Small year, the taste of the year is strong. New Year's customs such as preparing new year goods, sweeping dust, and offering stoves have also begun.
In order to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, each family will be cleaned up to welcome the new year. The time of the "small year" in the north and south of China is different. As the saying goes: "Ten miles of different winds, a hundred miles of different customs", generally the small Chinese New Year's Eve in the southern region is on the twenty-fourth day of the lunar month, and the northern region is on the twenty-third day of the waxing moon.
On the day of the New Year, the most important activity is the "sacrificial stove".
The Emperor had a son, Li, who was revered as the god of Vesta for zhu rong. - "Etiquette and Ritual Instruments"
In China's pre-Qin period, the concept of "Vesta God" already appeared, and at that time, vesta god was listed as one of the "five gods" (the five gods were the five gods of stove, door, line, household, and middle thunder. Zhonglei is the god of the earth. The other is said to be the door, well, household, stove, and zhonglei; or it is the line, well, household, stove, and zhonglei), which is the protector god respected by the people.
However, unlike today, the god Vesta was worshipped on summer or on the eighth day of the first lunar month. The concept of sacrificial stoves originates from the ancient custom of worshipping fire. The use of fire has made people transition from the life of drinking blood to cooking cooked food and drinking hot water.
Legend has it that the vesta god worshipped by the ancients was the fire god Zhu Rong. Of course, historical records are different, and some say that the vesta god is "flint", or that the vesta god's surname is Zhang, the list, and the character Guo.
It is recorded in the "Interpretation of the Name": "Stove. Make also, create food also." Vesta's duty is to take charge of the stove, to manage the diet, and to examine the good and evil deeds of each household to bring misfortune and blessings.
Chai rice oil salt sauce vinegar tea, seven major events in life. Chai is the first, an important fuel for daily life, and all food rice needs to be cooked before it can be eaten.
There is a stove for firewood, and every household builds soil and bricks as stoves, so the "stove god" was born to supervise the big and small things in the four seasons of a family. On the twenty-third and twenty-fourth day of the lunar month, the heavens will report to the heavens to bring misfortune and blessings.
On the twenty-fourth day of the lunar month, the king of the stove wanted to say something to the heavens. The lees were smeared on the stove and drunk, and the boy gave his daughter to avoid.
Folk, every household in the kitchen will be dedicated to the god of Vesta, the god statue has a couplet "the heavens say good things, the netherworld to ensure peace", on the book "Nine Days of The Eastern Kitchen Division" and other words.
On the twenty-fourth day of the lunar month, every household began to prepare for the sacrifice of the god Vesta. In general, the food of the sacrificial stove is mostly sweet and sticky sweets such as hemp balls, oil fruits, and white balls, which are intended to let the king of the stove eat sweets, and the heavens see the Jade Emperor say more good things and pray for the safety and smoothness of the family.
In modern times, the food of the sacrificial stove is generally a sweet such as candy and red dates purchased. After the end of the festival stove, the fruit is usually shared and eaten by adults and children in the family.
After dusk and night, the sacrifice is performed by the males of the family, and the children in the family are also told not to break the dishes and chopsticks, so as not to make the stove god angry.
After offering incense, after offering the stove fruit, the stove sugar will be melted with fire and applied to the mouth of the stove king, and finally the stove god statue will be removed and burned, and the "send the stove king to heaven" will play a good and evil thing.
Chinese New Year's Eve night, and then invite the stove king down, that is, paste the new stove god statue on the stove table. Because the stove king is in the netherworld and has to count the rosters, the whole family must go home for the New Year to pray for the blessing of the whole family.
After the twenty-third day of the waxing moon, there are only a few days left before the night of Chinese New Year's Eve.
The taste of the New Year is getting stronger and stronger, and every household is busy preparing for the New Year. Cleaning, haircuts, and new year goods are in full swing, and the new year is gradually coming in people's beautiful expectations.
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