Composition of New Year Customs in Ningbo

The first day of the first month is the Spring Festival, formerly known as New Year's Day. On that day, people get up early and put on new clothes, hats and shoes to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. It is said that in the new year, you can walk lightly by putting on new shoes that have never been on the ground. After the host gets up, he opens the door by reciting auspicious words and sets off firecrackers at the door, which is called "opening the door gun". Generally, there are three guns when you open the door, so you need to "take four and put three" and keep one as a "spare gun". In Ningbo dialect, the publication here is "Spare Gun". The higher the firecrackers are set, the louder the sound, which indicates good luck in the new year. If it is a "blow, blow, blow" squib, it is unlucky. You should say at once, "Oh, blow it, you will make a fortune this year." And add one immediately.

A big clan, a big family, worships the portraits of their ancestors in the ancestral hall or the middle hall (in front of the hall). Generally, the portraits of ancestors within five generations are synonymous with "for the frame", "for the shadow" and "for the golden purple". In some ancestral temples, men 16 years old can worship, except women. A pair of hair pin cakes (also called auspicious cakes) or two bowls are divided by the person in charge in turn. Young people of all families worship their elders in turn, which is called "worshipping the old". New Year's Eve has been divided into "lucky money", wrapped in red paper and pressed under the pillows of young people, so it is called "lucky money".

On that day, eating jiaozi in the morning means reunion. Some families are vegetarian all day. The biggest feature of this custom is to let household utensils "rest" for one day, that is, let housewives rest, not sweeping the floor, not asking for fire (not lighting others or cigarettes), not killing animals, not moving knives and scissors, not emptying toilets, not washing clothes, not abusing children or saying unlucky things. Don't say "early" when we meet in the morning, because you said it would attract more fleas this year. If you stumble, you should immediately say, "Oh, I dropped my gold ingot." This night, if you don't sleep before fainting, if you don't light a lamp, it means that lighting a lamp this year will attract more mosquitoes and flies. Before going to bed, put a "closing gun". Don't go out at night, commonly known as "Christmas Eve".

From the second day of the seventh lunar month to the eighth day of the eighth lunar month, every family goes out to visit relatives and friends. Generally, they go to relatives first, then go to distant relatives, take care of their husbands, nephews and uncles, and treat each other with banquets, which is called "Chinese New Year's dinner" and "Chinese New Year's wine".

The fifth day of May is the God of Wealth Day, which is the most important day for business people. It is called "opening the market" after "recruiting the God of Wealth". Some Buddhists don't look back when they walk on the seventh night of the seventh lunar month, but worship the eight temples in the eighth lunar month, commonly known as "walking on the seven bridges" and "worshiping the eight temples".

In the meantime, folk entertainment activities include Dragon Lantern, Happy Lantern and big-head monk dance Dance. A little different from other places is "pretending to sweep the floor", that is, beggars (called "rich people" at this time) carry baskets, hold brooms decorated with red balls in their hands, pretend to sweep the floor, and sing slang songs: "Hold up the golden broom and Riggs (like a voice) will sweep it. Sweeping eastward, there are Qinglong, Qinglong rice jar and Huanglong barn in the boss's room; Sweeping to the south, the boss made a fortune in the house, Da Yuanbao made a raft, and Xiao Yuanbao made a boat. "