Who has information on the folk customs of Beijingers celebrating the Spring Festival?

The customs of Beijingers celebrating the Spring Festival are very interesting.

The so-called Spring Festival refers to the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It heralds a new beginning, the revival of all things in the world, the arrival of spring, and the start of the year's farming work. Therefore, it has always been valued by the Chinese people. Later, when the Gregorian calendar was implemented, the country used January 1st of the Gregorian calendar as "New Year's Day", while the "New Year's Day" of the lunar calendar had to settle for the second best in name and changed its name to "Spring Festival". However, the celebration of the Spring Festival has not diminished at all due to the change of status. It still maintains the traditional grandness and has become a true national ceremony. Moreover, it has become particularly active in recent years, as if the once-disappeared ceremony has come back to life. In many places, the Spring Festival is celebrated with a lively and joyful atmosphere that has been rarely seen in the past half century. It's just that the custom of "sacrifice to the stove" has not been restored on a large scale, and may even never be restored. People have become indifferent or forgotten about the "Kitchen King" (also known as the "Kitchen King") from the bottom of their hearts.

"Kitchen King" is the "Kitchen God". It is said that he is the god who specializes in evil in the world. It was as if they were special investigators stationed in every household by the intelligence agency. But he always has a kind, kind and smiling face, and never glares at anyone. Does this reflect some Chinese concept derived from social experience, that is, those who discern people's secrets always smile and do not act viciously to scare others? I don't know, but it's always interesting. There are different opinions on the surname of "Kitchen Lord". "Huainanzi" says: Emperor Huang and Emperor Yan "died as Kitchen Gods" and were responsible for good and evil in the world. This shows that the Chinese people attach great importance to the Kitchen God, and he has become the incarnation of the origin of the nation. But the "Five Classics Yiyi" says that the Stove Lord's surname is Su and his given name is Ji Li, and he is from the same clan as mine. I would rather believe this statement in order to get a share of glory. Speaking of the ancestors with the surname Su, in addition to the Su family and his son from Sichuan, three great literati, there is also the Kitchen God who is respected by everyone and has a long history. Don’t the descendants of the Stove Lord show extra pride? Moreover, Lord Su Zao also had a beautiful wife, who was the "Grandma of the Kitchen King" Wang Bojia. Unfortunately, "Youyang Miscellaneous Notes" came out to break this glorious dream of mine. It says that the Kitchen God is called Wei, and he looks like a beautiful woman. Another theory is that the Stove Lord’s surname is Zhang Liang, whose given name is Zi Guo, and his wife’s given name is Qing Ji. There is no doubt that I am not interested in this statement. Unfortunately, the power of folk customs is huge. I heard a folk song when I was a child, saying: "The Stove Lord's real surname is Zhang, a bowl of cold water and three sticks of incense." Everyone can sing it. The "wrongful verdict" of the Stove Lord as an ancestor named Zhang has made me lose the chance to pick up the glorious mantle. Blessing. The old people told me that there was once a store selling "The Stove King Sutra" in the market in old Beijing. It said: "The Stove King left a scroll of sutra to read to good men and women who believe in me. My god's surname is Zhang from my country, and the Jade Emperor ordered me to be the chef. "When I come to the world to investigate good and evil, I will clear things up before I do anything." See what it means. Not only is the Kitchen Lord determined to be named Zhang, but he is also the chef of the Jade Emperor. Assigned by the God of the Chinese people to the world to engage in spy activities of "investigating good and evil". Popularity has become popular, but his status has been greatly reduced. From the incarnation of Yanhuang, he suddenly fell to the chief executive of "God", who specializes in seeing people through keyholes and listening to music through cracks in doors. It's no wonder that the Chinese people's attitude towards this old gentleman has become more joking. But I still don’t understand that when the Jade Emperor sent his chief chef to the human world, he still refused to start the meal: Is it true that he doesn’t eat the fireworks of the human world?

In any case, the Kitchen God is a person who is respected, feared, and has to be dealt with, no matter how he smiles. Sacrifice to the stove is an ancient custom, which was first called "Ji Zao". The meaning seems to be to commemorate the pioneer who made human beings the first to use fire to cook food. It can be seen that at that time, Zao Lord was not contaminated with more air. Later, he actually became a god and cooked for God. He just taught people how to cook. Originally, sacrifices to the stove were held in summer. In the Later Han Dynasty, a man named Yin Zifang was setting up a fire to cook in the morning of the twelfth lunar month (winter). Suddenly he saw the stove god appearing in the sky and saying something unclear. He probably complained about the poor food. , there is not enough meat and fish in the stomach. Mr. Zifang hurriedly killed the family dog ??(named "Yellow Sheep") as a sacrifice to him. From then on, the family prospered, and both people and wealth prospered. It can be seen that the Kitchen God pretends to be a god when he becomes a god. If you don’t give me delicious food, I won’t bless you. Therefore, killing dogs to worship the Kitchen God in winter has become a custom passed down from generation to generation. Naturally, this is also a good reason for people to hold toothpastes in winter. It has been a long time coming for gods and men to eat.

This kind of Zaojun statue, whether double-seater or single-seater, is all made of woodblock and watercolor printing, which is more exquisite.

Above the statue are the twenty-four solar terms of the year. There is a sacred horse under the statue. There are couplets printed on both sides of the statue, which say, "God speaks good things, and returns to the palace to bring good luck." Most of the worshipers were small families and farmers, and their "palaces" were naturally simple. However, the Stove Lord and his wife were always content with their duties, unlike today's officials who have to pick and choose positions. The Kitchen God is much cuter than the modern civil servants.

On the twenty-third night of the twelfth lunar month, these stove kings, grandpa and grandma, who have eaten enough ashes for a year on the stove, are respected by people. Although the fruit offering is extremely simple, the ceremony is extremely solemn. After dinner, the fires in the room are lit, the whole family gathers together, and three or five bowls of Guandong sugar, Tanggua, and Nantang are placed on the altar table, as well as a bowl of cold water and a plate of fodder. (Cold water, straw, and beans are given to the Kitchen Lord’s horses. People’s imagination and service are really thoughtful.) Then set up candlesticks, incense burners and other sacrificial vessels. At the beginning of the sacrificial ceremony, a small red candle made of mutton fat specially used for the sacrificial process is lit. (This kind of red candle was called "small double bag" in the old days.) Under the candle stand, there are one to two portions of yellow money, thousand pieces of gold, ingots, money and food for worshiping gods. The male head of the family will preside over the ceremony and offer incense. Beijing folk custom: "Women do not worship the stove, and men do not worship the moon." But when I was a child, this prohibition was broken, and women also worshiped the stove and men also worshiped the moon. When offering sacrifices to the stove, men usually kowtow three times in sequence, women first, stand in silence for ten minutes, kowtow three times again, and then put the unburned incense roots together with the Stove King's code, money, grain, fodder, etc. in the yard. "Qian Liang Basin" (a large basin made of pig iron) was burned together with the pine branches and sesame straw already placed in the basin. When the fire in the basin rises, the officiant often prays continuously and says: "Old Stove Lord, please say more good things and less bad words!" The pieces were thrown into the basin to stick to the Stove King's mouth, and the rest were thrown into his own mouth. As the saying goes, "the gods are aware of the heart." Immortals are just symbols in people's wishes.

The sacrifices made by wealthy merchants are naturally different from those of ordinary people. Not only were their offerings abundant, the Guandong candies could be piled as high as a hill, but they were also decorated with eight-carriage sedans, large feathered horses, and a pair of saddles. After being incinerated and raised to heaven, all the staff in the store stepped on sesame straw spread all over the floor in the courtyard. The Kitchen God from a poor family does not have this blessing. A bowl of cold water, three sticks of incense, and three kowtows are called "kowtows." If the Stove God's code is burned on the spot, even if the ceremony is completed, the Stove God will still go to heaven. , easy to serve.

Sacrificing stoves is a signal that the Spring Festival is coming, and people in Beijing call it "celebrating the New Year." After this day, the clerks from various shops went out to collect debts. Naturally, there are also many people hiding from debts. It is not until the New Year's Eve to meet the God (Kitchen King) that they stop asking for old debts, so they are also said to be "deadly Guandong candy" and "life-saving dumplings".

In any case, the Kitchen God is also the closest to the folk god. No matter how powerful he is, he still retains more of the spirit and spirit of mortals. Therefore, this amiable and lovely god who is often fooled by others is really a good target for people to vent the bitterness and sweetness accumulated over the past year. To be honest, there are only a few people who hate the Kitchen God and many people who are fond of the Kitchen God. This is a commoner god.

When I look at the statue of the Stove Lord recently, I always feel that I look a bit like him. I really hope that the Stove Lord’s surname is Su, and I beg the textual scholars to take care of me and complete this "mission."