For example, sometimes when you go to places like South Lake Square, you'll always hear some older grandmothers playing drums, and they're very passionate about it.
I remember when I was in high school for the Lantern Festival, the school invited a drumming team to beat around the school, which was a very lively event. I looked up some information and realized that the predecessor of Xiangyang Flower Drum Opera was the folk songs and ditties and some other forms of rap art circulating in the Xiangfan area. The music of the Xiangyang Flower Drum Opera has obvious characteristics, with a voice that is both high-pitched and rugged, passionate and enthusiastic, as well as euphemistic and delicate, bright and lively, with cadences such as [Peach Cavity], [Han Cavity], [Siping], and [Cai Cavity]. The traditional form of singing is a singing group, accompanied by gongs and drums, with distinctive rhythms and strong atmosphere, rich in local color and life atmosphere. As early as the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, there were people singing Xiangyang Flower Drum Opera in Yicheng, and in 1906, there was an amateur flower drum opera troupe in Yicheng, which performed small plays of daily life, and in 1924, there was the first time that women appeared on stage in Yicheng and sang Xiangyang Flower Drum Opera. In the 1940s, there were more than 50 flower-drum opera troupes in Yicheng, performing more than 160 plays, including more than 20 whole plays. These troupes not only performed in the county's cities and towns, but also flowed to Xiangyang, Nanzhang, Zaoyang, Baokang and other places, and sometimes sang with the flower-drum opera artists from other counties, which greatly promoted the flower-drum opera to complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, and influenced each other's integration. Flower Drum Opera became more and more perfect and mature, and eventually became a popular genre among the people. At that time, there was a saying circulating in Yicheng: "A clear (Qing Opera), two spring (mountain two spring opera), three Yue tune (Hubei Yue tune opera), dodge opera singing really lively." Xiangyang flower drums can also be traced back to a very long time, is also quite ancient Oh ~~~~
And Xiangyang's diet also has its own characteristics, Xiangyang is located in the northern part of Hubei, close to the Central Plains, the dietary style by the Central Plains region has a greater influence, basically belongs to the North Hubei flavor. The Hubei region has always favored spiciness, and there is a folk saying that "Hubei people are not afraid of spiciness", while the people in the Ba Shu Jing Chu region are spicy by nature, and almost all the dishes are made with chili peppers, and the spicy Sichuan cuisine and the sour and spicy Hunan cuisine are different, and the E cuisine pays attention to freshness and spiciness. Xiangyang cuisine is characterized by the freshness and spiciness of E cuisine, but it also maintains its own unique flavor. Xiangyang famous dishes include Xiangyang big head cabbage (not squash, originally concocted by Zhu Geliang when he lived in Xiangyang), Dongpo meat, Xiangyang tangled hooves, braised hooves, sweet and sour cabbage, kimchi tripe, Yicheng eel, prawns and so on, among which Dongpo meat is the most famous. Xiangyang's popular staple foods such as steamed buns, buns, pancakes, doughnuts, noodles, western rice, dry rice (rice), etc. are extremely common in the folklore; the varieties of snacks are also more numerous, such as clear soup, cold noodles, and mushy and spicy soups with unique appeal. Although there are many different kinds of noodles in Xiangyang, it is worth mentioning the most famous miscellaneous noodles, which can be roughly categorized into four types. Butter Noodles, Beef Minced Noodles, Seaweed and Tofu Noodles, and Fatty Intestine Noodles, of which Beef Minced Noodles is the most famous. It has more than twenty flavors boiled, with fresh beef, the flavor is pure and fresh, and then a bowl of specially brewed yellow wine, giving people a feeling of a "cool". These are all very tasty!
The hospitality of Xiangyang, for me personally, is a bit like the etiquette of ancient times. Xiangyang people have always been hospitable, greeting guests with a bow of the hand, and often use polite language such as "rare guest, take your time, come again". Staying for dinner, wine is a must, there is a "blame the wine, not blame the food", the saying goes, "wine without food, the guests do not blame; food without wine, stand up and go," intended to emphasize the importance of wine, not not to prepare food and rice, banquets and drinks must be the first wine and rice, not the first rice and wine, otherwise it would be a "crime". Otherwise, it would be a "crime" ("rice" harmonized). Rice and wine must be forced to persuade the guests to eat drunk as good. If the host is not a good drinker, he or she will ask someone who has the capacity to drink to persuade the guest to drink. They also add to the rice, fearing that the guests will not be full. Since ancient times, Xiangyang people were simple, light on profit and righteousness, and friends interacted with each other in times of trouble and ****, and in times of trouble and blessings, while there was a custom of honoring teachers and elders. There are many different kinds of gifts and exchanges between friends and relatives. Seasonal festivals, weddings, funerals, imports, birthday relocation, are giving gifts, congratulations on the feast, called "sending favors", there is a "big like debt" proverb. Some neighbors get along well, day to day pro, close interaction, better than relatives, as the saying goes, "as good as a close neighbor, as good as the door". Celebrate birthdays, commonly known as "birthday" or "do birthday". Children's birthdays eat longevity noodles, wear new clothes, elders give toys, stationery or food, and to send gift money. Feng three years old, six years old, twelve years old, eighteen years old should be set birthday feast. Elderly people over 60 years old, 70 years old birthday is more grand, more by the younger generation, friends and relatives to congratulate, send birthday gifts, the host of wine and hospitality.
The wedding and funeral culture in Xiangyang is similar to others. Marriage is an important part of the continuation of the family, attaches great importance to a variety of rituals, there are several steps to betrothal, choose a date, welcome the bride, follow the principle of free love between men and women, registered marriage. I remember when my uncle married my aunt, invited a number of taxicabs, dressed up beautifully, to the time of almost noon, went to pick up my aunt, and then through the aunt to welcome on the car (to give the bridesmaids, the family of the bride, red envelopes, to answer some very difficult questions ah and so on), and then back to the uncle's house. Then 12 o'clock when the banquet, aunt from the white wedding dress into a red cheongsam, each table toast ah what ~~~~~~ the whole wedding is very lively and festive ~~~~ and funeral I have not seen with my own eyes, I am very grateful that no loved ones left my side. I heard that the rural areas are still emerging with the burial, the coffin (also known as life wood) is particularly elaborate, mostly with cedar, cypress, rowan and other high-quality wood production, internal framing, external carving, repeated paint. After the death of a person, wash the body, wear a life jacket, into the ice coffin, the casket into the hearth "stopping the spirit", accompanied by relatives of the deceased at night, stopping the spirit for three days. Then sent to the crematorium by the filial son or daughter of the cremation plant cremation, and then put into a wooden coffin, called "into the coffin", sent to the cemetery by the descendants of the deceased buried. I saw at my grandmother's house, I vaguely remember a long trip, the foremost is a pig's head, behind some funeral gifts such as steamed buns and whatnot, there are some paper horses and wreaths and so on, followed by some of the deceased dressed in white loved ones ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ blowing on the road.
The culture of Xiangyang's festivals is similar to that of other places, but it also has its own unique features. For example:
(1) Spring Festival. The first day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the Spring Festival. The people of Xiangyang attach the greatest importance to the Spring Festival, which is not only grand and lively, but also lasts for a long time, and in fact, they begin to make preparations for the festival as soon as it enters the twelfth month of the lunar calendar (commonly known as Lunar New Year). Families purchase seasonal foods and utensils, and pickle chicken, duck, fish, meat and other preserved foods, commonly known as "doing New Year's goods". The 23rd day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar is called the "Little Year". On this day, many places in Xiangfan, especially in the countryside, are still practicing the activity of sacrificing to the God of Stove: every family cleans the indoor and outdoor hygiene, cleans and paints the stove, sets up the incense case in front of the statue of Zaowang and his wife, and offers Zaosugar (glutinous rice sugar), Zaocake (sugar cake) and seasonal fruits for the sacrifice. The 30th day of the lunar month is "New Year's Eve". On this day, please door god, paste spring couplets, welcome the family god, firecrackers, family reunion, eat "New Year's Eve". Children eat water chestnuts, meaning children's words are not taboo. In the evening, we make "Yuanbao", or dumplings. Staying up all night is called "keeping the New Year's Eve". Especially now the popularity of television, in the New Year's Eve to watch the Spring Festival gala program has become a habit. I remember the time when adults played mahjong and we kids would gather together to watch TV and chat, and I loved the atmosphere of relatives gathering in one room. At midnight, at the turn of the year, the sound of firecrackers would be heard in the streets, alleys, villages and courtyards to welcome the New Year. The first to the fourth day of the first month of the Chinese New Year are the main days of the Spring Festival. Early in the morning of the first day, ancestors are worshipped. The younger generation pays New Year's greetings to the elders, who give "New Year's money" to the children (or give it on New Year's Eve). On the first day of the year, the family eats dumplings, which are called "Yuanbao", symbolizing the prosperity of the new year. Then, relatives, neighbors and neighbors pay New Year's greetings to each other, and depending on the proximity of the family and were treated with cigarettes, tea and cakes or wine and rice. On the second day of the month, the son-in-law carries gifts to his parents-in-law to pay New Year's greetings. Yue's family must be entertained with wine and rice. As the saying goes, "the first day of worship parents, the second day of worship mother-in-law", that this gift can never be less. Next, worship aunt parents, uncle parents. The third, the fourth, general friends and relatives to congratulate each other, the best friends and relatives began to pick up spring guests. The fifth is called "broken five". The whole family ate "Yuanbao", banquets, and the first day of the same grand, there is a "broken five like the year" proverb.
(2) Lantern Festival. The 15th day of the first month for the Lantern Festival, also known as the Festival of Lanterns, Festival of Lights, is the first big festival after the Spring Festival, families open lights in front of the door, colorful, dazzling. Lions, dragon lanterns, dry boats, stilts and other singing and dancing juggling in the streets, very lively. On the night of the fifteenth, they put on lanterns and ate soup yuan for dinner, which is an essential celebratory activity for Xiangyang people to celebrate the Lantern Festival.
(3) Dragon Boat Festival. At the beginning of May every year, Chinese people have to dip glutinous rice, wash zongzi leaves, package zongzi, its color varieties are more varied. The custom of eating zongzi has prevailed in China for thousands of years, and has spread to Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian countries. Xiangyang is fond of eating various flavors of zongzi and hard-boiled eggs. And they hang calamus leaves on the door of the house to drive away mosquitoes and evil spirits. Although the dragon boat race is a major activity of the Dragon Boat Festival, but in Xiangyang I have not seen ~~~~ really a big regret ~~~~~
Xiangyang has many other customs, I will not list them here. The first thing you need to do is to get a good look at what you're doing, and you'll be able to see it!