What does it mean to light a lamp?

What do Cantonese people mean by lighting a lamp?

What do Cantonese people mean by lighting a lamp? Many cities in China have their own different customs. Many places may have the custom of lighting lanterns during the New Year, but different places have different opinions and pay attention to them. So what do Cantonese people mean by lighting a lamp?

What do Cantonese people mean by lighting a lamp? 1 Introduction of lighting custom in Zhanjiang in the first month: Why do you want to light a lamp?

In Longtou Town, Zhanjiang, lighting lanterns in the first month is a custom with a history of more than 500 years.

"Lighting a lamp" means carrying the gods in the village to worship at home. In the sacrificial ceremony, there will be Taoist priests wearing Taoist robes and crowns, "talking to the court" with their hands, and reciting Taoist scriptures in front of the gods as a "ceremony". Every year during the Spring Festival, different villages set different "lighting" auspicious days because of different "village customs".

In some places in Zhanjiang, "lighting" can only be done by boys. Every year, the first boy born in the village is called the "lamp holder", and the first lamp is lit by him. Those born after the "lampstand" are called "lampstands", and the "lampstands" draw lots in turn.

The "lampstand" born every year must complete the "lighting" ceremony in the Spring Festival next year, which cannot be postponed to the next year, while the "lamp boy" can. "Lighting a lamp" is found in every village in Longtou Town, and the sacrifices are roughly the same. The difference is that people's living standards are better now.

Some villagers also customized cakes to worship together, meaning that cakes (high) are rising step by step! In some villages, "women" can be ordered, but only "men" can be ordered, because men are "gentlemen".

On the second day after the "little lantern" is lit, the "lampstand" will be treated with colorful flags, gongs and drums, musical instruments and lions, and escorted to the land temple (also known as the ruins temple) in the village to be hung high. It is said that whoever wants to add people next year will wait for the "lampstand" to hang in the land temple and grab the "lamp egg" hanging under the lantern.

On the second day of the Lantern Festival (that is, the 16th day of the first month), all the lanterns in the village will gather in front of the Earth Temple and burn together with the lanterns of the "lampstand" (commonly known as the "pot-bellied lantern", which is much bigger than the lanterns of the "lantern boy"), thus ending the "lighting" activities of that year.

What do Cantonese people mean by lighting a lamp? 2. The origin of "lighting"

In Hakka dialect, "Deng" is a homonym of the dialect "Ding", and it is also a symbol of light, hope, igniting a prairie fire and endless life. Hakka people came all the way from the land where they lived in the Central Plains, and finally settled at the intersection of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi. Their unique life experiences have enabled Hakkas to form national unity, meet the survival needs of defending the enemy, and have produced the tradition of respecting ancestors and celebrating the "Heavenly Ding" with lanterns.

"Turn on the light" is Gardin.

In Hakka clan society, every boy has to hold a "lighting ceremony" all his life. People who put lanterns are of all ages. The boy who just gave birth to a child is called "Saint" and the older one is called "Saint". For various reasons, such a ceremony was not held. Therefore, the "Lantern Festival" is actually a celebration held by all ethnic groups for the newborn boys of that year.

It's time to "light up"

Every year, anyone named "Tianding" (that is, having a boy) must hang a new lantern (harmonious "Ding Xin") in the upper hall of the ancestral hall. The earliest "lighting" date is the ninth day of the first month, and the latest is the nineteenth day of the first month, but most of them are around the fifteenth day of the first month. "Lighting a lamp" means reporting to ancestors that a new person has been added to a family.

The form of "lighting"

When "putting out lanterns", we should hold "three sacrifices", drink alcohol to honor ancestors and the gods of heaven and earth, and also hold "putting out lanterns and wine" to invite relatives and friends to reunite and congratulate. This custom is more complicated in Hakka area.

Besides, it has evolved. After "putting out lanterns", there will be "warming lanterns" in the middle (it is an activity in the process of "putting out lanterns", which can't be said to be "warming Yuanxiao"). Finally, it is "respecting ancestors and thanking heaven and earth", which is very grand and warm, with the atmosphere of "one family adds more talents and the whole village celebrates".

The change of the custom of "lighting"

On the Lantern Festival next year, Hakkas who gave birth to their sons will put lanterns on their ancestral halls, that is, hang a beautiful lantern, and then let the dignified old people in the village hug the boy.

And his name was officially written into the family tree, and the boy officially became a member of this family. After that, a banquet was held to entertain the men in the village to drink. With the progress of social civilization, many daughters are playing with lights now, and their daughters have entered the family tree.

The custom of Hakka lighting has a long history, some hundreds of years, some thousands of years. This custom has become more colorful now, which profoundly reflects the outstanding cultural heritage consciousness of Hakka people.

What do Cantonese people mean by lighting a lamp? In Cantonese, "Ding" and "Deng" are homonyms. Adding a lamp is Gading. In some places in Guangdong, families who have added men use "lanterns" to celebrate their happiness, celebrate their successors and pray for family prosperity. The whole process is divided into three steps: lighting, turning on the light and turning off the light.

When a boy is born at home, the elders will go to the paper shop to order paper lanterns. On the first day of the first month, these paper lanterns are hung at home, in our ancestral hall and in our village temple, and grandpa lights them. The paper lamp is octagonal, coated with grease and powder, with a small dish full of oil hanging inside for lighting, and several small paper bags hanging below, which contain beautiful items such as red dates, peanuts, oranges and arrows.

When hung in the ancestral hall, the boy's date of birth and name should also be recorded in the genealogy. Then there is the lantern festival. From the second day of the first month to the fifteenth day of the first month, the host family sets a specific day and invites relatives and friends to drink lanterns and wine. There is also a village or a family to spend the Lantern Festival together. "Turning off lanterns" means taking all lanterns to the sky (that is, burning them) on the fifteenth day of the first month to pray for heaven.

One of the highlights is the opening ceremony. "Drinking Lantern Wine" is one of the indispensable Spring Festival activities in some places in Guangdong Province, and it is called "Welcoming Lantern". Relatives and friends will give "Deng Zi" a birthday bag or a "red robe" (red clothes), and the host will also give back a gift.

"Lamp wine" is usually placed in the ancestral temple or restaurant in the village. As a food-oriented country, China will celebrate any happy event with six words after the ceremony: "Eat well and drink well."

There are nine kinds of traditional lamps and wines, which have a long meaning. The dishes are also very particular. Each of these nine dishes contains good wishes. For example, stewed pork hands are called brothers and sisters, and lotus seed soup is called lotus seed heart. How many dishes to choose depends mainly on the wishes of the host family. But no matter what dish you choose, there will definitely be a mushroom. Bud mushroom is also called seed mushroom, which means male in Cantonese.

In the first month, tourists often see signs of "every household is feasting" in some restaurants in Guangdong. After listening to the local explanation, I can't help but ask, what if it is a daughter? A friend of the author replied with a wry smile: then nothing needs to be done. My mother gave birth to our three sisters.

My parents finally adopted a son from Guangxi. He is not good to my parents, but everything in the family is still his, and the dividends in the village are all his. My friend went on to tell us that the old man in their village said that there was another person in the old society, and there was no lantern festival, which meant that he did not recognize his nationality, that he was a member of his own family, and that the ancestral temple would not give him pork.

After all, it is son preference! Haven't you heard that in the rural areas around Jiangsu and Zhejiang, as early as ten years ago, my daughter went on the family tree like my son. My friend is in his thirties. According to her age, it should have been more than 30 years ago. This kind of thing should not happen now. However, in the first month of each year, the feast of turning on the lights is still often seen.