Planting melons and beans in front of and behind the house

In the lives of the Hakka people, there are two farmer's proverbs that have been passed down from generation to generation: "In front of and behind the house, grow melons and beans" and "People work hard to make treasures, and people work lazily to grow grass." From these two farmer's proverbs, We can see that the Hakka people attach great importance to the creation of culture and natural ecological environment.

Hakkas not only plant melons and beans in front and behind their houses, but also plant bananas, sugar cane, pears, peaches, plums, plums, persimmons, sycamores, osmanthus, cypress, bamboo, tea and other trees, and some are fruit trees. , some are ornamental trees, which contain some traditional cultural concepts of the Hakka people. What is particularly meaningful and worth mentioning is that the Hakka people like to plant bananas in the corners in front of and behind their houses. I remember that every time during traditional festivals or family reunions, my grandmother and mother would always cook for us and make taro buns. After the taro buns were cooked and ready to be put into the pot, my mother would always ask me to cut a large piece of banana leaf outside the house to use as the base. I didn’t know its meaning when I was a child, and my grandma, because of her low level of education, didn’t know the significance either. At that time, I only knew that the taro buns wrapped in plantains were very fragrant. I recall that the taro buns made by my grandmother and mother at that time were the most delicious in the world. The huge round taro buns were steaming in the fumigation of banana leaves. Before it was even baked, we brothers couldn’t wait to pick it up. Sometimes we even got red-faced because of the quarrel. This has become the most profound memory today. As we grow older, we understand its meaning. Banana is originally an auspicious thing. In ancient times, the word "banana" in the banana was homophonic with the word "zhao", which symbolized attracting wealth. This cultural concept is deeply loved and welcomed by the Hakka people. Planting bananas in their hometown has become a tradition. After reading many poems, I suddenly discovered that "when the rain hits the plantains, it's time to study." I thought about this scene in a quiet environment, with the gentle breeze blowing and the drizzle, sitting in front of the window and spreading out a book. If I chew the beautiful articles or poems I like to read quietly, I will suddenly feel calm and peaceful. The sound of wind, rain, and reading also form a series of beautiful notes at this time.

When building a house, the Hakka people always leave free space in front of and behind the house for planting melons and beans. This is to create a real courtyard environment. Planting melons and beans is to meet the cultivation needs within one year, while planting trees and flowers in the open space in front of the house and behind the house is for the long-term greening and beautification of the living environment. Ten households and hundreds of households create a village landscape with "green trees bordering the village and green mountains sloping outside". The Hakka people have always paid attention to the creation of an ecological environment at home. Throughout the year, the Hakka people regard planting melons and beans in the fields as the main task of crop cultivation. Of course, they also regard planting melons and beans behind the house as a supplement. income. The houses in the countryside may be large or small, barren or fertile. Following the changes of spring, summer, autumn and winter, carobs, luffa, lentils, pumpkins, cucumbers and sweet potatoes are planted in the open space. A wooden fork is set up in the open space. , set up a scaffolding and let it be covered with beans, vines and melon vines. When they bloom, the house and courtyard will be filled with the fragrant fragrance of flowers. When they bear fruit, abundant fruits will hang down, bringing joy to the farmers. In summer, I sit under the melon and bean trellis to enjoy the cool air and shake my cattail fan to talk about the new year. If you want to eat fresh food, you can turn around and pick fresh melons and beans from the trellises in front and behind the house. Chicken manure becomes the best fertilizer, and these garden plants attract sewage and domestic garbage from the gutter, promoting a virtuous cycle in the home environment.

Wang Wei, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote in a pastoral poem: "The peach red contains the lingering rain, and the willow green carries the morning smoke. The flowers have fallen on the mountain and the guests have not swept away, and the orioles are singing and the mountain guests are still sleeping." You see, The petals of the red peach blossoms are slightly stained by the overnight spring rain, while the green willow silk is floating in the misty morning dew. The petals blown down by the overnight wind and rain are scattered in the courtyard. The children have not yet swept them away, and the orioles are watching on the branches. Wow, the lay people in the mountains are still immersed in the tranquility of early spring.

In early spring in February, I came to the countryside and looked up, "The peach blossoms are smiling beautifully outside the fence, as if they are the most affectionate before they bloom."

"Why do people in my hometown like to plant peach trees? Because this peach tree is the spirit of the five trees and can suppress evil spirits, so ghosts fear peach trees. The ancients made peach trees into peach charms, which became the earliest couplets. I think it is the first couplet on the Dragon Boat Festival of the Hakka people. On this festival day, peach branches and wormwood are placed in front of every house, probably to suppress evil spirits!

There are several sweet-scented osmanthus trees planted in my yard, which were planted by my grandfather when he was young. It has been several decades now, so it is considered old. Although the village does not produce edible fruits, the Hakka people like to plant it very much. Whenever the golden autumn comes, the osmanthus flowers bloom and the cool breeze blows, the village The courtyard is always filled with the fragrance of osmanthus. At this time, I think it is not an exaggeration to describe it as "osmanthus flowers are blooming and the fragrance spreads for ten miles"! In Chinese mythology, there is an osmanthus tree growing very lushly in the Moon Palace. , and even if it is allowed to grow, its shade will cover the entire moon's light. The culture of osmanthus is rich. In the Moon Palace, Wu Gang learned from immortals and was punished to chop down this osmanthus tree. Every night, Wu Gang took an axe. , and kept cutting, but the speed he cut was far slower than the growth speed of the osmanthus tree. The part he cut off every night would grow again the next day. Because of this legend, the laurel tree is also called laurel, and laurel is in the tree. Flowers bloom in the eighth month of the lunar calendar in China, so there is a sentence in our Hakka folk songs that "osmanthus flowers bloom everywhere in August". Therefore, August is called "osmanthus moon" in ancient times. In the eyes of us Hakkas, osmanthus is a symbol of wealth.

Persimmon trees are also planted in the gardens of wild people in Hakka villages. The persimmon trees are tall and the persimmons they bear are bright red. It is often passed down as a good story about "everything goes well". The reason why the Hakka people plant the sycamore tree is probably because of the saying "a sycamore tree in the home will attract the golden phoenix". The Hakka people hope that the phoenix will come and live in their yard. Hakka people also like to plant cypress trees in their yards. There is a saying from ancient times: "Pine and cypress trees are planted on thin soil so that poor people can study." This is why the Hakka people like to plant cypress trees in front of and behind their houses. Linghan is noble and chaste, and has the function of warding off evil. Nowadays, some Hakka women often put one or two pine and cypress leaves in their buns when they go out. They also pick some cypress leaves and insert them into offerings on the day of the New Year. When you get married, you should also put some cypress branches on your dowry to symbolize a happy marriage.

Walking along the winding path in my hometown, I saw the melon sheds where the Hakka people live in the village. The fruits are fresh and tender all year round, and butterflies are flying. From time to time, there are "dogs". In the deep alleys, roosters crow on top of the mulberry trees. ", "Children hurriedly chased the yellow butterfly, flying into the cauliflower and nowhere to be found. ", "The drizzle wets the neem flowers, and the south wind makes the trees grow loquats. ", "Crows roost in the white trees in the atrium, and the cold dew wets the sweet-scented osmanthus silently. " Waiting for beautiful pictures in different seasons. The quiet life of a farmhouse under the shade of trees, morning glories lying on the wall, birds chirping in the shade, children picking fruits and flowers on the trees, bamboo nets covering cicadas, a portrait of a farmhouse The scene is pleasant. Planting melons, beans, trees and fruits creates a harmonious and green traditional cultural atmosphere and environment. Hakka people live in such an ideal environment and feel the influence of culture. , giving rise to a lot of poetry and painting, plus a variety of flowers and plants to adjust the climate in the courtyard, you can see the fruits when you look up, and smell the fragrance of the flowers when you look down, plus the "Three Friends of Suihan" pine, bamboo, plum and the peach and plum of the "Spring Breeze Family", The resulting traditional cultural influence also enhances the taste of the living environment. Such a harmonious home ecology of nature and culture also harmonizes people's mental state of living and working in peace and contentment.