Villagers in Xitang Village, Xinmin Town, Tong'an District, Xiamen City, carried the made "Ding Ou" out of their homes. Photo by Xu Qiuheng
On the fifteenth day of the first month of the Year of the Tiger in the lunar calendar, in addition to eating lanterns, viewing flower lanterns, and guessing lantern riddles, Xitang, Lücuo, Guanxun and other places in Tong'an District of Xiamen City still retain the custom of "loading Ou" to worship ancestors at the Lantern Festival.
It is understood that there are three kinds of "Loading Ou", namely "Ding Ou", "Gong Ou" and "Zu Ou". Every year during the Lantern Festival, the people who "Tian Ding" in their homes last year need to make "Ding Ou" and sacrifice them in the ancestral shrine to show gratitude and bless the peace and happiness of the family. There are three generations of elders (grandparents) in the family, who need to make "Gong Ou" and place them in the ancestral shrine to worship the ancestors; there are four generations of elders (great-grandfathers) in the family who need to make "Zu Ou" (also known as "loading the mountain"), which is generally placed in the center of the ancestral hall. The "Ou" is arranged as an overlapping shape of a high mountain, which means Shoubi Nanshan, usually more than 1 meter in height.
The base of the "Loading Ou" is a bamboo basket containing Spring Valley, and a bunch of garlic seedlings and shallots are tied in the center of the tower, and the villagers thread chicken, duck, fish, shrimp, spiced strips and other food threads into strings, and hang the tower layer by layer, and the outside is decorated with pine leaves, flowers, lanterns, etc.
According to reports, the custom of "loading Ou" ancestor worship has a history of thousands of years in Tong'an, Xiamen, and is widely distributed in the jurisdiction. Most of the supplies used for "Loading Ou" are cooked food, the most primitive ones are meat skewers, oil rice, with the change of the times and the improvement of people's living standards, it is now replaced by pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks, seafood and other foods. This folklore is both a blessing and a blessing, expressing the reverence of future generations for their ancestors, and at the same time a hope for future life. (Chen Bo, Xu Qiuheng)
Villagers hang strings of food on the "Ding Ou" tower. Photo by Xu Qiuheng
The top of the "Ding Ou" is decorated with a complete chicken. Photo by Xu Qiuheng
A "Ding Ou" weighs 100 kilograms and needs to be transported by a small truck. Photo by Xu Qiuheng
Xiamen City, Tong'an District, Xinmin Town, Xitang Village, Zhang's ancestral home one after another "Ding Ou". Photo by Xu Qiuheng