A composition about local New Year customs

Zhuang Nationality

The Zhuang Nationality’s Spring Festival lasts from the 30th to the first and second day of the first lunar month, lasting three days. On New Year's Eve, every family kills chickens and ducks, and steams pork belly, powdered meat, barbecued pork, etc. Rice is steamed a lot on New Year's Eve, symbolizing wealth. There must be boiled chicken on the dinner table, and for families with elderly people, stewed pig's feet and whole chicken are also required. Zongzi is an indispensable food for the Zhuang people during the Spring Festival, but they are not eaten on the 30th night. The Zhuang people's rice dumplings are a noble food. The big ones are one or two years old, while the small ones are only two or three taels. In addition, there is also "Feng Mo", which means extra large rice dumplings, weighing one to twenty kilograms. The rice dumplings are delicious. On the first and second day of the first lunar month, there are guests who want to eat rice dumplings. During the Spring Festival, cultural and sports activities such as antiphonal singing, top playing, dancing, and ball games are held.

Tibetan New Year

According to Tibetan scholars, in ancient times, Tibet did not celebrate the New Year at the turn of winter and spring, but celebrated the New Year in the summer. "The ripening of wheat is the beginning of the year." The wheat is turning yellow, and a happy new year is here. "Now, in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, there is a tradition of celebrating the "Fruit Festival" before the autumn harvest. People wear ancient costumes, ride horses, pray in circles along the harvested barley fields, shoot arrows on horseback, and dance and revel around the bonfire to entertain themselves and the local patron saint. According to legend, these are all remnants of the June New Year in ancient Tibet.

There are also people who celebrate the New Year on the first day of October in the Tibetan calendar, "the wheat harvest is the beginning of the year". The Gongbu (Ningchi) area, 400 kilometers east of Lhasa and surrounded by snow-capped mountains and virgin forests, still celebrates the New Year on the first day of the tenth lunar month in the Tibetan calendar, and is called "Gongbulosa". Tibetan history records that the Gongbu area has a very long history. Long before the establishment of the Tubo Dynasty, Tibet's primitive religion Bon was very popular here. Celebrating the New Year in the tenth month of the Tibetan calendar originated from those ancient times.

About the 13th century AD, when the Sakya dynasty ruled Tibet, Tibetans celebrated the New Year in the first month of the Tibetan calendar. But farmers often celebrate the New Year in advance on the first day of December, which is called "Solanglosa" (Farmers' New Year). Because in the first month of the Tibetan calendar, spring has begun and preparations for farming are busy, so farmers have no intention of celebrating the New Year.

Wear the most beautiful clothes and the most precious jewelry in the New Year. Even people with poor economic conditions must prepare a New Year's robe or one or two rough decorations, which are called in Tibetan 'Saju' means new clothes. Of course, these come from the beauty-loving nature of Tibetans. But there is also a saying that God King Xin Zhe Qujie wants to observe the lives of the world from the bronze mirror. When everyone dresses beautifully, he is happy, and then gives it to the world. Some favors, wearing rags, made him upset, and brought disasters and plagues. Therefore, wearing new clothes during the New Year has the meaning of pleasing the God King. On the third day of the first lunar month, people from Lhasa walked out of the noisy and lively streets in groups. On Baoping Mountain in the eastern suburbs and Yaowang Mountain in the western suburbs, prayer flags and colorful streamers are hung to worship the mountain gods and water gods.

On the fifth day of the first lunar month in the Tibetan calendar, farmers in the suburbs of Lhasa will hold a grand plowing ceremony. The farmers put on their festive costumes, and the strong oxen were even more beautiful, with butter patterns on their foreheads, red flags and colorful feathers on their horns, colorful satin draped on their shoulders, the satin studded with shells and turquoise, and their tails Wearing colorful ribbons, it is not an exaggeration to describe it as "flowering branches"

Mongolians

The Mongolians have always admired the color white, so they call the first month of the lunar calendar "white." "month", the New Year's Day is called "White Festival". Preparations for the Mongolian New Year begin on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. In addition to cleaning, bathing, and decorating yurts, people also need to wear new clothes, and horses wear red tassels and new saddles. Whole cows and sheep with hada should be dedicated to close relatives and friends. On New Year's Eve, "handfuls of meat" should be eaten to show family reunion. In the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, toasts to the elders and then to peers are celebrated. Giving each other khatas and wishing them good luck in the new year.

Bai people

Bai people start to worship and give gifts to each other after midnight. Carrying water to show hard work. In the early morning, the whole family drinks sugar water soaked with rice flowers to wish that the day will be sweeter than honey. After breakfast, the children are led by adults to pay New Year greetings to their elders. Dragon lanterns, lion dances, and the King's Whip are indispensable to the festival. Activities.

The Buyi people

The Buyi people prepare cakes, rice wine and other festival foods before New Year’s Eve, and stay up until dawn on New Year’s Eve.

When the rooster crows, the girls rush to the river to carry water. Whoever carries the first load of water first means that she is the most diligent and the happiest.

Korean

The Korean family stays up all night on New Year's Eve, and the ancient music of gaya harp and flute brings people into the new year. During the festival, men, women, old and young indulge in singing and dancing, and hold competitions such as springboard pressing and tug-of-war. A traditional celebration gathering is held on the evening of the 15th day of the first lunar month. A few selected elderly people board the "Moon Watching Frame" to see the bright moon first, which means that their children and grandchildren will be healthy, progress and everything goes well. Afterwards, everyone gathered around the lit "Moon Watching Frame" and danced to the music of long drums, flutes and suonas.

Daur Nationality

The Spring Festival is called "Anie" in Daur language. On the morning of New Year's Eve, every family sweeps the courtyard and piles debris and livestock manure into a high pile directly in front of the gate. After the pile is lit in the evening, light smoke fills the air and the festive atmosphere is everywhere. The old people throw large pieces of meat, steamed buns, dumplings and other food into the fire to wish people and animals good health and a good harvest. In the evening, the whole family eats meat on hand and performs various activities to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. People put incense sticks on the snow on the west side of their houses and bow to the west to commemorate their ancestors. On New Year's Eve, every family eats dumplings. The dumplings are wrapped with white threads, which symbolize longevity. During the Spring Festival, there are hockey games, costume parties, listening to books and singing and other games.

Gaoshan Nationality

People of Gaoshan Nationality dress up in colorful national costumes during the Spring Festival, gather in groups at the edge of the village, drink wine, and sing and dance to the accompaniment of musical instruments. Some villages also hold spearfishing competitions and carry out sports activities such as basket ball and poleball.

Hezhe people

The Spring Festival of the Hezhe people is the happiest event of the year. On New Year's Eve, every family cooks New Year's dinner, cuts window grilles, and puts up lanterns. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, girls, women and children all wear new clothes embroidered with clouds and go to the homes of relatives and friends to pay New Year greetings. The fish feast is a delicacy that the Hezhe people entertain their guests, including hot and sour "Tala Chang" (raw fish), crispy "fried fish feathers" and transparent and bright red salmon roe. Skiing, shooting grass and grass ball are the recreational activities that Hezhe teenagers are obsessed with.

Lahu Nationality

The Lahu Nationality celebrates the New Year from the first to the fourth day of the first lunar month, and celebrates the Small New Year from the ninth to the eleventh day of the first lunar month. On the 30th night of the twelfth lunar month, pigs are killed and glutinous rice cakes are pounded. Each family makes a pair of large cakes, symbolizing the stars, which means good weather and good harvests in the new year. The Lahu people also have the custom of gathering together to watch the New Year's Eve.

Manchu

Manchu people must put up window grilles, couplets and the word "神" during the Spring Festival. The whole family makes dumplings on New Year's Eve, and the dumplings should be pleated. Don't make "monk's head" dumplings with bare edges, for fear of being "bald" after a long time. Dumplings should be arranged in horizontal and vertical rows, symbolizing that the new year's wealth will be in all directions. Dumplings cannot be arranged in a circle, for fear that life will be difficult.

She people

During the Spring Festival, the She people pound glutinous rice cakes, which is a homophonic pronunciation of glutinous rice cakes. They wish them good fortune in the new year and sweet glutinous rice cakes every day. . The She people worship their ancestor "Panhu". On the first day of the new year, the whole family worships the "Pangu Ancestral Picture" (a portrait based on the legend of Panhu) and tells the story of the hardships of their ancestors in starting a business.

Tujia

Tujia people dance "Waving Hands" during the Spring Festival. In the past, when performing the hand-waving dance, three cage tents were first hung in the "waving-hand hall", in which pig heads, pork, incense candles, wild boar heads, hooves, etc. were hung, and then the old chieftain wearing a red robe and a crown held the magical instrument. , swaying and shouting, all men, women and children participated, worshiping the gods before dancing. Nowadays, in addition to hand-waving dances, the Tujia people also perform dragon lanterns, lions, dramas and martial arts.

Wa people

The Wa people congratulate each other on the first day of the Lunar New Year, especially the elders in the village. During the New Year greetings, the two sides gave each other plantains, glutinous rice cakes and sugar cane to symbolize unity and harmony. Men and women of the Wa ethnic group in Cangyuan and other places gather in the square to dance circle dances on festival evenings. Elderly women wear long skirts. Dozens of people form a team, putting their hands on the shoulders of those in front of them, singing ancient songs while dancing lightly.