Northeastern Customs

There is an old saying in the Northeast: It is easy to invite gods but difficult to send them away.

The invitations and farewells here are not actually the customs of picking up and sending off gods in Northeast China, but are talking about the procedure of shaman dancing to the gods. I will introduce it to you when I have the opportunity in the future.

Regarding the custom of receiving gods, I have described it in "Memory of Northeastern Customs".

The article reads: "Night has fallen, and it is time for every family to receive the gods. To receive the gods means to receive the gods, that is, to receive the ancestors of the family home for the New Year. The place to receive the gods is in the village. When you go to pick up the god, you need to carry a lantern, a pinch of incense and some paper money. When you reach the intersection, light the incense and put it in the snow, then kneel and burn it toward the southwest. They kowtowed to the ground and chanted: "The ancestors have gone home to celebrate the New Year." Then they got up and took the children back with the lanterns. They were not allowed to talk on the way back, probably because the ancestors were following behind and they were afraid of disturbing the ancestors. ”

Speaking of connecting with God, it reminds me of a joke I heard when I was a child. This is a true story that happened in life.

It is said that a family went to meet the gods during the New Year. They stayed at the crossroads where ghosts and gods gathered, burned incense, burned paper money, and kowtowed. The adults got up with the children and prepared to lead all the ancestors home to celebrate the New Year. , as usual he said: "Old ancestors are going home to celebrate the New Year"!

Then the adults got up from the ground with the children, turned around and walked back.

This is, suddenly a sentence came from behind: You go first, we will be there soon!

The ancestor suddenly appeared, so frightened that no one dared to look back, the adults ran home with their children.

After returning home, it is said that the adult's legs were still shaking, and the ancestor worship ceremony was not carried out. He fell on the kang and did not get up for several days. He was frightened into a serious illness.

Later, people in the village spread the news that the ancestor who held the god had appeared, which frightened the descendants and made them sick. Then someone came out and said that he was passing by the intersection and saw a certain family receiving the gods, and he said casually: You go first, we will be there soon!

People who were frightened and fell ill got better after hearing about it.

The person who scares people has since been hated by many villagers. How can you joke about something as sacred as receiving gods and worshiping ancestors?

The custom of picking up and sending off gods in the rural areas of Northeast China should not be the custom of the Manchus, Jurchens and other local original residents outside the Guan Guan, but should be the custom brought over by the Guanli people who entered the Guandong.

When I was a child, the village worshiped ancestors during the Chinese New Year. Some families withdrew their offerings on the second day of the lunar month, some withdrew their offerings on the third day of the lunar month, some withdrew their offerings on the sixth day of the lunar month, and some families held ancestral offerings until the 15th day of the first lunar month. Withdraw confession.

After the ancestors were brought back to celebrate the New Year, they had to be sent away after the New Year, which is the so-called sending off to the gods.

It is also night time to send God off. It usually takes place after seven o'clock in the evening, and we pay attention to early pick-up and late drop-off, so that the ancestors can stay at home for a while and spend more time with their families.

When sending off to the gods, dumplings should be cooked and offered so that the ancestors celebrating the New Year at home can have the last meal. Before the meal begins, candles are still lit, incense is added, and some white wine is poured on an iron plate and lit to indicate that the ancestors drank the last meal. After the blue flames have burned out, the father will take the children to kowtow to the ancestors, burn a few pieces of paper in front of the ancestors, which should be money for traveling expenses, and then carry lanterns. The adults will take the children, and the ancestors will follow. Later, go to the intersection where you picked up your ancestors and see them off.

After arriving, they would light incense and burn paper, then kowtow facing the southwest and chant, "Ancestors will come back next year!"

When they got up and went home, they still didn't speak on the way. After arriving home, the hostess has taken down the offerings, and now she has to give candy and fruits to the children. It is said that eating the offerings not only ward off disasters, but also keeps good health.

If there are several boys in a family, only one family will worship the ancestor, usually the eldest son and grandson. If the old man and the youngest son live together, the family tree will be stored and enshrined with the old man in the youngest son's house. Every Chinese New Year, several other brothers would take some offerings to the elder brother or younger brother's house who kept the family tree, offer them to the ancestors, and come back to worship the ancestors.

In my family, we send gifts to God on the third day of junior high school. Every year I rush back to my brother’s house from the city on the second day of the new year. I can’t pick up the gods, so it’s essential to send them off.

This year’s gift to God is different from every year. This year, there is no mother on the kangtang at home. Mother’s photo is placed on the altar, and her name is written on the family tree. Mother is picked up by her children and grandchildren to celebrate the New Year, and then sent away by her children and grandchildren.