Shanxi Spring Festival custom

1, Taiyuan:

(1) 23rd is the king, 24th is the cleaning day, commonly known as "Hu cleaning day". Since then, the preparations for the whole year have reached a climax. There are things to do every day, and there are plans every day ((posting refers to all kinds of couplets, New Year pictures, window grilles, door gods, etc. )). I have been busy until the afternoon of New Year's Eve, and then I will clean the outdoor, that is, I will start to get new clothes and hats, pack jiaozi, and prepare incense, lamps and other items to welcome the gods.

(2) On New Year's Eve, every family stays up all night, commonly known as "old age". As soon as the rooster crows, they start burning incense, lighting lamps, offering offerings, setting off fireworks, offering sacrifices to their ancestors, and then the whole family pays New Year greetings to each other. Children kowtow to their elders to pay New Year greetings, and elders give them lucky money for good luck. According to the traditional custom, we should have breakfast before the sun comes out. After breakfast, when going out to pay New Year's greetings, relatives go to church, throw thorns sparsely, meet on the way, bow and nod, and exchange auspicious words.

(3) The fifth day of the fifth lunar month, commonly known as "Breaking Five". There is a folk saying that "you can't go out after breaking five." On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, residents will not visit relatives until businesses open their markets on the sixth. The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is commonly known as "People's Day". As the saying goes, sunny days are good for population reproduction. After the evening of the eighth day of the eighth lunar month, they worship the stars, light seven lights symbolizing the Big Dipper in the yard, and worship in the north in order to get a good year. The tenth day, commonly known as "ten days without moving", is said to be the day when mice get married.

From 13 to 16, people celebrate the Lantern Festival. Within a few days, the night was brightly lit, and the yangko was set off in the community, which was very lively, commonly known as the "Lantern Festival". Twenty is commonly known as "small jiacang" and twenty-five is "old jiacang". East and west rice markets set up the position of warehouse officials, and people went to sacrifice and sparked off sparks. After the Tianzang Festival, the excitement during the Spring Festival is over.

2. Jinyang:

(1) On New Year's Eve, there should be a very strong fire and a bundle of strong grass and cypress leaves on the door.

(2) On the first day of the Lunar New Year, there is a custom of eating boiled pumpkins. It is called "eating melons", which is cooked with millet at the end of the year and put in a bowl to worship ancestors, commonly known as "fishing rice every other year".

(3) On the fifth day, the courtyard was cleaned and the garbage was cleared, commonly known as "sweeping poverty".

3. Gujiao Mountain Area:

(1) On New Year's Eve, the ancestors' gods are hung up, and every family in the clan has to offer sacrifices. At that time, there was a chicken for boys and a pot of wine for girls.

(2) On the morning of the third day, the whole family get together to worship their ancestors, and the younger generation kowtows to their elders, commonly known as "algebra", and then get together to eat offerings. In the afternoon, God is sent to the entrance of the village, facing the ancestors, burning incense and kowtowing, and setting off firecrackers, commonly known as "sending God".

(3) Clean the indoor courtyard in the afternoon of the fourth day, send the dirty people outside the village at dawn on the fifth day, burn incense and set off firecrackers to show off the poor. The meal on this day is steamed oatmeal or steamed bread, commonly known as "poor gas distillation"

(4) In the early morning of the tenth day of the first month, offer cereal made of naked oats, burn incense and paper, set off firecrackers, and pray for a bumper harvest.

(5) On the fifteenth day of the first month, besides the Lantern Festival, there is also the custom of sending athel Loren. Wudao Temple or villages at crossroads set up memorial tablets for athel Loren, set fire to towers, and provide steamed bread with oil noodles.

4. Datong:

On New Year's Eve, every household should build a tower called Wanghuo in front of the courtyard with large pieces of coal for good luck and congratulations on the prosperity of the year. There was firewood in it, and a big red note was written on it, "Spirit is soaring". At midnight, when firecrackers are ringing, light a strong fire. After being ignited, the flame spouted from countless small holes, just like a floating picture, which is both warm and spectacular.

Adults and children gather in a circle, some play games, some set off firecrackers, and men, women and children will come to keep warm in order to "soar".

China Com- survey of Spring Festival customs in various places