Introduction to folk customs during the Spring Festival

The twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month

Zhuxian Town’s wood-block New Year painting "Corucucopia Stove"

The twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month is commonly known as "Little Year". Legend has it that this day is " On the day when the Kitchen God goes to heaven, sacrifices are made to the Kitchen God. The seventh day after the Little New Year is the New Year's Eve. The Spring Festival in our country usually kicks off with the sacrifice of the stove on the 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month every year. There is a saying of "officials, three people, four boatmen and five", that is, the official day is on the 23rd or the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month. On the 25th, people in Shuishui held a stove ceremony. After the stove sacrifice was held, preparations for the New Year began formally. Every year from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month to New Year's Eve, the people call it "Spring Welcome Day". Sacrifice to the Stove People believe that the Stove Lord’s kind words from heaven in front of the Jade Emperor will bring happiness to the family and protect the family’s safety in the coming year. Therefore, every year on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, every household will offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God and ask him to say more good and auspicious words after he ascends to heaven. This ritual of sending off the Kitchen God is called "Sending the Stove" or "Citing the Stove". It is said that every year on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God will go to heaven to report the good and evil deeds of the family to the Jade Emperor, so that the Jade Emperor can reward and punish them. Therefore, when delivering the stove, people put candies, water, beans, and mosses on the table in front of the Stove King's statue. Among them, the last three items were to prepare the Stove King's mount for ascension to heaven. According to folklore, the Kitchen God went to heaven to tell people about good and evil in the world. Once a defendant commits evil deeds, his or her life will be shortened by 300 days for major crimes and 100 days for minor crimes. This statement is widely circulated.

When delivering the stove, people used various methods to deal with him in order to make the Stove Lord "say good things to God and bring him good luck when he returns to the palace". Some use gum gum to worship it, so that it can stick to the teeth of the Kitchen God so that he can't talk nonsense; some use wine lees to smear the stove door, which is called "drunk commander", so that the Kitchen God can't talk nonsense. The Kitchen God receives special hospitality from people and "takes advantage of others' shortcomings." Of course, it is difficult for him to say bad things. This is actually a kind of self-discipline of ethics among the people. Seven days later, on New Year's Eve, the "Kitchen God" will be brought back again. Because, on the night of New Year's Eve, the Kitchen God and the gods will come to earth to celebrate the New Year. There will also be ceremonies to "receive the stove" and "receive the gods" on that day. According to general local customs, the reception of the Stove Lord is hosted by the male host, and the female family members do not participate. In ancient times, there was a saying that "men do not worship the moon, and women do not worship the stove." After sending away the "Kitchen God", it is the turn to worship the ancestors, which is called "hanging shadow" among the people. Tianjin folklore expert Lin Xi said that on the Little New Year's Day, portraits or photos of ancestors should be hung on the wall, drinks and tributes should be prepared, and people's worship should be accepted until the New Year's Eve. Eat Zao Tang Zao Tang is a kind of maltose, very sticky. When it is drawn into a long candy stick, it is called "Guandong candy", and when it is drawn into an oblate shape, it is called "Tanggua". Put it outside the house in winter. Because of the cold weather, the sugar melon solidifies firmly and has some tiny bubbles inside. It tastes crispy, sweet and crispy, with a unique flavor. [2]

On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month

Sweep the dust. Folk proverb says, "On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, dust the house and sweep it." After the Stove Festival is held, preparations for the New Year begin formally.

Sweeping dust means year-end cleaning. It is called "house sweeping" in the north and "dust dusting" in the south. Sweeping dust before the Spring Festival is a traditional habit of our people. Every Spring Festival comes, every household has to clean the environment, wash all kinds of utensils, remove and wash bedding and curtains, sweep the Liulv courtyard, dust away dirt and cobwebs, and dredge open ditches and ditches. All over the country, there is an atmosphere of joyful hygiene and cleanliness to welcome the New Year. According to ancient records, there was a custom of year-end cleaning in ancient times. This custom of "dusting and sweeping the house on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month" has a long history. According to "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals", my country had the custom of sweeping dust during the Spring Festival in the era of Yao and Shun. According to folklore: since "dust" and "chen" are homophones, sweeping dust in the New Year has the meaning of "removing the old and spreading the new", and its purpose is to sweep away all "poor luck" and "bad luck". Volume 12 of "Qing Jia Lu" records: "When the hair is about to die, it is appropriate to sweep the house and remove the dirt in the courtyard on the day of the constitution. Or it may be on the 23rd, 24th and 27th. It is customary to Call 'beat the dust'". On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, "house sweeping" is carried out, which means a thorough cleaning inside and outside the courtyard. It can be seen that this custom entrusts people's desire to destroy the old and establish the new and the prayer to say goodbye to the old and usher in the new. It is also the traditional virtue of paying attention to hygiene and preventing diseases in winter accumulated by the Chinese nation in its long history. [3]

The twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month

Comic "Push the grinding wheel to make tofu"

The folk proverb of making tofu says: "The twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, grind the grinding wheel to make tofu" "According to research, tofu was invented by Liu An, King of Huainan in the Western Han Dynasty. Zhu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote in his poem "Tofu": "The seedlings of soybeans are sparse, and the heart is rotten after exhaustion. If I had known the art of Huainan, I would have settled down and harvested spring cloth." Interestingly, in some places, people eat tofu residue before New Year's Eve. customs. The reason is that local legend says that after the Kitchen King went to heaven to report, the Jade Emperor would visit the lower world to see if each household was as the Kitchen King had told him, so each household would eat tofu dregs to show their poverty and hide it from the Jade Emperor. punishment. Legend is true, eating tofu is actually a sign of low productivity in ancient times and not so much delicious food. It is also a reflection of the virtues of diligence and frugality of our ancestors. The old custom of Jie Jade Emperor believed that after the Kitchen God ascended to heaven, the Heavenly Emperor Jade Emperor personally descended to the world on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month to inspect the good and evil in the world and determine the blessings and misfortune of the coming year. Therefore, families offered sacrifices to him to pray for blessings, which was called "Jie Jade Emperor". ".

On this day, you must be cautious in your daily life and words, and strive to perform well in order to win the favor of the Jade Emperor and bring blessings to you in the coming year. The God of Chaos is not allowed to return until the New Year's Eve after he sends the Kitchen God to heaven. During this period, there is no god in the world, there are no taboos, and many people get married, which is called "Chasing Luan Sui". Luan Sui is a specific period of time designed by the people to adjust social life. At the end of the year, people have leisure and savings. This is a good time for people who rarely have the energy to take care of big things. Therefore, people invented this special time folk custom according to the needs of real life. It can be seen that in traditional societies, the order of people's lives relies on folk customs for regulation. Zhaotian silkworms Zhaotian silkworms are also called "burning field silkworms" and "burning field wealth". They are a folk custom of praying for good luck in the Jiangnan area. On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, long poles tied with torches are erected in the fields to use the flames to divine the new year. If the flames are strong, they will herald a good harvest in the coming year. Some places hold this event on New Year's Eve. Thousand Lantern Festival The Thousand Lantern Festival is a religious festival of the Mongolian and Daur people. In Mongolian, it is called "Mingganzhuola", which means Thousand Lanterns Festival. On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, people make "Minggandra" and light them in the temple. It is believed that the more lights they light, the more auspicious they will be. This festival custom is most popular among the Virat Mongolian people in Xinjiang. Local people eat roast beef and mutton and hold traditional sports and entertainment activities on this day. [4]

The twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month

Comic "Killing Pigs and Cutting New Year's Meats"

Cutting New Year's Meat "New Year Meat" refers to the main preparation of meat for the New Year on this day. Killing pigs, of course, means killing domestic pigs; cutting meat means that people who don’t raise pigs go to the market to buy meat for the New Year. The reason why "cutting new year's meat" is included in the New Year's ballad is because the farming and social economy are underdeveloped, and people can only eat meat during the New Year's Day, so it is called "new year's meat". [5]

On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month

Cartoon "Slaughtering chickens and catching up with the big gathering"

The folk proverb says "On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, slaughtering chickens and catching up with the big gathering" Chickens go to market.” On this day, in addition to slaughtering their own poultry, every household also has to go to the market and go to the store for centralized purchasing. Compared with the usual markets where the main purpose is to buy what is lacking and sell surplus, the market on the 27th of the twelfth lunar month is mainly for buying and selling New Year items, such as: firecrackers, Spring Festival couplets, divine horses, incense candles, burning paper, beef and mutton, and various toys for children. Gifts, various headdresses for girls, etc. On this day, markets everywhere are very lively. Bathing: According to traditional folk customs, bathing and laundry should be concentrated on these two days to get rid of the bad luck of the year and prepare for the coming New Year. There is a proverb in Beijing that "Twenty-seven washes away guilt and twenty-eight washes away sloppiness." Taking a bath on the 26th of the twelfth lunar month is "washing fortune and fortune". [6]

The twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month

Comic "Peach Blossom Stickers"

The ballad of the flower year goes like this: "On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, make cakes and steamed buns Huahua”. The so-called decals refer to pasting New Year pictures, Spring Festival couplets, window grilles and various magical codes. Among them, the custom of posting Spring Festival couplets originated from the ancient "Peach Talisman". The ancients used peach wood as a tree to ward off evil spirits. "Dian Shu" said: "Peach is the essence of the five trees, so it suppresses evil spirits." By the Five Dynasties, Meng Chang, the monarch of Later Shu, was elegant and good at literature. He ordered people to inscribe peach charms every year. It became the origin of the Spring Festival couplets of later generations, and the inscription on the peach charm "New Year's greetings for Yuqing, Jiajie Changchun" became the first "Spring Festival couplets" recorded in Chinese history. Later, with the advent of papermaking, the custom of posting Spring Festival couplets using red paper instead of peach wood appeared. [7]

On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month

Comic "Go to the grave to invite the ancestors"

Ancestor worship ballad says: "On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, I will go to the grave to invite my ancestors." Great offering". The worship of ancestors has a long history in our country. Treating death as life is not only an important sign of filial piety, but also the virtue of respecting the elderly. The Spring Festival is a major festival, and the ceremony of visiting the graves of ancestors is particularly solemn. The time to visit the graves of ancestors is in most areas on the morning of the 29th. According to the "Four People's Monthly Orders" written by Cui Shi of the Han Dynasty: "The first day of the first lunar month is the first day of the lunar month. I will lead my wife and children to worship your ancestors. And when I worship the sun, I will drink wine to trance the gods. This is the inferiority of the family, and there is no big thing." The children are listed before their ancestors, and the children, wives, great-grandchildren each serve pepper wine to their parents, drink wine to celebrate their birthdays, and feel happy." This shows that as early as the Han Dynasty, ancestor worship activities in my country have been a very important part of the Spring Festival. Active. Little New Year's Eve The day before New Year's Eve is called "Little New Year's Eve". There is a banquet at home and people call it "farewell". Burning incense outdoors is called "tianxiang" and usually takes three days. [8]

The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month

New Year’s Eve New Year’s Eve refers to the night of the last day of the twelfth lunar month every year, which is connected to the first day of the first lunar month. The word "Chu" in "New Year's Eve" means "to go; to change; to change." New Year's Eve means "the end of the month and the end of the year." People have to get rid of the old and welcome the new. means, it is the last night of the whole year in the lunar calendar. Therefore, the activities during this period are centered around getting rid of the old and welcoming the new, eliminating disasters and praying for blessings. During the Zhou and Qin Dynasties, at the end of each year, the palace would hold a "Da Nuo" ceremony to beat the drums to drive away the ghosts of plague and disaster, which was called "Zhuchu". Later, the day before New Year's Eve was also called Xiaochu, that is, Little New Year's Eve; New Year's Eve is New Year's Eve, that is, New Year's Eve. Sticking to the door god During the New Year, there is a custom of sticking to the door god in various parts of my country. The original door god was carved into a human form of mahogany wood and hung next to the door. Later, the portrait of the door god was painted and posted on the door. The legendary brothers Shen Tu and Yu Lei specialize in controlling ghosts. With them guarding the door, evil spirits big and small dare not come in to cause harm.

After the Tang Dynasty, there were paintings of the fierce generals Qin Qiong and Yuchi Jingde as door gods, and there were also paintings of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei as door gods. There is one door-god statue on the left and right. Later generations often painted a pair of door-gods as civil and military. There are three types of door gods: the first type is the "door god", which is usually posted on the car door or the entire door. It is about four or five feet high and two or three feet wide. The second type is the "street door god", which is usually posted on the small street door. It is about two feet high and one foot wide. These two door gods are two gods, one with a black face and one with a white face. White left and black right, white good and easy, black ferocious and evil, each holding a yue. The third category is the "house door god", which is slightly smaller and more limited than the street door god. It also has two gods, black and white, but there are also two gods, black and white, who are seated. The most common thing on the door of the house is a picture of "Qilin delivering a son", two dolls wearing powder, grease and combing the prince's crown, each riding a Qilin. This kind of door god was supposed to be posted on the door of the newly married house to bring good luck, and later it became a New Year decoration on ordinary street doors. Posting Spring Couplets Spring couplets, also known as "door pairs" and "spring posts", are a type of couplets. They are named because they are posted during the Spring Festival. One source of Spring Festival couplets is Taofu. At first, people carved human figures in peach wood and hung them by the door to ward off evil spirits. Later, they painted the image of the door god on the peach wood, and then simplified it to inscribing the name of the door god on the peach wood board. Another source of Spring Festival couplets is spring stickers. The ancients often posted the word "Yichun" on the Beginning of Spring, which later developed into Spring Festival couplets. The real popularity of Spring Festival couplets began in the Ming Dynasty, related to Zhu Yuanzhang's advocacy. According to the "Miscellaneous Theory of Hairpin Cloud Tower" written by Chen Shanggu of the Qing Dynasty, one year when Zhu Yuanzhang was preparing to celebrate the New Year, he ordered a Spring Festival couplet to be posted on the door of every house to celebrate. Originally the Spring Festival couplets were inscribed on peach boards, but later they were rewritten on paper. The color of peach wood is red, and red has the meaning of good luck and warding off evil spirits, so the Spring Festival couplets are mostly written on red paper. However, the temple uses yellow paper, and the mourning system (when mourning is not completed) uses white, green, and yellow colors. White paper is used in the first year, green paper in the second year, yellow paper in the third year, and red paper is used after the fourth year of mourning. Paper. Because the Manchu people were still white, the Qing court Spring Couplets used white paper, with blue edges wrapped on the outside and red stripes on the inside. Pasting blessing characters, pasting window grilles, pasting New Year pictures, and pasting hangings all have the folk custom functions of praying for blessings and decorating the residence. New Year pictures are an ancient folk art in my country. They reflect the customs and beliefs of the people and express people's hopes for the future. New Year pictures, like Spring Festival couplets, originated from the "door god". Spring couplets developed from the names of Shen Tu and Yu Lei to text, while New Year pictures still developed along the direction of painting. With the rise of woodblock printing, the content of New Year pictures is no longer limited to door gods, but gradually invites the God of Wealth into the home, and then in some New Year painting workshops, "Three Stars of Fortune, Luxury and Longevity", "Blessings from Heavenly Officials", " Colorful New Year pictures such as "A bumper harvest", "Prosperous livestock", "Welcome the Spring and receive blessings" can satisfy people's good wishes of celebrating the good year. Because Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty advocated posting Spring Festival couplets during the Spring Festival, New Year paintings became popular due to his influence. There are three important production areas of New Year paintings in the country: Taohuawu in Suzhou, Yangliuqing in Tianjin and Weifang in Shandong, forming the three major schools of New Year paintings in my country. In the early years of the Republic of China, Shanghai Zheng Mantuo combined the calendar with New Year pictures. This is a new form of New Year pictures. This two-in-one New Year picture later developed into a wall calendar. Hanging Qian is to use auspicious words engraved on red paper with a long ruler and stick it in front of the door to complement the peach charms. Those with figures of the Eight Immortals on them were hung in front of the Buddha. It is mostly used by thousands of households, but less used by aristocratic families. The yellow paper is three inches long and the red paper is more than an inch long. It is a "small hanging thousand" and is used by shops. The earliest hanging Qiandang was made of coins (copper coins). Like New Year's money, it has the effect of suppressing victory. [9] Staying up late on New Year’s Eve is a custom among Chinese people, which is commonly known as “staying up late”. The New Year's Eve dinner starts with the New Year's Eve dinner. This New Year's Eve dinner should be eaten slowly, starting from the time when the lanterns are turned on. Some people have to eat until late at night. According to Zong Mao's "Jingchu Years' Records", the custom of eating New Year's Eve dinner has existed at least in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The custom of keeping the year old includes not only a feeling of nostalgia for the passing years, but also a good hope for the coming New Year. New Year's money is given by the elders to the younger ones. In some families, after the New Year's Eve dinner, everyone sits at the table and is not allowed to leave. When everyone has finished eating, the elders give it to the younger ones and encourage their children and grandchildren to make good progress in the new year. Learn to make progress and be a good person. In some homes, parents wait for their children to fall asleep and put them under their pillows at night. In other homes, children gather in the main hall, shout Happy New Year to grandparents, parents, and mom, kneel down in line, and then reach out for red envelopes. They even went to the grandparents' bedroom and ran to the edge of the bed together, shouting: "New Year's money, New Year's money!" The old man didn't think it was lively enough, so he pretended to be stingy, went from bargaining to besieging and groping, and finally dug out the ancestor's red envelope. After everyone looted everything, they dispersed. The old man was overjoyed when he saw this scene, thinking it was a good sign that everything would go well in the new year. Giving lucky money during the New Year reflects the care of the elders for the younger generation and the respect of the younger generation for the elders. It is a folk activity that integrates family ethical relationships.

The first day of the first lunar month

Firecrackers on the first day of the Lunar New Year. On the morning of the Spring Festival, when the door is opened, firecrackers are set off first, which is called "firecrackers on the door." After the sound of firecrackers, the ground was filled with broken red, shining like clouds and brocade, which was called "Man Tang Hong". At this time, the streets were full of auspiciousness and joy. New Year's greetings: An important activity during the Spring Festival is to go to the homes of relatives, friends and neighbors to wish them a happy New Year, which was formerly known as New Year's greetings. The custom of paying New Year greetings among the Han people has been around since the Han Dynasty. It became very popular after the Tang and Song Dynasties. For those who are inconvenient to go there in person, they can send their congratulations with name cards. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was called "thorn", so the business card was also called "famous thorn". After the Ming Dynasty, many families put a red paper bag on their door to collect name cards, called a "door book."

The forms of mutual New Year greetings between people can be roughly divided into four categories based on their social relationships: First, visiting relatives. On the first day of the new year, you must go to your father-in-law’s house and bring gifts. After entering the door, first kowtow three times to the Buddha statue, the image of the ancestors, and the tablets, and then kneel down to the elders in turn. You can stay to eat and play. The second is a courtesy visit. If you are wishing New Year greetings to colleagues or friends, as soon as you enter the house, you should only kowtow three times to the Buddha statue. If you are the same generation as the host, you only need to bow your hands and bow. If you are older than you, you should still take the initiative to kneel down and the host should get down from the seat and make a gesture of support. Even saying "no courtesy" shows humility. In this situation, it is generally not advisable to sit for a long time, and you should say goodbye after saying a few polite words. After the host has been worshiped, he should choose a day to return to worship. The third is a thank you visit. Anyone who has been in debt to others over the past year (such as lawyers, doctors, etc.) should buy some gifts and send them to them, taking the opportunity of New Year greetings to express their gratitude. The fourth is door-to-door visits. We don't have much contact with our neighbors on weekdays, but we can always talk to each other when we meet. When New Year's Eve comes, we just go to the courtyard, hug each other's fists and say: "Congratulations on getting rich," "Everything goes well, everything goes well." Just sit there for a while, not much etiquette. In ancient times, there were differences between New Year greetings and New Year greetings: New Year greetings were to kowtow to the elders; New Year greetings were to congratulate each other among peers. Now, in some agencies, groups, companies, and schools, everyone gathers together to congratulate each other, which is called "group worship." With the development of the times, the custom of New Year greetings has constantly added new content and forms. Nowadays, in addition to following the previous methods of New Year greetings, people have also developed ceremonial New Year greetings via telegrams and telephone calls. In the old days, the weather was cloudy and sunny in the first few days of the new year to predict the year's success. The theory begins with "Sui Zhan" written by Dongfang Shuo of the Han Dynasty, which states that eight days after the end of the year, one day is the chicken day, the second day is the dog day, the third day is the pig day, the fourth day is the sheep day, the fifth day is the cow day, the sixth day is the horse day, and the seventh day is the horse day. The sun is a human being, and the eighth day is a grain. If the day is sunny, the object will flourish; if the day is cloudy, the object will not prosper. Later generations followed this custom and believed that the weather from the first to the tenth day of the lunar month was auspicious with clear weather, no wind and no snow. Later generations developed from accounting for age into a series of sacrifices and celebrations. There is a custom of not killing chickens on the first day of the lunar month, not killing dogs on the second day of the lunar month, and not killing pigs on the third day of the lunar month... Zhuxian Town Wooden New Year Pictures

Chicken Stickers In ancient times, chickens were painted on doors and windows during the Spring Festival to drive away ghosts and evil spirits. "Xuanzhongji" written by the Jin Dynasty talks about the aforementioned rooster on Dushuo Mountain. It is said that when the sun has just risen and the first ray of sunlight shines on this big tree, the rooster will appear. It cried. As soon as it crows, all the chickens in the world will crow. Therefore, the chicken cut during the Spring Festival actually symbolizes the rooster. However, in ancient mythology, there is also a saying that the chicken is the transformation of the Chongming bird. It is said that during the reign of Emperor Yao, the friendly countries that passed over paid tribute to a Chongming bird that could ward off evil spirits. Everyone welcomed the arrival of the Chongming bird. However, the tribute envoys did not come every year, so people carved a wooden Chongming bird or cast a Chongming bird. Place the bird on the door, or draw the Chongming bird on the doors and windows to scare away monsters and ghosts so that they do not dare to come again. Because the Chongming birds resemble chickens, people gradually changed to painting chickens or cutting window grilles and pasting them on doors and windows, which became the source of paper-cut art in later generations. In ancient my country, chickens were particularly valued and were called “the bird of five virtues”. "Han Shi Wai Zhuan" says that it has a crown on its head, which is a virtue; it has a distance behind its feet and can fight, it is a martial virtue; it dares to fight in front of the enemy, it is a brave virtue; it has food to greet its kind, it is a benevolent virtue; it keeps vigil at night without losing sight of it. When the dawn comes, it is faith. So people not only cut chickens during the Chinese New Year, but also designate the first day of the New Year as Rooster Day. Gathering Wealth: It is said that the first day of the first lunar month is the broom's birthday. You cannot use a broom on this day, otherwise it will sweep away luck, lose money, and attract the "broom star", which will bring bad luck. If you must sweep the floor, you must sweep from the outside to the inside. It is also not allowed to pour water or take out garbage outside on this day, for fear of losing money. Today, many places still have a custom of cleaning up on New Year's Eve. On New Year's Day, no brooms are taken out, no garbage is taken out, and a large bucket is prepared to hold wastewater, and no spilling is allowed on that day. [10]

On the second day of the first lunar month

Worshiping the God of Wealth In the north, people worship the God of Wealth on the second day of the first lunar month. On this day, both commercial shops and ordinary families will hold activities to worship the God of Wealth. Every family offers sacrifices to the God of Wealth they received on New Year's Eve. In fact, they burned the crude prints they bought. We will eat wontons at noon today, commonly known as "Yuanbao Soup". Sacrificial offerings include fish and mutton. Big business houses in old Beijing hold large-scale sacrificial activities on this day. The sacrifices must be made from the "five major sacrifices", namely whole pigs, whole sheep, whole chickens, whole ducks, red live carp, etc., in the hope of making a fortune this year. [11]

The third day of the first lunar month

Sheep Day The third day of the first lunar month is the day when Nuwa makes sheep, so it is called "Sheep Day". On this day, people cannot kill sheep. If the weather is good, it means that the sheep will be raised well this year and the people who raise sheep will have a good harvest. Burning the Door God Paper: In the old days, on the third day and night of the Lunar New Year, the pine and cypress branches during the New Year Festival and the Door God Papers hung during the festival were burned together to indicate that the New Year was over and work had to start again. As the saying goes, "Burn the door god paper, and you will find your own health." Millet Birthday Folk believe that the three millet birthdays in the first month of the first lunar month are celebrated, and sacrifices are made to pray for good luck, and rice is not allowed. Xiaonian Dynasty is the Tianqing Festival. It was a court festival in the Song Dynasty. In the first year of Dazhong Xiangfu of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, Zhenzong issued an edict declaring the third day of the first lunar month as the Tianqing Festival, and officials and others took a five-day holiday. Later, it was called the Xiaonian Dynasty. It did not sweep the floor, beg for fire, or draw water, just like the Sui Dynasty. ?[12]?

The fifth day of the first lunar month

The fifth day of the first lunar month is commonly known as Powu. According to folk custom, many taboos five years ago can be broken on this day.

According to the old custom, it is necessary to eat "water dumplings" for five days. In the north, it is called "boiled dumplings". Nowadays, some people only eat it for three or two days, and some eat it every other day, but there is no one who doesn’t eat it. This is true from the prince's mansion to the small households in the streets, even when entertaining guests. Women no longer stay taboo and start visiting each other to pay New Year greetings and congratulate each other. Newly married women return to peace on this day. It is said that it is not advisable to do anything on the fifth day, otherwise you will be in trouble during the year. In addition to the above taboos, the five customs of Po Wu are mainly to send away the poor, welcome the God of Wealth, and open markets for trade. Sacrifice to the God of Wealth Southerners worship the God of Wealth on the fifth day of the first lunar month. According to folklore, the God of Wealth is the God of Five Ways. The so-called five roads refer to east, west, south, north, and middle, which means that you can get wealth in any of the five ways. "Qing Jia Lu" written by Gu Lu in the Qing Dynasty said: "The fifth day of the first lunar month is the birthday of the Lutou God. Gold gongs and firecrackers are used, and the sacrifices are finished. In order to be the first to benefit the market, one must get up early to welcome it, which is called connecting the Lutou." He also said: "The head of the road today is the walking god among the Five Sacrifice. The so-called five roads should be the east, west, south, north and middle ears." There was a custom of grabbing the head of the road in Shanghai in the old calendar years. On the midnight of the fourth day of the first lunar month, prepare sacrifices, cakes, fruits, incense and candles, etc., and worship with gongs, drums and incense, piously and respectfully to the God of Wealth. According to popular legend, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year is the birthday of the God of Wealth. In order to compete for market profits, it is first received on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, which is called "grabbing the road head", also known as "receiving the God of Wealth". The five sacrifices include worshiping the household gods, kitchen gods, earth gods, door gods, and walking gods. The so-called "Lutou" refers to the gods among the five sacrifices. When receiving the God of Wealth, one must offer a sheep's head and a carp. Offering a sheep's head means "auspiciousness", and offering carp is a homophone of "fish" and "yu" in the picture. The poem is auspicious. People firmly believe that as long as they can get the God of Wealth to appear, they can get rich. Therefore, every Chinese New Year, people open their doors and windows at 50:00 on the first lunar month, burn incense, set off firecrackers, and light fireworks to welcome the God of Wealth. After receiving the God of Wealth, everyone also eats Lutou wine, often until dawn. Everyone is full of hopes of getting rich, hoping that the God of Wealth can bring gold and silver to their homes and make a fortune in the new year.

Lutou God Lutou God is a god of wealth believed in by Wu. It is customary to regard this day as his birthday, and it is quite spectacular to offer sacrifices and greet him. It is believed that the sooner you pick up the road head, the better. The earliest one to pick up the road head is the true god, which is particularly effective, so it is called "grabbing the road head". In some places, people really "rush to grab the road" on the fourth day of the first lunar month, and it has become a custom. Now that the road god is no longer the protector of travel, people no longer worship it when traveling. As for people worshiping the Lutou God on the fifth day of the first lunar month and taking this day as his birthday, this is because the "five" among the five Lutou gods is related to the "five" on the fifth day of the lunar month. The same goes for the "Five Poor" worshipers in the north on this day. In the first month instead of other months, it is to take the new year and new atmosphere, so that the year will be auspicious and the financial resources will be prosperous. From east to west, south, north, and center, wealth will advance in five directions. "Sending the poor" on the fifth day of the first lunar month is a very unique folk custom in ancient my country. On this day, women in each household are made of paper, called "Sweeping Qing Niang", "Five Poor Women", and "Five Poor Women". They carry paper bags, sweep the dirt from the house into the bags, and send them outside to blast them with cannons. This custom is also known as "sending the poor to the poor" and "sending the poor daughter-in-law out". Opening of the market It is an old custom that during the Spring Festival, all shops of all sizes will be closed from the beginning of the new year, and the market will open on the fifth day of the first lunar month. It is customary to regard the fifth day of the first lunar month as the holy day of wealth. It is believed that choosing this day to open the market will definitely attract wealth. [13]

The seventh day of the first lunar month

Human Day is also known as "Human Victory Festival", "Human Festival", "Population Day", "Human Seventh Day", etc. Legend has it that Nvsnail created humans on the seventh day after creating animals such as chickens, dogs, pigs, cows, and horses, so this day is the birthday of humans. The Han Dynasty began to have the custom of human day festivals, and it began to be taken seriously after the Wei and Jin Dynasties. In ancient times, people had the custom of wearing "rensheng". Rensheng is a kind of headdress, also called caisheng or huasheng. Starting from the Jin Dynasty, people cut ribbons for flowers, people, or engraved gold foil for people to put on screens. They were also worn on on hair. In addition, there is also the custom of climbing high to compose poems. After the Tang Dynasty, more emphasis was placed on this festival. Every year, the emperor would give the ministers colorful ribbons to win, and he would also hold a banquet for the ministers. If the weather is fine on the seventh day of the first lunar month, the population will be safe and the going in and out will be smooth. Eating Qibao Soup on the Human Day Festival, people use seven kinds of fresh seasonal vegetables and rice flour to make a soup called "Qibao Soup". It is eaten on the Human Day to get good omens, and is said to be able to remove evil spirits and eliminate evil spirits. Cure all diseases. Different regions have different products, different fruits and vegetables, and different meanings. Guangdong Chaoshan uses mustard, kale, leeks, spring vegetables, celery, garlic, and cloves; Hakka people use celery, garlic, green onions, coriander, leeks and fish, meat, etc.; Taiwan and Fujian use spinach, celery, onions, garlic, Leeks, mustard greens, shepherd's purse, cabbage, etc. Celery and onions indicate intelligence, garlic indicates calculation, mustard indicates longevity, and so on. In some areas in the south, people have the custom of "fishing for yusheng" on Valentine's Day. When fishing for yusheng, many people often gather around a place and pour the fish, ingredients and sauces on a large plate. Everyone stands up and waves. Use chopsticks to scoop up the fish ingredients, and keep shouting: "Get it! Get it! Get it!", and the fish should be scooped higher and higher to show that you are rising step by step. Spreading pancakes On this day, people eat spring pancakes and roll "box dishes" (cooked meat food), and spread pancakes in the courtyard to "smoke the sky". Traveling and Climbing High People's Day is also a day for ladies to travel and for literati to climb high and compose poems. Tang Gaoshi's poem "Ren Ri Sends Du Er Supplements" says: "Ren Ri wrote poems and sent them to the thatched cottage, feeling pity for the old friend and thinking about his hometown. The willow branches are stained and I can't bear to look at them, and the plum blossoms are full of branches and my heart is broken. I have encountered nothing in southern Tibet, and I have all kinds of worries in my heart. Thousands of considerations.

This year people and the sun and the sky remember each other. Where will the people and the sky know next year? "[14]

The eighth day of the first lunar month

It is said that the eighth day of the first lunar month is the birthday of millet. If the weather is sunny on this day, the rice harvest will be bumper. If the weather is cloudy, the harvest will be good. By the way. Star folk use the eighth day of the first lunar month as the day when the stars descend to the realm. They make small lamps and burn them to worship them. They are called Shunxing, also known as "sacrifice to the stars" and "receive the stars". They use two sacred codes for sacrifice, the first one is printed on it. Xingke, Suzaku, Xuanwu, etc., the second one is "the star that prolongs life and longevity", put them together on the sacred paper clip, and place them in the center behind the Yao table in the courtyard in front of the sacred code. Put the lanterns made of yellow and white lantern paper soaked in sesame oil, put them into a "lantern bowl" with a diameter of about 1 inch, or use 49 lanterns, or use 108 lanterns, and then serve cooked Lantern Festival and tea after dusk. , with Beidou as the target for sacrifice. After the sacrifice, when the remaining lamp is extinguished, the sacred code, incense root, sesame straw and pine and cypress branches are burned together and the sacrifice is completed on the ninth day of the first lunar month.

The ninth day of the first lunar month is Tianri. It is said that this day is the birthday of the Jade Emperor. The main customs include worshiping the Jade Emperor and fasting in Taoist temples. In some places, women prepare fragrant flowers, candles and fasting bowls and place them on the patio. Worship the sky in the open air at the entrance of the alley and ask for God's blessings [16]

The tenth day of the first lunar month

On the birthday of the stone, no stone tools such as grinding and grinding are allowed to be moved, or even used. It is a custom in Henan to burn incense and eat steamed buns for lunch, as it is also known as "Shi Fu" or "Shi Fu". In places such as Yuncheng, Shandong, there is an act of carrying a stone god. On the night of the ninth day, people freeze an earthen jar on a large smooth stone. On the morning of the tenth day, they tie the nose of the jar with a rope and ten young men take turns carrying it. If the stone does not fall to the ground, it will be a good harvest. According to the old folk belief, the rat ceremony held in the first month is also called "rat wedding" and "rat wedding". The specific date varies from place to place. On the seventh day of the first lunar month, sometimes on the twenty-fifth day of the first lunar month, and in many areas on the tenth day of the first lunar month, noodles are placed on the wall in Pingyao County, which is called "Congratulations on the Rat Marrying a Girl". In Ningyuan, Hunan, the 17th day is "Rat". On this day, it is forbidden to open boxes and cabinets for fear of disturbing rats. The night before, children put candies, peanuts, etc. in a dark place, and bang pot lids, dustpans and other large objects to make makeup for the rats. The next morning , the rat den is blocked, and it is believed that rats will be extinct forever. In some areas, they go to bed very early on the day when rats marry their wives, and they do not disturb the rats. As the saying goes, if you bother it for one day, it will bother you for a year.

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