What is the custom of celebrating the Spring Festival in Xuchang, Henan? Urgent! ! !

Send God to panic and be busy with offering sacrifices to stoves in the new year

The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is an important folk festival before the Spring Festival, and people call it "Festival of offering sacrifices to stoves". At this time, people can't hold back the joy of welcoming the New Year, stop all kinds of work in their hands, and are busy with the ritual activities of offering sacrifices to the gods years ago.

The custom of offering sacrifices to stoves on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month in Henan is accompanied by a bleak folklore. In ancient times, an old couple had only one son. They regarded their son as the apple of their eye and loved him very much. However, because the family was poor and unable to make a living, he had to reluctantly let his son go to the coal mine to dig coal.

The old man misses his son for a long time. This day, the old woman told the old man to visit the coal mine. On the way, the old man met a barefoot fellow traveler, and the two became more and more familiar and got along very well. During the chat, the old man learned that barefoot film was instructed by Yan Wang to come to the mine to recover 1 miners. The old man was in a hurry and begged barefoot to keep his son. Barefoot agreed generously and told him not to tell anyone.

When he saw his son, the old man pretended to be ill, and his son served around, so he couldn't go down the well. Soon, there was an accident in the coal mine, and the old man quickly took his son home.

Three years have passed in an instant. On the 22nd night of the twelfth lunar month, the old man remembered the risks of that year and couldn't help telling his wife. Who knows, this statement was listened to by Kitchen Jun. On the 23rd night, Kitchen Jun went to heaven and told the Jade Emperor about it. The Jade Emperor became angry from embarrassment, immediately punished the barefoot piece and took away the old man's son.

For this reason, on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, people respect Zao Jun to eat candy, hoping that he will stop gossiping about human affairs when he arrives in the Heavenly Palace. As time goes by, people sacrifice stoves on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month.

On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the first round of firecrackers is set off in urban and rural areas of the Central Plains. Urban residents are busy buying sesame candy, fire and other food for offering sacrifices to the stove. In the vast rural areas, the preparation activities and grand ceremony of offering sacrifices to stoves gradually began in the deafening sound of guns.

Ceremonies for offering sacrifices to stoves are mostly held at night. When offering sacrifices to the stove, the people who offer sacrifices to the stove kneel in front of the statue of the stove and embrace the rooster. Some people also let children hold chickens and kneel behind adults. It is said that chicken is the horse on which Zao Ye ascended to heaven, so chicken is not called chicken, but called horse. If red rooster, commonly known as "red horse", white cock, commonly known as "horse".

after burning the incense table, the cigarettes in the house are filled with mysterious colors. The host poured wine and kowtowed, mumbling something. After reading it, the burner shouted "collar"! Then the day holds wine to pour the chicken head. If the head of a chicken flutters, it means that Zao Ye has been ungrateful. If the head of the chicken does not move, it needs to be watered again.

After the ceremony, people began to eat food such as stove candy and fire, and in some places they also ate sugar cakes, oil cakes and tofu soup.

in Henan province, the typical food for offering sacrifices to stoves should be stove candy first. Kitchen candy is a kind of maltose that sticks to the mouth and teeth. The reason for offering candy to the stove is to stick the mouth of the stove master. Legend has it that Zao Ye is the God sent by the Jade Emperor to supervise good and evil, and it has the duty to communicate with others, contact the feelings between heaven and earth, and convey the information between fairyland and Fan. When it went to heaven, people gave it stove candy, hoping that it would eat sweets and put in more kind words in front of the Jade Emperor. It has also been said that the candy used for offering sacrifices to the stove is not glued to the mouth of the stove master, but to the mouth of the grandmother of the stove master who is greedy for good deeds and loves to gossip.

In addition to eating stove candy, burning fire is also a special seasonal food. On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the business of biscuit stalls in the city is very prosperous. People crowded around, vying to buy sacrificial stoves and burn them. Most of the rural areas are self-made, and they are made of flour and kang. The family is very lively and has a taste of off-year.

In Henan, people regard the festival of offering sacrifices to stoves as a reunion festival next to the Mid-Autumn Festival. Anyone who works, does business or goes to school in other places will try to get home before the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. If you can eat the sacrificial stove cooked at home, you will be protected by the kitchen god, and your family will be safe in the coming year.

Kaifeng celebrates the New Year

Kaifeng folks call the Spring Festival "Chinese New Year". However, the Chinese New Year is not only the first day of the first lunar month, but also the year and the end of the year. From the eighth day of December of the old year to the fifth day of the first lunar month of the new year, it is the year. In the old days, there was a saying in Kaifeng: "Laba, offering sacrifices to stoves, when the New Year comes, girls want flowers and boys want guns." Therefore, when it comes to Laba, Kaifeng will have a "taste of the year" in urban and rural areas.

twenty-three, the official offering sacrifices to the stove. December 23rd is the folk festival of offering sacrifices to stoves in our country. In order to make the kitchen king speak well to the Jade Emperor in heaven, every family should put on the tablet of the kitchen king, and some of them write "Good words from heaven, good luck from below" on both sides of the tablet. It means kitchen god's farewell dinner.

After the sacrifice, every family is busy buying new year's goods and cleaning the house to welcome the New Year, especially cigarettes, wine, fish, meat and gifts for visiting relatives. Buying new year's goods has been busy until the twelfth lunar month. There is still a folk song celebrating the Spring Festival in Kaifeng today: "Twenty-three, offering sacrifices to the kitchen officials; Twenty-four, sweep the house; Twenty-five, tofu; Twenty-six, to cut the meat; Twenty-seven, kill a chicken; Twenty-eight, kill a duck; Twenty-nine, go to play wine; At the age of 3, put up a door flag. "

Chinese New Year's Eve is often called New Year's Eve, and every household should post Spring Festival couplets. In the past, there were many old customs in Kaifeng. Such as "official seal", "military attache seal", "business seal", "storytelling seal", "begging seal stick" and so on. The most important folk activities are ancestor worship and keeping the old age on New Year's Eve. Now on New Year's Eve, Kaifeng people still follow many good customs in the past. Although the "ancestor worship" is no longer on New Year's Eve. However, some visit relatives and friends, watch TV and guess riddles until late at night, and some families get together to encourage each other, sum up what they have gained in the past year and make a new year's work and study plan. "Shounian" has given new content in the new era. When the midnight bell rings, people scramble to set off the first firecrackers, which means Kaifeng people's determination and enthusiasm to open up the future.

On the first day of the first month, every family gets up early, changes into new clothes and finishes washing. First, they set off firecrackers and pay homage to the portrait of their ancestors. Then, the younger generation pays New Year greetings to the elders, who will give them "lucky money". The whole family ate in jiaozi in 28, and then began to pay New Year greetings to relatives and friends. In the old days, New Year greetings were generally led by parents, who first worshipped their elders, relatives and friends, and then went to distant homes. Every family keeps cigarettes, tea, melon seeds, peanuts, candy, etc. in order to wait for the New Year guests. According to Kaifeng's habit of "paying New Year's greetings early and offering birthday felicitations late", the New Year's greetings will be over in the afternoon of the first day of the lunar new year.

The second day of the first month is the day when the girl returns to her parents' home. On the second day of the old days, firecrackers, horns and whistles were heard in the four townships of Kaifeng Chengguan, and mules, horses and carts came and went in an endless stream.

The third day of the first month is the date of offering sacrifices to graves and ancestors. Because the old calendar says that this day is "not suitable for anything", it is forbidden to visit relatives in Kaifeng on the third day. The fifth day is the fifth festival, and the people think that the fifth day is the first unlucky day after the year, so relatives and friends should also avoid visiting each other. In addition to these two days, during the festival, Kaifeng folks visited relatives and friends, and there were few leisure days.

Linzhou folk Spring Festival

Linzhou folk call the Spring Festival the New Year, but it doesn't refer to the first day of the first month, but includes the beginning and the end of the year. As soon as you enter the twelfth lunar month, you will have a "taste of the year".

For breakfast on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, people want to eat "Laba porridge". Porridge is made of millet and persimmon, which tastes sweet and fragrant, commonly known as "persimmon soup with pimples". All the peasant women should make porridge before the sun rises, and put a heap of rice on the south wall, saying, "Make laba porridge earlier, put a heap of rice on the south wall, and the little wren won't push my home." Eating "Laba porridge" According to the literature, Linzhou started in the Song Dynasty. The original meaning is that people use the harvest of one year to sacrifice ancestors, gods and celebrate the harvest. Later, due to frequent disasters in Linzhou, it gradually evolved into eating "Laba porridge", and I wish Lianggu a bumper harvest in the coming year. At present, there is a folk saying in Linzhou that "eating Laba porridge will bring good harvest in the coming year".

twenty-three, send the old cook to heaven. In order to make the Kitchen King plead with the Jade Emperor for the people, people wrote on the pairs on both sides of the Kitchen King's tablet: "Heaven speaks good things, and the lower world is auspicious". In order to prevent the kitchen king from reporting false information, sesame candy was used as a fruit offering and stuck to the mouth of the kitchen king.

twenty-four sweeps the house. According to folklore, the Kitchen King is the commander-in-chief of the Heavenly Emperor, who is responsible for inspecting the merits and demerits of his family. Anyone who has done so should mark on the wall and report to the Heaven on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month at the end of the year. After taking orders from the Heavenly Emperor, Lu Yiwu will punish the Hui people with heavenly soldiers according to the marks on the wall. In order to eliminate hidden dangers, people immediately began to clean the house the day after they were sent to the kitchen god, which formed the custom of "sweeping the house 24 times".

twenty-five grinding bean curd. On that day, people ground the soaked soybeans, rubbed them through the basket to remove the residue, boiled them into pieces, and fished them into a sieve to form a backlog. Afterwards, tofu is cut into small pieces and preserved in salted water for consumption during the Spring Festival.

cut the meat on the 26th. On that day, there were many meat racks in the market, and the villagers slaughtered pigs and sheep in cauldrons. Those who cut meat, measured their wealth, and the rich prepared until the fifteenth day of the first month; The poor are prepared until the fifth day of the first month.

twenty-seven is steamed. It is something that poor families and rich families have to do, and it is also one of the characteristics of Chinese New Year. Every family should steam enough to eat until the fifteenth day of the first month according to the population size and the number of guests, and at least eat the number of "broken five".

twenty-eight big stickers. Before 1949, most people in Linzhou asked people to write couplets, and some farmers used home flowers to express their wishes. In addition, they had to stick a door to the gods. Most of the door idols are Qin Qiong, Jingde, Dagao Guan Gong, Wuzi Deng Ke, etc., and most of them are stenciled. Sticking a pair pays attention to "poor sign (horizontal joint) and rich pair", that is, the lintel paper should be small and the pair paper should be fat. After 198, double couplets were posted in rural areas, that is, in addition to one on the door frame, another giant couplet was posted on the door battlements wall. There is also a bucket of prescriptions written on diamond-shaped paper, with the word "Fu" written on it, and a "Go out to see happiness", or "Welcome to receive happiness", or "Celebrate the Spring Festival" and so on, and stick them on the door or the wall. "Spring scenery in the courtyard" is posted on the tree in the courtyard, "White Tiger is happy" is posted on the stone mill, "Dragon is happy" is posted on the stone mill, "Traveling thousands of miles every day" is posted on the car, "Six livestock are thriving" is posted on the barn, "Mimai Man Cang" is posted on the table, "clothes are full of boxes" is posted on the wardrobe, and "Health is safe" is posted on the bedside. At the same time, all kinds of divine cards were written in a new way, except the kitchen was written in green paper (intended to avoid fire), and the rest were written in red paper. Inside and outside, there is a red light and good luck.

spread the wax on the 29th. On that evening, dozens of people, led by neighboring villages, carried lanterns, drummed drums, patted cymbals and held incense scrolls. They went to the temples in each village to light candles and burn incense foils, in order to worship the gods and exorcise evil spirits and send the gospel. People in the village gathered in the holy land, waiting for the arrival of the evangelist team. One village delivers, another village receives, and the fields are brightly lit. After 195, this custom disappeared, and it was changed to 29 to play wine.

knead the kernels for 3 minutes and bring them out of the pot. Pinch the kernel to pinch the flat food, and fry the food when you are out of the pot. These two tasks are the most intense and arduous work on the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month. On that day, from the morning, all the women in the family began to work together, making the stuffing and mixing the dough. After the stuffing and mixing the dough, they gathered around the kang to knead the flat food. The mother-in-law and sister-in-law are very happy while pinching and teasing. The packed flat food should be enough for 3 nights and the first day of the first day. I have been busy until about 5 pm. After the flat food is wrapped, you should first cook a pot and fish it into a small dish, two for each plate. The housewife will burn incense and light paper at home to pray for the ancestors: "If you have something to say, you should eat it first, so as to bless the family and make people prosperous." In addition, the men in the family used trays to carry them to the graves to worship their ancestors, and each grave put a small plate and lit a cannon to kowtow. After these things are done, start frying. Everything that should be oiled should be fried. Crispy meat, meatballs, knife heads (pork ribs for use) and vegetable foods should all be fried in the pot, but you should take a little from the first pot and fill it in the stove, so that the kitchen king can come back to eat on the first day of the fifth month. Of course, if the twelfth lunar month is small, the activities of this day will be on the 29th.

coins are flat. This is a popular folk custom in Linxian County. In thirty packs of flat food, several coins are wrapped in flat food, and whoever eats flat food on the first day of breakfast will be blessed in this year, which will bring great fun to the whole family, old and young. People are scrambling to get up early, especially children who make an exception and eat more flat food to make the whole family laugh.

send the lamp. On the evening of the 3th, every household in the rural area in the south of the county will connect the paper lanterns to the columns and send them to the graves for lighting all night, so that the ancestors can celebrate the New Year with others. This lamp was taken back in the morning of the first day of junior high school.

door stopper. On the 3 th night, people used to put a peach stick at the threshold of the gate, and use other sticks if there is no peach wood to prevent "wild ghosts" from entering the house.

endure the year. Also known as "shou sui". According to folklore, 3 nights, as long as you have perseverance, you will definitely wait until the daughter of God opens the worse gate to bless the world. If you go to bed early, there will be no happiness. People have good wishes, and every year on the 3th night of the twelfth lunar month, the whole family chats endlessly, taking this opportunity to enjoy family happiness. Housewives should also set up incense tables for offering sacrifices, hold candles all night and burn incense five times. It is forbidden to talk loudly at night, so as not to disturb the gods; It is forbidden to unpack cabinets to avoid running away from money; It is forbidden to look in the mirror and take a wooden comb to avoid seeing "ghosts"; It is forbidden to see knives and scissors, so as not to break the house; Prohibit sweeping the floor to avoid the outflow of gold and silver; It is forbidden to pour the urinal so as not to defile the gods. You have to throw leftovers at 3 nights, which is called next year's dinner. You have to throw away leftovers when you get up early on the first day of the lunar new year, which is more than a good omen. After 198, new content was added to the Lunar New Year. Many qualified families gathered around the TV set to watch wonderful TV programs. In the early hours, young people of all families held guns in their right hands, caught fire in their left hands, stepped outside the door with their right feet, stepped inside the door with their left feet, watched the TV screen with their eyes open, and stood in a posture of grabbing a nod and ringing guns. As soon as the TV screen arrives, with the melodious bell, firecrackers of thousands of families are ringing, and various colored cannons such as fire, fireworks and two rings decorate the sky with colorful and dazzling colors.

kowtow on the first day. After people stop eating flat food before dawn, the younger generation kowtows to the elders at home first, and then groups up to kowtow to other families (usually their own) to pay New Year's greetings. Except for a venerable old man, the rest of the family went to their neighbors, and even Sanliwu Village paid New Year greetings to their relatives and new friends. If the younger generation is a child or a newly married daughter-in-law, the elders should give some lucky money.

visiting relatives. The order of visiting relatives is: nephew goes to grandma's house, daughter goes to her mother's house with her husband, and then goes to aunt, aunt and sister's house. Except in special circumstances, we should all go back to worship. There is a folk saying that "the first day and the second day of the first day are beautiful and the third day and the fourth day are good for worshipping festivals".

break five sections. The fifth day of the first lunar month is the fifth day of the lunar calendar, which is superstitious. People think that the fifth, fourteenth and twenty-third days are unlucky days. The fifth day of the first month is the first unlucky day after the new year, and it is very taboo to "visit relatives and friends", and the backlog is from improving life at home for the holidays. On the day of Yinshi, the housewife also took out a little ash from the stove and sent it to the street intersection, commonly known as "sending poor ash".

During the period from the 3th day of the twelfth lunar month to the 5th day of the first lunar month, all children are not beaten and scolded, but eat well, dress beautifully and have fun. Even if they have mistakes, they will not be beaten and scolded. This is a rule handed down by the older generation. If you beat and scold children, you will be condemned by everyone. So what children look forward to most is the Chinese New Year.