Recommended index: Theme: Festival
Spring Festival in Beijing (middle)
Author: [middle] Lao She
[middle] Yu Dawutu
Spring Festival is the most grand festival in a year. From Laba Festival to the last day of Lunar New Year, there are nearly two months before and after. Starting from drinking Laba porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, annual custom activities followed one after another, such as offering sacrifices to stoves, holding new year's goods, putting up Spring Festival couplets, hanging blessings, cooking new year's dishes, and wrapping jiaozi ... These are not only the customs of old Beijing, but also the concentrated release and display of folk customs accumulated by the Chinese nation for thousands of years.
The Spring Festival in Beijing, written by Lao She, is a reminiscence of old Beijing and a year in the collective memory of China people, stringing together details and feelings that have been ignored by the pace of modern life. Even the South where there are many differences enjoys many memories of the Spring Festival, and many people who have read picture books will have some soft feelings in their hearts. Yu Dawu, a picture book writer, also brought us back to Beijing in 1951 and saw all kinds of China folk customs and the lively Spring Festival scene.
Romance of China people
Looking forward to, looking forward to, the east wind is coming, and the pace of spring is approaching.
Everything looks like I just woke up, and I opened my eyes with joy. The mountains are moist, the water is rising, and the sun is blushing.
The grass crept out of the soil, tender and green. In the garden, in the field, look, there are a lot of them. Sit, lie down, play two rolls, kick a few balls, race a few times, and catch a few times. The wind is quiet and the grass is soft.
-Zhu Ziqing's Spring
The Spring Festival in the Year of the Tiger is coming soon, and it is the most important festival for us in China.
Shrimp Shrimp recently watched the Spring Festival section of a program "What's the Word?" and talked about the word spring. The earliest writing of spring is: grass, chariot, and sun. The word chariot represents the germination of vegetation, gathering strength, breaking out of its shell, and being born with rage. The original meaning of "spring" was "the sun shines in the spring, and everything is glorious", and later it was named as the first season of the year. It also means "vitality" and "business" (such as "Yang and Qi Zhe, everything is spring"). Shuo Wen Jie Zi thinks that "spring is pushing", which means that "the sun shines in the spring, and everything is flourishing", so it can be extended to vitality and vigor.
the word "stupid" has a spring above it and two bugs below, which didn't mean swearing at first. It means that in spring, all animals wake up and are ready to move. There is also a solar term in spring called Jing Zhe. After the spring thunder, everything germinates.
Spring is the way life thrives, lives and grows with rage, and the Spring Festival is also the most romantic and poetic embodiment of China people.
It's Chinese New Year.
Don't be greedy for children.
After Laba, it's Chinese New Year.
Laba porridge, drink for a few days, and it will be 23 miles;
twenty-three, candied melons are sticky; Twenty-four, house sweeping day;
twenty-five, frozen tofu;
twenty-six, stewed pork;
twenty-seven, kill the rooster;
twenty-eight, send your face;
twenty-nine, steamed buns;
stay up for 3 nights;
on the first and second day of junior high school, walk all over the street.
Laba porridge
What are the eight kinds of Laba porridge? Have you ever wondered.
In some parts of our country, there is a saying that "Don't be greedy for children, it's the year after Laba", and Laba means the beginning of the New Year. Every Laba Festival, the northern region is busy peeling garlic to make vinegar, soaking Laba garlic and eating Laba porridge.
Laba porridge, also known as "Qibao Wuwei porridge", "Buddha porridge" and "Everyone's rice", is a kind of porridge made of various ingredients. The earliest written record of Laba porridge was in the Song Dynasty. Wu Zimu's "Dream Liang Lu" in the Southern Song Dynasty reads: "On the eighth day of this month, the temple was called Laba. Temples such as Dasha have five-flavor porridge called Laba porridge. " The history of drinking Laba porridge in China has been more than 1 years. On the day of Laba, Laba porridge is cooked in government offices, monasteries and the homes of the common people. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of drinking Laba porridge was even more popular.
The earliest Laba porridge was cooked with adzuki beans, and it gradually became colorful after evolution. Scholars in the Southern Song Dynasty carefully wrote "Old Wulin Stories", saying: "It is called Laba porridge to make porridge with walnuts, pine nuts, milk, persimmons and chestnuts." "Yanjing Nian Ji" said that "Laba porridge is cooked with yellow rice, white rice, glutinous rice, millet, water chestnut, peeled jujube paste, etc., and dyed with red peach kernels, almonds, melon seeds, peanuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, white sugar, brown sugar and zozo grapes".
In addition, another legend of Laba porridge is that all kinds of food crops left in the barn are cleaned and mixed to make porridge to prepare for the bumper harvest in the coming year, so I don't stick to any eight kinds, which mainly represents the meaning of getting rid of the old and welcoming the new.
Customs and attention before the Spring Festival
Off-year
Why is the off-year in the south and the north one day behind?
The 23rd or 24th day of the end of the year is called "off-year" among the people. Off-year does not refer to a single day. Due to local customs, the days called off-year are different. During the off-year period, the main folk activities include sweeping dust and offering sacrifices to stoves. Before the Qing dynasty, the traditional folk festival of off-year sacrifice to stoves was on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. Since the middle and late Qing Dynasty, the emperors' families held a ceremony to worship heaven on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, and in order to "save money", they also worshipped the Kitchen God. Therefore, the folk people in the northern region followed suit, and most of them celebrated their holidays on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. In most parts of the south, the old tradition of celebrating the lunar new year on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month is still maintained.
There is another saying that is even more interesting. It is said that Zhu Yuanzhang was penniless and wanted to spend the New Year with a pig's head on credit, but the boss refused, so he said that one day I would become emperor, and it would take two years. Unexpectedly, he really became the emperor. For his own golden words, he ordered a small year and another big year. But I didn't expect that the traffic was inconvenient, and the northern twelfth lunar month received the will, but the southern twelfth lunar month did not receive it. Therefore, from now on, the northerners' small year was the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, while the southerners' was the twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month.
dusting
dusting is one of the new customs of removing old cloth years ago. The folk proverb says, "On the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, dust and sweep the house". Sweeping dust means year-end cleaning, which is called "house sweeping" in the north and "house sweeping" in the south. When the Spring Festival comes, every household should clean the environment, clean utensils, remove and wash bedding curtains, sweep the courtyard, dust the cobwebs, and happily engage in sanitation and welcome the Spring Festival.
According to the folk saying, "dust" and "Chen" are homophonic, and sweeping dust in the Spring Festival has the meaning of "removing the old and replacing the new". The purpose of sweeping the dust is to sweep away all "poor luck" and "bad luck" in order to pray for the next year; This custom entrusts people's prayers and wishes to ward off evil spirits and disasters, bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and welcome the good fortune.
Sticking Spring Festival couplets
Sticking New Year's Red is a general term for sticking Spring Festival couplets, door gods, New Year pictures, blessing characters, horizontal banners and window grilles, etc. Because these are red festive elements pasted during the New Year, they are collectively called "Sticking New Year's Red". In ancient times, red fire can drive away wild animals and bring warmth in the cold winter, and this custom has been handed down. Nian, the most famous god beast in China, is also most afraid of red and firecrackers.
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve, also known as annual dinner, reunion dinner, reunion dinner, etc., refers to the family dinner on New Year's Eve (New Year's Eve). Originated from the ancient year-end sacrificial ceremony, worshipping the gods and having a reunion dinner with ancestors. China people's New Year's Eve dinner is not only colorful, but also very interesting. Before the traditional New Year's Eve dinner, worship the gods and ancestors, and wait until the worship ceremony is over before eating.
generally, there are chicken (which means there is a plan), fish (which means there is more than a year), oyster sauce (which means a good market), Nostoc flagelliforme (which means making a fortune), yuba (which means being rich), lotus root (which means being smart), lettuce (which means making a fortune) and raw garlic (which means calculating) for good luck.
New Year's Eve is a big meal that the whole family should mobilize. It is also an expectation for a better life in the coming year. New Year's Eve, what you eat is joy, what you taste is affection, and what you smell in the fragrant rice is the taste of home. The New Year's Eve dinner is extremely important to China people. The whole family respects and loves each other, and they are happy to sit around the dining table.
firecrackers sound to welcome the Spring Festival
Shounian
I don't know how many people still remember this custom. When shrimps were young, they were often picked up by adults to eat jiaozi. Sometimes they let the children go to bed early in the afternoon, and they can keep the year at night. Especially when the bell rings at twelve o'clock, I give my grandparents a New Year greeting and say a lucky word. Of course, I don't rule out that some Xiong Haizi talk nonsense, but in any case, they all end up happily getting red envelopes and lucky money together.
observing the age, also known as wasting time, keeping the age on fire and observing the age, has a long history and is one of the folk activities in China.
On the night of New Year's Eve, the folk activities are mainly characterized by lighting the fire and keeping the fire. Shrimp shrimp once spent a Spring Festival in Inner Mongolia when I was a child. Every door was surrounded by rings of fire, and children lit fireworks and firecrackers around it. The lively scene was unforgettable.
On New Year's Eve, every room should be brightly lit all night, and the whole family will get together to welcome the new year. On New Year's Eve, lights and candles are burned all night, which is called "wasting". It is said that after this, the wealth at home will be enriched in the coming year. In ancient times, there were different customs in the north and the south. In some places, the custom of keeping the old age was mainly to stay up all night, that is, to keep vigil all night; For example, Zhou Chu of the Jin Dynasty wrote "Records of Local Customs", saying: On New Year's Eve, everyone gives gifts in different phases, which is called "giving gifts to the old"; Young and old get together and wish a complete song, which is called "dividing the age"; Sleeping all the year round, waiting for dawn, is called "keeping the age." In some places, on New Year's Eve, the whole family get together, eat New Year's Eve, light candles or oil lamps, sit around the stove and chat, and keep vigil all night, symbolizing driving away all evil diseases and looking forward to good luck in the new year.
Pay New Year's greetings on New Year's Day
When I was a child, New Year's Day was the day to pay New Year's greetings to my elders, relatives and friends. Children put on new clothes, and parents came back with a family to pay New Year's greetings, and they were full of red envelopes and sweets. Now that the internet is developed, it is more convenient to pay New Year greetings, but it is also less fun.
worshipping the New Year is one of the ancient activities. Welcome the new year in the morning of the first day of the New Year, and worship the "God of the Year". Legend has it that "Sui", also known as "Sheti" and "Tai Sui", is the star name of ancient times and also the god of folk beliefs. At the age of 6, the chronology of the cadres and branches of 6 Jiazi is used as the operation cycle, and there is 6 * * people. Every year, there is an old god on duty. In that year, the duty of Tai Sui is called "the duty of Tai Sui", which is the master of one year and is in charge of the good and bad luck of the world. For example, as stated in the "Three Commandments Meeting", "A man who is too old is the one-year-old master and the leader of the gods". Worship the New Year is the oldest traditional Chinese New Year custom, which is still popular in Guangdong, especially in Wuchuan. On the first day of the new year, the traditional custom of greeting the new year, offering sacrifices to the gods and receiving blessings has been passed down from generation to generation since ancient times.
gathering wealth
It is said that the first day of the first month is the broom's birthday, so you can't use the broom on this day, otherwise it will sweep away your luck and ruin your money, and attract the "broom star", which will lead to bad luck. If you have to sweep the floor, you must sweep it from the outside to the inside. On this day, you can't throw water on the garbage, for fear of breaking the money. In many places, this custom is still preserved. On the New Year's Eve, no brooms are put out, no garbage is taken out, and a large bucket is prepared to hold waste water, so that it is not splashed outside on that day. There is also a saying that we can't use knives and scissors, of course, because we are a peace-loving nation.
Lantern Festival is full of joy
Lantern Festival
Many shops open after the Lantern Festival. From childhood to the Lantern Festival, it is a complete traditional year of China. Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, also known as Shangyuan Festival, Xiaoyuan Festival, Yuanxi Festival or Lantern Festival.
The first month is the first month of the lunar calendar, and the ancients called "night" as "night". The fifteenth day of the first month is the first full moon night in a year, so it is called "Lantern Festival". According to the Taoist saying of "Sanyuan", the fifteenth day of the first month is also called "Shangyuan Festival".
Lantern Festival is rooted in the folk custom of turning on lights to pray for blessings. The fifteenth day of the first month has been paid attention to in the Western Han Dynasty, but the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month was really a national folk festival after the Han and Wei Dynasties. The rise of the custom of burning lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first month is also related to the eastward spread of Buddhism. During the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism flourished, and officials and ordinary people "burned lanterns for the Buddha" on the fifteenth day of the first month, so Buddhist lights spread all over the people. Therefore, since the Tang Dynasty, lanterns on Lantern Festival have become a legal thing.
The Lantern Festival mainly includes folk activities such as viewing lanterns, eating glutinous rice balls, solve riddles on the lanterns and setting off fireworks. In addition, performances such as Youlong lanterns, lion dancing, walking on stilts, boating, yangko dancing and playing Taiping drums have been added to the Lantern Festival in many places.
There are two most important things in the memory of the Spring Festival. Of course, children like lucky money best, and adults, especially business people, pay more attention to welcoming the god of wealth. In the past few years, fireworks were not banned, except on New Year's Eve, and firecrackers kept ringing all night in the early hours of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. A foreign friend of Shrimp once asked strangely, isn't the Spring Festival over? Why should we celebrate so many days?
Lucky money
Lucky money is distributed by the elders to the younger generation. It is said that lucky money can suppress evil spirits, and the younger generation can spend their first year safely with it. In some families, parents put them under their pillows after their children fall asleep at night. Lucky money in folk culture means exorcising evil spirits and keeping peace. The original intention of lucky money is to suppress evil and exorcise evil, because people think that children are vulnerable to sneaking, so they use lucky money to suppress evil.
welcome the god of wealth
some parts of the south welcome the god of wealth on the fifth day of the first month. According to folklore, the god of wealth is the five gods. The so-called five roads refer to the east, west, north and south, which means that you can get money if you go out five roads.
As early as the Qing Dynasty, Gu Lu's Qing Jia Lu said, "The fifth day of the first month is the birthday of Lu Tou Shen. Golden gongs and firecrackers, which are sacrificed to the past, are eager to make a profit, and they must get up early to meet them, which is called the end of the road. " He also said: "The road ahead today is a walking god in the five sacrifices. The so-called five roads are the east, west, north and south middle ears. " Shanghai has the custom of grabbing the road head in the old calendar year. On the fourth night of the first month of the first month, prepare sacrifices, cakes, incense sticks and other things, and ring gongs and drums to burn incense for worship, reverently respecting the god of wealth. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the folklore is the birthday of the God of Wealth. In order to compete for the market, it is followed by the fourth lunar month, which is called "grabbing the road", also known as "receiving the God of Wealth" and "offering sacrifices to the God of Wealth".
Among them, there are five sacrifices, namely, welcoming household gods, kitchen gods, earth gods, door gods and walking gods. Anyone who receives the god of wealth must provide the sheep's head with