Sherpa Day "Sherpa", meaning "swinging hands"; "day", that is, "do". The
Sherpa Day "Sherpa", meaning "swinging hands"; "day", that is, "do". The Tujia language inverts the verb-object, "Sheba Day", which is directly translated into Chinese as "Doing the Pendulum Hand", meaning "Pendulum Hand Dance". It is a Tujia ritual prayer activities, generally held in the annual festival, and the development of rituals, prayers, songs and dances, socializing, sports competitions, material exchanges and other comprehensive folk activities. There are different sizes of the "Pendulum". Held every three or five years is called "big hands". The "big hand" large-scale, set of more, long time, lasted seven or eight days, with the market trade, arts and sports activities together, held in front of the "Pendulum Hall". The "Pendulum Hall" is located in the Tuo Wang Shrine. "Small pendulum hand" small scale, the number of sets is small, usually one to three days, more in the clan shrine held.
The Tujia people in the pendulum in the activities, remembering the ancestors of the hardships of entrepreneurship, remembering the achievements of the ancestors, show the Tujia ancestors of the life scene, the whole activity is with a strong trace of ancestor worship.
New Year's Eve: The Tujia people worship their ancestors and call the day of ancestor worship "New Year's Eve". However, the time of the "New Year" varies according to the family name, clan branch and region. For example: the Peng family name in the west of the Youshui River and the six major family names of Shidi Peng, Bai, Li, Ma, Cai and Tian are March 3; the Tian family name of Longtou Village in Youshui Township is April 8; the Li family name of Keda, Beach and Youshui Townships is the first day of July. Over the clan year, to be held in the ancestral hall ancestor worship ceremony, first sacrificed to the king of the soil, and then sacrificed to the ancestors of the clan. Ancestral hall, the whole day firecrackers, iron cannon roar, horn sound, "ho feed" array, the pomp and circumstance is difficult to compare with other festivals, and gradually changed to household sacrifices. Sacrifice to the king of the soil, there are Lord Peng, Tian good man, to the old official; also sacrificed to Ran Xuanhu, Tian Xuanhu, Yang Xuanhu, as well as Ma Fubo's. The ancestors of the tribe are sacrificed to the king of the soil. Among the ancestors of this clan, Yang's family sacrifices Yang Zaisi, Li's family sacrifices the three ancestors of the "Tian" generation, and some of Peng's family and Xie's family sacrifices the eight great kings. Sacrifice after the tour of the township string village, visiting friends and relatives, the song feast, really "full of songs, guests such as flow of joy," up to three, five days long.
Catch the New Year: Tujia Spring Festival, generally one or two days earlier than the Han Chinese, there are six or seven days in advance, known as the "Catch the New Year". The time of "catching up with the New Year" varies according to the clan branch of the family name. In Youyang County, for example; Laozhai Township Peng surname, Lunar New Year on the 29th day of the lunar month; Houxi Township Peng surname, Lunar New Year on the 24th day of the lunar month; can be large townships and beach townships Li surname, Lunar New Year on the 28th day of the lunar month. The Li family in KeDa Township and Beach Township celebrate "Catch the New Year" on the twenty-eighth day of the lunar month. The way of celebrating "Catch the New Year" is not exactly the same. Kedah, beach township Li surname over the "Catch the New Year", it is prohibited to kill chickens, pigs, night ban on lighting oil lamps, only light candles, and overnight. Part of the Peng surname over the "New Year", early in the morning by the man to cook. Rice is ready, ancestor worship is completed, and then call women, children get up. After the meal, the whole family went out to play. Tujia people usually use pots and pans to cook, over rice "is cut into meat, plus condiments, a layer of rice layer of meat, 'radish, and so on, together to cook a pot. "New Year's rice" done, to first worship ancestors. Sacrifice, burning incense and candles, burning money and paper, three kneeling and nine kowtow, remembering the virtues of the ancestors, praying for the blessing of the ancestors.
Reunion of the New Year, the first fruit trees and plowshares, cattle pens, pig pens, chicken coops, feeding, to the pestle, mill, hoe, etc. stick "New Year's Eve money", in order to seek a bumper harvest, six animals thrive, fruitful, prosperous. * * * cheerful mass chapter * *
A. Old and new grab silver water
Tip: In the area of Zhongliang Mountain, still retains the New Year's Eve "grab silver water" custom. In the laughter and competition, a wonderful year begins.
Keywords: silver water, wealth, war
[Grab silver water Ming fight]
Sha Pingba District, Zhongliang town of Mordecaikan, still retains the custom of grabbing silver water.
Named Robbing Silver Water, what is robbed is not the silver turned into water, but the first bucket of water on New Year's Eve. The well must be the one at the east end of the village, representing that good times will come from the east. The villagers believe that whoever can grab the first bucket of water from the well will have wealth and good fortune in the coming year.
On New Year's Eve at ten o'clock, villagers gradually came out of their homes and gathered by the well. Adults talk about their families, while children set off fireworks nearby, waiting for the New Year to come.
Do you think this is a warm and touching picture of emotional exchange?
Wrong!
The positions where the adults stand are carefully chosen with the goal of being the first to grab silver water. Buckets, basins, scoops and other "eighteen weapons" are carried along with each family, ready to join the battle to grab silver water.
[Haunted New Year's Eve silver water into the door]
Nearing 12:00 midnight, the noisy clamor gradually fell, all waiting with bated breath countdown 10 seconds. Closest to the inner perimeter of the well are the strong laborers of each family, and the water-loading tools are all positioned closer and closer to the wellhead for a split-second lead.
Hu Qun, a villager, describes the breathless wait this way: "My heart was beating faster and faster, my throat was dry and smoky, my body couldn't move because of nervousness or excitement, I couldn't hear the sound of my breathing in my ears, and I and the villagers beside me were turned into puppets."
The ringing of the New Year's bell was like a magic spell that broke the spell, and the "puppets" by the well immediately came back to life. The men were busy grabbing the silver water, the women were shouting their men's names from the outer floors, and the children were screaming and jumping with excitement on the outer floors, cheering on their fathers or uncles.
At such a critical moment, no one is polite, with open arms and dark elbows. The men put their best foot forward to push the bystanders out of the way.
The first bucket to be filled does not mean that you have grabbed the silver water, but you have to carry the silver water home and pour it into the water tank. The men carrying the two large buckets of water flew along the ridge in the moonlight, shouting "gold water and silver water flow in" all the way, with the women laughing behind them and the children running home to wait.
A few minutes of light, the whole village, one after another from each household cheers, announced that this year's silver water grabbing success. There is no referee, no champion, no prize money and no trophy, what the villagers get is a good wish for a happy life.
Small language: rob silver water is strength work, no physical strength how to fight with others? Gym, go tomorrow (encourage yourself ING).
B. Halloween in the first month
Tip: The children of the Tujia ethnic group in Yudong always hope that every day will be the first day of the first month, and that they will be treated with candies and pastries by their neighbors.
Keywords: children, candy, visiting
Tujia rule: On the morning of the first day of the first month, children go from door to door to pay New Year's greetings to their elders in the same village. The family that receives the child's New Year's greeting must give the child candy, pastries and snacks in return, and the child must be under 12 years old.
Western children on Halloween, the first mischief issued by the "hospitality or want me to trick" threat, while the children of the Tujia people only need to say sweet voice: "Happy New Year", and then greet the elders in good health, you can get a gift. get a gift.
The number of gifts is directly proportional to how well behaved a child is. Children, who are usually a pain in the ass for adults, are expected to be honest at this time of year. According to Tujia rules, although every family must give gifts, there are no rules about the type or number. If a child gets only one candy or even one melon seed, the parents of that child will be ashamed.
After the children had begged for their gifts, they would gather in the dam and compare them with each other, and the child who got the most gifts would be so happy that he or she would be the king of the children for the next year.
Small words: I was quite good when I was a child (oops, flying an egg to hit a swollen face), at least you can get more than two melon seeds "high score" (just threw the egg friend, please throw a green onion, green onion scrambled eggs are still short of ingredients, thank you).
C．Three cannons shocked Wushan
Prompt: Whoever plays mahjong is afraid of cannons, but the people of Wushan can't wait for cannons to be fired, so what's going on here?
Keywords: cannon, signal, the last madness
The Spring Festival to play the "bombardment of the sky cannon" (ie, three-eyed cannon, this newspaper has reported), which is the Wuxi alpine people's traditional customs of the Spring Festival. Because the new home has moved to the county, Wuxi County, Ninghe ancient town of old Huo decided to put a final crazy.
Because the sound of the cannons is too loud, the old Huo will fire the cannons on the hill behind the house. By convention, the old Huo left hand will be held in the hands of the gun, 20 centimeters long fuse left him not much time, the right hand with a cigarette will lead to ignition, the left hand quickly and smoothly upward outstretched, the muzzle of the gun towards the sky, only to see the accompanied by the sound of ZiZi sound of the lead with sparks drilled into the chamber, and then only feel a cannon blast the sky and the ground shaking the mountains. Tongue of fire in the dark night drew a red line, more than a meter long. Then according to this method to play the next two guns, all three guns are counted as lucky.
The old Huo told, this year, the three cannons for the new home, the second for the happiness of the family, good health, the third for the readers and editors of the "City Hot News" to send the readers and editors from the depths of Wuxi the most primitive New Year's Eve gunfire. Humor, he also reminded everyone in particular, playing mahjong cannon can not blame him.
Small words: the original cannon has a double meaning, long knowledge!
D. Lantern Festival fire as a lamp
Tip: It is said that the Lantern Festival lamps like fire, Fengjie every year on the fifteenth day of the first month of the day is to fire as a lamp, but more lively and extraordinary.
Keywords: new year, begging for blessings, fire lanterns,
Fengjie rural fire on New Year's Eve custom, the flame is not extinguished after the New Year's Eve, burned until the first month of the fifteenth.
On the day of the Lantern Festival, villagers began to "put lights". Instead of lanterns, the villagers wrapped the pre-prepared grass into bundles, and then used the New Year's Eve fire to ignite the fire lanterns.
Beginning in the morning, fields, hillsides and even paths become places where families set off lanterns. Some people throw the lanterns into plowed fields or throw them along the chilly paths, while the more daring ones run all over the hillsides carrying smoldering cereal grasses, and some even drag the lit cereal grasses around on their motorcycles.
By midday, the women in the house will be tied into bundles, the men outside the house will be lit on fire, gently holding, in front of the yard after the mountain thrown. The lit grass handle fell on the cold ground, the tongue of the fire was swallowed by the earth, rolling smoke seems to express its strong dissatisfaction with the land. In order to light more lamps, each family competes in throwing torches, and good people throw firecrackers into the smoke pile from time to time, blowing up the grass foam in all directions.
According to the old people, the bigger the smoke, the better, where the smoke fumigated through the place, the next year will be rich in grains. The fifteen fire lanterns gradually diminish at night until the fireworks are swallowed by the vast darkness of the night.
Lighting the lanterns is to pray for burning off the pests and scourges of the coming year, it is a gift to burn to the fall, burning hope, release the best wishes for the coming year.
Subtitle: Lights are like fire, fire is like lights, I really want to have a good time.
E. Exhausting "spinning"
Tip: Hechuan and Wusheng are part of Chongqing and Sichuan, respectively, and the two places border each other, each within the territory of the "enclave", where people eat spinning on New Year's Eve.
Keywords: "boiling water" distended belly, row number and other meals
Enclave people do not go out on the first day of the New Year, the second day of the New Year began to go people households, commonly known as "turn around will be".
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the villagers of Hechuan Tianzi Village got up very early, picking up the New Year's goods from relative to relative one by one to send.
Walking to a family, put down the pick to take out the prepared New Year's goods. Relatives, though polite, holding gifts but full of joy, and quickly pulled into the house to drink "open water" (eggs). The first is a bowl of at least two, an even number for good luck.
Fewer relatives put down their picks and sit in the courtyard to relax and unwind, figuring out where to go next. The first thing you need to do is to pay your respects to the older generation, and the second thing you need to do is to pay your respects to the "Pingbanzi". Luckily, a morning can worship four or five, just "open water" let people drink to the belly swollen waist round.
Relatives if concentrated in a piece of children, that is considered lucky; if scattered and living, will be a pick of gifts distributed, spend two days is not much. The owner of the gift will usually be explicitly "warned" to make sure that the New Year's Day at noon or that evening to eat lunch or snacks, this gift to the more families, the meal will have to be lined up to eat for two or three days. The more the number of families, the more the number of meals will be lined up for two or three days.
It seems that this transfer will first tired feet after tired belly, indeed some people can not stand.
Small words: or as the old saying goes, no bowl of rice is delicious.
Spiritual dance a jump twelve years
Tip: ten thousand families gathered on New Year's Eve, there is no lively reunion dinner, only the mysterious dance and the soil old man (Tujia's mage) devotional prayers. It's all because of a bawling newborn baby ......
Keywords: newborn baby, invocation dance, hundreds of locks
Houxi Township in Youyang is inhabited by all Tujia people. It is geographically remote and difficult to travel on mountain roads, and it takes a day to get to the county town.
Because of the inconvenience of transportation, many traditional Tujia customs remain here. The Invitation Dance on New Year's Eve is one of them.
If a child is born on New Year's Eve, the Tulaosi must be invited to dance at their home. After that, every year on New Year's Eve, the Tulaosi must be invited to dance until the child reaches the age of 12.
Tian Jinghong of Houxi Township told reporters, "The Tujia people believe that a child born on New Year's Eve gathers all the auras and auras of the year, and the Tulaoshi must be invited to dance to drive away the auras."
After eating and drinking, the Tulaosi begin the invitation dance. Children were wrapped up tightly and held by their parents to watch from the sidelines.
First of all, the Tulaosi will put up a picture of the gods of the Tujia family in the house, and then put on the "official hat", wear vestments, and put 8 sets of robes around the waist. The use of magic weapons are eight treasures copper bell, horn, tokens, bamboo trigrams, as well as the indispensable knife and staff.
Around eight o'clock in the evening, Tu Laosi left hand with a staff, right hand with a knife, around the four walls of the hall, constantly waving, reciting words, and then out of the butterfly through the flowers, swallows back to the step, lion pouncing on the rabbit step and other kinds of dazzling pace, together with the exaggerated look and action.
Hanging on the body of Tu Laosi magic weapon then issued a variety of sounds, one after another. After nearly half an hour of dancing, Tulaoji will bring a bowl of water, drink a big mouthful, and spray it in four times at the corners of the hall, to clean and wash away the darkness.
Children born on weekdays, 40 days after the birth of the child, by the grandmother's family with their own pots of ash, in the child's forehead to draw a "ten" to ward off evil spirits. For children born on New Year's Eve, the Tulaoji will draw the "ten" character.
Some Tulaosi, at the end of the dance of inviting the gods, will take the knife in the child's small face beside the pretense of drawing a few movements, indicating that the child has been driven away from the evil spirits.
[Hundred silver locks to protect the peace]
Hundred locks are the most obvious sign of a child born on the 30th day of the year.
Hundred locks are generally made of silver, fine workmanship, less than 12 years old absolutely can not be removed. Some families, in order to prevent the child naughty to break the lock, will be dripping beeswax in the place of the lock, at any time to check whether there is damage.
Small language: poor parents! So touching! Who has a tissue, borrow one first, tears are flowing wildly.
B. The Heavenly Ceremony
Tip: When it's not dawn, the old man gets out of bed gently and goes out quietly with his bag. This is not a thriller, but the beginning of the New Year's ceremony for the old man of Dabashan to offer heaven.
Keywords: dense forest, darkness, Daba Mountain
In the villages around Chengkou County near Shaanxi, a custom is still preserved: in the early morning hours of the first day of the New Year, the old people in the family hike up the mountain to offer sacrifices to the sky.
The custom has an elegant name: Pin Tian.
The Dabashan Mountains in winter, the winds of the mountains are howling and the sky is freezing. This is a test of the old man's will. The old man must overcome the difficulties and reach the top of a nearby mountain.
Named Pintian, there are actually no complicated movements. The old man arranges the offerings he has brought, such as pork, peanuts and rice, and water and wine, on a slightly flat piece of ground, and then performs the most important ritual: meditation.
Find a piece of flat ground, sit down with your legs crossed, place your hands smoothly on your knees, close your eyes and breathe evenly.
The old man who has tasted the sky said that keeping the meditation posture for a long time, the body feels light and wants to float. When the whole person feels that the world no longer exists, and that even the idea of meditation no longer exists, his request is granted by heaven, and the tasting of heaven is a success.
Finally, the old man pays homage three times towards the horizon of the sunrise, and then goes down the mountain happily.
After returning home, the old man could not tell anyone whether or not he had succeeded in tasting the sky, otherwise his wish would not come true.
Snip: For young people in the city, a hot, warm nest is most comfortable (go back to sleep, please don't disturb)!
C. The New Year, one day earlier than the Han Chinese
Tip: The Tujia people have their own national specialty of the New Year, that is, "Catching the New Year".
Keywords: Catch the New Year, leftovers, rice patties
Catch the New Year is the Spring Festival of the Tujia people, the grandest festival of the Tujia ethnic group, which is one day earlier than the Spring Festival of the Han Chinese. It is celebrated on the 29th day of the Lunar New Year in leap years and on the 28th day of the Lunar New Year in normal years.
There are two kinds of stories about the origin of the New Year.
One is: one year, the Tujia forefathers got the news of the enemy's Spring Festival coming, so they decided to celebrate the New Year one day earlier. As a result, on the day of the Spring Festival, the Tujia ancestors had a strong fighting spirit and eliminated the enemy in one fell swoop. Afterwards, this day was agreed upon and became the New Year's Eve.
Another story is that during the Jiading period of the Southern Song Dynasty, some people led a rebellion in the area of Yuanjiang and Youyang, and the king of the Tujia received an imperial decree and deployed his troops to conquer the area. As time was running out and he couldn't wait for the New Year, he decided to bring forward the New Year.
According to the old rules, the New Year's day after a good meal, until the first month of the fifteenth Tujia people can only eat leftovers. Women get up at 5:00 a.m. that morning to make a fire and cook, the weekdays can not see the good food, all set to the table.
After a busy day, the whole family sits around the fireplace, eating sweet patties, drinking intoxicating rice wine, tasting delicious Tujia bacon, and enjoying themselves. The flames in the fireplace rise high, illuminating everyone's face red, and this is how the Tujia people welcome the arrival of the New Year.
Small words: the lively and joyful Tujia New Year makes the reporter feel very excited, so I want to go home, so I want to have a lively New Year!
D. Worship New Year's Eve on the piggy bank door
Tip: How to worship even the piggy bank door, can you believe it?
Keywords: offerings, piggy bank door, head and tail
Wushan people, who live at the gateway of Yudong, express their expectations for the coming year in a unique way by worshipping the piggy bank door on New Year's Day.
The town of Miaoyu, formerly known as Damiao, is located in the south of the Yangtze River, about 120 kilometers from Wushan County. Zhao Benlin, a local who is over 60 years old, tells us about the Chinese New Year folk custom of "worshiping the piggy bank door".
Every year, early in the morning on New Year's Eve, the first thing Zhao does when he gets up is to clean the pigsty, and then prepare offerings for the god of the circle. The offering is a very strange one, a waxed pig's head with a pig's tail stuffed in its mouth, which means that the family will have a head and a tail in the New Year.
When worshipping the circle door god, the head of the family, Lao Zhao, walks in front with the pig's head in his hand, followed closely by his lover. The couple stood about two meters from the door of the pigsty. Lao Zhao will be three incense sticks in the piggy bank door, placed in the circle door side of the fire pot burn a stack of paper money. The firecrackers went off, scaring the pigs in the pen.
At this moment, Lao Zhao put his hands on the plate in front of his chest, bowed his head to the door of the pigsty for three times, and then put the plate on the door of the pigsty, and recited some auspicious words in his mouth, wishing for the prosperity of domestic animals in the coming year. While the adults worship, the children usually play along behind Zhao, staring at the pig's head and laughing, occasionally saying "it stinks".
After the ceremony, the pig's head is thrown into a pot and cooked, and the family happily eats the pig's head to celebrate the New Year.
Small words: to worship and eat pig, hehehe, human mental activity is really difficult to understand!
E. Worshipping only the mother-in-law
Tip: It's not a preference for women over men, and it's definitely not sexist.
Keywords: first day of the month, mother-in-law, turn a blind eye
The first day of the first month of the year is the day when the daughter-in-law of a Tujia family goes back to her mother's home, and her son-in-law must be accompanied by her, which is a Tujia custom in Yudeng.
If the two sides are not yet married, the man can also ask to visit the woman's home. The woman must think carefully about this, because if she agrees to the man's request, she is agreeing to marry him.
The Tujia son-in-law is very careful when visiting his mother-in-law's home. The Tujia people don't like to compare, but there are two gifts that a son-in-law must bring to the door: a 6-kilogram patty cake pounded by the son-in-law's hands, and a full pig's head. The mochi and the pig's head represent the son-in-law's filial piety and his promise to treat his wife well.
Whoever greets the young couple can be anyone in the family except the old man. Not only will the old father-in-law not come out to greet them, but even if he sees his son-in-law at home, he will turn a blind eye. The son-in-law ignores the old father-in-law in order to show respect for the woman's mother's family.
The son-in-law will first give his mother-in-law a large patty cake and a waxed pig's head, and then kowtow to her with his wife to pay homage to her. The mother-in-law will first let the young couple drink tea, and then she will hand her son-in-law a pair of shoes made by her own hands as a return gift.
These shoes have a lot to learn. If the shoes are well made and of good quality, it means that the mother-in-law is very satisfied with her son-in-law. If the shoes are of different sizes and not well made, it means that the mother-in-law has a problem with her son-in-law. The son-in-law will have to secretly refuel.
Only a handful of villages in southeast Chongqing have preserved this Tujia custom.
Small words: Alas, these days, it is not easy to be a hairy-footed son-in-law!
F. Eating "Barking Rice" in the Spring Festival
Tip: In Liangping County, it is a tradition to eat "Barking Rice" in the Spring Festival. Do you know what is called rice and how to call it?
Keywords: Reunion, call for rice, sacrifice
Yuanyi Township, Liangping County, is home to many immigrants from Hunan and Guangdong, and on New Year's Eve, everyone goes to the home of the elders of their own family to have a New Year's Eve reunion dinner. Before the meal, they have to "call for rice", which is a kind of pilgrimage and worship to the deceased ancestors.
Before the meal, firecrackers are set off outside the house, and all members of the family stand up and are not allowed to make any noise.
The head of the family first pours half a bowl of spirits, then serves a few bowls of rice with his own hands, then distributes the chopsticks around the bowl, and then calls out the names of the elders, such as, "Please ask your grandma to have dinner, and please ask your grandpa to have dinner". At this moment, tears of remembrance will fall from the red eyes of the elders. A house of people will follow the host to softly call a number of times, to express the nostalgia for their loved ones, the whole process of about three or two minutes.
Call the meal, the corners also serve as a person dedicated to the ancestors burned paper money, burned while reading the name of the ancestors, notify the ancestors to check the receipt of the "New Year's money".
After calling out the name, the head of the family holds a bowl of wine, bends down and gently spreads the wine on the ground, then pours the rice that was first scooped into the bowl back into the pot, and then the family begins to move the chopsticks to enjoy this sumptuous New Year's dinner.
New Year's Eve is every year, and the rice is every year, a rule passed down from our ancestors that no one can change. While enjoying the pleasures of modern life, we should not forget our ancestors, and calling for rice is one of the major features of the Chinese New Year's dinner.
Small words: If the spirits of our ancestors are aware of this, they will surely have fun with their children and grandchildren.
Answer: xcsgjv - Lifter 5 2-6 15:27
The Spring Festival, the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, also known as the lunar year, commonly known as "New Year". This is one of the grandest and most lively traditional festivals in China. The Spring Festival has a long history, which originated in the Yin Shang period at the end of the year to sacrifice to the gods and ancestors. New Year's Eve" in the "in addition to" the word is "to go; easy; alternate" meaning, New Year's Eve means "the end of the month and the end of the year", people have to get rid of the old part of the new, there is the old year to this year and in addition, the next year another change the meaning of the new year, is the lunar calendar throughout the year on the last night. Therefore, the activities during this period are centered around the old part of the new, eliminate disasters and pray for blessings as the center.
Posting the door god
Customs of posting the door god on New Year's Day are found all over China. Initially, the door god is carved mahogany as a human figure, hanging next to the person, and later is painted into the door god portrait posted on the door. Legend has it that the two brothers, Shentian and Yubi, specialize in controlling ghosts, and with them guarding the gateway, evil spirits of all sizes would not dare to enter the door for harm. After the Tang Dynasty, there are painted fierce general Qin Qiong, Yuchi Jingde two people like the door god, there are painted Guan Yu, Zhang Fei like the door god. Door gods like the left and right households each one, often a pair of descendants of the door god painted as a civil and a military. Door God is divided into three categories: the first category is the "gate door God", more than pasted on the car door or the whole door, about four or five feet high, about two or three feet wide. The second type is the "street door god", more small streets on the door, about two feet high, about one foot wide. These two kinds of door god is a black face and a white face of the two gods. White left and black right, white good and easy, black caracal, each hand holding a battle-axe. The third type is "house door door god", compared with the street door door god is slightly smaller limited, also is black and white two god, but also black and white two god is sitting like. House door is most often posted "unicorn send son" image, two powder and grease comb Prince crown dolls, each riding the unicorn. This kind of door god, should have been posted in the newly married house door, in order to take good luck, and later also as a common street door of the New Year embellishments.
Posting Spring Festival
Spring Festival couplets, also known as the "door to", "spring posting", is a kind of couplets, because in the Spring Festival posted, so the name. One of the origins of the Spring Festival couplets is the peach charm. Initially, people used peach wood to carve human figures to hang next to the door to avoid evil spirits, and later painted the image of the god of the door on the peach wood, and then simplified to inscribe the name of the god of the door on the peach wood board. Another source of spring couplets is the spring stickers. Ancient people in the Spring Festival more stickers "Yichun" two words, and then gradually developed into spring couplets. The real popularity of spring couplets began in the Ming Dynasty, with the advocacy of Zhu Yuanzhang. According to the Qing dynasty Chen Shanggu's "hairpin cloud building miscellany" records, one year Zhu Yuanzhang preparation for the New Year, ordered every door to paste a spring couplets, to show the celebration. Originally, the spring couplets were inscribed on mahogany boards, but later they were written on paper instead. The color of mahogany is red, and red has the meaning of good luck and avoiding evil, so most of the Spring Festival couplets are written on red paper. But the temple with yellow paper, keep system (service filial piety is not full) with white, green, yellow color, the first year with white paper, the second year of green paper, the third year of yellow paper, the fourth year of mourning full before resuming the use of red paper. Because the Manchu still white, the Qing court spring couplets with white paper, blue wrapped in the outside, red strips set in the inside.
Put firecrackers
When the midnight cross positive son, the New Year's bell ringing, the whole of China over the land, the sound of firecrackers ringing the heavens. In this "year of the yuan, the month of the yuan, the time of the yuan" of the "three yuan" moment, some places are still in the courtyard of the base of the "fire", to show that the prosperous gas through the sky, prosperous and prosperous. In the burning fire around the fire, the children set off firecrackers, joyfully jumping around, at this time, the house is bright lights, in front of the court is brilliant sparks, outside the house is the sound of the sky, the New Year's Eve atmosphere pushed to the climax of the bustling. Poets and writers throughout the ages have always praised the coming of the New Year with the most beautiful verses.
Wang Anshi's poem "New Year's Day":
A year is over in the sound of firecrackers,
The spring breeze sends warmth to the people.
Thousands of doors and tens of thousands of pupils of the sun.
The new peach is always replaced by the old one.
Depicts the grand festive scene of the Spring Festival of our people. The sound of firecrackers is a sign of resignation and welcome the new, the flow of the festive mood. Doing business with the family. Firecrackers have another meaning: they are in the New Year's Eve firecrackers is for the new year Dafa Dali. However, according to the old custom that, to honor the God of Fortune to compete first, firecrackers to the back. Legend has it that for those who want to make a fortune, the firecrackers have to be set off at the end of the night to be considered sincere.
Eating New Year's Eve dinner
Children playing with firecrackers, but also the housewives in the kitchen the busiest time, New Year's dishes are done a few days before, and New Year's Eve dinner is always in the kitchen on the day of the New Year's Eve to do out. In the north, the dumplings on the first day of the New Year are also wrapped up on the evening of the thirtieth. At this time the cutting boards of the families are thumping and busy chopping meat and vegetables. At this time, the sound of the chopping board from every household, the sound of firecrackers from the streets and alleys, small stores and stores out of the "chopping and popping" sound of the abacus and the rhythmic sound of the accounts, mixed with the sound of jokes and laughter everywhere, one after another, the foreign ear, interwoven into the New Year's Eve joyful music.
New Year's Paintings
The Spring Festival hanging stickers in urban and rural areas is also very common, thick black colorful New Year's Paintings to thousands of families added a lot of prosperity and joy of the festive atmosphere. New Year's paintings are an ancient folk art in China, reflecting the people's simple customs and beliefs, and holding their hopes for the future. New Year's paintings, like spring scrolls, originated as "door gods". With the rise of woodblock printing, the content of the New Year's paintings has not only limited to monotonous themes such as the God of the Door, become colorful, in some of the New Year's paintings in the workshop produced the "Three Stars of Fortune and Longevity," "Heavenly Officials Provide Blessings," "Five Grains and a Plentiful Harvest," "Six Animals Prosperity," "Welcoming the Spring to receive the blessings of" and other classic colorful New Year's paintings, in order to satisfy people's joyful prayers for the New Year's good wishes. There are three important production areas of Chinese New Year paintings in China: Taohuayu in Suzhou, Yangliuqing in Tianjin and Weifang in Shandong Province; three major schools of Chinese New Year paintings have been formed, each with its own characteristics.
China's earliest collection of Chinese New Year paintings is the Southern Song Dynasty "with the fairness of the country's face" woodcut New Year paintings, the painting is Wang Zhaojun, Zhao Feiyan, Banji and green beads of the four ancient beauties. The most widely circulated folk painting is the one of "The Mouse Marrying Her Marriage". It depicts an interesting scene of a mouse marrying a bride in accordance with the customs of the earth. In the early years of the Republic of China, Zheng Mantuo of Shanghai combined the lunar calendar and New Year's paintings. This is a new form of New Year's paintings. This combination of two and one of the New Year's paintings, later developed into a wall calendar, and is still popular throughout the country.
Night, symbolizing all the evil plagues and diseases, looking forward to a new year of good luck. This custom gradually prevailed, to the early Tang Dynasty, Tang Taizong Li Shimin wrote a "year-end" poem: "Cold resigned from the winter snow, warm with the spring wind. Until today, people are still accustomed to the New Year's Eve to welcome the new year.
Anciently, there are two meanings of year-end vigil: the elderly year-end vigil for the "resignation of the old year", there is the meaning of the treasure of time and light; young people year-end vigil is to extend the life of their parents. Since the Han Dynasty, the time of the transition between the old and new year is usually half past midnight