Lufeng Spring Festival Customs

Every time it’s close to the end of the New Year, probably in the first five days, there are more things to do. People who do business outside must prepare the New Year’s expenses, the number of red envelopes, and the number of gifts, because Lufeng people If you have many relatives, this should also be considered. From the 25th to the 30th of the year is the peak period for returning home.

On the second and fifth day of the year, I started to buy New Year’s goods one after another, such as buying sugar, glutinous rice flour, Spring Festival couplets, candies, fruits, wine, cigarettes..., every household in my hometown has to buy them. Steamed rice cakes (except for lazy people), steamed rice cakes usually start on February 6th. The small rice cakes are about ten kilograms, and the big ones are fifty or sixty kilograms. The rice cakes are made of glutinous rice flour and sugar. Some people like it. White sugar is relatively more expensive, while some prefer to use brown sugar, which is relatively cheaper. Most of them use brown sugar because the color is good! The rice cakes are steamed in a large iron pot in the old stove at home. Before doing this, a lot of dry firewood such as pine or other dry wood must be prepared. Steaming the rice cakes requires a lot of knowledge. For example, a fifty-pound rice cake needs to be steamed for 8 to 10 hours. Stir every 1 hour and add water every 2 hours until the chopsticks are non-stick and cooked. The steamed rice cake can be sliced ??after being left to dry for about 3 days. It tastes very good and has a shelf life of about 30 days at room temperature! It can be used as a tribute to gods, or as a gift to relatives during New Year's greetings to express blessings.

On the 27th of the Lunar New Year, the whole family will be cleaned and their belongings washed away. This means saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new.

On the 28th of the New Year, we want to make local special rice crackers. They are divided into different regions. People in Lufeng in the south like to make big fillings, while people in the east make more small fillings (relatively speaking, the fillings are smaller). (flat), the big fillings here are peanut filling (savory), sesame candy and east melon filling (sweet)...and the small fillings are ground peanuts into small packages (salty). If you want sweet, you will usually add them. Sesame and sugar turn into sweetness, and there is a difference here. As for the peanut filling, there are also particularities in whether it is half-cooked or crispy. After the filling is wrapped, it will be put into a mold to print various patterns, and then steamed in a pot.

In addition to rice crackers, rice crackers will also be evaporated. Flour, yeast, water, and sugar are mixed in proportion, and then steamed in a steaming cup. It takes about half a stick of incense to steam them. The shape is a bit like a flower. When the flower blooms, add some edible hemoglobin and dot it on the petals. Some people will also specially make fruit snacks such as peanut cakes and sesame cakes.

On the 29th of the Lunar New Year, every household has to prepare, buy ducks, chickens, incense, candles, firecrackers... If you have something at home, you don’t need it.

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, pigs will be killed (boars are surrounded), which means that whose pigs are raised by many people will join forces to kill pigs today. Generally, one pig will be divided into four families. This is a rural area. If you do this, there will be less of this situation in cities and towns! Kill chickens and ducks. If there is a fish pond in the village, fish will be picked up and distributed to each household on this day. They will start to post Spring Festival couplets. Granny and women will go to pay homage to the gods and return all the wishes and wishes they asked for last year to worship the gods.

On New Year’s Eve, around 14:00, the whole family will take a safe bath as early as possible. After the bath, the head of the house will start busy cooking. At about 15:00, he will go to the ancestral temple to kneel down and worship the ancestors. Relatives Will greet each other and bless each other! The older ones will give out red envelopes to the younger ones. During this time, firecrackers are going off all over the country and abroad.

At around 17 o'clock, the whole family will gather together to have New Year's Eve dinner. Family members will bless each other and make wishes. This is the happiest day.

18-....There are many programs during this period. Some villages will hold plays and entertainment programs in front of the village! There will be some open tables in many places, and the size of the hand is unknown! I believe that people after the New Year’s Eve dinner will gather together and talk happily about happy topics.

There will be more exciting programs and fireworks from 19 to 21 o'clock. During this time, the sound of cannons will continue.

At 22:00 to welcome the God of Wealth, villagers will go to the temple in front of the village to burn incense, pray for good fortune, and wish for good weather and smooth sailing.

At 23-0 o'clock, it is time to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year. Some people will watch the bells on TV. As the bells ring, every household begins to set off cannons to welcome the new year, so cannons are the most festive in the local area. something.

With the arrival of the New Year, people are going home to rest one after another, but most of them will become night owls tonight.

On the first day of the new year, the family will not go far away, but will only travel between relatives' houses.

From the second day to the fifth day of the lunar month, I will go to my parents’ home far away to pay New Year’s greetings.