The folk song "Twenty-three, Melon Stick" refers to the god who worships the stove on the 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month every year. There is a saying that "officials, three people, four boatmen and five", that is, officials hold a sacrifice on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, ordinary people hold it on the 24th, and government boats hold it on the 25th. The custom of offering sacrifices to stoves has a long history. Zhao Jun has become a great god respected by the people of Xia Dynasty. A book describing Kong Qiu's words and deeds in the Spring and Autumn Period. And Zhao Wuji ". In the pre-Qin period, offering sacrifices to jujubes was one of the "five sacrifices" (the five sacrifices were offering sacrifices to jujubes, people, walking and houses, among which the land god, the door, well, house, stove and others; In other words, it is a trip, a well, a family, a stove and a thunder. When offering sacrifices to the stove, gods should be set up and rich wine and food should be offered as sacrifices. To show the Dingju, to put beans, to welcome the corpse and so on. There are obvious traces of primitive fetishism.
One legend is that ...
In the past, almost every kitchen had a kitchen god. People call this god "Siming Bodhisattva" or "Siming Kitchen God". According to legend, he was named "Wang Fujun, the chef of the Nine-Day Oriental Chef" by the Jade Emperor, who was in charge of the stoves of various families and was worshipped as the patron saint of the family. Most kitchen shrines are located in the north or east of the kitchen, and there is no kitchen god in the middle. There are also statues attached directly to the wall. Some statues only draw a kitchen god, while others have two men and women. The goddess is called "Grandma Chef", probably imitating the image of human couples. Most of the statues of Kitchen God are also printed with the calendar of this year, on which are written the words "Master Chef", "God of Human Supervision" and "Head of the Family" to show the status of Kitchen God. The word "Tian" is pasted on both sides.
Kitchen God has been staying at home to protect and supervise his family since last year's Eve. On the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God will ascend to heaven and report the good deeds or evil deeds of this family to the Jade Emperor in heaven. The ceremony of sending the kitchen god is called "sending the kitchen stove" or "resigning the kitchen stove". According to Kitchen God's report, the Jade Emperor will hand over the good or bad fate of this family in the new year to Kitchen God. Therefore, Kitchen God's report is of great significance to the family.
Sending stoves is usually held at dusk. The family first went to the kitchen, set the table, worshipped the kitchen god in the shrine on the kitchen wall, and provided honeydew melons made of caramel and flour. Then, paper horses made of bamboo sticks and feed for animals are ready. Sacrificing caramel to Kitchen God is to make his old man's mouth sweet. In some places, the kitchen god is still wrapped in sugar. Tell him not to speak ill of him. In the book "When You Are Old" in the Tang Dynasty, there is a record of "coating the kitchen god with distiller's grains to make Siming drunk". People put sugar on the mouth of Kitchen God, then take off the idol and ascend to heaven with paper and cigarettes. In some places, sesame stalks and pine branches are piled in the yard at night, and then the statue of Kitchen God, which has served for a year, is invited out. Burning and praying: On the 23rd of this year, I will send Kitchen God to the Western Heaven. With strong horses and forage, you will arrive safely. Melon is sweet and sweet, please speak kindly to the Jade Emperor. When sending Kitchen God, some beggars disguised as adults sang and danced to send Kitchen God door to door, and named it "Sending Kitchen God" in exchange for food.
Sacrifice to the kitchen god
The custom of sending stoves is common all over China. Mr. Lu Xun once wrote the poem "It is a thing for the Boxer to send stoves": a chicken with chewing gum and candy, and a gown for the fragrance of petals. There is nothing at home, so there is no shortage of antelopes.
In his essay "The Day of Sending Cookies to Heaven", he said: "On the day when the kitchen ascended to heaven, there was another kind of sugar on the street, which was as big as a citrus, and we also had it there. However, it is flat, like a thick pancake. That is the so-called "gum cup". The intention is to invite the kitchen gentleman to eat and stick to his teeth, so that he can't adjust his tongue. There is an antelope at home because it is sacrificed to it. Since then, it has become extremely rich. After knowing the third generation, it became prosperous, so it is often recommended to worship the antelope on the twelfth day. " Yin Zifang met the Kitchen God, killed the antelope for sacrifice, and later made good luck. Since then, the custom of sacrificing antelope has been handed down.
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the offerings for offering sacrifices to stoves were quite rich. Fan Chengda, a poet in the Song Dynasty, wrote a very vivid description of the folk stove at that time: the ancient legend of the 24th of the twelfth lunar month said that the kitchen king poured out his heart to the sky, the cloud car stayed behind, and there were cups and plates at home. Pig's head is cooked with fresh fish, and bean paste is round with rice bait. The man offered his daughter to avoid, and the wine burned money. The king of the kitchen is very happy. The servant struggled.
There is a close relationship between the 23 rd day of the twelfth lunar month and the New Year. Because, a week later, on New Year's Eve, Kitchen God came to the world with the good and bad luck that the family deserved. Kitchen God is considered to guide the gods in the sky. Other gods will ascend to heaven again after the New Year, and only Kitchen God will stay in other people's kitchens for a long time. The ceremony of welcoming God is called "receiving God", and the kitchen god is called "receiving kitchen".
As the saying goes, "Men don't Yue Bai, women don't sacrifice stoves". In some places, women don't sacrifice stoves. It is said that the kitchen god looks like a small white face and is afraid of women offering sacrifices to the kitchen stove. He is a "suspicious man and suspicious woman". The origin of Kitchen God has a long history. Among the folk gods in China, the qualification of Kitchen God has a long history. As early as the Xia Dynasty, he was already a great god revered by the people. Sacrifice to the kitchen god Zhuangzi Sheng Da records: "There is a bun in the kitchen. "Sima Biao's note:" Kitchen God looks like a beautiful woman in a bun and red clothes. In "Bao Puzi Wei Zhi", it is also recorded that "on a dark night, Kitchen God also committed crimes against whites. "These records are likely to be the source of Kitchen God. Or Shennong's "fire official"; Or "Su Liji" in "The Yellow Emperor Cooking Ren"; Or the kitchen god surnamed Zhang, the name list, the word Guo; Opinions vary. Due to different local customs, there are also activities of "jumping the kitchen king" and "beating the kitchen king".
wait for