Chinese New Year Customs of Hakka in Qingxi

Hakka Spring Festival custom Spring Festival, commonly known as Chinese New Year, is the biggest and most grand festival in a year. In December of the lunar calendar, men try to find more money to buy new year's goods, while women cut more firewood and grass to prepare for the New Year. December 25th is "Entering the Year", commonly known as "Ghost Locks the Gate of the Mountain". Instead of going up the mountain to cut wood and grass, women clean up at home to welcome the New Year. In December of the lunar calendar, every household began to organize "new year's goods" to make "annual materials". The indispensable new year's goods are as follows: Sichuan sugar. A sucrose produced in Longchuan, Heyuan and Zijin. Characterized by strong stickiness, it is suitable for making rice cakes, and almost every household has to buy hundreds of kilograms. New clothes. Everyone should at least make a new suit, a new pair of shoes and buy a new pair of socks. Nianmi. Generally speaking, every household should have at least one month's rations, and no noise is allowed until the first month. In the past, there was no processing machinery such as a rice mill, and it was all processed by manual work, which was very heavy, and most of them had to fight hard for three or four days to complete. Fried rice cakes. It is made by cooking sticky rice or glutinous rice and drying it in the sun, then mixing it with sand, heating it in an iron pan and frying it, or frying it with vegetables, which is called fried rice. Then, Sichuan sugar is fried into slurry, and the ingredients such as fried rice, peanut kernels and sesame seeds are put into syrup, stirred evenly, picked up, placed in a wooden frame made of plates, leveled and compacted, and cut into rectangular small pieces with a knife. Fried rice cake tastes sweet and crisp, and adults and children like it. Stir-fried rice cakes are very technical, not only the ingredients should be in proportion, but also the "heat" should be paid attention to when frying the pulp. If it is not good, it will not become a piece, but it will become a loose rice. Generally speaking, a bucket of rice should be mixed with 2.5 Jin of Sichuan sugar, only more, not less, especially pay attention to "temperature" Experienced people put a bowl of clear water on the stove, and Sichuan sugar will start to coagulate when it is fried for a certain time. Drop a little syrup into the clear water with bamboo chopsticks. If it has become a "pine nut point", immediately put out the flame at the bottom of the pot, put the fried rice into the pot and stir it constantly. Try it with your hands. If it is very sticky, you can get out of the pot and pour the fried rice into a wooden frame to smooth and compact it until it coagulates, and then cut it into small pieces with a knife. Oil fruit. Also known as "Fried Dumpling". The production of oil fruit is relatively simple. First, the glutinous rice is ground into powder, and each bucket of glutinous rice is mixed with 2.5 kg of Sichuan sugar. Boil the sugar into a sugar solution and rub it evenly with glutinous rice flour. The longer it is rubbed, the softer it becomes. After it is kneaded into a powder ball, it is kneaded into a powder ball the size of a table tennis ball. White sesame seeds are stuck on the surface, and then it is fried in an oil pan until it is dark red. Steamed fried avocados are used as wine during the New Year, which is an indispensable food for every meal during the New Year. Powder skin. Grinding sticky rice into rice slurry, adding ingredients such as soybeans, sesame seeds, peanuts, etc., pouring the rice slurry into an iron spoon, frying in an oil pan, and frying until it is dark red. Fried vermicelli tastes crispy, and it is one of the foods for guests in Xian Yi, old and young. Sesame crisp, peanut crisp. The preparation method is similar to that of fried rice. Sesame and peanut kernels are used as raw materials, Sichuan sugar is fried into paste, then stirred with fried sesame and peanut kernels, poured into a tin basin, leveled and compacted, and cut into small squares. Sesame crisp and peanut crisp are also indispensable foods for Chinese New Year. The above-mentioned materials are necessary for every family and are all processed and produced by themselves. In addition, oranges, melon seeds, biscuits and sweets are also indispensable. In recent years, most of them are expected to be purchased in the market, and the quantity is not much, mainly for entertaining guests. Generally, the above-mentioned materials will be basically prepared before the "year of the year" (December 25 of the lunar calendar). December 25 of the lunar calendar is the defining date for entering the New Year, which means that after December 25, it will enter the New Year stage. People who go out to work and do business should come back. The days from December 25 to 3 of the lunar calendar are the most tense. Men, women and children are busy and busy, and they mainly carry out the following preparations for the Spring Festival: sweeping the house. The house sweeping after "entering the new year" is extraordinary. It is a three-dimensional cleaning, and the whole family does it. After thorough cleaning, indoors and outdoors, the windows are bright and clean, and people's mood is extremely comfortable, showing a scene of getting rid of old cloth and new ones everywhere. Grinding bean curd, dried fish, killing pigs, chickens, ducks, etc. On December 28th of the lunar calendar, every family began to visit grinding bean curd. There are small fish in front of most farmhouses. All the fish are released to catch fish around December 27 and 28 of the lunar calendar. On the one hand, they should be used to make dishes, and on the other hand, it is convenient to dig them for fertilizer after the Spring Festival. At the same time, began to kill pigs. Generally, people use 3-4 Jin of pork for the New Year, and some people kill a big pig in one household for the New Year. The main purposes are as follows: 1. As a gift to relatives and friends, each family should give two to three Jin of pork, especially the meat given by the father-in-law's family, and the number of pork given by the newly married in-laws is even more impressive, otherwise they will be ridiculed as "lonely ghosts". The family, old and young, are busy until December 3, and all the new year's goods and materials are prepared. The family is happy, especially the children are happy, eating well and dressing well, without being scolded and scolded by adults. People who go out to do business or work should go home for a "reunion dinner" on New Year's Eve at the latest. This day is also the busiest, I don't know how to do what everyone wants to do, but everyone is happy and full of spring breeze. December 3 of the lunar calendar, also known as New Year's Eve, must do things on this day: take a bath with pomelo leaves. Picking pomelo leaves in the morning, after noon, every household puts the pomelo leaves in the pot to boil, and everyone should take a hot bath with the pomelo leaves, which means to wash away the filth, "poverty" and "decay" and enter the new year cleanly. After washing pomelo leaves, put on new clothes, new hats, new socks and new shoes, and look brand-new from head to toe. Wash the dirty clothes on the same day. Therefore, washing pomelo leaves and taking a bath contains the meaning of getting rid of old cloth and making new ones. This custom has faded year by year. Send the kitchen god. Buy back the statue of the Kitchen God from the town in advance, write down the kitchen space (write down the name and age of the family), prepare offerings such as gold ingots, incense sticks, three sacrifices, wine and vegetarian fruits, set an "Eight Immortals Table" by the kitchen and put the offerings on the table. The whole family, old and young, gathered in front of the statue of the kitchen god to salute, and sincerely sent the kitchen god back to heaven to report on his work, praying that the kitchen god would put in a good word in front of the jade emperor to bless and eliminate disasters, and that the wealth and wealth would be prosperous and the family would be safe in the coming year. Generally, people only pray a few auspicious words such as "Bless and eliminate disasters, and bless the family's peace" to the Kitchen God when worshipping sacrifices. People with culture and knowledge should also solemnly offer sacrifices and read the eulogy, which reads as follows: "Only the monarch is still the head of the family, and he is the first of the five sacrifices, so there is nothing blasphemous about cooking tombs and kitchens;" The prosperity of the family depends entirely on the support. We are grateful on weekdays, respectful and rewarding on this evening, leaning on the gods, looking down on the worries, keeping the young and the old at peace, and helping to increase happiness. Shang yi. " Except for a few old people, this custom is no longer acceptable. To our ancestors. After breakfast on the 3 th of the twelfth lunar month, anyone who added men in that year will send someone to the ancestral temple to clean up and paint the walls of the ancestral temple. In the afternoon, people went to the ancestral temple with gifts such as gift boxes, three sacrifices, firecrackers and gold ingots. After the salute, put firecrackers, and some put spears. Every New Year's Eve afternoon, the ancestral temple is filled with incense and the sound of firecrackers continues until dusk. This custom has also faded in recent years. Post Spring Festival couplets and New Year pictures. Red Spring Festival couplets are affixed to the front and back doors, "Li" is affixed to the lintel, and the door panels are affixed with the words "door gods" or "happiness" and "good luck". Kitchen, cowshed, pigsty, chicken coop, toilet, etc. should also be affixed with red paper "Peach Symbol" with the words "Prosperity of Finance and Ding" and "Prosperity of Six Livestock" written on red paper. The hall, bedroom and guest room are all pasted with New Year pictures, which is a joyful scene. Have a reunion dinner. The reunion dinner on New Year's Eve is the most grand family dinner. There are many rules: First, the separated son will return to his parents for a "reunion dinner" on New Year's Eve. Second, the number of seats. Older people must be seated, and then rank down according to seniority. At the same time, a few empty seats should be reserved in the upper seats, and some empty bowls and chopsticks should be put in order to let the deceased ancestors come back for reunion to show their respect for their ancestors. Third, all the prepared New Year dishes should be served with a bowl of everything, and large round tables should be used for many dishes to show richness. Fourth, open the ring. Parents don't allow children to drink alcohol at ordinary times, but they are forbidden at the reunion dinner on New Year's Eve, and children can also make an exception to drink alcohol. Fifth, taboos. Men, women and children can't say unlucky things. Some people worry that children can't abide by it, so they put a red note with the words "Children's Words, all is forgiven" on the dining room wall in advance. Do not drop bowls and chopsticks. If you accidentally drop bowls and chopsticks, read "Good luck" while cleaning up. If you break a bowl, wrap it in red paper and put it in an inconspicuous height. When eating, the younger generation should propose a toast to the elders and wish the elderly a long life. The whole family, old and young, is polite, speaks kindly and kindly, and is full of unity, peace, respect for the elderly and love for the young. Send lucky money. Lucky money is also called "profit". Old people give lucky money to children, and they should put new paper money into red paper bags and distribute them one by one. The younger generation should also send "benefits" to the elders. Children can control money by themselves, and parents don't interfere. Wash the dishes. According to the ancestral training, you should not eat meat on the first day of the New Year, but be vegetarian. Therefore, after the family dinner on New Year's Eve, all tableware should be cleaned, and there should be no meat, otherwise it would be disrespectful to our ancestors. All the meat that belongs to the animal is stored in one place and sealed with a note, which is called "sealing the year". This is objectively good for the stomach. Shounian After the reunion dinner, oil lamps (kerosene lamps) are lit everywhere in the house, and the whole house is brightly lit all night, which is called "lighting the fire". Family members gather together to taste fragrant tea, fruits, melon seeds, peanuts, sweets, etc. The elders tell the younger generation about their family history and ethnic history, and educate the younger generation to remember their ancestral teachings, inherit their ancestors' virtues, be diligent in housekeeping, and be United and harmonious. After talking about family history and ethnic history, some people beat gongs and drums, and some set off fireworks, so they can't go to bed early, which is called "keeping the old age". Generally, children can't go to sleep until midnight, when they open the gate and set off firecrackers to welcome the new year. Some people simply make trouble until dawn. Open the gate. The early morning of the first day of the first month (that is, : ) is the time to send the old and welcome the new. Every household will open the door and set off firecrackers. At this time, deafening firecrackers can be heard in every corner. It's really a lot of firecrackers, and it's very lively (in recent years, fireworks and firecrackers are prohibited in Heyuan City and some county towns). Generally, the elders open the door, and the person who opens the door should drink loudly: "Open the door and prosper." Big red candles are lit in the hall, kitchen hall, gate and small door to burn incense and worship to welcome the New Year and the God of Wealth. On New Year's Day, people of all ages get up early. According to legend, not getting up early this day means a bad year. After getting up, brush your teeth and wash your face. The woman goes to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. In fact, rice and vegetarian dishes have been cooked every other night. Just heat them again. The man held a vegetarian box full of candy, rice cakes, gold ingots and incense sticks and waited for the ancestral temple to worship. The altar of the ancestral temple is filled with all kinds of vegetarian offerings, and the young and old salute and go home for breakfast after the ceremony. Breakfast, lunch and dinner on New Year's Day are vegetarian. Vegetarian dishes include yuba, vermicelli, golden leaf (day lily), auricularia, bean curd skin, mushrooms, celery (symbolizing diligence), garlic (being cost-effective), onion (being smart), etc. Although there is no meat such as chicken, duck and fish, it is also very rich. Happy new year. After breakfast, parents take their children to their elders' homes to pay New Year greetings, bow and bow when they meet them, send them "Li" and wish them "a long life" and "Happy New Year". The elders also reciprocate, handing out "Li" and candy to the children and wishing the younger generation "a happy family and all the best". Those elderly people with high seniority and old age are overwhelmed by the fact that their younger generations visit their homes almost all day. Although tired, I am also proud and gratified. Peers meet to congratulate and bless each other, and give each other "Li" and candy. When we meet each other on New Year's Day, it is forbidden to ask for illness and collect debts, otherwise it will not only be boring but also lead to disputes. There are also the most taboos on the first day of the lunar new year. Apart from saying unlucky things, you can't change clothes, sweep the floor and take out garbage, carry water in the river, herd cattle, pigs, chickens and ducks, beat and scold children, break the ground and break household chores. If something goes wrong, you will remember it for a whole year, so you should be very careful when you do things on the first day of the new year. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, also known as the "Year of the League", people generally don't go out. I started eating meat on the same day. On the third day of New Year's Eve, it is also called "Poor Man's Day". Get up early in the morning, and the whole family will start cleaning, commonly known as "sweeping the poor". The cleaner the sweep, the better. If there is a little bit of paper scraps on the ground, it will be regarded as "poor". In short, all the rubbish should be swept out of the house. When cleaning, you should also read "poor ghosts go out and wealth comes in" The cleaned garbage was collected and sent to wild rivers and roadsides far away from home, lit and set off firecrackers, indicating that the "poor ghosts" had been driven away. Although sweeping the floor on the third day of the year contains some superstitious colors, it also meets the health requirements. It is not allowed to sweep the floor on the first and second days of the new year, and there is a lot of garbage accumulation. It is also appropriate to have a big cleaning on the third day of the new year. Because the third day of the new year is "poor man's day", the whole family, old and young, don't go out and visit other families. If they accidentally enter other families' doors, they will be regarded as "poor men", which is unlucky and unpopular. Therefore, on the third day of the year, people generally don't enter other homes. If you have to come to the door under special circumstances, you should call the owner out to talk. The guests consciously don't come in, and the host won't invite them in. On the fourth day of Lunar New Year's Day, women began to bring gifts such as pork and rice cakes back to their parents' homes and visit relatives. Everyone walked together and talked and laughed all the way, which was very lively. Men began to carry out recreational and sports activities, also known as "making New Year" and "engaging in New Year". The main purposes of traditional folk literature and art are "lion dance", "dragon dance" and "lantern playing". After the fifth day of the new year, I began to work one after another.