Linzhou Folk Spring Festival

The Folk Spring Festival in Linzhou

The Spring Festival, commonly known as "New Year" and "Lunar Year", is the most prosperous festival for the Han people in my country. During the Yin and Shang Dynasties, each year began in the twelfth lunar month, the Zhou Dynasty began in the eleventh lunar month, and the Qin and early Han Dynasties began in the tenth lunar month. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted the "Taichu Calendar" in the first year of Taichu, which stipulated that the first month of Mengchun should be the beginning of the year. Since then, the Lunar New Year has lasted for more than two thousand years. After the Revolution of 1911 in the third year of Xuantong in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1916), the Gregorian calendar was adopted, with the first day of the first month of the Gregorian calendar as the beginning of the year, and the first day of the first lunar month was renamed the Spring Festival, which is still used today.

1. Chinese New Year

Folks in Linzhou call the Spring Festival the Chinese New Year, but the Chinese New Year does not specifically refer to the first day of the first lunar month, but includes the beginning and end of the year. As soon as we enter the twelfth lunar month, there will be a "nian flavor".

For breakfast on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, people eat "Laba porridge". The porridge is made from millet and persimmon cubes. It tastes sweet and is commonly known as "persimmon pimple white soup". The peasant women all have to prepare the porridge before the sun rises, and put it in a pile of grain on the south wall. They say: "Make Laba porridge earlier. If you put a pile of grain on the south wall, the little bird will not trample on my family's grain." According to literature, eating "Laba porridge" in Linzhou began in the Song Dynasty. The original meaning is that people use the harvest of the year to sacrifice their ancestors, worship the gods and celebrate the harvest. Later, due to frequent disasters in Linzhou, it gradually evolved into eating "Laba porridge" to wish for a good harvest in the coming year. At present, there is a saying among the people in Linzhou that "if you eat Laba porridge, you will have a good harvest in the coming year."

Twenty-three, send the old Zao Master to heaven. In order to encourage the Kitchen King to serve the people and say more good things to the Jade Emperor, people wrote on the pairs on both sides of the Stove King's tablet: "God speaks good things, and the lower world brings good luck." In order to prevent the Kitchen King from reporting false information, sesame candy was used as an offering to stick to the Kitchen King's mouth.

Clean the house twenty-four. According to folklore, the Stove King is the overseer of the Heavenly Emperor and is responsible for inspecting the merits and demerits of his family members. Anyone who has any faults must mark it on the wall and report to heaven on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month at the end of the year. After receiving the decree from Heaven on the 1st and 5th of the year, he will lead the Heavenly Soldiers. Punishment will be carried out according to the marks on the wall. In order to eliminate hidden dangers, people began to clean the house immediately the day after the Stove Lord was sent to heaven. This formed the custom of "cleaning the house twenty-four times".

Twenty-five grinds the tofu. On this day, people grind the soaked soybeans, rub them in a basket to remove the residue, boil them into pulp, and then scoop them into a sieve to accumulate them. Afterwards, the tofu is cut into small pieces and stored in salted water for consumption during the Spring Festival.

Twenty-six to cut the flesh. On that day, there were many meat racks in the market, and Murakami slaughtered pigs and sheep in a big pot. Those who cut the meat did so according to their family wealth. The rich prepared it until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month; the poor prepared it until around the fifth day of the first lunar month.

Twenty-seven is steamed and eaten. It is something that both poor and rich families must do, and it is also one of the characteristics of the Chinese New Year. According to the size of the population and the number of guests, each family must steam enough to eat until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, or at least the "breaking five" amount.

Twenty-eight great stickers. Before 1949, most people in Linzhou asked people to write couplets. Some farmers used family flowers to express their wishes. In addition, the door gods were also posted on Liushang. Most of the statues of door gods are Qin Qiong, Jingde, Dadao Guan Gong, Wuzi Dengke, etc. Most of them are stereotyped. When pasting pairs, pay attention to "poor signs (horizontal couplets), rich pairs", that is, the horizontal lintel paper should be small and the pair paper should be fat. After 1980, double couplets became popular in rural areas, that is, in addition to posting one on the door frame, another giant couplet is posted on the wall of the door stack. There is also a bucket of squares written on diamond-shaped paper, with the word "Fu" written on the top, and a vertical line below that says "Go out to see happiness", or "Welcome happiness and receive blessings", or "Celebrate the Spring Festival", and stick it on the door or wall. superior. The courtyard trees are inscribed with "Spring Scenery in the Courtyard", the stone mill is inscribed with "White Tiger in Good Luck", the stone mill is inscribed with "Green Dragon in Good Luck", the car is inscribed with "A Thousand Miles in a Day", the livestock trough is inscribed with "Six Livestock are Prosperous", and the grain farm is "A warehouse full of rice and wheat" is posted on the table, "Every day makes a fortune" on the table, "A box full of clothes" is posted on the wardrobe, and "Body is safe" is posted on the bedside. At the same time, all kinds of sacred cards were written freshly. Except for the kitchen, which was written on green paper (meant to avoid fire), the rest were written on red paper. The inside and outside are red and auspicious.

Twenty-nine spread the wax and walk away.

On the evening of that day, dozens of people, led by neighboring large villages, carried lanterns, beat drums, beat big cymbals, and held incense rolls. They went to the shrines in the temples in each village to light candles and burn incense foil, with the intention of worshiping the gods and driving away evil spirits. Sending the gospel. People in the village gathered at the holy place, waiting for the team to deliver the gospel. One village sends them off, another village picks them up, and the surrounding fields are brightly lit. After 1950, this custom disappeared and it was changed to drinking on the 29th.

Pinch the kernels at thirty and take them out of the pot. Kneading the kernels means kneading the food into flat pieces, and frying the food right out of the pan. These two items are the most intense and arduous tasks on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month. On that day, starting from early in the morning, all the women in the family started working together, dishing out the stuffing and mixing the noodles. After the stuffing and noodles were ready, they gathered around the kang and kneaded the food. The mother-in-law, daughter-in-law and sister-in-law were very happy while squeezing and teasing. The packed food should be enough for the evening of the thirties and the early morning of the first day of the new year. I was busy until about 5pm. After the flat food is wrapped, boil it in a pot first, put it into small plates, two for each plate, and the housewife will burn incense at home and light paper to pray to the ancestors: "Please prophesy if there is anything to say, eat first when there is food, and bless the family's safety." "People are prosperous and prosperous." In addition, the men of the family will carry a plate to the grave to worship the ancestors, put a small plate on each grave, and burn the cannon to kowtow. After these things are done, frying begins. All foods that should be fried must be fried. Crispy meat, meatballs, knife heads (pork ribs for serving), and vegetables are all fried in the pot, but the first pot is fried. Take some first, stuff it into the stove, and let the Stove King come back to eat on the first or fifth day of the lunar month. Of course, if the twelfth lunar month is small, the activities on this day will be on the 29th. 31123

Coin flat food. This is a popular custom among people in Lin County. When thirty packs of flat food are made, several coins are wrapped in the flat food respectively. Whoever eats the coin flat food at breakfast on the first day of the Lunar New Year will be blessed that year, which brings great fun to the whole family. People rushed to get up early, especially the children who made an exception and ate more flat food in order to earn money for food and accommodation, which made the whole family laugh.

Send lights. On the evening of the 30th, every household in rural areas in the south of the county will tie lanterns made of paper, attach them to pillars, and place them on their graves to illuminate them all night long so that their ancestors can celebrate the New Year with them. This lamp was taken back on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Door-stopping stick. On the thirtieth night, people used to put a peach wood stick on the threshold of the door. If there is no peach wood, use other sticks to prevent "wild ghosts" from entering the house.

Stay well in the new year. Also called "keeping the year old". Folklore says that on the 30th night, as long as you have perseverance, you will definitely wait until God's daughter opens the Nantian Gate to bless the world. If you go to bed early, you will not be blessed. People have good wishes, and every year on the 30th night of the twelfth lunar month, the whole family chats endlessly and enjoys the joy of family harmony. The housewife should also set up the incense table to offer sacrifices, hold candles all night, and light incense five times. It is forbidden to make loud noises at night to avoid disturbing the gods; it is forbidden to open boxes and cabinets to avoid losing money; it is forbidden to look in the mirror and hold a wooden comb to avoid seeing "ghosts"; it is forbidden to see knives and scissors to avoid breaking up the house; it is forbidden to sweep the floor to avoid losing gold and silver; It is forbidden to empty the urinal to avoid defiling the gods. On the thirtieth night, leftovers are thrown away and are called next year’s meal. When you get up early on the first day of the Lunar New Year, you should also throw away leftovers to celebrate the good fortune. After 1980, new content was added to the new year. Many families with the conditions gathered around the TV to watch exciting TV programs. When it was almost midnight, young people from each family held a cannon in their right hand, a fire in their left hand, and stepped out of the door with their right foot. Outside, he stepped on the door with his left foot, looked at the TV screen, and got into a position of rushing to fire the cannon. As soon as midnight comes on the TV screen, along with the melodious bells, thousands of households firecrackers go off in unison. Fires, fireworks, two blasts and other colorful firecrackers decorate the sky with colorful and dazzling colors.

Kowtow on the first day of the new year. After people finish their meal at dawn, the younger generation first kowtows to the elders in the family, and then goes to other families (usually the same clan) to kowtow to New Year greetings. Except for a highly respected old man who was left to receive his head, the rest of the family went to neighbors and even villages in three miles and five villages to pay New Year greetings to relatives and new friends. If the junior is a child or a newlywed, the elder will give some lucky money.

Visiting relatives. The order of visiting relatives is: the nephew goes to grandma's house, the daughter and son-in-law go to her parents' house, and then they go to the aunt, aunt, and sister's house. Except for special circumstances, everyone must pay homage. There is a folk saying that "the first and second days of the lunar month are beautiful moons, and the third and fourth days of the lunar month are good festivals."

Break five knots. The fifth day of the first month of the lunar calendar is Po Wu, which is superstitious. People believe that the fifth, fourteenth and twenty-third of the lunar month are unlucky days. The fifth day of the first lunar month is the first unlucky day after the new year. It is very taboo to "visit relatives and visit friends" and spend the holidays at home to improve your life.

On the Yin time of the day, housewives also take out a little ashes from the furnace and deliver them to the street intersection, which is commonly known as "giving ashes to the poor".

From the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month to the fifth day of the first lunar month, children will not be beaten or scolded. They will eat well, dress nicely, and have fun. Even if they make mistakes, they will not be beaten or scolded. , this is a rule passed down by the older generation. If you beat or scold a child, you will be condemned by everyone. So what children look forward to most is the New Year.

2. The Year of the Spring Whip

"The plan for a year lies in spring." People place their hopes in the great spring, hoping that people will be prosperous and life will be better.

In ancient times, on the day of the beginning of spring, Linzhou had the custom of welcoming the spring, whipping the spring, and biting the spring. It was commonly known as "beating the spring" among the people. "Zhongxiu Lin County Chronicle" records: "On the day before the beginning of spring, the county magistrate led his subordinates with majestic drums and music to welcome the spring in the eastern suburbs, plowing the fields, whipping native cattle, carrying five spicy dishes, and eating spring cakes. They presented portraits of the God of Mang and native cattle, saying Welcome the Spring Festival. People from far and near are like a crowd. After the Republic of China, the rituals were abolished. People called them "Spring Pancakes" made of white flour. Thread-shaped dishes with cold dishes as the main body (originally silk-like, or processed into silk-like shapes). At the beginning of spring, spring cakes, lettuce and other foods are put on a plate, which is called spring plate. Because of the popularity of the Spring Festival activity, spring dishes were given as gifts. In the old days, it was also an important festival activity at the beginning of spring. It is said that it existed before the Tang Dynasty. "Four People's Monthly Orders" records: "Eating lettuce at the beginning of spring... means welcoming the new year." The spring custom of eating spring pancakes and radishes originated from the "Wuxin Plate" two thousand years ago. The so-called "Wuxin Plate" ", which is to put five spicy vegetables (onions, ginger, garlic, leeks, radishes) on a plate.

Although whip spring, bite spring and Wu Xin Pan have disappeared among the people in Linzhou, it has become a new custom for people to watch the wind and clouds at the beginning of spring, predict the weather and predict a good harvest.

3. Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month

The Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is also called the Lantern Festival and the Lantern Festival. It's night, people put up lanterns and streamers, guess lantern riddles, watch fireworks, eat Yuanxiao, admire the moon and compose poems, which has become a habit. Since the Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties, it has been very popular. "Books of the Sui Dynasty Music Chronicles" records: "Whenever the first lunar month comes, all nations come to court and stay until the 15th day outside Duanmen and inside Jianguo Gate. It stretches for eight miles and is designated as a theater." Tens of thousands of people often participate in singing and dancing, and they fall into coma. Dadan, to the dark side. Among the people in Linzhou, among the festivals after the New Year, the fifth day of the first lunar month is a particularly lively festival. People have not finished having fun during the New Year, and the Festival of Lights is ushering in again. People regard the fifteenth day of the first lunar month as a small New Year. One is to eat flat food and the other is to light lanterns. After having dinner that night, every household began to light lanterns and flowers. Put dozens or even dozens of lanterns with a diameter of 2 to 3 centimeters made with tissue paper in advance in a bowl, pour in sesame oil, stir, use chopsticks to pick out and light them, and place them on the door frame, on the stone strips, on the shed, on the wall. There are lit lanterns everywhere, on the waterway, in the kitchen, at the door, around the courtyard, in the middle, inside and outside the door. The light is like daylight and the fragrance is fragrant. The lights are dancing on the ground, the moon is shining high in the sky, and the stars are twinkling, making people feel like they are in a fairyland. After 1950, as the cultural level of the masses improved, people began to play with lanterns, including rotating lanterns, dragon lanterns, garland lanterns, marquee lanterns, sand lanterns, and harvest lanterns. They also developed into deified idol lanterns, which are full of ingenuity and colorful. Especially in the county town, the lantern show organized by the cultural center was even more exciting, and there were a lot of people watching the lanterns. 32123

The fireworks on the 15th day are also very spectacular. Fireworks are organized by each district, led by a large village, and "lighting up old poles" begins fifteen years ago. All kinds of things done on the old pole are expressed with fireworks. At that time, there will be a crowd of spectators, men, women, old and young, from far and near. For those of you who are experienced, it will take more than two hours to complete. On the day of Shangyuan, various folk cultural and artistic activities are held in performance competitions, which is very lively.

33123