Zhao 'an's Spring Festival custom

Study of Hakka in Guanbei during Spring Festival

My hometown, Guanpi, Zhaoan, is a place where Hakkas live in compact communities. Some of the Spring Festival customs here are similar to those in other places, while others are unique.

When did the "Year" of "Chinese New Year" begin? My folks think it should be counted from the 25th of the twelfth lunar month. On the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, it is a "dust removal day", and every household cleans and welcomes the New Year. On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Hakkas called it "Entering the Year Frame". The so-called "entering the year frame" is the "frame" for entering the year, which has arrived. There is a folk saying that "Chinese New Year should be well spoken". From this day on, people should be polite, civilized, not swearing, not quarreling, and even taboo words should be avoided, such as "four" and "death". When a child is four years old, it is called "two pairs of years old". When visiting other people's homes, you can't step on the threshold, but cross it; If you borrow money or things from others, you must be honest. You must return them before the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. However, if someone borrows money or something from you, the other party does have difficulties and can't pay it for a while. On the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, you can't take them back, let alone force them to live a good year.

On New Year's Eve, almost every household will kill chickens and ducks and go shopping to buy fish, meat and eggs. In the evening, the family sat around the fire to have a New Year's Eve dinner, which was a reunion dinner. There are rich dishes on the table, and they must be 12 plates; A lot of white rice is cooked in the bowl, because it takes a whole day on the first day of the first month, which means that there is food all year round. There are also glutinous rice balls (that is, rice cakes), vegetable dumplings, "bean turtles" and so on. Put a charcoal stove under the table. When you start eating, sprinkle a handful of salt and make a "crackling" sound. The atmosphere is warm. After the New Year's Eve, everyone will have a "farewell ceremony". First of all, the younger generation will salute the elders in turn. The younger generation who has married and married will give the elders red envelopes, and then the elders will give the younger generation "lucky money". Then, put the cake and fruit on the stove to worship Mr. Kitchen. Although the chef has gone to heaven at this time, people still worship him piously. At night, you should put four things in the four corners of the stove, which is called "pressing the stove". These four things are: fresh vegetable heads with tassels, charcoal, oranges and bank notes. The head of the vegetable is circled with red paper to show a good look; The Hakka dialect of "charcoal" is homophonic with "earning", which means making money; Oranges symbolize good luck; Money means money for the coming year.

Midnight on New Year's Eve, 1 1 till the next day 1. Then, as soon as we arrived at 1 1, firecrackers exploded in the tulou. This is people's worship of righteousness. At dawn, people put on new clothes, shoes or hats and go out to visit relatives and friends. When you meet, you should say a few words of congratulations to each other, such as "Congratulations on getting rich!" "Health and longevity!" "Eat one hundred and twenty years old!" When the guests come home, the host will take out the fruit bowl and warmly invite them to eat candy or oranges. In the past, my hometown used to eat vegetarian food all day on New Year's Day, but now most people eat breakfast. Vegetarian dishes also need 12 plates (including small plates, some of the same dishes can be divided into two plates). Four vegetarian dishes are indispensable, that is, pickled cabbage head, tofu, "glutinous rice" and spinach. The head of the dish means lewd; Tofu symbolizes wealth; "It's a common name, the scientific name is Qiu, and the bulb is called" Tou ". "Homophonic with" Qiao "means that after eating it, you are more enlightened, smarter and smarter. Spinach is called "all kinds of seed vegetables" in Hakka dialect, which means all kinds of beautiful things and good luck. "Everyone" is the same. Being a vegetarian on the first day of the first lunar month also has some merits from the health point of view, because eating a lot of fish and meat on New Year's Eve is greasy. Being a vegetarian on the first day of the first month can be adjusted.

On New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, the hall and all rooms should be lit all night, which means lights. From a distance, the earth building is like a big lantern, shining in the mountain basin, which is spectacular.

On the second day of the first month, it is the day when my daughter returns to her family. On this day, regardless of the daughter's long marriage, she will return to her family with gifts. Some daughters go to their parents' home for pig legs, chickens, ducks and zongzi to honor their parents on New Year's Eve. People call it "sending the year".

From the second day of the first month, there will be a lively worship activity in my hometown-taking Emperor Guan back to his hometown to see. On weekdays, Emperor Guan was enshrined in the Xiashan Hall in the world building, and he began to travel on the second day of the Lunar New Year. On this day, it was carried from Tianxialou to Yutian Building, on the third day to Xincheng Building, on the fourth day to Zai Tian Building, on the fifth day to Anbian Building, on the sixth day to Shui Mei Building and on the seventh day to Tianxialou. When seeing off, the villagers beat gongs and drums, held colorful flags, set off firecrackers along the way, and some even magnified their spears, shaking the earth. That night, the square outside the Tulou was crowded with people, or acting, or showing movies, or dancing lions, which enriched the festival cultural life of Tulou.

My Hakka folks sent Zao Jun to heaven on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month to "report" the good and evil on earth to the Jade Emperor. After "business", Chef Jun returned to earth on the fifth day of the first month. On the fourth night, people should prepare two barrels of clear water and leave them at home. When the chef came back from riding, his horse was sweating and thirsty. These two buckets of water are for him to drink.

On the fifth day of the fifth year, one year has passed, and it is time to "open the year box" and work in the fields; Those who want to travel far can also set off on this day.