It's New Year's again, and I'm always immersed in the memories of some old traditions.
For tea, although our hometown does not talk about a lot of exquisiteness, but every New Year's Festival, children handle marriage events, and the etiquette of drinking tea has to be paid attention to.
Eating pendulum tea is the highest courtesy in the hometown. Engagements and marriages are eaten with pendulum tea. This is the highest courtesy of a daughter-in-law to the woman's family. I had a house swing a few times before and after I got married.
At the beginning of the first month of that year, my father-in-law came to our house to pass through the door, which is called a family crossing the door, of course, we must be cautious and cautious. Although the old father-in-law was originally a famous master of the spoon and a master of killing pigs in the New Year, almost every family had eaten, which one he was familiar with, but once he became my parents' family, he could never talk casually like usual.
I remember that the old man came that day, accompanied by a brother of his house. The old man wrapped a black scarf around his head, wore a blue cloth cotton jacket, and walked with his hands behind his back. As soon as the two of them walked to the ditch next to our house, our family was responsible for greeting us, and the firecrackers crackled and exploded. At this time, the parents hurried out to greet their relatives, even if they had only walked a mile or two, those kind words must be said. For example, two relatives, drag you down, go into the house and sit down!
After the family entered the house, someone poured tea and handed over cigarettes, and then the parents took out better cigarettes to pay homage. After a short pause, you start eating tea.
The so-called eating tea, is to set up a table of candy snacks and other food, and after the guests sit down, someone will pour tea, generally brown sugar or white sugar. Many years passed, and I still remember the names of those eaters. Chicken cake, cloud cake, orchid root, orchid wreath, sticky stick, snow dates, shortbread... That's about it. The kind called "snow jujube", the surface is like a layer of snow-white frost, looking like a radish, put it in the mouth and bite, but the inside is empty, only some white silk plucking. Made of glutinous rice, the taste is very good.
Sit down to eat tea, is to eat and drink slowly, and talk slowly. Three or two paper cigarettes, someone will say, sit down. So I removed the cups and plates. The guests sat down and went to chat.
Then there's the banquet. The family dinner party was in the early eighties, and we had to put more than twenty dishes there. If it really doesn't work, there are repeating dishes. For example, fish, there are braised whole fish, fried fish, frozen fish, in short, a generous table full of dishes.
My father-in-law didn't drink, and he didn't sit at the banquet for long that year. I heard that some relatives can drink until night during the day and until dawn at night. This atmosphere is really strong.
The custom of eating pendulum tea has been rare in my hometown for many years. These fading customs are always a bit unforgettable, not those who eat and drink, but the seemingly cumbersome etiquette, which reflects the simplicity of folk customs and the warmth of human feelings. In the slow rhythm, all that is integrated is goodwill and harmony.