What are the off-year customs in Anhui?

1, Hefei: three tricks to "coax" the kitchen god. Around Hefei, including Wuwei and Shucheng, the off-year is the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, also called the Cooking Festival. Legend has it that on this day every year, the Kitchen God will ascend to heaven and report the merits and demerits of every household in this year to the Jade Emperor. Kitchen God is equivalent to a "spy" sent by the Jade Emperor. According to folklore, if the owner makes a big mistake, the Jade Emperor will deduct 300 Amanome, and if he makes a small mistake, he will deduct 100 Amanome. In order to "block" the mouth of the kitchen god, the house mainly used three tricks. First, it's confusing. It is said that the cobwebs and garbage at home are kept by Kitchen God, so the custom of "sweeping dust" has evolved into the "account book" for destroying Kitchen God. The second is sugar-coated shells. Many places have the custom of making sugar cakes for the kitchen god. Wipe the mouth of Kitchen God with sugar cakes, so that he can "do good deeds in heaven and keep peace in the next life". The last resort is to give a ride. Legend has it that Kitchen God rode a horse to heaven. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare straw and soybeans, put them on a plate, and scatter them in the yard when sending them to the kitchen god as "forage" for the kitchen god's mount.

2. Northern Anhui: Jujube steamed bread is sent to repay the cultivation. The "sugar melon" used by Wangye in northern Anhui is quite distinctive: it is made of red taro. The functions of "honeydew melon" and "sugar cake" in Hefei are basically the same, both of which are to sweeten the mouth of Kitchen God. In Bozhou, the custom of steaming steamed bread is very special in some places. Generally, steaming begins around the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. One of them is called "jujube hill", which is made of noodles and red dates. In the middle of the living room during the Spring Festival, it is red and white, layered and very beautiful. In addition, the local off-year also began to steam "jujube buns" with a red date on them. This is a necessary gift for the local married daughter to return to her family for the New Year. Mainly for female elders, which means to repay the kindness of raising. When the elders return steamed buns to the younger generation, they often use steamed face dogs to show that they are lucky and grow well; Steaming frogs means you can jump very high.

3. Southern Anhui: It is necessary to worship both the kitchen god and the ancestors. In southern Anhui, the time of "off-year" is different. In many places in Huizhou, it is the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, but in Jingde, it is the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. In other places, it is the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, and the custom of offering sacrifices to kitchen gods and sweeping dust is similar to that in other places. According to traditional customs, off-year sacrifices should be made to both the kitchen god and the ancestors. During the "off-year" period, the family will invite out the ancestral tablets and put on several dishes until the fifteenth day of the first month.