How do Chaoshan people spend the Spring Festival?

Spring Festival custom in Chaoshan area;

There are many customs and activities in Chaoshan area that are different from those in the Central Plains.

First, put up the gates and Spring Festival couplets.

At the beginning of the new year, the first thing is to paste the door gods and couplets. On New Year's Eve (or 29th), every household goes to the streets to buy Spring Festival couplets, and those who are interested will also spread paper and splash ink to decorate the doors inside and outside the house.

The gatekeeper, it is said that Shen Tu and Lei Yu can catch ghosts. The Book of the Yellow Emperor was quoted in Ying Shao's Custom Pass in the Eastern Han Dynasty, saying: In ancient times, there were two brothers, Lei Yu, who lived on Dushuo Mountain. There was a peach tree on the mountain, and the shade was like a cover. Every morning, they pick up ghosts under this tree. If an evil spirit harms the world, tie it up and feed it to the tiger. Later, people painted the portraits of Shen Tu and Lei Yu on two mahogany boards and hung them on both sides of the door to ward off evil spirits. According to the Chronicle of Jingchu in Liang Zonggu of the Southern Dynasties, on the first day of the first month, "making a peach board to touch the door is called fairy wood, painting two gods to stick to the door, leaving Shen Tu on the left and Lei Yu on the right, commonly known as the door god." However, the real guardian recorded in the history books is not Shen Tu and Lei Yu, but an ancient warrior named Cheng qin. In Han Guang Chuan written by Ban Gu, it is recorded that the temple gate of King Guang Chuan (Qu Bing) is painted with the portrait of Cheng qin, an ancient warrior, wearing shorts and holding a long sword. In the Tang dynasty, the position of the door god was replaced by Qin's harmony.

The narrative in The Journey to the West is more detailed: King Jinghe made a bet with the fortune teller, and as a result, he broke the dogma and should be punished. The Jade Emperor appointed Wei Zhi as the supervisor. King Jinghe begged Emperor Taizong to spare his life. Emperor Taizong agreed, and when the dragon was killed, he summoned Wei Zhi to fight with him. Unexpectedly, Wei Zhi took a nap in the rain, and his soul ascended to heaven and beheaded the Dragon King. The Dragon King complained that Taizong had broken his word and cried outside the palace day and night for his life. Emperor Taizong told his ministers that General Qin Baoshu was willing to stand outside the door with Wei Chijingde in uniform. Emperor Taizong agreed. There was really nothing that night. Because Taizong could not bear the hardships of the two generals, he ordered the highly skilled painter Dan Qing; Draw a picture of two generals and stick it on the door. Later generations followed suit, so the two generals became gatekeepers of thousands of families. On the two gates of some old gatehouses in Chaoshan today, we can also see Shen Tu, Lei Yu or two brave warriors. Their images seem to be the same, but after careful observation, one of them holds Strafe and the other holds an iron mace. Wei Chijingde is the whip bearer, and Qin Qiong is the scepter bearer.

Door couplets are also developed from peach symbols. At first, people painted Shen Tu and Lei Yu on mahogany boards and hung them on two doors. Later, the portrait was changed to "door" only. But two words were written on both sides of the door, and the expression content was limited. People felt dissatisfied, so they hung two more red boards on both sides of the door (later changed to paper); Write a pair of words that can fully reflect your wishes. According to "History of the Song Dynasty and Family History of Shu", Xu Meng wrote a poem on the topic of bachelor's degree after Shu, claiming to be doing nothing: "New Year's Qing Yu, there is no A Festival. Changchun. " It is said that this is the earliest Spring Festival couplets in China. After Zhu Yuanzhang made Nanjing his capital in the Ming Dynasty, he ordered every family to post Spring Festival couplets, which were all written in red paper. Legend has it that on one occasion, Zhu Yuanzhang personally visited the people, and only one family did not post Spring Festival couplets. When asked, it turns out that this family is a castrated pig and can't read, so I personally wrote a couplet for him: "Split the road of life and death with both hands and cut off the root of right and wrong with one knife." Due to the vigorous promotion of past dynasties, Spring Festival couplets have become a special form of Chinese folk literature and art. Chaoshan people pay more attention to Spring Festival couplets. It often takes a long time to buy a pair of Spring Festival couplets.

Different aesthetic tastes and values can be reflected from the Spring Festival couplets posted by various households. Many of them reflect the characteristics of Chaoshan people's diligence, progress, unity and harmony, such as "a harmonious family adds a hundred blessings, and the word peace is worth a thousand dollars", "diligent production of grain, good management of a family, rich in six livestock" and so on. The most famous couplets in Chaoshan are those written by Lin Daqin, a talented hipster in Ming Dynasty, which reads, "Days add years, people prolong their lives, spring is full, and hard work pays off". It is said that Lin Daqin worked as a teacher in a private school in his early years. One year, on the first day of the first month, Mrs. Dong's birthday, Mr. Wang was asked to write Spring Festival couplets and birthday couplets. I saw Lin Daqin dip his pen in ink and wrote this couplet without thinking.

In the Spring Festival couplets in Chaoshan, the word "Spring" with vats is often seen on single doors or in valleys and shrines. The word "spring" has two meanings here: one means that spring returns to the earth and everything is renewed; The first floor skillfully uses the harmony between "spring" and "existence" to express the good wishes for more than a year. This is similar to northerners eating fish at wedding banquets, and the homonym "fish" has the same effect.

Second, have a reunion dinner.

New Year's Eve is approaching after all the houses in every household are completely decorated. Therefore, housewives are busy preparing the most abundant and meaningful reunion dinner in a year.

A family reunion dinner, as its name implies, is a family gathering for dinner during the Chinese New Year, and even the deceased ancestors will never forget it. Therefore, every family should first "worship their husbands" (worship their ancestors) after preparing the reunion dinner. When offering sacrifices to ancestors, the incense burner representing ancestors should be removed from the shrine, put on the altar, and then burn incense to pray and invite ancestors to dinner. Then the old and the young bowed down in turn, fully demonstrating the traditional virtues of the hipsters, being cautious to the end, pursuing the distance, and putting all virtues first. After the sacrifice, the food for ancestor worship was reheated, and a big table was set in the hall, and the whole family sat together in groups of three or five. This is a wonderful time for every family to get together. No matter how far apart they are at ordinary times, or how many bumps and bumps there are at ordinary times, at this time, the family should also talk and laugh, and can't say that they are sad or make any noise.

After dinner, housewives were busy clearing the table, so a cleaning activity began. This time, we don't have to care too much about cleaning, just to clean, unlike at the end of the year, we have to sweep with pine branches and grass. Then he lit a fire in the stove and began to prepare the offering to God tomorrow-vegetarian food.

There are many kinds of vegetarian dishes, including taro, sweet potato, jujube, peanut, taro and sweet potato. All the ingredients of vegetarian dishes should be ready and dried at noon next week. When frying vegetarian dishes, put the iron pot and inject a lot of peanut oil when the fire is good. When the oil boils, mix these materials with the slurry and put them into the pan, which will make squeaks and bubbles in the oil pan. Huang Chengcheng is especially attractive when cooking. At this time, if there are guests at home, the hostess will serve a plate of freshly fried vegetarian dishes, and then soak in mellow congou tea to let you taste delicious Chaoshan snacks.

Third, greet the god of wealth and set off firecrackers.

In recent years, a popular folk activity is to worship the God of Wealth at midnight. Supposedly, on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, the immortals went to heaven, and all the immortals on earth went to heaven to "report their work". However, people prefer to believe that the God of Wealth still does not forget to benefit the world and send wealth to the world when the Spring Festival comes. So at this time, every family should pay homage. As a result, the midnight bell rang, firecrackers roared, and smoke curled up, as if auspicious clouds were auspicious. The cry of "God of Wealth has arrived" added a lot of excitement to this midnight. Many books introduce firecrackers in detail. They were originally used by people to ward off evil spirits. "Chronicle of Jingchu's Age" records: "On the first day of the first month of the first month, the spring and autumn are all day long, and firecrackers are set off in front of the rooster's crow court to get rid of the magic of the mountain." Zong Yi's book seems to have inherited what Dong Fangshuo said in the Western Han Dynasty's "Strange Classics and Wild Classics": There are many people in the Western Hills, and they are more than a foot long and naked. They catch shrimps and crabs and are not afraid of people. Stop when you meet people at night and burn shrimps and crabs at dusk. When people are not here, they steal salt and eat shrimp and crabs. It is called Shan Sao, and its voice calls itself. People were tasting bamboo on the fire, and generate was scared when he came out. It makes people feel hot and cold. Although it is a humanoid change, it also has ghosts and the like, which are seen in the mountains today. What Dong Fangshuo mentioned, even if there is such a thing, is probably just an animal. Later generations spread the wrong information, so firecrackers have the function of avoiding evil spirits and disasters. However, with the gradual weakening of backward consciousness, Chaoshan people set off firecrackers, which rarely contain elements of exorcism, but only add a festive atmosphere to the festival. With the arrival of modern civilization, many large, medium and small cities have begun to ban firecrackers on festivals.

Fourth, give lucky money.

Giving lucky money is an important part of Chaoshan Spring Festival custom. The elders should give money to the younger generation, and those who can earn money should also send money to the elders. Money can't be sent directly to wait for a while, but should be put in a profit bag or wrapped in red paper. This is commonly known as "pressing the abdomen and waist", which means that from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, the pockets will be full of reality and wealth. What is particularly interesting is that when a child sleeps, his parents will put a large bill in his belly pocket and bring it back after waking up.

5. Pay New Year greetings and send "good luck"

Paying New Year greetings, also known as "worshipping the truth", is the first thing people do after getting up in the early morning of the first day and putting on new clothes. It is often the younger generation who wishes the elders first, and then the elders give them expectations. After breakfast, each of them pays a New Year call to relatives and friends. Chaoshan proverb says that "the first day and the second day have the intention of paying New Year greetings, but the third day and the fourth day have no intention of paying New Year greetings." It is said that the sooner you pay a New Year call, the more you can see its sincerity. Therefore, some people go to pay New Year greetings to relatives and friends immediately after getting up, and then eat after coming back.

No matter how many gifts people bring, oranges (Chaozhou oranges) are indispensable. Big orange takes its homonym "Daji". It doesn't matter if you take more and less, but it can't be odd. People who pay New Year greetings enter the doors of relatives and friends, and they should look at different people and say different greetings. Say "Happy New Year" and "Happy Birthday" to the old people.

Compared with Nanshan, the old man will grin; For those who have jobs, saying "smooth work" and "progress in the new year" will make the listeners very happy; If you are a business person, what you hear most is "making a big profit in the New Year" and "making a fortune and benefiting the market"; If it is a child who is studying, there is the most hope.

I hope there is nothing better than learning progress and excellent grades in the new year. Send this greeting to them, and they will be very friendly to you. After being seated, the host will make famous Chaoshan congou tea to entertain the guests. Before leaving, the host will leave two oranges in the gift of the recipient, and then exchange his oranges in order to bring good luck to the other party.

Item. When Xin Zheng, who loves joking, goes out to pay New Year's greetings, he often only puts two big revelations in his trouser pocket. After New Year's greetings, there are two big oranges left in his trouser pocket. Therefore, people who are good at teasing call the New Year's greetings at the beginning of the year "orange-changing movement".

Six, Yan Chun (choose a gift box)

During the Spring Festival, another distinctive folk activity in Chaoshan is "Spring" (Spring, a bamboo woven gift basket with a cover, is usually used in pairs, so it is also called "Spring").

On New Year's Day, the bride's family will give presents to her married daughter. In the past, these gifts were always packed in a pair of Da Chun piles and sent by the married woman's brother. When my brother-in-law arrives, my in-laws will kill chickens and geese and treat them warmly. There is a folk saying that "my uncle is coming to hunt chickens", which is a custom. Among the gifts given by my brother-in-law, besides oranges, there must be dozens of sugarcane, which probably means secretly wishing my daughter a higher life. The richness of gifts is determined by the family's economic situation, but generally speaking, newly-married daughters should prepare rich gifts, otherwise they will be looked down upon by their in-laws; Those who have been married for a long time, even those who are mothers-in-law, are not so particular. Daughter's family received these things and distributed them to relatives and neighbors, which formed a major feature of Chaoshan Spring Festival custom. During the Spring Festival, firecrackers crackled. In addition to paying New Year's greetings, there are many old ladies, carrying flower baskets and red plates, shouting from door to door: "XX Eminem, have something to eat (aunt, snacks are coming)." Because every family has a daughter-in-law, every family has to go out. From this custom, we can see the fashion of Chaoshan people getting close to their neighbors. In addition, if there are separated brothers in the family, the people who send them are distributed according to households.

However, the married daughter can't go back to her family this day. The first time I went to my parents' house, the general idea was that my parents' house was not good.

Seven, family gambling

There are many recreational activities during the Spring Festival, such as wandering, beating gongs and drums, marking flags and guessing games. The custom of "gambling" during the Spring Festival is worth mentioning.

During the Spring Festival, everyone has a rest and money in their pockets. In the streets, crowds of people can be seen gambling everywhere, and more are "family casinos". It is often a family sitting around a table, parents get rich, others bet, and the gambling is turned upside down. But in the end, it's "fat water doesn't flow to outsiders", so there is enough joy, and there is no tension and worry when gambling. Especially housewives who have worked hard for a year and rarely have a chance to play, are more willing to take this opportunity to play. Most families stop gambling after only one night, but the old customs do not change. But some people may also be interested in gambling. If they really gamble, it will make "several families happy and several families sad".

Today, gambling is illegal, so we can't play it. We should completely change this bad habit.

Eight, back to her mother's house (eating day and night)

On the second and third day of the first month, the married daughter goes back to her mother's house to celebrate the New Year with her husband and children. When a daughter returns to her mother's house, there must be a big bag of biscuits and sweets distributed by her mother to her neighbors, just like the scene of the New Year. If there are many daughters at home, and these daughters don't come back on the same day, then we must share one at a time. The gift is quite thin, just four biscuits. However, it reflects a strong feeling. What is the real "courtesy is light and affection is heavy", which expresses the girl's yearning for the villagers. When the girl goes home, if there is a nephew at home, menstruation has to pay again. Although she gave lucky money on New Year's Day, this time it had a different meaning. This custom is called "eating midnight snack" by Chaoshan people. As the name implies, it's just lunch, and the daughter must get back to her husband's house before dinner.

Nine, welcome God to accept the blessing.

The fourth day of the first month is the day of "God" or "meeting God". It turns out that the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month is the "God-sending" day, and all the gods in the underworld have to ascend to heaven to report their work to the Jade Emperor, and report the good and evil of the human behavior in the underworld in the past year. On the fourth day of the first month, he returned to the underworld to continue to supervise people, so every family greeted God on the fourth day. When worshipping God, the rich people have to offer three kinds of sacrifices-chicken, fish and pig's head. If the economy does not allow, they can also be exempted, but a plate of rice and a plate of brown sugar are indispensable. Because offering a plate of white rice means a bumper harvest in the new year; A plate of brown sugar symbolizes the sweetness of life. After the incense burning ceremony, firecrackers will be set off, and then all the immortals will take their places. Interestingly, the temple characters in the village can't be forgotten in all the days when the immortals go to heaven. Why do immortals sacrifice in heaven? Because God is only the "leader" of various gods, their men are still "holding their posts"! Those who are diligent in worship and those who are lazy in worship are registered one by one.

Taboo

Because the first month is the beginning of a year, Chaoshan people often regard it as a sign of good or bad luck in the New Year, so there are many "taboos" during the New Year. In terms of language, all unlucky words such as "broken", "bad", "nothing", "death", "light", "ghost", "killing", "illness", "pain" and "poverty" are taboo. It is also necessary to avoid crying of babies, because crying is "not winning the first prize", which indicates illness and disaster. Therefore, even if the child is in trouble on this day, don't fight or reprimand him, lest he cry endlessly. Behavior, end cup, end plate, end bowl, end plate should be extra careful not to break. When you accidentally break them, taking water is just a form. The custom of prohibiting sweeping the floor is gradually being eliminated, because firecrackers are set off during the Spring Festival, people come and go, and there are a lot of scraps of paper and garbage on the ground. It's really harmful not to clean. Therefore, starting from paying attention to hygiene, many young people are not very particular about these traditional taboo customs.

Creditors are not allowed to collect debts on this day, because it is considered unlucky for both borrowers and borrowers. Also avoid taking things from other people's pockets. People think that pulling out a pocket on the first day of the first month may lead to the danger of being "hollowed out" for one year.

Avoid dead people and funerals, because it will bring bad luck to the family. At the same time, don't have a haircut on this day, because people always associate a haircut with a funeral on this day. On this day, even killing is forbidden. Killing is considered to lead to disasters such as knife disaster, soldier disaster and blood disaster. However, now people's living standards have improved, and they have no scruples about eating fresh food for quick appetite. In terms of diet, taking medicine is strictly prohibited on this day. Otherwise, I think it will lead to illness all the year round and take medicine constantly. There are several ways to avoid eating meat for breakfast on the first day of junior high school: one is to eat this meal quickly, and the effect is equal to one year; Another metaphor is frugality, not extravagance and waste.