Steamed noodle lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month

When my grandma was still alive, twelve lanterns would be steamed on the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month every year.

On the fifteenth day, after lunch, grandma took a short rest and then started to get busy. Washing and chopping vegetables, our children followed suit, peeling onions, peeling garlic, and scraping ginger. When everything was ready, aunt and uncle knew how to stir-fry. And we and grandma moved to another battlefield-making noodles.

Grandma started kneading the dough, and when the dough was brought to the table, in order to prevent us children from causing trouble, she would pull out a little dough and let us play freely.

Grandma divided the kneaded dough into dough balls of similar size, then held the dough balls with one hand and rotated the dough balls with the other hand. After a while, a flower pot-shaped noodle bowl emerged. It is formed, and then pinch small ears on its edge. One small ear represents January, two small ears represent February, and 12 small ears represent December. In addition to making 12 face lanterns, there are other symbols of various Noodle lamps with small animals are placed there ready to be steamed.

Wait until evening and start steaming. About half an hour later, grandma would open the lid of the pot and look at the lamps one by one. While looking, she would ask which months it would rain and which months it would not rain. I was very curious and asked grandma if she could tell fortunes. Grandma said, look, there is water in this noodle lamp, which means there is enough rain this month. There is no water in that noodle lamp, which means there is a lack of water that month... We all know that when steaming rice, there will be water vapor, and the water in the noodle lamp Just dripping steam water droplets. The weather forecast at that time was not as accurate as it is now, and the old people still used the methods left by their ancestors to predict the future. Of course, no one has verified the accuracy of this method. What has been said has been said.

The steamed noodle lamps are filled with oil, and after being lit, they are placed in different places. For example, in front of and behind the house, in front of and behind the door, and in every corner, if possible, put one. If a face lamp cannot be placed, they will walk around with the face lamp to inform the poisonous insects to stay away from where people live and be careful. Harm, the most impressive thing is that if there are children at home, everyone will hold a face lamp and shake it in front of their eyes. While shaking it, they will talk about it. It will not harm the eyes. "Not harmful to the eyes" means that they will not get pink eye. (keratitis), making eyes brighter. Then look at the ears and tell the ears to be pure and listen only to what should be heard. Then look at the whole body, hoping that the body will be good and free from illness and disaster. Finally, fix the face lamp in one place. We always put it in our home. on the millstone and let it burn out.

As we grow up, the pace of life accelerates, society develops, and materials become abundant, the folk customs left by our ancestors gradually disappear, and what is left are just incomplete memories.