What are the customs and delicacies of Chaoshan?

1. Beating the Spring Cow

According to the "Chenghai County Chronicle" written in the Jiaqing edition of the Qing Dynasty: On the first day of spring every year, the government must lead people to the suburbs to hold a Spring Welcome Ceremony, and then hold the "Spring Cow" activity .

As early as the Zhou Dynasty, there was an activity of whipping spring cattle in spring. Every year before the Spring Festival, each state government makes clay sculptures of the god of mango and native cows in advance. On the day of the beginning of spring, the government led the Spring Festival team to the Mangshen Pavilion and Tuniu Terrace prepared in advance eight miles away in the eastern suburbs. People in the Spring Festival parade all wear blue clothes, use blue cars and hold blue flags. People blow horns, sing "Qingyang Song", wave feather ceremonial guards, and dance with clouds, and the Spring Festival ceremony is held grandly. This ceremony developed into the Ming and Qing Dynasties and became even more grand. According to the Qing Dynasty's "Yanjing Years' Records": "...the day before the beginning of spring, officials from Shuntian Prefecture went to the spring field one mile outside Dongzhimen to welcome the spring. On the day of the beginning of spring, the Ministry of Rites presented it to Chunshan On the throne, Shuntian Prefecture presented a picture of the spring ox. After the ceremony, he returned to the office, led the spring ox and struck it, which is called spring beating..."

The purpose of beating the spring ox is to encourage farming. Chaoshan is located in the Han River Delta with fertile soil. Agriculture is very developed, so this custom related to encouraging farmers has been preserved in Chaoshan area. But the specific things seem to have changed, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be bullfighting.

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2. Carrying the Spring Colors

According to "Guangdong Travel Xiaozhi", during the Qing Dynasty, there was an activity called "Spring Colors Carrying" in the Chaoshan area. In the parade on the first day of spring, there must be a decorated pavilion with singing girls on it, carried by two people. There is also a difference between Gaochun and Aochun in the Meizhou area of ??Jiaying: in Aochun, one person sits on the platform; in Gaochun, there are two people: one person stands on the platform, and then a straight log is tied up, hidden in that person's long clothes. , at the same level as this man’s shoulders. Then a wooden stick is tied horizontally to the upper end of the straight wood. This crossbar is hidden in the wide sleeves, and another person stands on the crossbar. To be on the safe side, the two people dress up as characters from a certain story with their feet firmly planted on the crossbar. Another person held a long stick wrapped with a cloth and propped it up under the arm of the person on top, marching with the Spring Festival procession. If there are obstacles on the road, the person holding a long stick will use a jongzi to push them away.

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3. Eating spring pancakes and spring rolls

On the day of the beginning of spring, Chaoshan folk still have a custom of eating spring pancakes and spring rolls. According to the "Four Seasons Treasure Book": "Spring pancakes and lettuce are called spring dishes at the beginning of spring." Spring pancakes are pancakes made of wheat flour or steamed, and are stuffed with stir-fried vegetables such as bean sprouts, leeks, and vermicelli. Eat with it. The characteristics of spring cakes are that they are thin and soft, and the shape can be large or small according to each person's preference. In the Yuan Dynasty, Yelu Chucai, a Khitan man, once wrote a poem about this custom and said: "I accidentally forgot about the spring yesterday, so I tried to make a spring pan and taste it." Wooden Case The silver thread is messy at the beginning, the lotus root is cooked in a sand bottle and the green onion is white, and the wilted artemisia is finely chopped and the chives are yellow. In addition to the traditional stir-fried bean sprouts and leeks, there are also high-end condiments such as shredded pork, shredded eggs, mushrooms, etc. Spring rolls were popular in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. They were called "Chun" or "Tanchun" in the Song Dynasty. It’s called a “rolled pancake.” Yuan Han Yi's "Yi Ya Yiyi" states: "The cake is the same as the pancake, using two pounds of mutton, one pound of mutton fat, or pork. It is probably like a steamed bun filling, which must be filled with green onions or dried bamboo shoots. Inside the cake, roll it into a strip, and stick the two ends with batter and fry it in oil to make it red and burnt. "There are few sheep in Chaoshan area", so what people eat now is mostly pork, and there is also a sweet one with dried fruits and sesame seeds. , peanuts and other seasonings are crushed into fillings, which are sweet and delicious.

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Notes

The beginning of spring in the 24th solar terms of the lunar calendar is commonly known as "Dachun". ".

The beginning of spring is sometimes in the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, sometimes in the first month of the lunar calendar. Once it passes the beginning of spring, it means the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

Our country has been an agricultural country since ancient times. The key to sowing in spring and harvesting in autumn is spring. According to the folk proverb, the beginning of spring is an ancient custom. It is also an important festival. The emperor will lead the princes and officials to welcome the spring in the East. In the suburbs, he carried out the order of benevolence and charity. "Shi Ji Yuan" records: "The Duke of Zhou began to make native cattle at the beginning of spring, and built them to show the morning and evening of farming. "The feudal rulers of later generations will hold the ceremony of whipping spring on this day, which is intended to encourage farming and develop production.

There is a popular song with the word spring in Shanxi: "The spring breeze is blowing in spring, and the spring river is flowing. Spring people drink spring wine, spring officials whip spring oxen. "It's about the grand occasion of spring cow hunting.

In the old custom, on the day before the beginning of spring, there are two artists wearing crowns and ribbons, one is called the Spring Official and the other is the Spring Official. They shout along the street: "Spring is coming", Commonly known as "Herald of Spring". Regardless of whether they are scholars, farmers, workers, or businessmen, they must bow to the Spring Festival official. When people come to the vendors and shops, they can take whatever goods and food they want. On this day, the shopkeepers of the state and the state greet them with smiles. The county will hold a grand "Spring Welcome" event. In the front are the drum and honor guards as the guide; in the middle are all the officials led by the state and county chiefs, all wearing official clothes; behind are the farmers' teams, all carrying farm tools, to welcome the people. The Mang God and the Spring Ox are made in advance. When they arrive in front of the Mang God, they kneel down and kowtow twice. After bowing, the ceremony was as lively as when they arrived.

At the beginning of spring the next day, the local governor still led his staff and farmers to perform a certain ceremony. Traditional rituals. The local official presides over the Spring Festival Ceremony, presenting the first, second, and final honors.

Then he beat the spring ox three times with a colorful whip, and then returned to the office after the ceremony. The farmers beat the spring cattle to pieces.

Nowadays, spring whipping activities are no longer held in cities, but some rural areas still have the custom of whipping cattle. Before the beginning of spring, a cow is made of clay, which is called a spring cow. Women carry their children and circle the spring cow three times. It used to be said that they would avoid diseases, but now it has become entertainment. On the first day of spring, the village elects an old man to symbolically hit the spring cow three times with a whip, which means the beginning of the year's farming. Then the villagers beat the mud cows to pieces, divided the soil, returned it, and sprinkled it on their own farmland. In the Luliang area, it is popular to use spring cow soil to write the word "Yichun" on the door. In the southeastern Shanxi region, it is customary to apply spring cattle soil on the horns of plowed cattle. Legend has it that rinderpest can be avoided. In southern Shanxi, people pay attention to using spring cow soil to paint stoves, which is said to be able to get rid of earthworms.

At the beginning of the Spring Festival, folk artists make many small clay cows, which are called "spring cows". Sending them to various families is called "send spring". The master will reward those who "send spring". It is essentially a festive sales event, but everyone is happy. In some places, a yellow paper with a spring cow picture is posted on the wall. Yellow represents the land, and the spring cow represents farming. It is commonly known as the "Spring Cow Picture".

At the beginning of the Spring Festival, girls cut the ribbon into a swallow, which is called a "spring chicken"; the feathers are made into a butterfly, called a "spring moth"; and the velvet is wrapped into a staff, called a "spring pole." Wear it on your head to look stunning. Girls in the southeastern Shanxi region like to exchange these headgear, which is said to bring prosperity to silkworms. In Xiangning and other places, it is customary to use silk to make small dolls, called "Chunwa", and wear them on children. People in the northern Shanxi region pay attention to sewing small cloth bags, filled with beans, grains and other grains, and hanging them on the horns of plowing oxen, which means the animals are prosperous, the grains are abundant, and the four seasons are safe and auspicious.

During the Spring Festival, it is customary for people to eat radish, ginger, green onions and flour cakes, which is called "biting spring". Newly married girls in Yuncheng area are taken back by their parents' families, which is called "Welcome to Spring". In Linfen area, it is customary to treat the son-in-law to eat spring cakes.