What are the characteristics and customs of off-year

What are the characteristics and customs of off-year

What are the characteristics and customs of off-year Off-year is one of the traditional festivals in China, also known as the Festival of Sacrificing Kitchen, the Festival of Kitchen God and the Festival of Cleaning Dust. However, due to regional differences, the date has changed accordingly. Let's take a look at the characteristics and customs of off-year together.

What are the characteristics and customs of off-year 1 off-year? It doesn't mean one day. Because local customs are different, the days called off-year are different. For example, the northern region is the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, and most southern regions are the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month. Off-year also means that people should start preparing for the new year and have a good year, which expresses the good wishes of the working people in China to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.

On this day of off-year, every household should thoroughly clean the room, commonly known as sweeping the dust, in order to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and remove the ominous. We should also stick the cut window grilles in a clean room to add joy to our families in the New Year. In China, every household has to post Spring Festival couplets. People pay attention to the day, home and things. There is also the custom of setting off firecrackers in small holidays. People in China like to be lively in festivals, and firecrackers can add to the festive atmosphere. In addition to these, there are people who eat candy, get married, take a shower and get a haircut.

What are the specific customs of off-year

The specific custom of off-year is to offer sacrifices to stoves.

The common people think that the Kitchen God is their own protector, and almost every kitchen has a Kitchen God. Kitchen shrines are mostly located in the north or east of the kitchen, with the idol of Kitchen God in the middle. Even people who don't have the niche of the Kitchen King will stick the idol directly on the wall. Some gods only draw a kitchen god, while others have two men and women. The goddess is called "Grandma Chef". This is probably to imitate the image of human couples, and to worship Zhang Dan and his original wife Lilac in folklore as the kitchen god and his grandmother. This year's calendar is also printed on the statue of Kitchen God, with the words "Chef in charge of the East", "Guardian of the World" and "Head of the Family" written on it to show the status of Kitchen God. On both sides, there are couplets of "Heaven says yes, the lower bound is safe", wishing the whole family peace. All this shows the people's good expectations for the kitchen god and their yearning for a happy life.

Sacrifice to the kitchen stove is a ceremony to send the kitchen god to heaven, also known as "resignation of the kitchen stove" and "sending the kitchen stove", which is usually held at dusk. The ceremony of offering sacrifices to the stove is relatively simple: the family first goes to the stove room and paints the stove with clean mud, which is called "hanging robes". Sacrifices such as caramel, honeydew melon, cold water, and fodder for the kitchen god horse are put on, and incense is burned to the kitchen god located in the shrine on the kitchen wall. Then the kitchen god put maltose in his mouth and said "say more good things, but don't say bad things", or put distiller's grains on the kitchen door, which is called "let life slip past you". Then he took down the idol and burned it with the paper horse and horse fodder used by the kitchen god to ascend to heaven.

What are the characteristics and customs of off-year Off-year is one of the traditional festivals in China, also known as the Festival of Sacrificing Kitchen, the Festival of Kitchen God and the Festival of Cleaning Dust. However, due to regional differences, the date has changed accordingly. The off-year in the northern region has come, and the time is the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. The arrival of the new year is the beginning of the new year, and also expresses people's good wishes for the new year.

The historical origin of off-year in North China

In traditional festivals, off-year is also called the beginning of a busy year. When the new year comes, people begin to prepare all kinds of things needed for the new year, and at the same time, it will bring new changes to the family, which means to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. However, due to the different customs and cultures in each region, there are some differences in the time during the off-year period. There is a popular saying in our country that three officials, four boats and five. The implication is that the official's off-year is the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, while the ordinary people's off-year is the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. The house and boat celebrate the New Year, on the 25th of the twelfth lunar month. According to historical records, in the middle and late Qing Dynasty, emperors would worship the kitchen god on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, so people in the north followed suit and fixed the off-year on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month.

Customs and traditions of off-year in northern China

When the Northern New Year comes, people will greet the New Year with the idea of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, aiming at cleaning every corner of the family. In addition, traditionally, every northerner pays the most attention to jiaozi. Therefore, on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, jiaozi will appear. Eating jiaozi on New Year's Eve means seeing jiaozi off in the wind. On the other hand, the food in the north is mainly pasta. Therefore, on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, on the day of offering sacrifices to stoves, specialty foods such as sesame seed cake stalls and burning fires are thriving and very popular. Especially when offering sacrifices to the kitchen god, every household will buy honeydew melon, Guandong sugar, sesame sugar and so on. Used for sacrifice, hoping to get God's protection in the new year.

Taboo items in northern off-year

According to historical records, there is a folk saying that men don't Yue Bai and women don't sacrifice stoves. The purpose of this sentence is to explain that boys can't go out to enjoy the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and girls can't attend sacrifices in the off-year period. As the saying goes, every other year is Chinese New Year. Therefore, when the New Year comes, it is a bad morality to lend out your own belongings or others' belongings. The original intention is to prevent yourself from embarking on the road of debt collection and repayment in the new year. Therefore, before doing anything, we need to make corresponding judgments and choices according to traditional culture, so as to better prevent the destruction of the new year's new atmosphere.

What are the characteristics and customs of off-year The third year comes from a folklore.

According to folklore, on the 23rd (or 24th) day of the twelfth lunar month, Kitchen God will report the good and evil of each family to the Jade Emperor, so that the Jade Emperor can reward and punish them. The common people feel that they must respect the kitchen god, so there is a "off-year" among the people to worship the kitchen god on the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month and pray for peace and good luck in the coming year.

Off-year, also known as the festival of offering sacrifices to stoves, does not refer to a single date. The northern region is the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, and the southern region is the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai call "the 24th of the twelfth lunar month" and "New Year's Eve" off-year holidays, while Nanjing calls the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month off-year holidays.

The difference between South Year and North Year

In essence, there is no difference between the north and the south. They all sweep goods, buy new year's goods and decorate houses.

In order to distinguish classes, the official festival is on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, and the folk festival is on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. Coastal areas and mountainous areas are far from the Central Plains, so they have their own festivals.

The time difference in off-year is the 24th of the twelfth lunar month in the south and the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month in the north. From the Yongzheng period, every year on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the emperors of the Qing Dynasty would offer sacrifices to the gods in Kunning Palace. In order to save money, the emperor also offered sacrifices to the kitchen god. Later, the royal family and Baylor followed suit and sacrificed stoves on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. Since then, officials and people have had different off-year lives.

What are the characteristics and customs of off-year 4 take a bath and get a haircut.

There is a folk saying that "if you have money, you will shave your head for the New Year". Bathing and hairdressing activities are mostly concentrated around off-year.

Marry in disorder

After the age of 23, people think that the gods have gone to heaven and everything has been forgiven. You don't have to choose a date to marry a daughter-in-law and prostitution. This is called rushing to get married. Folk songs include "busy marriage in Yan village, and spring scenery in Yichun post." The sisters in front of the lamp whispered privately, this year is the bridal chamber. "

Thoroughly clean up

"Dust" and "Chen" are homophonic, so the purpose of sweeping dust is to get rid of the old and welcome the new, and remove the ominous. Broom sweeps up and down the wall, scrubs tables and chairs, cleans the ground ... every household should be thoroughly cleaned, leaving no dead ends, so that the windows are bright and clean. At the same time, on the day of off-year, there is also a saying that "you have money but no money, and you shave your head for the New Year".

Making rice cakes on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month is commonly known as "off-year". People in Wuxuan, Guiping and other places in Guangxi have the custom of making rice cakes. The rice cake is made of glutinous rice flour as the main material, peanuts, sesame seeds and sugar as the ingredients, put into a mold to make it round, and then steamed at high temperature, with a unique flavor and the meaning of "round and round".

Eat "Nianzong"

Nanning people had the custom of eating "Nianzong" in their early years. Nianzong is a symbol of good luck in the New Year. As the saying goes, "every year, every year, every year, high school (zong)." The New Year's Zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival is different from Liang Zongzi. It has stuffing, big and small, long and short, round and flat. After peeling off the leaves, the skin is glutinous rice, and the stuffing is mung bean and pork. Some people use their favorite food as stuffing.

Eat rice cake

In the south, it is a tradition in many places to make rice cakes on this day. The rice cake, also known as "rice cake", is homophonic with "high year by year", which means that people's work and life are improving year by year.

Kill a pig

In Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County, there is a custom of killing pigs for the New Year in Landong of Lotus, Xinhe of Xiling and Shuian Village of Guanyin. After the Lunar New Year's Eve (the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month), there will be a lively drama to kill the pig. Pick out the best meat, stir-fry or stew it, cook it carefully, then hold a glass of wine and invite relatives and friends to eat the first fresh meat after the pig is slaughtered.

What are the characteristics and customs of the festival?

The custom of offering sacrifices to stoves has a long history. Kitchen God, in the Xia Dynasty, has become a respected god. In the Analects of Confucius, which describes Kong Qiu's words and deeds in the Spring and Autumn Period, there is a saying that "it is better to be charming than beautiful". In the pre-Qin period, the sacrifice furnace was one of the "five sacrifices" (the five sacrifices were the five gods of sacrifice furnace, door, line, household and thunder). Ray is the land god. The other is doors, wells, households, stoves and lightning; Or lines, wells, households, stoves, thunder). When offering sacrifices to the stove, you should establish a spirit and make a sacrifice with rich wine and food. It is necessary to display tripods, arrange water beans, welcome corpses and so on. With obvious traces of primitive fetishism.

There are always different opinions on the dates of offering sacrifices to stoves in ancient times, such as the first month, April, May, August and December. In the feudal society of China, various religions coexisted, and the number of gods reached thousands, which was respected by folk customs. Perhaps in order to simplify unity, facilitate memory and operation, the saying that Kitchen God goes to heaven once a month has evolved into going to heaven once a year. And set the time on the 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month. This day has become a traditional festival for offering sacrifices to stoves.

Eat jiaozi in the second year.

On the festival of offering sacrifices to stoves, people pay attention to eating jiaozi, which means "look down on the windward side of jiaozi". Eat more cakes and buckwheat noodles in mountainous areas. In the southeast of Shanxi, the custom of eating fried corn is popular. A folk proverb says, "Twenty-three, don't eat fried, on New Year's Eve-pour it all at once." People like to bond fried corn with maltose and freeze it into pieces, which tastes crisp and sweet.

Xiao nian Jian Chuang Hua

Among all the preparations, cutting window grilles and stick grilles are the most popular folk activities. There are all kinds of animal and plant stories, such as plum blossom of magpie, peach willow of swallow, peony of peacock, rolling hydrangea of lion, opening Thai of Sanyang (Yang), beating pearls of Erlong, Toona sinensis of Luhe (Liuhe Tongchun), longevity of five bats (Fu), moon-gazing of rhinoceros, Nianyu of Lianlian (the rest) and swimming of Yuanyang. Folk customs include "Da Deng Dian, Du Ermei, Three Mothers teach four places, five women celebrate their birthdays, six are in the snow, the seventh day of July is Tianhe, and nine clothes celebrate the birthday of the Eight Immortals", which reflects the folk preference for opera stories. In a family with a new daughter-in-law, the new daughter-in-law should bring all kinds of window grilles cut by herself and go back to her husband's house to put up windows, and the neighbors will come to see them.

Xiaozhengnian huamo

After the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, every household should steam steamed bread. Generally speaking, it can be divided into two types: worshipping God and visiting relatives. The former is solemn, while the latter is gorgeous. Especially to make a jujube hill for Kitchen God. "A steamed bread, neighbors to help". This is often a great opportunity for folk women to show their dexterity. Steamed bread is a handicraft.

Write Spring Festival couplets in the New Year.

After the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, every household will write Spring Festival couplets. People pay attention to it, and God will stick it, and doors will stick it, and things will stick it, so Spring Festival couplets have the largest number and the most complete content. The couplets in front of the statues are particularly particular, and they are mostly words of admiration and blessing. Heaven and earth have something in common: "the grace of heaven is as deep as the sea, and the virtue of the earth is as heavy as the mountain"; Land God Union: "White jade is born in the soil, and gold is born in the ground"; God of wealth alliance: "God of wealth in heaven, God of wealth on earth"; Jing Shenlian: "Well can lead to the four seas, and home can lead to the three rivers". The granary and the Spring Festival couplets in the granary are warm celebrations and expressions of hope. For example, "the grain is abundant and the six livestock are prosperous"; "The rice surface is as thick as a mountain, and the oil and salt are as deep as the sea"; "Nanshan cattle are like tigers, Beihai Ma Rulong"; "Big sheep flourish every year, and little sheep increase every month" and so on. There are also some single couplets, such as "Looking up to see happiness" in each room, "Going out to see happiness" across the door, "Prosperity is soaring to the sky" on the fire, "The courtyard is full of gold" on the tree, and "Deep-rooted foliage" on the stone mill. The couplets on the gate are the facade of a family, which are particularly exquisite, lyrical or picturesque, rich in content and witty.

Xiaonian haircut

After the 23 rd day of the twelfth lunar month, adults and children should take a bath and have their hair cut. There is a folk saying that "if you have money, you can cut your hair to celebrate the New Year". Luliang area pays attention to washing feet on the 27th of the twelfth lunar month. Mother-in-law and your son washed their feet with boiling water tonight. Adults should also help a girl who is not sensible to scrub her feet clean, leaving no dirt. There is a folk saying that on the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, your mother-in-law washes your feet. As the saying goes, if you don't wash your feet, pus will harm water for seven months.

Can you clean the house in the off-year

Off-year can clean the house.

Clean-up in the off-year is commonly known as sweeping the dust. The purpose of sweeping the dust is to get rid of the old and welcome the new, and to get rid of the ominous, but also to prepare for the New Year.

People think that "dust" and "Chen" are homophonic, and sweeping dust in the Spring Festival means "getting rid of the old and not being new", which is intended to sweep away all "bad luck" and "bad luck". This custom has placed people's desire to break the old and create new ones and their prayers to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.

People call this period "Spring Festival" or "Dust Day". Dust removal is year-end cleaning, which is called "house cleaning" in the north and "dust removal" in the south. It is a traditional habit of our people to sweep the dust before the Spring Festival. Whenever the Spring Festival comes, every household should clean the environment, clean all kinds of electrical appliances, remove and wash bedding curtains, sweep six yards, dust cobwebs and dredge culverts in open channels. North and south of the great river, everywhere is filled with the atmosphere of being willing to engage in hygiene and welcoming the Spring Festival cleanly.

Do you eat jiaozi during the Spring Festival? Yes

Lunar New Year's Eve is also called the Festival of Sacrificing Kitchen. Some people are kings, sweeping dust, cutting window grilles and other customs. This is determined by the date of the lunar calendar. Generally speaking, the northern off-year is the 23rd lunar month, and the southern off-year is the 24th lunar month.

Jiaozi will be seen in almost every festival in the north, but eating jiaozi on New Year's Eve is "you can't see the windward side of jiaozi". When offering sacrifices, jiaozi should be placed on the platform. In addition, there is a folk saying "delicious but not as good as jiaozi". During the Spring Festival, jiaozi has become an indispensable food.

What's so particular about off-year in the north?

First, women don't sacrifice stoves.

There is a saying among the people that men don't Yue Bai and women don't sacrifice stoves; It means that men can't go out to enjoy the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival, and women don't participate in sacrifices on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month.

Second, the whole family will come to the kitchen.

There is a folk saying that the whole family should come to the kitchen instead of the kitchen. It means that people in other places will go home before the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month to prepare for the Spring Festival.

Third, off-year taboo killing.

Some rural areas are forbidden. The 23rd of the twelfth lunar month is a traditional off-year holiday. Don't slaughter animals during the holidays. Animals are also creatures. Don't be angry when you are young.

Fourth, steamed bread is not given away.

According to local customs, off-year buns should not be given away. People think that off-year buns are used to worship the heavens and ancestors and are not suitable for giving away.

Five, off-year taboo Dao garlic

Local customs prohibit garlic from being mashed in the coming year. According to the older generation, if garlic is smashed in the second year, the luck of the new year will be smashed.

Sixth, don't borrow things in the off-year.

In some rural areas, it is forbidden to borrow things from others in off-year and from other people's homes, because off-year is as important as New Year's Day, and borrowing and being borrowed have bad meanings.

Seven, off-year taboo debt collection

People think that you can't collect debts on this day of off-year, otherwise there will be a moral of collecting debts every day of the year.

Eight, off-year taboo credit.

Folk believe that if you go out to buy things in off-year and don't give credit to others, you will owe one year a day.