The origin and customs of off-year in southern China

The historical origin of off-year in South China: According to the literature, due to the influence of traditional cultural differences, off-year has different times in North and South China. The off-year in northern China is usually the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, while the off-year in southern China is usually the 24th of the twelfth lunar month.

In Song Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, December 23rd of the lunar calendar was New Year's Eve, and it was also a time to hold ceremonies to worship ancestors. Because the north was the former political center, deeply influenced by bureaucracy, it followed the imitation, but relatively speaking, the south was far from the political center, so the off-year in the south has been fixed as the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, which is still in use today.

The off-year customs in the south include offering sacrifices to stoves, removing dust, eating rice cakes and eating zongzi.

1, offering sacrifices to stoves: The New Year Festival is also called offering sacrifices to stoves. People will sacrifice stoves on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, and the kitchen god will stick on the wall next to the stove, facing the bellows. Most of the couplets on both sides are "Heaven speaks well, the lower bound is safe", and the lower couplet also says "Go back to the palace for good luck", and it is horizontally approved as "the head of the family". In the middle is the idol of the husband and wife in the kitchen, and two horses are often painted next to the idol as mounts.

2. Dust removal: northerners call it "sweeping the floor" and southerners call it "dust removal". In the south, every household should clean the house and windows, wash clothes, wash pots and pans, and have a thorough cleaning. A few days ago, every family cleaned the house, which meant not to let the kitchen god take the soil away.

3. Eat rice cakes: Rice cakes, also known as "rice cakes", are homophonic for "getting taller every year". Eating rice cakes means that people's work and life are getting better and better year by year.

4. Eat Nianzongzi: Nanning people have the custom of eating Nianzongzi in the New Year. As the saying goes, "Nianzongzi is the year of high school", and Nianzongzi is a symbol of good luck in the New Year.

Northern off-year customs

1, king of men

Off-year is also a day of folk sacrifice. According to folklore, every year on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, Kitchen God will tell the Jade Emperor about the good and evil of this family and let the Jade Emperor reward and punish them. Kitchen God's duty is to take charge of the kitchen fire and manage the diet. The kitchen god belief is a reflection of the pursuit of food and clothing dreams.

Step 2 eat stove candy

As the saying goes, "Twenty-three, honeydew melon sticks". When I was young, people would buy candied melons, candied Kwangtung, sesame candy and other sacrifices to pray that the kitchen god would be sweeter and say good things from heaven.

Step 3 Eat jiaozi

Jiaozi is used to eating it in the northern New Year's Eve, which means to bid farewell to Kitchen God and "send away the windward side of jiaozi". When offering sacrifices, jiaozi should be placed on the platform.

Step 4 cut the window grilles

Cutting window grilles is one of the most popular folk activities in the north. There are all kinds of animals and plants. Hanging window grilles means that the new year is getting better and better. Cut out the window grilles and stick them in a clean room, which naturally adds a lot of joy to the family.

Step 5 clean the house

During the off-year period, the room should be thoroughly cleaned, commonly known as dusting. Sweep the dust is to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and remove the ominous. The homonym of "dust" and "Chen" has placed people's desire to get rid of the old and create the new, as well as their prayers to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, so as to sweep away all "bad luck".