What are the taboos of Minnan people? Lower Zhang Quan region

It is forbidden to scatter rice grains during meals or leave them in the rice bowl after meals. People are forbidden to waste food, and the Minnan custom says that "wasting food is struck by lightning". It is said that children may marry a "cat" (that is, a pockmarked wife) or a "cat" (a pockmarked husband) when they grow up. Especially when you are a guest, you should eat well, otherwise leaving leftovers is tantamount to ruining food and humiliating the Lord. Hua' an people also believe that children will have strength after eating the last bite of rice. Although these customs are not all scientific, it can be called a good custom to publicize the old saying that "a porridge and a meal are hard to come by".

Anxi people should put chopsticks on the table after eating to show that they are full (this custom is common everywhere). If you put chopsticks in a bowl, the host will think that you are not full. When eating, don't point at people with chopsticks, which is considered rude. Chopsticks are also prohibited in southern Fujian. It is believed that this behavior indicates that people will die at home. Some fishermen in southern Fujian can't put chopsticks on the edge of the bowl after eating fish. Instead, they should wrap them in a bowl for a few weeks and then put them down. This is mainly because of fear of the ship running aground. Chopsticks circle the bowl several times, indicating that the fishing boat can safely anchor by bypassing the reef shoal.

In some places, it is also forbidden to take away empty plates at banquets, because it means "thank the guests and please go", which is a taboo for eating goods. In Fuzhou and Changle, when the banquet is empty, avoid overlapping; The special taboo at the funeral is to avoid bad things coming again. This custom also extends to other banquets (such as wedding banquets).

In the tradition of Minnan people, there are many taboos in New Year greetings. But with the development of the times, some taboos have basically disappeared.

First, the traditional custom in Xiamen is not to visit at home on the third day of the first month, but to worship the dead at home. There is a proverb that says "get up early the first day, get up early the next day, and get full (or harmless) on the third day", which means there is no harm in getting up late on the third day. So how did this custom come from? According to legend, pirates occupied Wuyu, the outer island of Xiamen, during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. One year on New Year's Eve, officers and men were busy celebrating the New Year and neglected their defense. A large number of Japanese pirates seized the opportunity to attack the city, and the soldiers and civilians rose up against the enemy. After two days and three nights of fierce fighting, the Japanese army was defeated, but the soldiers and civilians in the city suffered heavy casualties. On the third day, people buried their relatives and friends, mourned the dead and cried loudly, so they didn't have time to go to other families to pay New Year greetings. On the third day of the second year, Xiamen residents took this day as a taboo day, and over time, it became a routine.

Second, during the Spring Festival, it is the most important day of the year for Minnan people. Everyone has all kinds of hopes. There are many other taboos besides not being able to pay New Year's greetings in the third grade. The first day is the most taboo. Eat vegetarian food in the morning, don't eat meat or cook. The food you eat must be prepared in advance on New Year's Eve, which is the so-called "coming New Year's meal". It means that there was some left over from last year's meal. Eat dry rice or other food on the first day, not porridge, or you will be caught in the rain or surprised when you go out this year. You can't sweep the floor or shovel fertilizer from the first day to the fifth day. If you have to clean, leave the garbage at home, and don't take it out to throw it away, otherwise it will be like throwing away the gold and silver treasures at home, leaving the family poor. No swearing, no fighting, no debt, no harm. If you are injured, it is "painful for the New Year", which is extremely unlucky. Don't break or damage porcelain bowls and plates. If you accidentally break it, wrap it in red paper and wait until the fifth day of separation before throwing it into the river. Say something comforting, such as "break porcelain and pay a lot of money", so that you can save the day. Never take a nap. It is believed that when a person takes a nap on the first day of each month, his energy field will collapse. The kitchen collapses when a woman takes a nap.

Minnan Spring Festival custom

The Chinese New Year custom in rural areas of southern Fujian is different from that in cities. Rural farmhouses have many rooms and doors. In addition to posting Spring Festival couplets, there are two red paper sugarcane trees on both sides of the door, which are called "door sugarcane". The dialect "sugarcane" is similar to "Jia", which means to enter a good environment. In the hall, there are New Year's Eve dinners, long vegetables and cakes on the table, and "spring branches" tied with red and yellow paper are inserted, which means that food is abundant all year round, auspicious and rich. Every household should pile sweet potatoes, vines and sticks outside the door and light them until there is smoke around the fire. The man jumped over this pile of flames according to his generation, thinking, "Jump in and make a fortune every year;" Jump out, carefree * * *; Skip the east, the grain is not empty; Skip the west and money will roll in. " This is called "fire group", which symbolizes burning the evil spirits of the old year, eliminating disasters and welcoming a clean and prosperous New Year. After the "fire jumping", we must clean the hall with a new broom. After sweeping, put the broom cupboard together and dump it by the door, hoping to get out of the broom again and help make a fortune. At the same time, we must collect some ashes from the jumping fire and put them in the charcoal stove, which is called "Tianwang", symbolizing more prosperity. Parents lead their children to sit around the stove, which is called "keeping watch around the stove". It is best to stay up late. It is said that this is to add longevity to parents. At this time, the elders give the younger generation lucky money, which is called "dividing the circle". With the progress of society and the acceleration of the pace of life, some complicated customs in rural areas of southern Fujian are gradually abolished, but the custom of farmers looking forward to a good year still exists. Especially in the cold winter of December, the whole family gathered around the warm little stove and talked about how warm and happy it was to look forward to the future in the old year.