That was in the early 1970s, and farmers in central Shandong had not completely solved the problem of food and clothing. For farmers who have worked hard for a year, the Spring Festival is a great event in their lives. Because this not only indicates the improvement of life, but also reflects the joy of harvest, family reunion and happiness. Sticking Spring Festival couplets on the eve of the Spring Festival is a particularly beautiful scenery in rural areas, and it is also one of the highlights to welcome the Spring Festival.
As the saying goes: "Twenty-eight, applique", from this day on, putting up Spring Festival couplets on the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month has become one of the important matters for farmers. Of course, people who died in those years don't post Spring Festival couplets, because it will take three years to eat "filial piety" before it will be posted here. At that time, the Spring Festival couplets were all handwritten, unlike the express printing products now, and the high-grade decoration content was unique. In my impression, my uncle is a famous calligrapher in our village. His neat and delicate brushwork is deeply loved by everyone. Because of this, almost everyone in the village asked his uncle to write Spring Festival couplets in red paper.
I still clearly remember that every year on the 25th and 6th of the twelfth lunar month, some neighbors came to my uncle's house in twos and threes with red paper, some with brushes and ink, and asked him to write Spring Festival couplets, praying for a good weather and a happy family in the new year. At this time, my uncle who is over 70 years old will put on reading glasses and stroke his long beard. Surrounded by everyone, he will carefully cut the paper with a prepared pen, ink, paper, inkstone, knife and wooden ruler to prepare for the premise. I stood by and did some service work of paper pressing and air drying. Under the onlookers of the villagers, my uncle was lucky enough to show his abdomen with a brush in his hand. After dipping in thick ink, he hung his wrist and wrote New Year's greetings on the cut red paper. Soon, a series of Mo Xiang Spring Festival couplets, such as "Tianzeng Life, Spring is full of blessings", "Good deeds go through the ages, and good books spread to Kyushu", "Business is booming all over the world, and financial resources are abundant in Sanjiang" and "Spring breeze is full, and 600 million Shenzhou is shining" ... At this time, my uncle took a break, just like making meritorious deeds.
Putting up Spring Festival couplets is our happiest thing. On the morning of New Year's Eve, I will get up early, like a cheerful bird, carrying the paste made by my mother, and I plan to stick it at every door one by one with my brothers and sisters ... Facing the courtyard wall at the gate, we will stick a big banner of "Lucky for Money" and stick "Safe Access" on the trolley. In a short time, the Spring Festival couplets were all posted. Looking at the colorful courtyards and gates, we talked and laughed, surrounded each other, and ran between the gates, commenting on whose Spring Festival couplets were beautiful. That happy mood still reverberates in front of us ... Yes, the Spring Festival in the countryside is in front of this red Spring Festival couplets, full of festive celebrations.
However, with the improvement of economy and the acceleration of people's life rhythm, fewer and fewer people write Spring Festival couplets now, and they are replaced by beautifully printed Spring Festival couplets hanging all over the street. In that fiery hawking, I always remembered the scene of my uncle writing Spring Festival couplets when I was a child and the fun of posting Spring Festival couplets. I will never forget that wonderful memory.