What parts of the country have the custom of \"tailing teeth\"?

Fujian and Taiwan. Tailgate is a traditional folk festival in Fujian and Southern Fujian.

Origin of the festival:

The last festival of the year is held on December 16 of the lunar calendar, which is commonly known as the "tailing of the teeth". There is an old poem, "A year's worth of reward for the cup of wine, 10,000 cigarettes to thank the God of the earth", which is the old poets described the tailing of the teeth scene. In the first line, "a cup of wine" is an allusion to the Song dynasty's "release of military power by a cup of wine", which means that the proprietor wants to dismiss his employees; and in the second line, every household pays tribute to the God of the Earth at the time of the "tailing of the teeth" festival.

After worshipping the God of the Earth on the birthday of the God of the Earth on the second day of the second month of the second lunar month, the proprietor would invite his employees to a banquet. On the 16th day of the twelfth month of the twelfth lunar month, the merchants, in order to thank the God of the Earth for his care during the year, would prepare rich offerings to thank the God of the Earth, and what they got from the worshipping would be given to the employees as rewards.

In the early days, businessmen or factories that wanted to fire their employees or workers would use the meal to hint at their dismissal. However, in the old days, people were more generous and would not just fire their employees if they were not failing, or if the owner's business was not doing well. The way of dismissal was not to issue a notice of dismissal or to send off the workers, but to hint at it in the tailgate dinner, informing the employees that they were being dismissed.

Extended information:

Regional and Cultural Differences in Tailgating:

1, Taiwanese tailgate:

Taiwanese people have "tailgate", and the mainland end of the year party is somewhat similar. Taiwan's folk lunar calendar on the second and sixteenth of each month, there is the custom of worshipping the God of the land (Fude Zheng Shen), a variety of offerings on the table, so that the God of the land, "tooth sacrifice", the so-called "tooth".

There is a folk saying called "February 2 (Land God's birthday) to honor the land", to the last time of the year, that is, Lunar New Year's Day 16 is known as the "tail tooth". On this day, the people's homes are to prepare livestock to worship the Land God, the family reunion to eat "tail teeth", but also to eat "Run cake" (Xiamen, called "thin cake", similar to the mainland common) "spring cake"), in order to seek the next year, the family rich and moist.

2, Fujian people's tail teeth:

Putian folk "tail teeth festival", more grand, there is a small year of the name.

Putian people over the "Tail Teeth Festival" is to pay attention to, sacrificial incense, paper, candles must not be less, for the table fruits, meats, pasta must be complete, businessmen pay particular attention to the Putian business is also adhering to the spirit of integrity of the Chen Miya achievements, many big bosses want to eat with the staff of the teeth feast, saying "As long as together ate the tooth feast, next year will certainly be together to continue to struggle in unity."

"Do teeth" time to be in front of the door, with fruit, wine, such as fried rice noodles, fried noodles, sweet meatballs, chickens, ducks and pigs of various meats, as well as shrimp and so on. Some people say that there should be no fish, because there is a "decline as fish".

Other families prefer to keep it simple and use only dry products, such as apples, pears, bananas, tea and wine, as well as meat buns, cookies and other pastries as offerings. Then the burning of incense, tribute silver, silver paper, etc. begins.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Tailgate