriage proposal, if the woman's parents said yes, "marriage" that the male woman's birth without "Chong", After the "grams", male and female parents on the bride price, bride price trousseau, wedding date and other consultations, to obtain agreement by the male family to choose an auspicious day to send gifts to the female family, the marriage is settled, commonly known as "small fixed". After the "small fixed" male family again choose an auspicious day, send Qiankun stickers, bride price, bride price, fabric to the female family; female family back to send to the cake fruit, groom fabric, for the big job, commonly known as "big fixed". After the bride price, the male family will be selected date of marriage written on red paper to inform the female family, commonly known as "send the day". Marrying, the evening of the day, the bride and groom set up their own worship ancestors. The bride also has to their relatives to the elders of the goodbye ceremony.

On the day of the wedding, the female family set up a luncheon to invite friends and relatives, commonly known as please "go out day wine". The male family set up a banquet to invite friends and relatives, commonly known as please "bride wine". After the luncheon, the marriage team to the female home (the groom does not have to pro white to go). Sedan chair arrived at the woman's home, the bride cape, dressed and waiting, on the sedan chair before the wedding must be sad crying, to avoid the evil spirits, and brothers held a "split the deed" ceremony, and finally by the full blessing of the elders to help on the sedan chair. And by the brother-in-law and sister-in-law to accompany the bride forward, commonly known as "send daughter-in-law" (Jiaocheng District custom, send the bride's sister-in-law especially many, as few as 4 people as many as 12 people). The sedan chair arrives at the male family in the dark, and then by the male family Quanfu elders come out, uncover the sedan chair door on the "sedan chair before the charm", light a fire and incinerate, and then open the door of the sedan chair, "in the middle of the aunt" (the full happiness of the little girl to serve as) to invite the bride to get out of the sedan chair, and then by the "bridesmaid mom" (a person who knows how to do the job). Bridesmaids mom" (old women who know local marriage etiquette) to the hall, waiting for the ceremony to be held to marry. When the sedan chair to the front door of the male family, the groom and his parents, brothers and sisters-in-law must go upstairs to avoid, to show that the status of honor, the future town of the bride. By the "son of the officer" portable "wind and rain lamps" (Quanfu young boy as) back and forth up the stairs three times to invite the groom dressed in robes and wearing a bowler hat downstairs with the bride to pay homage to the bride together, three times nine kowtow rituals, the bride by the whole of the blessing of the elders to hold happy candles, holding the "bucket lamp" (built-in rice, red eggs, mirrors, scissors, rulers, chopsticks, arbitrageurs scales, lit burning oil lamps and surrounded by red paper on the red lacquer round wooden bucket - that is, commonly known as "bucket lamp") jogging Introduced into the new room, the bride into the new room after sitting on the edge of the bed, so that people can see, commonly known as "look at the bride". After worship, the hall again set up a wine banquet to invite friends and relatives, commonly known as "please marry wine". The general luncheon "bride wine" feast female guests, dinner "bride wine" feast male guests.

After the "bride wine", another table of fine and sumptuous feast, commonly known as the "good period of wine", to attend the table for the pre-selected parents of the full happiness of young people, drink "good period of wine! "and" caveman "often intermixed, usually" caveman "to be more than three times, until dawn (there is also a night to send the room).

The day after the wedding, the bride will be in the dawn of the "bridesmaids mom" under the guidance of the kitchen in the "cooking ceremony", the bride also had to worship relatives elders, "see the guest". That night, "bridesmaids mom" prepared sugar tea, snacks, two sent into the new room please groom, the bride to eat together, commonly known as "send room".

The third day of marriage, the groom shall accompany the bride to the father-in-law's home, that is, the bride "back to the door", the groom as a son-in-law ". Female family to set up "son-in-law wine" feast son-in-law, returned to the male family on the same day, so that the entire marriage rituals come to an end. The Spring Festival, commonly known as the New Year, is the grandest festival of the year in folklore. There are different days for Spring Festival reunions in different parts of the country. On the first day of the first month, it is the day of Fuan He Nian, and every family must prepare iced tea, rice cakes, sugar syrup and fruits, and warmly treat guests. The second day of the first month is the day of Fuding, Zherong and Gutian. Fuan on the second day of the first year is the "white year day" (the day to honor the dead), avoid visitors. Xiapu has a New Year's meal to honor the dead custom, so it is taboo on the first, third and fourth guests to the door.

Folk Spring Festival celebrations to the night of the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month to reach a climax. Markets are decorated with lanterns, "welcome iron machine", "pack story" (by a number of children playing mythological and dramatic characters, respectively, sitting on the shoulders of people), "on stilts", etc., fish and dragon lanterns dance. Orchestral music, gongs and drums, firecrackers and cannons, carnival until late at night. Country people are in front of their homes to light bonfires, entertainment, and bonfires to stay in the kindling, commonly known as "torch". On the night of the eighteenth day of the first month, the city of the realm of dragon lanterns swinging along the street, known as the "dragon wash street". Gradually abolished between the Republic of China, only small-scale folk entertainment events. The night of the Lantern Festival, there are organized folding branch poetry singing, fireworks activities. After the establishment of the Chinese people's **** and the country, the Lantern Festival night often organized by the unit riddles poetry singing, gardening and other recreational activities. Until after the Lantern Festival, the psychological "do year" to the end.