Customs of the Spring Festival
Sacrificing the Stove
The Spring Festival in China generally begins with the sacrifice of the stove. The folk song "twenty-three, sugar melon sticky" refers to the annual lunar month 23 or 24 days of the sacrificial stove, there is the so-called "government three people four boat family five", that is, the government in the lunar month 23rd, the general people in the family on the 24th, and the water family for the twenty-fifth day of the sacrificial stove.
Sacrifice of the stove, is a folk in our country has a great influence, widely spread custom. In the old days, almost every house had a "Zao Wang" god in the stove room. People call this god "Sifu Bodhisattva" or "Zaojun Sifu", and legend has it that he is the Jade Emperor's "Nine Heavenly East Kitchen Sifu Zaowangfujun", responsible for the management of the family's stove fire, and is worshipped as a He is responsible for the management of each family's stove fire, and is worshipped as the protector god of a family. Most of the Zaowang niches are located in the north or east of the stove room, with the idol of Zaowang in the center. For those who don't have a Zaowang niche, there are also those who put the idol directly on the wall. Some of the idols depicted only one person, Zao Wang, while others had two persons, a man and a woman, and the goddess was called "Zao Wang's grandmother". This is probably an imitation of the image of an earthly couple. Most of the statues of Lord Zao also have the calendar of the year printed on them, with words such as "Master of the East Kitchen", "Supervisory God of the Earth", and "Head of the Household" to indicate the status of the God of Vesta. On both sides of the posters are couplets that read "Good things are said in heaven, and peace is guaranteed in the world below" to bless the whole family.
Since the previous year's New Year's Eve has remained at home to protect and monitor the family; to the Lunar New Year's Eve on the twenty-third day of the Zaosheng will be ascending to the sky, to the Jade Emperor in heaven to report on the family's good or bad behavior, to send the Zaosheng ceremony known as the "send Zao" or "resignation Zao The ceremony of sending the Zaoshen is called "sending Zao" or "resigning Zao". Based on the report of the Zaos, the Jade Emperor will hand over to the Zaos the fate of the family in the new year. Therefore, for a family, the Zaowang master's report really has significant stakes.
The Zaobao ceremony is usually held at nightfall. The family first goes to the stove room, sets up a table, pays homage to the Zaowang master in the shrine on the stove wall, and offers sugar melons made of caramel and flour. Then, they make paper horses and feed grass to the animals. Offering caramelized sugar to Zaowang is to sweeten his old man's mouth. In some places, sugar is smeared around the mouth of Zaowang, saying, "Say more good things, don't say bad things." This is to stuff the mouth of Master Zao with sugar, so that he will not say anything bad. In the Tang Dynasty, there is a record of "applying wine lees on the stove to make Zaosi drunk" in the "Records of the Years and Seasons of the Emperor in the Emperor's Chariot". After smearing the mouth of Zaowang with sugar, people would take down the statue of the god and ascend to heaven together with paper and smoke. In some places, sesame stalks and pine branches are piled up in the yard at night, and the image of Zaojun, which has been offered for a year, is invited out of the shrine and burned, together with paper horses and grass, on fire. The yard was brightly lit by the fire, and the family bowed around the fire, praying as they burned: This year is the twenty-third, to send Zaojun to the Western Paradise. There is a strong horse, there is grass, a smooth and safe journey. The sugar melons are sweet and sweet, so please say good words to the Jade Emperor.
Send Zaojun, some places there are still several beggars, disguised, singing Zaojun song from house to house, Zaojun dance, called "Zaojun God", in exchange for food.
Send stove customs in China's north and south of the country is extremely common, Mr. Lu Xun has written "gengzi send stove that is the case" poem: only chicken gum teeth sugar, canonical clothes for petal incense. There are no long things in the house, not only less yellow sheep.
He said in the article of "sending Zaojun to heaven": "On the day Zaojun ascended to heaven, there was a kind of sugar sold on the street, the size of a mandarin fruit, which is also available in our place, but flat, like a thick pancake. It is called "Gum Teeth Molasses". It was meant to be eaten by Zaojun to glue his teeth, so that he would not be able to speak ill of the Jade Emperor." The allusion to the "yellow goat" in Lu Xun's poem comes from "The Book of the Later Han Dynasty - The Biography of Yin Zhi": "During the reign of Emperor Xuan Di, Yin Zifang was a man of great filial piety and benevolence. Lunar morning cooking, and the stove God see, Zifang worship again to be celebrated; home has a yellow sheep, because of the sacrifice. Since then, after the storm to the rich. To know three generations, and then prosperous, so after often to wax day sacrifice stove and recommend yellow sheep." Yin Zifang saw the God of the stove, kill yellow sheep sacrifice, and then made good luck. From then on, the custom of killing yellow sheep to sacrifice to Zaozao has been passed down.
The offerings for Zaos in the Tang and Song dynasties were quite abundant. The Song Dynasty poet Fan Chengda's "Zaosi words" made an extremely vivid depiction of the folk festival of Zaosi at that time: Ancient legend of the twenty-fourth day of the waxing moon, Zaojun towards the sky want to talk about things. The cloud car, wind and horses stayed a little, and the family had cups and plates for the ceremony. The pig's head is rotten, the fish is fresh, the bean paste is sweet and loose, the rice bait is round. Men offer their daughters to avoid it, and sprinkle wine and burn money to make Zaojun happy. Don't be angry at the maid's struggles, or at the cats and dogs that touch you. I will send you to the gate of heaven with a full stomach and a long spoon and a short spoon, so don't go back to the clouds and beg for a share of the profits.
The sacrificial stove on the 23rd day of the Lunar New Year is closely related to the New Year. This is because, a week later, on the night of the 30th day of the Lunar New Year, Lord Zao comes to earth with the other gods with the good fortune and misfortune that the family is supposed to get. Lord Zao is believed to lead the way for the gods in heaven. The other gods ascend to heaven again after the New Year, but only Zao Wangwang stays in people's kitchens for a long time. The ceremony of welcoming the gods is called "receiving the gods", and for Lord Zao it is called "receiving the stove". The ceremony is usually much simpler on New Year's Eve, when you just need to put on a new stove lamp and burn incense in front of the stove niche, and that's the end of it.
The saying goes, "Men don't worship the moon, women don't sacrifice to the stove". In some places, women do not sacrifice the stove, it is said, Zaowang master looks like a white man, afraid of female sacrifice stove, there is a "male and female suspicion". The origin of Zao Wang Wang has a long history. Among the Chinese folk gods, Zao is considered to be very old. As early as the Xia Dynasty, he was already a great god honored by the people. According to the ancient book "Rituals - Rituals" Kong Yingda sparse: "Zhuanxu's son Ri Li, Zhu Rong, sacrificed to the god of the stove." Zhuangzi. Dasheng" recorded: "The stove has a bun." Sima Biao commented: "Bun, the god of the stove, dressed in red, like a beautiful woman." In the "Clasp of Parks. It is also written in the "Micro Purpose" that "On the night of the moon's darkness, the god of the stove also goes up to heaven for the white man's sins." These records are probably the source of the sacrifices to the God of Vesta. In addition, or that the god of the stove is drilling wood for fire "flint man's"; or that is the Shennong's "fire officer"; or that is the "yellow emperor as stove" "Su Jili"; or that the god of the stove is surnamed Zhang, a list of the word Ziguo; many say different things. There is an interesting story circulating in the folklore.
It is said that in ancient times, there was a family surnamed Zhang, two brothers, brother is a plasterer, brother is a painter. The brother's specialty is the work of the pan pan, East Street please, West Square invited, all praised him for the high craftsmanship of the base of the stove. Over the years, he became famous and was honored as "King Zhang Zao" by all the people in the area. Speaking of Zhang Zao Wang is also strange, no matter to whose home base stove, such as the other family has a dispute, he loves to meddle. When he meets a noisy daughter-in-law, he wants to persuade, and when he meets a fierce mother-in-law, he also wants to say, as if he is an old elder. In the future, all the neighbors would go to him for anything, and everyone respected him. Zhang Zaowang lived to be seventy years old, and it was the night of the twenty-third day of the Lunar New Year when he died. Zhang Zao Wang passed away, Zhang family can be a mess, the original Zhang Zao Wang is the head of the family, the family things are at his command, and now the elder brother left the earth, the younger brother will only poetry and painting, although has been the flower of the armor, but has never been in charge of the housework. Several daughters-in-law are clamoring to split the family, the painter was stirred to do nothing, all day long sad face. One day, he finally came up with a good idea. On the twenty-third day of the waxing moon, the first anniversary of the death of Zhang Zaowang, late at night, the artist suddenly called the whole family woke up, saying that the big brother manifested itself. He will be son and daughter-in-law of the whole family to the kitchen, only to see the dark walls of the stove, floating candlelight vaguely revealed Zhang Zao Wang and his late wife's appearance, the family were stunned. The artist said: "I dreamed that my elder brother and sister-in-law had become immortals when I went to bed, and the Jade Emperor appointed them as the Zao Wang Fu Jun, the Secretary of the East Kitchen of the Nine Heavens. You have been lazy and lazy, and your sisters-in-law are not in harmony, not respecting and filial piety, making the family God uneasy. My elder brother knows that you are splitting up the family and is very angry, so he is going to go up to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor and come down to the world to punish you on the night of the 30th day of the new year." Children nieces and nephews-in-law heard these words, horrified, immediately kneeling down and kowtowing, busy fetching Zhang Zao Wang usually love to eat sweets to offer on the stove, pleading with Lord Zao for forgiveness. From then on, often noisy uncles and brothers and daughters-in-law no longer dare to make a scene, the whole family live together peacefully, the young and the old live in peace. After this incident was known to the neighbors, the rumor spread, and they all rushed to the Zhang family to find out the truth. In fact, the night of the twenty-third day of the waxing moon on the wall of the stove stove king, is the painter pre-drawn. He is a fake big brother manifestation of the spirit of the town to scare the children nieces and nephews, I do not expect this method is really effective. So when the neighbors came to find the painter to find out the situation, he had to pretend to be real, the painted stove king statue distributed to the neighbors. Such as these, passed along the countryside, every family's stove room are affixed with the Zaowang statue. As the years went by, the custom of making offerings to Zao Wang on the 23rd day of the Lunar New Year and praying for the safety of the whole family was formed. After the custom of Zaosai was spread, since the Zhou Dynasty, the imperial palace also included it in the festival, and the rules of Zaosai were set up throughout the country, which became a fixed ritual.
Because of the different customs in different places, the folk also have "jumping Zaowang" and "playing Zaowang" activities. "Jumping Zao Wang" is a folk by the ancient "exorcism" from the development of a form of activities, mainly beggars activities, from the first day of the waxing moon to the 24th is "jumping Zao Wang" days. Into the waxing moon, the beggars in groups of three or five, dressed as stove male and female stove take bamboo sticks in the door, begging for money, called "jumping stove king", also contains the meaning of driving away evil spirits. This activity is mainly in the southeast of China.
Sweeping the dust
After the Zao Festival, preparations for the New Year officially begin. Every year from the twenty-third day of the lunar month to New Year's Eve, China's folk called this period of time "to welcome the spring day", also known as "dust sweeping day". Sweeping is the end of the year cleaning, the north called "sweeping room", the south called "dusting". Sweeping dust before the Spring Festival is a traditional habit of our people. Whenever the Spring Festival comes, every household has to clean up the environment, cleaning all kinds of appliances, unwashing bedding curtains, sweeping the courtyard, dusting dust cobwebs, dredge the nullahs and ditches. The whole country is filled with the atmosphere of joyful hygiene, cleanliness and welcoming the New Year.
Interestingly, there is a rather bizarre story about the origin of dust sweeping in ancient times. Legend has it that the ancients believed that there was a three corpses god attached to all human beings, who, like a shadow, followed one's whereabouts and was inseparable. The God of Three Corpses is a guy who likes flattery and loves to make a fuss. He often spread rumors in front of the Jade Emperor, describing the earth as ugly and unappealing. Over time, in the Jade Emperor's impression, the earth was simply a dirty world full of sin. Once. The Three Corpses God secretly reported that the earth was cursing the Heavenly Emperor and wanted to plot against the Heavenly Court. The Jade Emperor was furious and sent down a decree to quickly find out what was going on on earth. Anyone who complained about the gods and blasphemed against them would have their crimes written under the eaves of their houses. The Jade Emperor also ordered Wang Ling Ling to cover them up with a web to mark them. Jade Emperor also ordered Wang Lingguan to go down to the world on New Year's Eve and kill all the people who had made the marks, leaving no one behind. Three corpses of God see this plan is about to succeed, take advantage of the opportunity to fly down to the mortal world, regardless of the green and black and white, viciously in the eaves and corners of each house to do the mark, so that the king of the Ling Palace to come to a cut down to the last one. Just when the three corpses of God in the evil, Zaojun found his whereabouts, alarmed, hastened to find each family Zaowang master to discuss countermeasures. So, came up with a good way, on the twenty-third day of the waxing moon to send the stove from the date, to New Year's Eve to receive the stove before, each family must clean the house clean, which household is not clean, the Zaosheng master refused to enter the house. We follow the instructions before the ascension of the King Zaowang, sweeping dust, dusting off cobwebs, wiping clean doors and windows, to clean their own homes to a new look. When Wang Lingguan was ordered to go down to the world to check on New Year's Eve, he found that the windows of every house were clear and bright, the lights were brilliant, and people were reunited with each other, which made the earth a beautiful place to live in. Wang Lingguan couldn't find any marks indicating bad deeds, and was so surprised that he rushed back to heaven and reported the peaceful and happy situation on earth and prayed for a happy new year to the Jade Emperor. After hearing this, the Jade Emperor was greatly shocked, and sent down an order to detain the three corpses of the God, ordered to slap his mouth 300 times, and detained him in the heavenly prison forever. This time, the earthly calamity was spared thanks to the rescue of the God of Zao. In order to be grateful to the king of the stove for people to get rid of the disaster, blessing Zhangxiang, so the folk dust always in the send stove after the start, until the busy New Year's Eve.
The custom of "dusting and sweeping the house on the 24th day of the Lunar New Year" has a long history. According to "Lv's Spring and Autumn Annals" records, our country in the era of Yao and Shun on the Spring Festival dust sweeping custom. According to folklore: because the "dust" and "Chen" consonant, dust sweeping in the New Year has "in addition to the meaning of Chen Bu Xin", the intention is to put all the "poor luck! ", "bad luck" are swept out. This custom is the desire of the people to break the old, and the wish of the old and welcome the new prayers.
"Three corpses of God" Taoism said in the human body for Chong "God". According to the "three corpses in the scripture" said: "the upper corpse Peng 倨, in the human head; in the corpse Peng quality, in the human abdomen; the lower corpse Peng Jiao, in the human foot." It is also said that on the day of Gengshen, they would go up to heaven to tell the Emperor of Heaven about the sins of people; but if people stayed up all night on that day, they could avoid it, which is called "keeping Gengshen".
Eating Zao sugar
Zao sugar is a kind of malt sugar, sticky, it is drawn into a long sugar stick called "Guandong sugar", pulled into a flat round type is called "sugar melon". Put it outside the house in winter, because of the cold weather, sugar melon solidified solid and some tiny bubbles inside, eat it crunchy, sweet and crispy, unique flavor. The real Guandong sugar hard, drop can not be broken, eat must be split with a kitchen knife, the material is very heavy and very fine. Slightly sour taste, no honeycomb in the middle, each piece weighs one or two, two or four, the price is also more expensive. Sugar melons divided into sesame and no sesame two kinds, made of sugar melon shape or melon shape, the center is empty, the skin is not as thick as five points, although the size of the different, but the transaction is still calculated by the amount, the large sugar melons weighing one or two pounds, but used as a front to buy very few people.
Pick up the Jade Emperor
The old custom is that after the God of Stove went to heaven, the Emperor Jade Emperor himself came down to the world on December 25 of the lunar calendar to investigate the good and evil on earth, and to determine the coming year's misfortunes, so the family sacrificed to pray for blessings, known as the "pick up the Jade Emperor". On this day, people should be careful in their living and speaking, and strive for good performance in order to win the favor of the Jade Emperor and bring blessings to the coming year.
Catching up with the chaotic year
Sending the God of the Stove to the sky until New Year's Eve before welcoming back, during which time there is no god on earth to govern, no taboos, and more marriages among the people, known as "catching up with the chaotic year". Messy year is the people designed for themselves to regulate the social life of a specific period of time. At the end of the year, people have leisure and savings, for people who usually have the energy to organize big events, this is a good time. Therefore, people invented this special time folklore according to the needs of real life. It can be seen that in traditional society, the order of people's life is dependent on folklore to regulate.
Shining the field silkworms
Also known as "burning the field silkworms", "Shining the field silkworms", "burning the field of money", is popular in the south of the Yangtze River belt of folk praying for the New Year customs. Lunar New Year 25 this day will be tied to the torch pole in the field, with the flame to divine the New Year, the flame is strong omen of a good harvest in the coming year. In some places, the event is held on the 30th day of the Lunar New Year.
Thousand Lanterns Festival
It is a religious festival of the Mongolian and Daur ethnic groups. In Mongolian, it is called "Ming Gan Zhuo La", which means "Thousand Lights Festival". Lunar month 25 this day, do "Ming Gan Zhuo la" to the temple to light, that the more points the more auspicious. This holiday custom, the most prevalent in the Xinjiang Virat Mongolian. Local people in this day to eat roast beef and mutton, held traditional sports and recreational activities.
Bathing
Traditional folklore in these two days to focus on bathing, laundry, remove the bad luck of the year, in preparation for the coming year's new year, the capital has "27 wash guilt disease, 28 wash sloppy" proverb. The 26th day of the lunar month bath for "wash the blessing of Lu".
Small New Year's Eve
The day before New Year's Eve is called "Small New Year's Eve", when families set up banquets and people visit each other, which is called "Farewell". The day before New Year's Eve is called Tianxiang, in which incense is burned outdoors, usually for three days.
Catching up with the New Year
The traditional festival of the Tujia people is also called the "New Year's Fair". The Tujia celebrate the Spring Festival one or several days earlier than the Han Chinese.
Legends about the Tujia's "New Year's Eve":
1. In the Ming Dynasty, Tujia soldiers were deployed on the southeast coast of China to fight against Japanese invasion, and the military order was urgent, so they celebrated the New Year's Eve in advance and went to the front line. Soldiers fought bravely, set up a "southeast war first merit", later generations to commemorate the expedition, will be the New Year's Day in advance, used to be customary.
2. Tujia ancestors poor, the 30th day of the year, but also to the rich to do labor, in advance of the New Year, in order to reunite with their families.
3. In the old days, every year, the official army all over to drive the people, the Tujia people in advance of the New Year, to eat a reunion dinner, in order to escape.