What You Don't Know About Gansu Customs and Culture

In the vast and profound Chinese traditional culture, folk culture always occupies a very important position. China is a vast country, and the living habits, diet, clothing, festivals and beliefs will be different in each region. Gansu is a province with a long history, since ancient times, people's special customs have formed a unique Gansu culture, let's come together to understand it.

One, Gansu customs of the year

New Year's Eve

Commonly known as "New Year's Eve", the 30th day of the Lazhou knife (in some years, 29th day of the Lazhou knife) is the last day of the year in the lunar calendar. Is the afternoon, families clean the courtyard, organize the indoor and outdoor environment, and then paste the spring couplets, door god, half curtains, hanging yellow money, burning incense to ancestors, firecrackers, said in addition to the old. In the evening, the family ate green chowder braised vegetables, called "loading warehouse", indicating that the family reunion, life and prosperity. After the whole family is full, but also some leftover plant, meaning "life is rich, year after year". The night, the whole family completely sleepless, called "stay up" or "keep the year". Junior kowtow to the elders to resign, the elders should give the juniors to send "lucky money", also known as "New Year's Eve money".

Qingming Festival

Chingming is one of the twenty-four solar terms in the lunar calendar. It is the day to sweep the tomb and ancestor worship, known as the "spring festival". Wuwei urban and rural customs, where there are graves Ying, must be one or two days before the Qingming to the grave offerings, burn paper money, add soil; no graves stems in the night before the Qingming one day, to the outskirts of the countryside or in front of their own homes, streets and lanes to burn paper money. It is forbidden to go to the grave and burn paper on the day of Qingming Festival. Legend has it that the paper money burned on that day will become iron money, the dead can not be used.

Dragon Boat Festival

The fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar for the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Duan Yang Festival. Early in the morning on this day, every house door inserted willow branches, for the Qu Yuan invoke the soul and avoid the plague of meaning. Children's wrists tied five-color cotton thread or silk rope, body wear scented bags, and in the mouth, nose, ears smeared with andrographis, which is said to avoid the five poisons (i.e., snakes, scorpions, geckos, toads, centipedes). Wuwei has "May Dragon Boat Festival wear out," the saying, male and female teenagers dressed in trendy summer clothes, enjoy playing. Young women speak of embroidered vanilla purse, decorated with tassels, gift friends and relatives.

In the old days, the unmarried girl will bring the purse in the lapel or tied in the hair braid, tantalizing people to pick, such as not being picked, will be ashamed of themselves look ugly. On this day, families eat rice dumplings or oil cake rolled cake, friends and relatives to give each other. In the afternoon, urban and rural residents in groups, visiting temples, the old tour of the sea, the sea is now dry, the temple was destroyed in the earthquake, instead of touring the Temple of Literature, the ancient bell tower, Lei Terrace, Hai Zang Park, Xijiao Park and so on. Children to the field to climb trees and branches, the preparation of willow hats to prevent summer.

Mid-Autumn Festival

The 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar for the "Mid-Autumn Festival". Is the day of the urban and rural residents steamed moon cakes, to show that the family reunion. Wuwei people's mooncake is steamed, such as inverted basin large, a variety of types of mooncakes, layered mooncakes, twisted silk mooncakes, mooncakes on the petals, osmanthus aroma is complete, eaten with a crisp taste. There is a saying "August 15 end out", meaning that August has been the fall harvest, food abundance. Between friends and relatives, give each other moon cakes, there is the intention of comparison.

On the night of August 15, the augmented and clean moon rises, families in the courtyard, set up incense, moon cakes and fruits and other offerings, wax burning incense, the whole family sat around to enjoy the moon. After a short while, the housewife cuts the mooncakes and watermelons; the whole family eats the fruits and mooncakes, and talks and laughs, which is quite interesting. Legend has it that the watermelon offered to the moon god, must be plucked into a jagged two petals, such as pregnant women at home, you can count the number of melon teeth to predict the number of men and women, odd number of men, even number of women.

Second, gold locks, silver locks, tethered locks lock

Zhangye folk in the past have tethered locks locks custom. "Shuan lock lock" is to give the child "full moon", please dry big (i.e. worship godfather), or to the young man, the girl engaged in a ceremony. The 29th day after the child's birth, it is necessary to "pass the full moon". On this day, where the full moon relatives and neighbors, a door into the house, the first to give the child to tie a "long life and wealth" lock, to show blessing.

待 "宝贝蛋 "能跑会跳后，父母又要请三个不同姓氏，品行正正的人给孩子当干大(即干爹)，说是能镇邪驱恶，逞凶化吉。 Parents to the child to find a good "godfather", choose a good day, prepare a banquet, personally invite the "godfather" to come to the door at that time. This day before the meal, three "dry big" must be in their respective pockets in the "lock lock" out, one by one to hang on the dry child's neck.

After the doll grew up, said the daughter-in-law, before the completion of the marriage must be engaged, engaged to hang lock lock. Whether it is a full moon, please dry big, or engaged to lock lock, are the same thing, in the old days, rich people specializing in silversmiths customized gold or silver locks, the poor family is not a copper locks, is a string of copper money instead of the string.

Third, Longdong shadow

Longdong shadow, also known as lamp shadow, cowhide dolls, it is a stage show appliances, but also a folk crafts. In the old days, Longdong shadow theater is to edible oil (vegetable oil) as fuel for the light irradiation cowhide made of silhouettes of characters as a puppet of a folk shadow play. The sun can also be performed during the daytime, known as hot shadow theater.

Shadow theater originated very early, according to Longdong folklore, the first emperor of Qin Shi Huang's son Hu Hai was born, crying all day long, but one day, he saw the window irradiated silhouette show will no longer cry, but the silhouette left the window, he cried again. So Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered people to carve out the shape of the performer, and continue to perform, Hu Hai did not cry, the shadow theater also appeared.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, shadow theater has become more common. The Metropolitan Chronicle said: "Where the shadow play is the capital of the people in the beginning of the carving arrowheads with plain paper, and then with colorful leather for". Song Renzong Qinglian years, Fan Zhongyan guarding Qingyang, when artists to perform shadow play to reward the soldiers. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Gansu general Dong Fuxiang had brought the Huanxian shadow theater class to the capital for Cixi birthday celebration.

Fourth, Kangning plug farming style

Kangning village belongs to Zhangye City, small full of townships, the village terrain is relatively flat, gradually extending from south to north, water is sufficient, belonging to the Daman irrigation area, fertile arable land, the main production of wheat, corn, a small amount of millets, taro, beans, cash crops such as houmous, apples, sunflower, and so on.

Kangning village due to the importance of the past years to vigorously develop the courtyard economy, planting pear trees, so that the village per capita annual income has been in the region's top of the countryside, is a real "well-off village". Zhangye 1992-1993 two pear festival were held in this village, the white flowers of the pear blossoms as far as the eye can see, so that tourists marveled at, linger.