What do Chaozhou people need to prepare when going out to the garden?

In Chenghai, parents picked 12 different kinds of flowers and soaked their children in water. The mother put a new waist pocket sewn by herself on her child. There were usually 12 longans and 2 longan in the pocket. A "Shunzhi" copper coin.

"Going out of the garden" is an adult custom in the Chaoshan area of ??Guangdong. It means that underage children are like being in a garden, but they will already be adults when they are 15 years old. They must be "led out of the garden" , let them have the consciousness of independent life. The "Out of the Garden" ceremony reminds children to face the world as adults, to be responsible, and to be responsible for what they do.

It means that the child has grown up and can go out of the garden, and is no longer a child playing in the garden all day long.

The ritual is to assemble the three animal fruit crystals into four, eight, or twelve pieces, place them on what is commonly known as "jiaolu" (bamboo dustpan for drying), and invite the gods of the parents-in-law to come out. Children who come out of the garden kneel down to worship the stove. After doing so, they will no longer do so. Children who go out to the garden must wear red clogs, eat rooster heads, and eat a little of all food. And he's the one who eats it first at the dinner table.

Details of the ceremony

"Coming out of the garden" is a unique coming-of-age custom in the Chaoshan area. Children over 15 years old must hold a "coming out of the garden" ceremony. Due to different customs in different places, for example, some areas only allow girls to "go out of the garden", and some require 12 kinds of flowers to be soaked in water for those who "go out of the garden" to shower, etc. Therefore, we will take the urban area of ??Jieyang as an example to briefly talk about some "go out of the garden" "etiquette.

No more worshiping "parents-in-law and mother-in-law" Chaoshan people believe that children under the age of 15 live in a "garden" and are protected by a pair of gods called "parent-in-law and mother-in-law". Growing up depends entirely on the gifts of these gods, so Chaoshan people have always attached great importance to worshiping "parents-in-law and mothers-in-law".

Children living in the "garden" must worship their "parents-in-law" on July 7th every year to pray for healthy growth; while children who leave the "garden" are no longer in the care of their "in-laws". It's under control. From now on, we will no longer worship "father-in-law, mother-in-law and mother-in-law" on July 7th.

On the day of "Out of the Garden", children have to wear new clothes and clogs sent by their uncle, usually in red. Of course, many cumbersome etiquettes have been simplified nowadays. The uncle can directly send red envelopes to the nephew (daughter) and let the child buy it by himself. Moreover, on this morning, parents will let their children put a "pomegranate" flower with auspicious meaning in their ears.

Eat breakfast and "bite" the chicken head? For breakfast on this day, eight people are usually gathered together. The breakfast includes a rooster, desserts, vegetables and other various kinds of dishes, which are made up of eight or twelve dishes. The dining seats are also particular. The person who "goes out of the garden" sits in the upright seat with the chicken head facing him or her. The person who "goes out of the garden" eats it himself, and the chicken head becomes his (her) patent. The meaning is that when you grow up, you will be able to stand out and prosper.

Only after the person who "comes out of the garden" lifts the chopsticks can others eat. This is true for every kind of food. When the person who comes out of the garden is a chicken, he should be replaced by a goose. Invite relatives and friends to a banquet and receive and send gifts. At noon on this day, prepare a sumptuous lunch to entertain relatives and friends. During the dinner, family members and relatives wished the children good wishes.

A few days before or on the day of "Out of the Garden", relatives will come to give gifts, either red envelopes or gifts. The gifts are given to the protagonist of "Out of the Garden", but they are usually arranged by the parents to give gifts in return. .

Others In Jieyang, there is a saying that on the day out of the garden, children cannot run too far, or even cross the bridge. On this day, children only play and eat without doing any housework. They are pampered by their parents for the last time. As a good sign, children's words and requests will generally not be rejected unless it is absolutely necessary.