Linyi hotel has a mahjong table

the Spring Festival; Chinese New Year

When I was a child, I burned incense and set off firecrackers, castrated my family and sacrificed my ancestors first. Goodbye, elder. Reward lucky money. Young people of the same race hand in hand, from near to far, pay New Year greetings in order. Eating a plain food for breakfast is still vegetarian, which is very harmonious. I wish the family peace and harmony. Flat grain contains bran and coins, which play the role of "fortune" and "wealth". After dinner, the eldest sister-in-law flocked to the street to pay New Year greetings. At noon on the third day, incense is burned in the court and the whole family is reunited. This day is called "Year of the Year". Eating flat food on the fifth day is called "pinching your mouth". Teach children, don't swear, don't talk nonsense, respect the old and love the young, talk less and do more, and study hard first. The seventh day is Fire Day, following the ancient custom, cooking and opening meals. The old customs respect Vulcan, the villagers drink heartily, and the gongs and drums are loud. On the eighth day of August, we eat tofu, which means "all cooked" and pray for a good year. The ninth day is fruit day, eating carp, hoping to "make a profit" and praying for a new year. Fruit farmers in the eastern mountainous areas pay special attention to it, and it still does.

During the Spring Festival, all businesses are closed, offices are closed for three days, and theaters and shops are open as usual. On the third day, all units went to work as usual, following the ancient custom and setting off firecrackers with great noise.

2/ Let's talk about new year's goods first:

Make new year's goods:

In addition to buying new year's goods, every household in our country starts to make new year's goods three to five days before the Lunar New Year's Eve. For example, grinding bean curd (usually made into tofu series such as water tofu, oil tofu and "Rang tofu"), fried fruit (like glutinous rice cakes sold on the street) and glutinous rice cakes are basically food that cannot be kept. Things like bacon and water wine were finished one or two months before the Chinese New Year.

New Year's Eve:

New Year's Eve should be regarded as the busiest time for the whole family. After breakfast, parents began to kill chickens and ducks to prepare for the New Year's Eve dinner, and small members cleaned up, posted Spring Festival couplets and posted New Year pictures.

Before eating at noon, male members of the family (in the absence of men, the hostess will take their place) carry offerings to the ancestral graves. Their ancestors are the best, so let them eat the New Year's Eve first! After returning from sweeping the grave, the female members of the family basically prepared the New Year's Eve dinner. After setting off firecrackers, the family began to have a reunion dinner. The reunion dinner is at noon, so it's called New Year's Eve, not "New Year's Eve".

The first day:

On the first day of the new year, we must pay attention to many things we do. According to the older generation, whether the first day is happy and peaceful indicates whether the new year is smooth and profitable.

I'm afraid that "driving out the cold" (transliteration, and transliteration of "going out", the actual written language, I'm not sure) is a unique custom in China. "Driving out the cold" means setting off firecrackers in the early morning to welcome the New Year, but there are many stresses. First, the time can't be chosen at 0: 00 in the morning, after it is completely bright or after breakfast, but in Tianma, it is about 4-6 in the morning; Second, "dispelling cold" can only be a male member, and the one who gets up to dispel cold should wake up, not be woken up; Third, the firecrackers to drive away the cold must be long enough (the longer means the longer the good luck), and the firecrackers must be set off at one time (the firecrackers are completed in one go, which means all the best in the new year); Fourth, don't let the children pick up the firecrackers set off after "driving away the cold" and don't clean them up before dinner. And so on, so that "expelling cold" has become particularly important and sacred. Therefore, if any family is unhappy and unhappy, the older generation often pops up a sentence: "It seems that the first day is not' so cold'."

Breakfast is also very particular, generally eating leftovers from New Year's Eve (meaning "more than one year"), noodles or vermicelli (meaning wishing the elderly a long life and good luck to the whole family).

The first day should pay attention to peace and auspiciousness, so there are taboos in speaking, and you can't bring the word "death" and you can't swear and quarrel.

In fact, these n-odd old "exquisite" are customs left over by our ancestors, and some superstitions are a bit silly. However, no one will deliberately change or break the rules except those that the younger generation can't accept. Just like blowing out candles and making a wish on your birthday, you are praying that you and your family will be safe and smooth in the new year and that the whole family will have a good income in the new year. There is no harm in following the old rules.

Happy new year:

In our hometown, New Year's greetings are a long-term "project" and task, occupying most of the time of "New Year". There are many relatives, basically from the first day to the Lantern Festival, but also in the process of visiting each other.

On the first day, I usually pay New Year greetings to my grandparents and uncle's neighbors. The next day, I went to my grandmother's house and my uncle's and aunt's house to pay New Year's greetings. Usually, the whole family has to have dinner and spend the night. Therefore, there are many relatives, widely distributed places, and long New Year greetings. It should be noted that it is generally the host who takes care of the children when going out to pay a New Year call, and the hostess should receive the guests who come to pay a New Year call at home. When all relatives come to pay New Year's greetings, the hostess can ask the sisters to return to their parents' homes to pay New Year's greetings.

Recreational activities:

During the Chinese New Year, the richest thing for villagers is time, and there are many activities to entertain themselves. The troupe spontaneously organized by the old man set up a stage to perform and sing; Young dragon dance teams go door to door to pay New Year greetings; Village basketball games organized by young people are also brilliant; All kinds of Kongming lanterns are hung in every village ... And so on, with the participation of the whole people, Xian Yi, young and old, will have endless fun!

In particular, putting lanterns on the lanterns is the most touching Chinese New Year entertainment for my generation since childhood. In each village group, several adults usually organize to make lanterns for children, and several "children's kings" organize children to take several utensils from door to door to "gather oil" and sing nursery rhymes all the way: "gather oil to keep watch, raise 300 kilograms of pigs, gather oil and release them, and the pigs will be strong." Everyone wants a good harvest in the new year, so they don't care about that "oil"! The children took the "collected" oil, poured it on the cloth tied to the Kongming Lantern, lit the fire, and the Kongming Lantern took off. Under the order of the organizer, the children followed the lanterns of Kongming. Kongming lanterns didn't fly far, but were basically chased and played by children, and then brought back for playback. Those who found Kongming lanterns were in the forefront, surrounded by other children and enjoying the treatment of "heroes". Therefore, everyone catches up with Kongming Lantern and works very hard. Some flew too far to catch up, and everyone gave up. If you fall into other village groups, there will inevitably be disputes, and finally you have to coordinate with the adults on both sides. It was not until midnight snack that all the lanterns were extinguished, and the activity came to an end.

With the increasing contact between the younger generation and the outside world, more than N customs in their hometown have changed. There are more and more gorgeous fireworks in the night sky on New Year's Eve. On New Year's Eve, some people began to learn to cook jiaozi and eat wonton. At 0 o'clock in the morning, people began to set off firecrackers, which really achieved "farewell to the old and welcome the new"; It no longer takes more than half a month to pay a New Year call, but the doors of several relatives have passed. etc ......

However, the emergence of more modern culture also makes the reservation lost. More and more adults are gathered around the mahjong table, and no one is interested in the troupe or the dragon and lion dances. More and more children are watching TV. Watching cartoons and soap operas seems more comfortable than chasing lanterns. The first day of wrangling can be seen everywhere, and no one cares about so many taboos. ...

Customs are changing and humanities are changing, but as long as the passion of relatives around us and the warm atmosphere of home remain unchanged, the mood of looking forward to going home for the New Year every year will not change.

The customs in Shandong are from the first day to the fifteenth day of the Spring Festival.

The first day of the lunar new year

Strictly speaking, Spring Festival travel rush started at zero o'clock on the first day. Parents get up and hand out papers first, and put a fire whip before opening the door (it is said that they are afraid of touching God directly when opening the door), then they can speak. Others get up one after another. After getting up, women are busy cooking jiaozi, while men worship under the guidance of their parents. In the old days of Zhaoyuan, the order of worship was: first, worship heaven and earth, second, worship the heavenly queen, third, worship the kitchen god, fourth, worship the god of wealth, and fifth, worship the ancestor.

Now we usually only worship the bodhi old zu.

[eating]

The first meal of the Spring Festival is jiaozi. When cooking jiaozi, set off firecrackers. In some places, in order to exorcise evil spirits and seek happiness, jiaozi is cooked with sesame stalks, which means that sesame blossoms are getting higher and higher in the New Year and the days are getting better and better. Jiaozi has to cook more, which is definitely more than enough. After dinner, steamed bread should be put in the pot, which means more than enough. Jiaozi cooked, first hold a bowl of respect for heaven and earth, and then hold a bowl of respect for the kitchen god. When eating, in addition to one bowl per person, one or two more bowls should be served, hoping that more people will prosper. Eating jiaozi is full of festive atmosphere: eating red dates means getting up early and trying to get rich in the new year; Eating chestnuts means that you can make great efforts and sweat in the new year; Eating peanuts can prolong life; If you eat money, you can get rich. No matter who eats one of them, everyone sincerely congratulates.

New Year greeting

The custom of greeting the New Year during the Spring Festival has a long history and is still enduring. First, the family pays New Year greetings. In a family, the younger generation pays New Year greetings to the elders and the peers pay New Year greetings to each other. Then, worship is to pay a New Year call to the elders who have not taken the five clothes; Finally, I paid a long visit to Five Blessingg's elders, relatives and friends to pay New Year greetings.

In the past, I had to kowtow to pay a New Year call, but now I usually just say hello. Businessmen should not only say hello, but also congratulate each other on making a fortune. The younger generation pays New Year greetings to the elders, and the elders should give them "lucky money". The new daughter-in-law pays New Year greetings to her in-laws, who give her a considerable "lucky money". Yuncheng and other places have the custom of "begging for a long time during the Spring Festival".

[auspicious words]

Saying auspicious words during the Spring Festival is one of the important characteristics of Shandong folk customs. Every year before, parents always took pains to warn their children not to "go off fire" when talking. Even if something goes wrong, say something auspicious. The two things that people in Jiaodong are most taboo are: First, you must never talk if you break something. You should clean it silently and throw it into the well quickly, even if you meet an acquaintance on the road, don't talk. It is said that this can eliminate disasters; Second, when cooking jiaozi on the morning of the first day, you have to cook a few pieces, but it can't be said to be broken, nor can it be said to be "in the pot", but rather "earned". Intended to make money and get rich. The merchant's house pays the most attention to this and is interested in dialogue. Did you ask? The answer is yes; He asked if he earned it, and replied that he did. So, good luck.

[livestock]

Chicken, duck, goose, etc. You can't release it in the morning of the first day in southwest Shandong. Some people circle for a day, at least half a day. It is said that cattle, horses, dogs, cats and other domestic animals are given preferential treatment for fear that they will pollute and disturb the taste of the Year (because firecrackers will make poultry fly around). On the morning of the first day, Jimo feeds chickens every other year. It is said that a chicken can lay an egg by eating a grain of rice. Give the dog all kinds of food. It is said that what dogs eat first is bound to have a bumper harvest.

[sent home to the church]

Laiwu and other places have the custom of sending their families home in the afternoon of the first day. People go to graves, burn paper, shoot guns, kowtow, send their ancestors back to their graves, and put their genealogy away when they go home. This is the end of the Spring Festival ancestor worship ceremony. However, some areas are the second day of school, and some areas are the third day, which is different from place to place.

[taboo]

There were many taboos on the first day, and the location was similar. In Junan, it is forbidden to push the mill (it was closed years ago, and it was only allowed to be used on the fifth day of the fifth year), to carry water, to sweep the floor, and to hit people and swear. Linyi should avoid sewing, wrapping jiaozi, eating meat and mashing garlic. Yiyuan Garden doesn't light on the first night. It is said that if you light a lamp, rats will be overrun.

The second day of the first lunar month.

Jiaodong sends New Year greetings after the second day of the first lunar month. Offerings, burning incense and paper, and setting off firecrackers are required during the New Year. Some people set up sacrificial platforms in the street and set off firecrackers one after another, which was very lively. In some areas, New Year greetings are issued on the afternoon of the third day.

Linqing has the custom of offering sacrifices to the god of wealth on the second day. Merchants have memorial tablets of the God of Wealth at home, and there are "Qianlong" and "jujube hill" on the table. People burn incense and kowtow when offering sacrifices. Neighbors will also bring incense paper to merchants' homes to offer sacrifices to the God of Wealth to congratulate them on their prosperous business, and the host will also treat them with wine and vegetables to express their gratitude.

Visiting relatives is an important activity in the Spring Festival. In eastern Jiaodong and Laiwu, I visited my father-in-law's house on the second day. Unmarried young men and women can visit their grandparents instead of their parents. Jimo pays New Year greetings to his parents-in-law on the third or fourth day, but he can't go to the fifth day. As the saying goes, "worship four, not five, and worship five to death." The order of Lacey's relatives is "seeing her aunt first, then her uncle, and her parents-in-law later".

The parents-in-law family should be very enthusiastic about their children, especially their newly-married children. In addition to chicken, fish, meat and eggs, banquets in Laiwu and other places generally have "four tops and four", namely, four fruit plates, four fried plates, four small bowls, four large bowls and four large plates. Accompanying guests should take turns toasting the children.

Jiaodong's new wife will visit her husband's grandparents' home in the first year, which is called "Rooting". It is said that when you get to your grandparents' house, you can take root, and there will be no divorce and early widowhood. When they take root, grandpa, uncle, menstruation, etc. Will give the new wife lucky money. Newly-married couples in southwest Shandong usually string relatives on two days, indicating that they are lucky in pairs.

In the old society, Linqing generally did not visit relatives before the fifteenth day of the first month. As the saying goes, "seven times don't walk, eight times don't move." After walking nine times, my mother-in-law died. " On the seventh day, the eighth day and the ninth day, you can't string relatives, and on the tenth day, it will be fine. Turn means that after ten to fifteen days, you can't string relatives. After fifteen, you can only visit relatives.

The fifth day of the first month

On the fifth day of the first month, some places in Shandong Province were called "Five Horses Festival". The good or bad luck of mules and horses in those days was accounted for by the rain or shine on this day, saying that Wan Li was clear and mules and horses flourished.

This day is also called "Breaking Five". In some areas, women are not allowed to go out to visit relatives, sew with knives and rulers, and cook uncooked rice, noodles and lettuce before the fifth day of the fifth year. After this day, they are no longer taboo. In the "Breaking Five" in Linqing area, a ceremony was held to send family members to church. Yinan also withdrew from the family hall on this day, and some even ate fried cakes and swept up the yard. It is said that no ants were recruited when sweeping the yard this day.

On this day, women in Linyi and other places do not go out, comb their hair or move their needles. It is said that moving the needle will attract scorpions and dragonflies.

On this day, we usually eat jiaozi at noon, and we can also eat noodles. There is a saying that "eat noodles on the fifth day, and hit a stone per acre."

In the old society, there was a custom of sending the poor on the fifth day, or "sending the poor daughter-in-law". Chiping called it "five poverty", so it was called "driving out five poverty" to avoid New Year's greetings. In Shan County, the god of plague was sent on this day. In order to eliminate the patients, every family went to the village head or intersection to see off the plague god. Burn incense and paper early in the morning, pray for the god of plague to fly away and let the family be safe and healthy.

Many businessmen call the fifth day the birthday of the God of Wealth, and Huangxian and other places are also called "Road Head Day", which is the day when the market opens. People set off firecrackers, offer sacrifices to the god of wealth and eat jiaozi, a symbol of gold ingot, hoping that business will be prosperous and financial resources will be plentiful. This day, like the first day, deliberately broke several jiaozi. The shopkeeper asked loudly outside the kitchen, "Dude, did you earn the ingot?" The man replied loudly: "earned!" " This is a good luck. On this day, words such as "compensation" and "parting" are most taboo. When eating garlic, garlic cloves are not allowed, and garlic paste should be called "Yihe dish" to avoid taboos.

The seventh day of the first month

On the seventh day of the first month, it was called "Man wins the Festival" in the Tang Dynasty. It is said that people are prosperous and healthy. Huangxian, Zhaoyuan and other places are divided into "villain seven", "adult seven" and "old seven" according to the seventh, seventeenth and twenty-seventh days. Eating noodles at noon wishes people health and longevity.

In some places, there will be activities of offering sacrifices to God on people's days. On this day, Yinan pushed the mill and gave it to the god of heaven and earth. Zouxian offered a candle club to Zhu Rong, the god of fire, and called it "escort". Shan county and Yuncheng send Vulcan on this day.

On People's Day, women are forbidden to sew in Linqing and Jinan. It is said: "people sew every day, only to prick grandma's eyes." Eating jiaozi in Shan County in the morning is called "squeezing the mouse's mouth". It is said that rats can't be lit at night to avoid harming the people.

The eighth day of the first month

The eighth day of the first month is Valley Day. Lunan area also calls this day "Zhuanba", or Zhuanba for short. On this day, every household in Yishui eats noodles, which means "one acre and three points turn to hit the stone" and wishes a bumper harvest in the new year. Yinan, on the other hand, is the opposite. On the eighth day, it is forbidden to rotate, and all tools that can rotate, such as spinning wheels and grinding, stop rotating on this day. Boxing and other places are full of apologies for the sunny days in the valley. Some places say it will be sunny on the 8th, which is suitable for the valley.

The tenth day of the first month

On the tenth day of the first month, the legend is the birthday of stone. On this day, stones are not allowed to be moved, nor are they allowed to be moved, such as grinding, grinding, mortar, cloth stones and other stone objects that may hurt crops in that year.

On this day, some people in Changwei area will burn incense and paper to worship the stone god. Juancheng has the custom of lifting stone gods. Yuncheng has a similar custom. Zouxian and other places are preserved for ten days, which is called "Fu Na".

The fifteenth day of the first month

The fifteenth day of the first month is the Lantern Festival, also known as the Lantern Festival.

According to folklore, Lantern Festival lanterns are auspicious lanterns, which can drive away evil spirits and eliminate all diseases. So people often look at each other's faces with lights, and also look at every corner inside and outside the house.

There are many kinds of lanterns in Shandong, each with its own characteristics. Face lamps and radish lamps have a strong peasant flavor, while colored lamps have more prominent urban characteristics. In the old days, Jiaodong, Luzhong and Southwest Shandong made zodiac lanterns with bean flour and corn flour, which were meticulous in workmanship and lifelike in image. The moral of lanterns in the zodiac is to eliminate diseases and make people prosperous. In addition, there is a moon lamp representing twelve months. The moral of the moonlight lamp is to pray for a bumper harvest of crops, fruits and vegetables this month. Face lamps are generally placed on the bedside, windowsill, door anvil and table.

Radish lanterns in Tengzhou area are very unique. In the past, Lantern Festival was held in Texas. There are many kinds of colorful lanterns here, including coherent lanterns, scattered lanterns of various shapes, dignified and gorgeous archway lamps and unpredictable box lamps. There is a special exquisite colored lantern in Cao county, which is called snowflake lantern. It is said that it takes several years for a skilled craftsman to make it.

Boxing township has the custom of lighting lanterns on the Lantern Festival. The boy walked around the jujube tree six times with a lamp, and at the same time read the formula "Du Lao Du Lao, flowers and dates" six times (it is said that Du Lao is the old man in charge of jujube trees). It is said that taking photos of jujube trees will have a bumper harvest.

The Jade Emperor Temple in Feixian County will hold a "driving ceremony" on the Lantern Festival. Tengzhou's Lantern Festival is even more fascinating. The girls in Juancheng make flower trees and flower girls at the Lantern Festival, hoping for a bumper harvest of cotton.

In some places, women have a taboo that "watching the lanterns at home will kill the elderly", and in some places, new wives must go back to their homes to hide from the lanterns.