Text | Sun Zhiqiang
About author:Sun Zhiqiang, Jiaxing teacher, reading and writing enthusiast, retired as the editor-in-chief of "Xiuzhou District Military Chronicle" and "Oil Truck Port Town Chronicle".
The first day of the first lunar month is called New Year's Day in ancient times, and after the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, it is renamed spring festival, so the Chinese people call the Spring Festival new year. This is the most grand and grand traditional festival of the folk year, it carries people's warm emotions and good expectations, so everywhere has formed a very ritualistic New Year folk custom that has both commonality and personality.
"Jiahe Nian Customs" is one of them.
If it is said that after drinking Laba porridge, the preparation of New Year goods, sweeping the court, sending stoves, making sugar cakes, and killing pigs are the preparation and prologue of the New Year, then the real New Year is from the Chinese New Year's Eve.
Chinese New Year's Eve, people cleaned their homes, cleaned up the hall houses like a decent one, and then posted the Spring Festival, invited the door god, a joy and peace. Chunlian, folk called pairs. The traditional pairs are: "Unity is restored, everything is renewed", "Loyalty has been passed down from family to family for a long time, poetry and books have been passed down for a long time", "Xiangyang Gate spring is always there, and the accumulation of good people is more than enough".
Not only is the door pasted, but also "full of spring light" is pasted in the yard, the grain hoard is pasted with "five grains and abundant", and the pig shed mouth is pasted with "six animals are prosperous". The children's favorite is the "door god", and the ones who hold this position are Qin Qiong, Wei Chi Jingde, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. These door gods are very powerful with large knives, spears, and wolf's tooth sticks.
It is said that the god of the door can drive away evil spirits and avoid ghosts, and protect the family, because people pray for an auspicious, peaceful, happy and happy new year.
On the afternoon of the same day, every household will hold a solemn ceremony to worship the ancestors of the gods. The sacrifices were as rich as possible, and those who were still well-off had to offer the entire pig's head and a large white rooster with a few golden hairs on its tail, and some of the tribute tables were surrounded by exquisite brocade tables.
At this time, the red candles were burning high, the cigarettes were swirling, and the whole family prostrated their heads with a pious face, and chanted words in their mouths to pray to the heavens to bless the years of peace and abundance.
The most important ritual of the New Year is to eat the reunion meal commonly known as the Chinese New Year's Eve meal. Even the wanderers who are thousands of miles away have to do everything possible to rush home, so that now they have formed a rare "Spring Festival" in the world. People put all the ingredients and cooking skills into the Chinese New Year's Eve meal, and pay attention to the "mouth color".
The indispensable hoofs symbolize reunion; the peanuts that Jiaxing people call "longevity fruit" mean "immortality"; soybean sprouts are called "ruyi dishes", sauce simmered eggs are called "yuanbao eggs", and fish indicate "more than every year", all of which take their auspicious meanings. At the same time, if the rice in the bowl cannot be eaten, there must be some left, called "rice hoarding".
Chinese New Year's Eve rice is eaten with joy and family affection, and what is smelled in the aroma of wisps of food is the smell of home. The family is happy to talk about the world together. After eating Chinese New Year's Eve night, the elders will give the children the door to "press the old money", which is the time when they are most happy.
Chinese New Year's Eve night, there is also the custom of keeping the age. The whole family gathers together, lights candles or lights, sits around and chats to welcome the New Year. Later, with television and the "Spring Festival Gala", wives and children enjoyed the "Spring Festival Gala", the most abundant spiritual feast of the people of the whole country.
At this moment, in particular, the elderly can get the greatest psychological comfort and satisfaction. The elderly are relieved to see their children and grandchildren full of children and grandchildren, and the younger generation can also take this opportunity to express gratitude to their parents for their parenting grace.
Chinese New Year's Eve night just after twelve o'clock, the early people began to set off firecrackers, and the neighbors were not far behind, and everyone was scrambling to win the lottery. Throughout the city and the countryside, firecrackers were fired in unison, deafening. As Wang Anshi, one of the eight masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, said: "In the sound of firecrackers, one year old is removed, and the spring breeze sends warmth into TuSu." Thousands of pupils day, always replace the new peach with the old charm"
。 Nowadays, the government attaches great importance to safety and environmental protection, and explicitly prohibits the display of fireworks and firecrackers in the third ring road, so only the countryside is still practicing this custom.
On the morning of the first day of the first year, every household was illuminated with lights, the big red blessing characters were plastered all over the courtyard, and the "full hall red" firecrackers that were burned were scattered all over the ground, and the clouds were splendid, and everywhere was a lively scene of spring returning to the earth and being full of joy.
According to the Qing Dynasty's "Ancient He Miscellaneous Knowledge", "At the dawn of New Year's Day, I heard the sound of firecrackers burning, which is called opening the door and exploding, first worshiping buddha statues, ancestral temples, second worship of the elders, food reunion bait, longevity noodles." It is commonly said that you cannot eat soup and rice, eat it, and go out in the rain for a year. On that day, pilgrims fill the streets and alleys, with the City God Temple as the most noisy."
Later, the residents of Jiaxing changed to the XiaocaoWang Temple outside the South Gate to burn incense, and the first one was Daji, and now some believers have been diverted to Juehai Temple. People put on new clothes and dress themselves up beautifully. Everyone greeted each other and congratulated each other on the New Year.
Some people on the street buy New Year paintings, eat and sell, some visit temple fairs, watch juggling, and everywhere is full of a strong festive atmosphere. On this day, it is traditionally not to sweep the garbage, otherwise it is said that good luck will be swept away and wealth will be thrown away.
From the second year of junior high school, people brought gifts and began to visit relatives and friends. After sitting down, the host will invite the guests to drink rice and tea sweet, and then everyone will talk about the parents' short, exchange various information, and have endless words. The children joyfully took the Red Envelope of The New Year.
The fifth day of the first month of the first month is said to be the "birthday of the god of wealth", which is also recorded in the "Ancient He Miscellaneous Knowledge": "On the fourth day of the first month, the stove is picked up in the afternoon, and the road is connected at night, and there are two hanging lights in front of the door of everyone's small household." The nave is furnished with fruits, flour balls, fish and meat, etc."
"Lutou" is what the folk call "five-way god of wealth", especially those who run businesses and factories, set up an altar from midnight on the fourth day of the first month to the early morning of the next day, with brilliant lights and candles to welcome the god of wealth, at this time, fireworks and firecrackers were once again set off, and flocked to the temple of wealth to "change the yuan treasure".
The fifteenth day of the first month is the "Lantern Festival", also known as the "Shangyuan Festival". Eat tangyuan together on the same day, and greet the lights at night. According to the old rules, shangyuan lantern city on the thirteenth day of the first month to seventeen lights. The lamp has five colors, bright angles, official yarn, ink removal, material silk, etc., exquisite workmanship, and a wide range of styles.
In the old days, Jiaxing Lanterns would start from the Lotus Causeway and go through North Avenue to Dongmen Xuangong Bridge. The team opens the way with fire meteors, accompanied by silk and bamboo orchestras, as well as folk songs and dances such as stilts, swinging lake boats, terraces, and ground operas. Spectators along the way are like clouds.
The Aoshan Lantern Festival, which is now a new intangible cultural heritage, is still held every year.
After the fifteenth day of the first month, visiting relatives and friends gradually stopped. The folk proverb has it: "Pray to the first half of the new year, pull out the door and latch and chase a paragraph". The whole New Year is gradually drifting away, and people reluctantly bid farewell to the Spring Festival and began the busyness of the new year with great expectations.
With the change of the times, people often mistakenly believe that the current taste of the year is getting weaker and weaker. In fact, it is not that the taste of the year is faded, but that the annual customs are also advancing with the times in the inheritance. In addition to retaining the important plays such as eating reunion dinner, receiving the god of wealth, and celebrating the Lantern Festival, some old customs have been replaced by new forms such as watching "New Year blockbusters", sending culture to the countryside, and WeChat New Year greetings. But no matter how it changes, the grand and festive festive atmosphere will last forever.
[From Nanhu Literature, General Literary Consultant: Wu Shunrong]
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