Xiapu Sansha Customs

Sansha Town is located in the northeastern coastal prominence of Fujian, surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on the other, with a land area of 63.6 square kilometers and a total population of 45,000. The main settlements are distributed along the coastline, in order of one Ao, two Ao, three Ao, four Ao, five Ao and East Ao, West Ao, etc., and most of the houses are built on the mountains, which is a coastal town with beautiful scenery.

While the people of Sansha speak authentic Minnan dialect, but in the course of centuries of immigration, brought together fishermen from Hui'an, Jinjiang, Anxi, Zhangpu, Longhai, etc., the Minnan dialect of these places itself exists in different accents, and Minnan accents of all over the world in Sansha after a few years of grinding, forming an accent of its own.

Geographically speaking, the northeastern boundary of the southern Fujian region should be at the junction of Hui'an and Xianyou, Hui'an is still the prevailing Minnan dialect, into Xianyou to speak another dialect. Sansha is the closest area to the mainland of southern Fujian where the Minnan dialect is spoken.

Lin Ruizhi said, Hui'an people have "July half not back no ancestors, the year pocket (New Year's Eve) not back no one" custom, meaning that the 15th of the seventh month of the lunar calendar does not go home is the back of the ancestor, New Year's Eve does not go home to ask for a wife, the fishing boats operating at sea is best to catch up with home before the 23rd of December of the Chinese lunar calendar, "to send the gods! ", at least to be at home "over five Mei" (five nights at home), and wait until the fourth "pick up the god" before going out to sea.

Before New Year's Eve, evaporation (i.e., rice cakes), dust, posting Spring Festival couplets, hanging red, etc. is indispensable, furniture, farm equipment, fishing equipment is indispensable to hang red, and some longevity of the elderly and even the beard are tied up with a red silk thread.

In many customs, the most typical than the fishing boat "respect", because that is the most important production tools of fishermen. Fishing boats should be decorated with red colors when they return to the harbor in the year before. In addition to the "order flag", every important part of the fishing boat should be decorated. Bow sticker "blessing", eye sticker "dragon eyes color", the main mast sticker "send the wind to profit", the stern sticker "sea does not carry waves ", rudder stickers, "master of all armies", etc., Narcissus door (both sides of the ship for goods in and out of the door) to be inserted with red threaded branches to drive away evil spirits. Nowadays, fishing boats have modern equipment, but the custom originating from wooden sailing boats is still inherited.

Like the people along the coast of southern Fujian, Sansha fishermen's most revered "god" is the goddess of the sea, Mazu. Lin Ruizhi said: "There is a saying in southern Fujian called" boat running horse three lives ", once upon a time, the fishing boat is small, poor resistance to wind and waves," weather forecast "can only rely on experience, but after all, there are limitations, they put greater hope in the refuge of Mazu." According to Lin Ruizhi, Sansha folk, in addition to the Tianhou Palace, which is dedicated to Mazu, there are Guandi Temple and Nine Angels Palace (dedicated to King Guangli).

Major folk festivals such as the Lantern Festival, Ching Ming, Dragon Boat Festival and Winter Solstice are celebrated by Sansha people in the same way as in southern Fujian. On the 29th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar, the people of Sansha have to go through the "Pudu", which is also a typical custom of southern Fujian, the entire Xiapu County in addition to Sansha, can no longer find the second place.

As for the marriage of the bride and groom to cross the wind furnace, rice sieve, the child full moon to send red "shaving eggs" and other customs, Sansha is also a replica of Minnan.

Sansha is also a replica of southern Fujian.