What is the origin and significance of off-year life?

Off-year is a traditional festival of Han nationality in China, also known as Xie Zao, Zao Zao Festival, Zao Wang Festival and Zao Zao Festival. The dates vary from place to place, all on the 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month (the 30th of the twelfth lunar month is a small year in Sichuan and Guizhou, and the 15th of the first month is the first day of the New Year's Day). Off-year is considered as the beginning of the New Year in China.

Off-year is a day for people to sacrifice their stoves. It is said that on this day, Kitchen God will report the good and evil of this family to the Jade Emperor, and let him reward and punish it. When offering sacrifices to the kitchen stove, you should melt the Guandong sugar with fire and put it on the mouth of the kitchen god, so that he can't speak ill of the Jade Emperor. "Men don't Yue Bai, women don't sacrifice to the kitchen" custom, so sacrifice to the kitchen is limited to men.

Because people in China basically eat rice, cooked food is generally difficult to preserve and must be cooked at any time. Unlike western bread, you can bake a lot at a time and keep it for eating. Therefore, for China people, "firewood" (fuel) is the first of the "seven things" in life (rice, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar tea). Without fuel, even with basic food, you can't eat it. In the west, it is generally enough for a village to have only one bread stove. In China, every family must have a stove.

Because every family has a stove, there is a legend that the Jade Emperor stationed a supervisor in every family-Kitchen God (he ordered Kitchen God, Kitchen God, Kitchen God and Kitchen King) to supervise and inspect the family's actions for one year. On the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God will report to the Jade Emperor, and the Jade Emperor will decide whether to reward or punish the family next year according to the report. The Kitchen God is the year after next. The Festival of Sacrificing Kitchen Stove is actually a festival for every household to send the kitchen god to heaven.

Specific operation mode: Because every family usually puts a portrait of the kitchen god near the stove, and sometimes it is accompanied by a portrait of the kitchen god's grandmother. After a year of smoky fire, the portrait is old and black. To get rid of the old image, stick a grass horse to Kitchen God with straw and bribe him, so that he can "speak well in heaven and return to the palace for good luck", so that he can only speak well with a sticky melon or cake and then burn it with the grass horse. This process is called magnetic stove. Buy a new portrait after the New Year, and ask Kitchen God to reply. In these intervening days, without the supervision of the kitchen god, most people overeat and gamble, indulging in some small mistakes that they usually think should not be made.

In fact, the festival of offering sacrifices to stoves is a reflection of the secular social order in ancient China, which shows the fear of ordinary people to the emperor and his grass-roots officials and the atmosphere of bribing grass-roots officials. As the saying goes, as long as the closest officials are bribed, the emperor will not know what he has done, and even if he breaks the law slightly, he can escape punishment.

Making honeydew melons and offering sacrifices to stoves are the main activities of the day. Since then, people have entered the stage of preparing for the New Year, and people have begun to relax.

Off-year, that is, the 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month, is a festival to worship the kitchen god. It is the beginning and foreshadowing of the whole Spring Festival celebration, and there are two main activities: sweeping graves to celebrate the New Year and offering sacrifices to stoves. In addition, there is the custom of eating stove candy. In some places, we also eat fire, sugar cakes, oil cakes and tofu soup. As early as the Song Dynasty, there was a record that the twelfth lunar month passed the off-year period, but at that time the off-year period was divided into two days. Therefore, the custom of the twenty-fourth year of the twelfth lunar month has a longer history. So when did it change? This is going to the Qing Dynasty. The Qing emperor began to offer sacrifices to the gods in Kunning Palace on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. In order to save money, the emperor also offered sacrifices to the kitchen god. Later, the royal family and Baylor followed suit and sacrificed stoves on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. Since then, there has been a division between the government and the people, and they live a small life on different days.

The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, also called "off-year", is the day when people worship the kitchen. It is said that every year on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, Kitchen God will tell the Jade Emperor about the good and evil of this family and let the Jade Emperor reward and punish them. Therefore, when sending stoves, people will put candy, water, beans and grass on the console table in front of the statue of the kitchen god, and the last three are for the kitchen god's mount to ascend to heaven. When offering sacrifices to the stove, you should melt the Guandong sugar with fire and put it on the mouth of the kitchen god. In this way, he can't speak ill of the jade emperor There is a folk custom that "men don't Yue Bai, women don't offer sacrifices to stoves", so the owner of offering sacrifices to stoves is limited to men.

In addition, on New Year's Eve, the Kitchen God will bring the gods to the world for the New Year, and there will be ceremonies of "receiving the kitchen" and "receiving the gods" on that day. Every family burns sedan chairs and horses, sprinkles three glasses of wine, and sends away the kitchen god, so it's their turn to worship their ancestors.

Sacrificing a stove is a kind of custom with great influence and wide spread among the people in our country. In the past, almost every kitchen had a kitchen god. People call this god "the Bodhisattva who commands life" or "the stove commands life". It is said that he is the "Nine-day East Chef Commanding the Kitchen Palace" sealed by the Jade Emperor, who is responsible for managing the kitchen fires of various families and is worshipped as the patron saint of the family. Kitchen shrines are mostly located in the north or east of the kitchen, with the idol of Kitchen God in the middle. Some people who don't have the niche of the Kitchen King even put the idol directly on the wall. Some gods only draw a kitchen god, while others have two men and women. The goddess is called "Grandma Chef". This is probably an imitation of the image of human lovers. Most of the statues of Kitchen God are also printed with the calendar of this year, which reads the words "Oriental chef is in charge", "guardian of the world" and "head of the family" to show the status of Kitchen God. On both sides, there are couplets of "Heaven says yes, the lower bound is safe", wishing the whole family peace.

Kitchen God has been staying at home to protect and supervise his family since last year's Eve. On the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God will ascend to heaven and report the good deeds or evil deeds of this family to the Jade Emperor in heaven. The ceremony of sending the kitchen god is called "sending the kitchen stove" or "resigning the kitchen stove". According to the report of Kitchen God, the Jade Emperor entrusted the family with the fate of good fortune and bad fortune in the new year. So for a family, Kitchen God's report is really interesting.

Sending stoves is usually held at dusk. The family went to the kitchen first, set the table, incense the kitchen god in the shrine on the kitchen wall, and present honeydew melons made of caramel and flour. Then tie the bamboo poles into paper horses and make them into animal feed. Sacrificing caramel to Kitchen God is to make his old man's mouth sweet. Some places still wrap sugar on the mouth of the kitchen god, saying, "Say more good things and don't say bad things." This is to block the kitchen god's mouth with sugar and tell him not to speak ill. In the Chronicle of the Old Times in the Tang Dynasty, there was an occasional record that "Siming (Kitchen God) got drunk by applying distiller's grains on the stove". After people coated the mouth of the kitchen god with sugar, they took off their idols and ascended to heaven with paper and cigarettes. In some places, sesame stalks and pine branches are piled in the yard at night, and then the statue of the kitchen god, which has been enshrined for a year, is taken out of the shrine and burned on the fire with paper horses and forage. The courtyard was brightly lit, and at this time, the family kowtowed around the fire, burning and praying: It's twenty-third this year, and I'm going to send the kitchen ruler to the Western Heaven. With strong horses and forage, you will arrive safely. Melon is sweet and sweet. Please speak kindly to the Jade Emperor.

When sending the Kitchen God, there are several beggars in some places who dress up, sing and dance and send the Kitchen God door to door, named "Send the Kitchen God" in exchange for food.

The custom of sending stoves is common all over China. Mr. Lu Xun once wrote the poem "A boxer sends a stove as a fact": only chicken glue smells good, and clothes smell good. If there is nothing at home, there are only a few antelopes.

He said in the article "The Day of Sending Kitchen Stoves": "On the day when the chef ascended to heaven, there was still a kind of sugar on the street, which was as big as a citrus, and we also had it there, but it was flat and flat, like a thick pancake. That's the so-called' gum teeth'. The original intention is to invite the kitchen god to eat and stick his teeth, so that he can't adjust his mouth to speak ill of the jade emperor. " The allusion to "antelope" in Lu Xun's poems comes from The Biography of Yin Shi in the Later Han Dynasty: "When Xuan Di proclaimed himself emperor, Yin Zifang was the most filial and kind. Cooking in the morning of the twelfth day, seeing the kitchen god, the children have to worship and celebrate; There is an antelope at home, so it is worshipped. After the third one, he naturally became extremely rich. I know the third world, but I am prosperous. Therefore, I often recommend antelope to sacrifice the stove on the twelfth day. " Yin Zifang met the Kitchen God and sacrificed the antelope. Later, she got lucky. Since then, the custom of killing antelopes to sacrifice stoves has been handed down.

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the offerings for offering sacrifices to stoves were quite rich. Fan Chengda, a poet in the Song Dynasty, wrote a poem about offering sacrifices to stoves, which vividly described the folk activities of offering sacrifices to stoves at that time. Clouds, cars and horses linger, and there are cups and plates at home. The pig's head is cooked, the fish is fresh, and the bean paste and Gan Song bait are round. When a man asks his daughter to avoid it, he drinks and burns money. You can't smell your servant's struggle, and your cat and dog don't feel angry when they touch you. Send you to Tianmen to get drunk, and don't repeat the clouds with long spoons and short spoons, begging for points from the market.

The sacrificial furnace on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month is closely related to the New Year in China. Because, a week later, on New Year's Eve, Kitchen God came to earth with the good and bad luck that his family deserved. Kitchen God is considered to guide the gods in the sky. Other gods have ascended to heaven after the Chinese New Year, and only Kitchen God will stay in other people's kitchens for a long time. The ceremony of welcoming God is called "receiving God", and the kitchen god is called "receiving kitchen". Generally, it is New Year's Eve to pick up the kitchen, and the ceremony is much simpler. At that time, just put on a new stove lamp and burn incense in front of the stove niche.

As the saying goes, "Men don't Yue Bai, women don't sacrifice to the kitchen". In some places, women don't sacrifice stoves. It is said that the kitchen god looks like a small white face and is afraid of women offering sacrifices to the kitchen stove, which is suspected of men and women. The origin of Kitchen God has a long history. Among the folk gods in China, the qualification of Kitchen God has a long history. As early as the Xia Dynasty, he was already a great god revered by the people. According to the ancient book The Book of Rites, Kong Ying Da said: "Hitachi, Zhu Rong, the son of Zhuan Xu, is worshipped as the kitchen god." "Zhuangzi Sheng Da" records: "The stove has a bun." Sima Biao commented: "bun, kitchen god, dressed in red, looks like a beautiful woman." "Bao Puzi Wei Zhi" also records: "On a dark and windy night, Kitchen God also accuses the white man in heaven." These records are probably the source of Kitchen God. Also, or the kitchen god is a "suiren" who drills wood to make a fire; Or Shennong's "fire official"; Or "Su Liji" in "The Yellow Emperor Cooking Ren"; Or the kitchen god surnamed Zhang, the name list, the word Guo; Opinions vary. There is an interesting story circulating among the people.

It is said that in ancient times there was a family named Zhang, two brothers. The elder brother was a plasterer and the younger brother was a painter. My brother's specialty is cooking pots and pans. He was invited by East Street and West Square, and they all praised his cooking. He has been famous for a long time, and Fiona Fang called him "King Zhang Zao" thousands of miles away. Strangely, Wang said that no matter who built a stove, he liked to interfere in other people's homes if there was any dispute. When he meets a noisy daughter-in-law, he will persuade him. When he meets a fierce mother-in-law, he will say that he seems to be an old elder. In the future, neighbors will look for him if they have anything, and everyone respects him. The king lived seventy years, and when he died, it happened to be late at night on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. After the death of Wang, Zhang Jiake fell into chaos. It turns out that the king is the head of the family and everything in the family is under his command. Now that the eldest brother has passed away, the younger brother can only write poems and draw pictures. Although he spent a lot of time, he never did housework. Daughters-in-law in several rooms clamored for separation, and the painter was stirred helplessly, pulling a long face all day. One day, he finally came up with a good idea On the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the first anniversary of Wang's death, late at night, the painter suddenly called to wake up the whole family and said that the eldest brother had appeared. He took his son, daughter-in-law and the whole family to the kitchen, only to see the flickering candlelight on the dark kitchen wall showing the appearance of the king and his dead wife, and the whole family was shocked. The painter said, "When I slept, I dreamed that my eldest brother and sister-in-law had become immortals, and the Jade Emperor named him' Nine Days East Chef ordered the chef to be the king of the palace'. You are always lazy, lazy, and your sister-in-law is not harmonious, disrespectful and unfilial, which makes your family uneasy. My brother is very angry when he knows that you are going to break up. He is going to tell the Jade Emperor that he will come down on the evening of the 30th to punish you. " Hearing this, the sons and daughters' nephews and daughters-in-law were frightened. They immediately knelt down and kowtowed again and again, and hurriedly brought Wang Ping's favorite sweets to the stove to eat, pleading with the kitchen king for forgiveness. Since then, uncles, brothers and daughters-in-law who often make noise have never dared to make trouble again. The whole family lives in harmony, young and old. Neighbors knew about it, and the news spread. They all came to Zhang's house and wanted to know the truth. In fact, the kitchen god on the kitchen wall on the 23rd night of the twelfth lunar month was painted by the painter in advance. He came to town to scare his children's nephews and daughters-in-law, but this method really worked. So the neighbor came to the painter to inquire about the situation, so he had to pretend and distribute the painted kitchen god to the neighbors. As a result, it spread along the countryside, and the kitchen of every household was labeled as the kitchen god. Over time, the custom of offering sacrifices to the kitchen god on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month and praying for the safety of the family was formed. After the custom of offering sacrifices to the kitchen god spread, from the Zhou Dynasty, the palace also included it in the sacrificial ceremony, and formulated the rules of offering sacrifices to the kitchen god nationwide, which became a fixed ceremony.

The Origin of Sacrificial Furnace

The custom of offering sacrifices to stoves has a long history. Kitchen God, in the Xia Dynasty, has become a respected god. In the Analects of Confucius, which describes Kong Qiu's words and deeds in the Spring and Autumn Period, there is a saying that "it is better to be charming than beautiful."

In the pre-Qin period, the sacrificial furnace was one of the "five sacrifices" (the five sacrifices were the five gods of sacrificial furnace, gate, line, household and thunder). Ray is the land god. The other is doors, wells, households, stoves and lightning; Or lines, wells, households, stoves, thunder). When offering sacrifices to the stove, you should establish a spirit and make a sacrifice with rich wine and food. It is necessary to display tripods, arrange water beans, welcome corpses and so on. With obvious traces of primitive fetishism.

The legend of the kitchen god

Kitchen God, also known as Kitchen King, Kitchen King, Kitchen God, Chef, Chef, etc. , is the god of catering in ancient Chinese myths and legends. Kitchen God himself has long been known as Yan Di and Zhu Rong. Later, many statements were derived. After the Jin Dynasty, it was listed as a god who supervised the good and evil on earth. With the development of social production, since humans broke away from eating animals and drinking blood and invented fire food, stoves have gradually become closely related to human life. The worship of Kitchen God has become an important part of many worship activities. Therefore, in the Book of Rites Sacrifice Law, "Wang made seven sacrifices", that is, one sacrifice was a "stove", while Shu Ren made a sacrifice, "or set up a household or a stove".

In ancient China, there were activities of offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God. After Wei and Jin Dynasties, Kitchen God had a name. Sui Du Taiqing's Collection of Jade Candles quoted the Kitchen Book as saying, "Kitchen God, surnamed Su, has a lucky name, but her female name is unfortunate". Tang Lixian quoted the Miscellaneous Five Elements Book and said, "The kitchen god named Zen, the word Guo Zi, came out of the kitchen wearing yellow clothes and long hair." There are many sayings that Kitchen God was a goddess at first, or an old woman or a beautiful woman. About the Qing Dynasty's "Jing Zao Quan Shu", it is said that the chef's surname is Zhang, the name list and the word Guo, and he is a male god. At present, the East Chef, who is worshipped by the people, ordered Fu Zaojun to sit side by side with an old couple or a man and two women, that is, the portrait of Zao Jun and his wife.

After the prosperity of Taoism in China, the kitchen god was described as the mother god in Jing Shuo. "People's residence. At twelve o'clock, be good at knowing human affairs. Remember good and evil and their merits and demerits every month, remember their severity, play Cao Shen in the middle of the night and set his book. " Later, it developed into grandparents. In different regions, Zhao Jun and his wife are played by different candidates, accompanied by popular local folklore stories.

Legend of Kitchen God: According to legend, Kitchen God is the supervisor sent by the Jade Emperor to every family, and will go to heaven on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month to report the good deeds or evil deeds of this family to the Jade Emperor in the sky. Hearing this, the Jade Emperor gave the family all the good and bad fortune they should get in the new year to the Kitchen God. Therefore, on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, when people "send stoves", they should present honeydew melons made of caramel and flour, paper horses made of bamboo sticks and fodder for animals, so that the kitchen god can be sweet, the god can speak well and enter the palace with good luck!

Sacrifice date

There are always different opinions on the dates of offering sacrifices to stoves in ancient times, such as the first month, April, May, August and December. In the feudal society of China, various religions coexisted, and the number of gods reached thousands, which was respected by folk customs. Perhaps in order to simplify unity, facilitate memory and operation, the saying that Kitchen God goes to heaven once a month has evolved into going to heaven once a year. And set the time on the 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month. This day has become a traditional festival for offering sacrifices to stoves.

In Shanxi, most areas offer sacrifices to stoves on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. Only a few places, such as Yushe, Wenshui, Licheng and Yangcheng. Twenty-four sacrificial stoves in the twelfth lunar month.

The custom of offering sacrifices to the stove

Kitchen God is attached to the wall next to the cooker, facing the bellows. Most of the couplets on both sides are "Heaven speaks well, the lower bound is safe", and some of the couplets at the bottom are also written "Go back to the palace for good luck". In the middle is the idol of the husband and wife in the kitchen, and two horses are often painted next to the idol as mounts. When offering sacrifices to the stove, offerings should be displayed, the most prominent of which is honeydew melon. Used in the north of Shanxi, it is the primary product of sesame sugar, which is particularly sticky. Now collectively referred to as sesame sugar. There is a folk proverb "Twenty-three, eat a plate". Foods such as sugar and preserves are sweet and sticky. I ate carefully, but I couldn't speak. Yesterday, my mouth was blocked and I was not allowed to make trouble. A few eggs should also be put in the offering, which are snacks for foxes and weasels. It is said that they are all subordinates of Kitchen God, and we have to take care of them. When offering sacrifices to the stove, in addition to offering incense and wine, it is especially necessary to sprinkle horse material for the mount of the kitchen god, from the front of the stove to the outside of the stove. After these ceremonies, the Kitchen God will be taken down and burned. Wait until New Year's Eve to set up a new idol. There is an old saying that "women don't sacrifice stoves". Sacrificing the stove is often a man's business. However, in modern times, most housewives play the role of offering sacrifices to the stove.

According to folklore, the chef once specifically accused human beings of evil. Once charged, the life span of a felony will be shortened by 300 days, and that of a misdemeanor will be shortened by 100 days. In "Induction of Thai Merchants", there is also a description that "the company's life is important and its discipline is taken away". Siming refers to the kitchen king, counting one hundred days, and Kyrgyzstan refers to twelve years. Here, the felony penalty is increased to 12 years of life loss. Therefore, when offering sacrifices to the stove, we should do something about it and ask it to be generous. In the north of Shanxi, there is a folk song "On the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, Grandpa Zhao Jun, you went to heaven, ate a candy tray in your mouth, and didn't speak in front of the Jade Emperor. When you come back to our home for the New Year, you will have food, noodles and clothes, which shows your pursuit and yearning for a better life.

Sacrificial stove diet

On the festival of offering sacrifices to stoves, people pay attention to eating jiaozi, which means "look down on the windward side of jiaozi". Eat more cakes and buckwheat noodles in mountainous areas. In the southeast of Shanxi, the custom of eating fried corn is popular. A folk proverb says, "Twenty-three, don't eat fried, on New Year's Eve-pour it all at once." People like to bond fried corn with maltose and freeze it into pieces, which tastes crisp and sweet. In addition to eating stove candy, fire is also a very distinctive seasonal food on the day of sacrifice. On the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the business of biscuit stalls in the city is booming. Besides honeydew melons, there are offerings from jiaozi, which means "get up and leave jiaozi to eat noodles", and some even offer noodles.

Ballad of offering sacrifices to stoves

There are two folk songs circulating in southeastern Shanxi. One is "Twenty-three, send my master to heaven; Twenty-four, sweeping the house; Twenty-five, steamed dumplings; Twenty-six, cut meat; Twenty-seven, tin cleaner; Twenty-eight, sloppy; Twenty-nine, washing feet; On the 30th, the door gods and couplets were pasted together. It shows that time is tight and preparations are tense. The second is a nursery rhyme: "Twenty-three, sacrifice the stove, the children clap their hands and laugh." In five or six days, the new year is coming. Bad box, playing with walnuts, losing two shots. When Wu Zixu ping-pong rang, the fire rose higher than the sky. "This reflects the joy of children looking forward to the New Year. Among all the preparations, cutting window grilles and stick grilles are the most popular folk activities. There are all kinds of animal and plant stories, such as the plum blossom of magpie, the peach willow of swallow, the peony of peacock, the rolling hydrangea of lion, the opening of three sheep (Yang), the pearl beating of two dragons, the toon of deer crane (Liuhe Tongchun), the longevity of five bats (Fu), the full moon of rhinoceros, the years of lotus (Lian) and fish (the rest), and the swimming of Yuanyang. Folk customs include "Da Deng Dian, Du Ermei, Three Mothers teach four places, five women celebrate their birthdays, six are in the snow, the seventh day of July is Tianhe, and nine clothes celebrate the birthday of the Eight Immortals", which reflects the folk preference for opera stories. In a family with a new wife, the new wife should bring all kinds of window grilles cut by herself, go back to her husband's house and put up windows, and neighbors will come to see them. After the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, every household should steam steamed bread. Generally speaking, it can be divided into two types: worshipping God and visiting relatives. The former is solemn, while the latter is gorgeous. Especially to make a jujube hill for Kitchen God. "A steamed bread, neighbors to help". This is often a great opportunity for folk women to show their dexterity. Steamed bread is a handicraft.

Sacrificial stove couplets

After the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, every household will write Spring Festival couplets. People pay attention to it, and God will stick it, and doors will stick it, and things will stick it, so Spring Festival couplets have the largest number and the most complete content. The couplets in front of the statues are particularly particular, and they are mostly words of admiration and blessing. Heaven and earth have something in common: "the grace of heaven is as deep as the sea, and the virtue of the earth is as heavy as the mountain"; Land God Union: "White jade is born in the soil, and gold is born in the ground"; God of wealth alliance: "God of wealth in heaven, God of wealth on earth"; Jing Shenlian: "Well can lead to the four seas, and home can lead to the three rivers". The granary and the Spring Festival couplets in the granary are warm celebrations and expressions of hope. For example, "the grain is abundant and the six livestock are prosperous"; "The rice surface is as thick as a mountain, and the oil and salt are as deep as the sea"; "Nanshan cattle are like tigers, Beihai Ma Rulong"; "Big sheep flourish every year, and little sheep increase every month" and so on. There are also some single couplets, such as "Looking up to see happiness" in each room, "Going out to see happiness" across the door, "Prosperity is soaring to the sky" on the fire, "The courtyard is full of gold" on the tree, and "Deep-rooted foliage" on the stone mill. The couplets on the gate are the facade of a family, which are particularly exquisite, lyrical or picturesque, rich in content and witty.

After the 23 rd day of the twelfth lunar month, adults and children should take a bath and have their hair cut. There is a folk saying that "if you have money, you can cut your hair to celebrate the New Year". Luliang area pays attention to washing feet on the 27th of the twelfth lunar month. Mother-in-law and your son washed their feet with boiling water tonight. Adults should also help a girl who is not sensible to scrub her feet clean, leaving no dirt. There is a folk saying that on the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, your mother-in-law washes your feet. As the saying goes, if you don't wash your feet, pus will harm water for seven months.

The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, also called "off-year", is the day when people worship the kitchen.

It is said that every year on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, Kitchen God will tell the Jade Emperor about the good and evil of this family and let the Jade Emperor reward and punish them. Therefore, when sending stoves, people put candy, water, beans and grass on the console table in front of the kitchen god statue; Among them, the last three are the mounts of the kitchen god ascending to heaven. When offering sacrifices to the stove, you should melt the Guandong sugar with fire and put it on the mouth of the kitchen god. In this way, he can't speak ill of the jade emperor There is a folk custom that "men don't Yue Bai, women don't offer sacrifices to stoves", so the owner of offering sacrifices to stoves is limited to men.

In addition, on New Year's Eve, the Kitchen God will bring the gods to the world for the New Year, and there will be ceremonies of "receiving the kitchen" and "receiving the gods" on that day. Every family burns sedan chairs and horses, sprinkles three glasses of wine, and sends away the kitchen god, so it's their turn to worship their ancestors.

Off-year custom

Sacrifice to the kitchen god

Off-year is also a day of folk sacrifice. According to folklore, every year on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, Kitchen God will tell the Jade Emperor about the good and evil of this family and let the Jade Emperor reward and punish them. Therefore, when sending stoves, people put candy, water, beans and grass on the console table in front of the kitchen god statue; Among them, the last three are the mounts of the kitchen god ascending to heaven. When offering sacrifices to the stove, you should melt the Guandong sugar with fire and put it on the mouth of the kitchen god. In this way, he can't speak ill of the jade emperor In addition, on New Year's Eve, the Kitchen God will bring the gods to the world for the New Year, and there will be ceremonies of "receiving the kitchen" and "receiving the gods" on that day. Every family burns sedan chairs and horses, sprinkles three glasses of wine, and sends away the kitchen god, so it's their turn to worship their ancestors.

sweep the dust

1. After twenty-three, there are only six or seven days left before the Spring Festival, and the preparations for the Spring Festival are even more enthusiastic. To thoroughly clean the room, commonly known as sweeping the dust, sweeping the dust is to go to the old and welcome the new, and remove the ominous. Every household should be carefully and thoroughly cleaned to make the windows bright and clean. Paint walls, scrub glass, put up windows, put up New Year pictures and so on.

In the twelfth lunar month, every family is ready to welcome the New Year. Sweep the dust is to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and remove the ominous. Every household should be carefully and thoroughly cleaned to make the windows bright and clean. In Beijing, the 24th of the twelfth lunar month is usually designated as "House Sweeping Day".

Dust removal is mainly to clean the house thoroughly. Housewives usually cover the bed furniture in the room first, wrap their heads with headscarves, and then sweep the walls up and down with a broom. Clean the house, scrub the tables and chairs, and wash the floor. After cleaning the house, the shops and residents' homes are completely new. The newly posted Spring Festival couplets are bright and dazzling, showing the prosperity of the world. Lifelike door gods, looking up at happy banners, exquisite window grilles, colorful New Year pictures, colorful lanterns and rich sacrifices on shrines all present a festive scene.

Cut off the window p

In all the preparatory work, window cutting and stick grilles are the most popular folk activities. There are all kinds of animal and plant stories here, such as plum blossoms of magpies, peach willows of swallows, peony of peacocks, rolling hydrangeas of lions, playing pearls of three sheep (Yang), playing pearls of two dragons, Toona sinensis of deer cranes (Liuhe Tongchun), longevity of five bats (Fu), moon-gazing of rhinoceros, Nianyu of Lotus (Lian) (the rest) and swimming of Yuanyang.

write Spring Festival couplets

Every household should write Spring Festival couplets. People pay attention to it, and God will stick it, and doors will stick it, and things will stick it, so Spring Festival couplets have the largest number and the most complete content. The couplets in front of the statues are particularly particular, and they are mostly words of admiration and blessing. Heaven and earth have something in common: "Heaven is as deep as the sea, and earth is as heavy as mountains"; Land God Union: "White jade is born in the soil, and gold is born in the ground"; Fortune Alliance: "The God of Wealth in the sky is the God of Wealth on earth"; Lian: "Well can lead to the four seas, and home can lead to the three rivers". The granary and the Spring Festival couplets in the granary are warm celebrations and expressions of hope. For example, "the grain is abundant and the six livestock are prosperous"; "Rice flour is as thick as a mountain, and oil and salt are as deep as the sea"; "Nanshan cattle are like tigers, Beihai Ma Rulong"; "Big sheep flourish every year, little lambs increase every month" and so on. In addition, there are some single couplets, such as "Looking up at happiness" posted in each room, "Going out to see happiness" posted across the door, "Soaring in the sky" posted on the fire, "The courtyard is full of gold" posted on the tree, and "Roots are deep and leafy" posted on the stone mill, and so on. The couplets on the gate are the facade of a family, which are particularly exquisite, lyrical or picturesque, rich in content and witty.

have a bath

Adults and children should take a bath and have their hair cut. There is a folk saying that "if you have money, you will shave your head for the New Year".

marry

After the age of 23, people think that the gods have gone to heaven and everything has been forgiven. You don't have to choose a date to marry a daughter-in-law and prostitution. This is called rushing to get married. Until the end of the year, there will be many wedding ceremonies. Folk songs include "busy marriage in Yan village, and spring scenery in Yichun post." The sisters in front of the lamp whispered privately, this year is the bridal chamber. " Do you have any relatives or friends having a wedding now? Send a card for your wedding!

SMS blessing

When the new year comes, I will send you a good mood: no matter how much water the sea is, how great the mountain is, how many legs the spider has, and how spicy the pepper is, in short, you are the most beautiful and never regret being happy!

I wish friends all over the world a comfortable job, a good salary, a warm bed, intimate friends and a United lover. Everything goes well, always happy, everything goes well!

At this time of year, blessings will flood you like an ocean. I hope my blessing is like a canoe, carrying you through the wind and waves to the other side of success! Happy New Year!

When you see this information, luck has come to you, the god of wealth has entered your home, and wealth is not far from you. Bless your friends: Happy New Year!

Happy new year, all good things have come! Friends smile and joy surrounds you! Celebrate the festival and live a happy life! Happy! Happy! Safe life!

The day of gathering is just to brew a cup of strong wine and turn it into a flowing acacia. I stare at your charming face in the sound of firecrackers in the New Year, and just want to say: I love you for ten thousand years!

Happy new year! May your fame surpass Notre Dame, your wealth dare to be the mother of Bill Gates, your heroism surpass Saddam Hussein, and your handsome enough to catch up with Beckham. You are an international superman! Happy New Year!

Some things will not fade with the passage of time, and some people will not forget because they don't meet often. In my memory, you are my forever friend. On the occasion of welcoming the new year, I wish you all the best!

Snowflakes are flying all over the sky, ushering in a new year, bringing long-lost hearts together. I deeply wish you: Happy New Year! May my blessing melt the cold winter and warm your heart!

Happy new year! Everything is fine! Happy family! Rich! Good luck! Flowers bloom with wealth! Happy from now on! Flo Xi Shou! Congratulations on getting rich! may you have a happy new year! New year's new look! New year, new mood! A new year has begun! New year, new luck! New friends and old friends wish you all the best, and money will go to Wan Li Road!

I wish you: a unified start, Vientiane update; Good luck every year, peace every year; Financial resources are rolling, rich and auspicious; Happiness, happiness and celebration; Bamboo is safe and full of blessings; Cheerful!

I wish you in the new year: your career is in full swing, your health is like a tiger, your money is countless, your work is not hard, your leisure is like a mouse, your romance is like fun, and you are the only one.

The weather is getting worse and a cool breeze is coming. Because of your cuteness, I especially care about you; Cover the quilt at night to avoid cold hands and feet; There is nothing to worry about, you can supplement calcium; Don't say I'm too bad, I wish you a happy new year!

I have told you more than once not to work so hard and pay attention to your health, but you always say meaningfully: what shall I eat next year if I don't roll a few dung balls in the New Year? Don't wear yourself out. I wish you a happy New Year! May good luck be like a mine, trampled by you from time to time; Bad luck, like a meteor shower, will never catch you; Wealth, like garbage, can be seen everywhere; Happiness is with you all your life, staring at you like a fly.

Let me tell you seven ways to live a happy life: 1. Pay more attention to me; 2. Miss me more; 3. Take care of me more; 4. How much it hurts me; 5. Look at me more; 6. Send me more messages; 7. The most important thing is to realize such a lovely me! The night is like wine, the cold wind gently blows the willows, and the chrysanthemums bloom for a long time. Where are you going? It's been cold for a long time. Have you put on more clothes? Dogs are not allowed in this city. Did the master hit you? Ping An can make a phone call in case the host is worried.