What's the point of a prosperous New Year's Eve? What should I pay attention to ...

The annual Spring Festival is coming in an instant. It is essential for many people in China to light a fire according to the custom of the Spring Festival. Especially in Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and other places, this is an important traditional custom of the Spring Festival, and every household should have a prosperous fire, hoping that the next year will be prosperous. 1. The origin and evolution of Wanghuo is also called Fire Tower, which is based on its shape. Because it burns brightly after being ignited, the fire is strong, which indicates that people's luck will be strong within one year, so it is called wanghuo.

According to legend, in ancient times, Nian, like tigers and wolves, was a fierce beast. It often goes deep into the village at night in the cold winter and spring season to hurt people and animals, which makes people complain.

One year, I came to a village on the evening of the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month. It happened that a shepherd boy used a whip. Hearing the news that year, he fled to another village. At this moment, he saw a woman in red and ran away in a panic.

Later, people learned that this harmful guy was afraid of red and whipping. On New Year's Eve, people light bonfires and hang red lanterns in the yard all night.

In fact, the prosperous fire does not necessarily come from legends, mainly because people try to be lucky and happy when they bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.

The northern region has a cold climate and is short of wood, but it is rich in underground coal resources. In the Song Dynasty, people began to use coal instead of wood, and the bonfire became a flourishing fire. As for the meaning of flourishing fire, it will flourish in the coming year. On New Year's Eve, every household should build a tower in front of the courtyard with large pieces of coal, which is called Wanghuo, in order to be auspicious and congratulate the prosperity all year round. There was firewood in it, and a big red note was written on it, "Spirit is soaring". At midnight, when firecrackers are ringing, light a strong fire. After being ignited, the flame spouted from countless small holes, just like a floating picture, which is both warm and spectacular. Adults and children gather in a circle, some play games, some set off firecrackers, and men, women and children will come to keep warm in order to "soar".

Shanxi is rich in coal, so-called coal city. On the Lantern Festival, all government agencies and units must make a fire in front of the door. One is lighting, the other is heating and the third is prosperity. Wanghuo has its own characteristics and tastes. The materials used in the fire also change with time. Less than two years after coal replaced wood, honeycomb coal is quietly emerging. Maybe in a few years, a new type of more environmentally friendly fire will quietly appear. In the past, people's economic conditions were not very affluent. When the base flourished, they could only build a one-foot-high building with a small piece of carbon, so they had to consider saving. But now with the continuous improvement of people's living standards, the form and content of Wanghuo have undergone great changes. Nowadays, the customs and habits of gathering fires have made new progress. In some places, they not only gather fire during the New Year, but also hold weddings and funerals or major festivals on weekdays.

Second, the focus and characteristics of Yangquan Jinzhong fire can be roughly divided into two types. One is the mud tower fire. Brick is laid at the bottom, leaving gray holes on all sides. Then it is made of half brick with a thin bottom and a thick top, leaving fire holes, which is the fire body of the tower fire. The fire body is made of wheat straw and mud, and when it is wet, it passes through the hollow part of the fire hole with a smooth wooden stick, showing the shape of an ingot. The total height of the fire body is about 1.5 meters, and the diameter of the burner is about 0.85 meters, which looks like a goblet with honeycomb eyes. The other is called Hydrangea Tower Fire. There is a square wooden frame under the lamp, and a special hollow hydrangea brick is built on the base, which is reinforced layer by layer with lead wire without mud paste. Fire is square. The tower stove is full of dry wood and charcoal. Due to the excellent ventilation of the fire holes all over the body, once lit, the fire raged and became spectacular. Tata is also concerned about collapse. As the saying goes, "the tower is on fire. If it doesn't collapse, it won't be a fire." If it collapses, it is lucky. Tower fire is also called stick hammer fire.

Yangquan Pingding and southeastern Shanxi are rich in anthracite. Wanghuo is often built in the shape of animals such as tigers, lions and dragons. There is a vent below. The beast's mouth is a spitfire. After being lit, all kinds of wild animals breathe fire in their mouths, which is very spectacular.

In most parts of the province, raging fires are in the shape of pagodas. The northern part of Shanxi pays special attention to flourishing fire, showing a rough and heroic momentum. The big fire in Pianguan County is about two feet high, and it is all selected charcoal. Craftsmen should be specially selected for construction during production. Pulling charcoal from coal mines by car. After ignition, it is necessary to ensure that the fire will not collapse for three days and three nights, which is a superb special traditional craft. And the fire in Huairen County. The carbon consumption has reached nearly 100 tons, which is higher and bigger than Pianguan Wanghuo.

The first procedure is to split the square "positive" carbon block into two-inch thick pieces along the grain with a knife, and then knock the big pieces down; The second process is to lay the foundation. First, find three bricks and arrange them in the east, west and north directions (the tuyere is in the south), and then lay charcoal on the bricks layer by layer. When each layer of foundation is paved, the joints of the next layer must be pressed down to be firm.

The bottom is round, gradually shrinking layer by layer, and finally reaching the top, which is covered with a small piece of carbon. The hollow part in the middle is filled with chopping wood with moderate size and length, and the tuyere is plugged with beanstalk as a match. When making a fire, first light a match, then fan the firewood with human power to ignite it, and then light the charcoal block. At this time, the whole tower will burst into flames.

Prosperous fire means that the situation in a year is in Wenger, so the established prosperous fire is very taboo to collapse. Key points: First, lay a good foundation, put a handful of bean stalks or flax firewood, and use a big, flat and heavy charcoal in the first lap. The higher up, the smaller the charcoal. The lintel of the door should be a whole, and it should be firm and crack-free. Second, charcoal does not depend on wood. After two or three rounds of charcoal are built, put on the tied matches. At this time, when you build charcoal again, you should pay attention to the fact that charcoal blocks can't reliably hold firewood. When the firewood is lit, it will fall, and it is easy to drive the charcoal block it supports to fall, and the whole fire will collapse. The third is mutual shielding, just like brick walls. After mutual engagement, the carbon blocks form a whole and become more solid after combustion. Fourth, the top should be closed slowly. When you can't see the lush matches in the head-up, you should start to close the top and gradually retract it with smaller carbon blocks. When there is only a palm-sized round hole, cover it with a thin carbon block of the same palm size, sprinkle some broken carbon foam, plant a small vertical carbon block, and label it "Wang", and Wanghuo will be built.

There are four characteristics when the fire in Shanxi is at its peak.

First, the coal preparation is excellent. Pre-selected high-quality coal before the Lantern Festival, carefully cut into neat squares by craftsmen.

Second, the shape is beautiful. Master Gao Ming was hired to turn Wanghuo into a vase with a small belly at the bottom and a big belly at the top. Only in this way can it be burned thoroughly and the fire will not collapse.

Third, it is increasing year by year. In order to achieve a better moral year by year, it is required to make a fire higher and higher year by year. The specific increase depends on the expectations of the owner.

Fourth, the scale is huge. In the streets of some county towns, there will be fifty or sixty huge fires, the largest of which is made of about 80 tons of coal, which is more than ten meters high. Third, ignite the culture of flourishing fire and Chinese New Year. Every household should prepare firewood before New Year's Eve. During the day on New Year's Eve, put up couplets, sweep the yard, and then make a fire. First, put a few bricks (similar to the stove built at the picnic) on the selected courtyard open space and put them neatly. Then, the sawn wood is staggered, and the circumference becomes smaller as it goes up, forming a small round tower. Then, put firewood in the center of the tower, and finally put a piece of wood on the top of the tower that says "the fire is soaring into the sky", and you're done.

On New Year's Eve, we don't eat New Year's Eve until we make a fire and bring all the immortals back. Moreover, the time of receiving god is different every year, which adds a longing for waiting to every family. Making a fire has become the most important thing on New Year's Eve. When it's time to pick up the gods, the male owners of each household will all go out and make a fire in the yard. Ignition is very learned, and it is difficult to ignite if you don't master it well. Even if it is on, it may go out. So, you see, after lighting the firewood that started the fire, everyone took brooms and fanned hard at the tuyere. Only when wood or charcoal or honeycomb coal is ignited and burned into a raging fire can they stop, catch their breath, enlarge carbine, whip and fireworks ... whoever burns well indicates that he will have good luck in the coming year. At the same time of filming, women piously burned incense and paper money in front of the tablets of immortals and ancestors, praying that God would bless the health of the whole family. If it is the animal year or once every nine years, red clothes will be baked near the fire in order to be healthy in the coming year. Today, people pay more attention to the festive atmosphere brought by the burning fire to their families and their expectations for a better life in the future.

In the new century, in order to implement the requirements of Scientific Outlook on Development of the CPC Central Committee, avoid unnecessary waste of coal resources, and reduce environmental and atmospheric pollution, local laws and regulations have been issued one after another in various places to prohibit the Lantern Festival from setting off fire. But the locals can't figure it out, and the effect is not very satisfactory. It seems that the contradiction between how to treat folk customs, inherit and protect folk culture, energy conservation and environmental protection, and building a beautiful home will exist for a long time. Let's work together!