What are the hometown customs in southern Fujian?

Fujian Minnan's hometown customs are as follows;

1, dusty day

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 clean various farm tools. The main purpose of "dust removal" is, of course, to clean up, 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, in order to have a good Spring Festival, it is necessary to steam "bowls of cakes", also called "scones". In Minnan language, the fatter the rice cake, the better, because "fat" means getting rich and developed.

Therefore, "bowl cake" is to be 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 and delicious, meaning that life is sweet and auspicious.

3. Respect God

Sacrificing to heaven is the most solemn ceremony on the first day of the first month of each year. On the first day of the new year, we worship and pray to heaven that this year will be a bumper harvest. 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. This sacrifice lasted until the fourth day.

4. Blasting piles to fill the sky

Before the Dragon Boat Festival, it was often rainy in Quanzhou, and people longed for sunny days, imitating the practice of women's snails refining stones to make up the sky, so there was a folk custom of "bombing piles to make up the sky". The folk song "Little rain, stir-fry with oil" is a vivid reflection of this folk custom.

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Minnan, that is, the southern part of Fujian Province, includes Quanzhou, Xiamen and Zhangzhou, as well as zhangping city and xinluo district in Longyan City (the two places were originally the ancient Zhangzhou Prefecture), and also includes Datian County and Youxi County. Fuzhou and Putian in the north, Guangdong in the south and the former Tingzhou government in the west.