Spring Festival custom in Beijing
Shaving faucet
The origin of the custom of the Spring Festival (February 2)-everything comes from-everything comes from blogs. As the saying goes, "The dragon doesn't look up and it doesn't rain". The dragon is auspicious and the master of weathering rain. On the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, people pray for dragons to raise their heads to make rain and moisten everything, which is called "shaving the faucet on February 2" in history. It is generally believed in China that shaving one's head on this day will bring good luck. Therefore, the folk proverb says, "Blowing the tap on February 2nd will make you feel refreshed all year round". On February 2, every barber shop was full of customers and the business was booming. Of course, among them, there is a folk saying that "my uncle died in the first month." Many people stopped cutting their hair for a month after the twelfth lunar month, and the ban was not lifted until February 2. In China, people always regard dragons as totems, and February 2nd is the day when dragons are killed and ascended to heaven. This day "shaving the dragon's head" reflects people's good wish to pray for the dragon's blessing. So this folk taboo has now been forgotten by people.
Dragon God Sacrifice
On the Spring Festival, ancient people in China burned incense and sacrificed to the dragon god, with the purpose of praying for rain, eliminating pests and harvesting. During the Spring Festival in Shandong and other parts of China, smoke from stoves is used to draw a dragon on the ground, commonly known as lucky dragon. Folk beliefs attract dragons for two purposes: one is to invite them back, spread sex and rain, and pray for a bumper harvest in agriculture; The other is that the dragon is the god of all kinds of insects. When the dragon comes, all kinds of insects hide, which is beneficial to human health and crop growth. People in Nantong, Jiangsu Province make birthday peaches and livestock out of flour, steam them and insert them on bamboo sticks, and then insert them in the fields at night. They think this is food for the insect god and ancestors, and pray that the ancestors will drive away the pests and hope that the insect god will not hurt the crops.
Jingwenchang
The third day of February is Wenchang's birthday. Japanese scholars worship Wenchang and seek the first place in the imperial examination. According to the old custom, children began to study formally on February 2. In the past, scholars had to perform four ceremonies, namely the opening ceremony, the advanced ceremony, the gratitude ceremony and the champion ceremony, among which the opening ceremony was the first gift of life. When you start writing, you start writing articles. The ceremony mainly includes the worship of Confucius, the teaching of the most basic principles of life, and the presentation of Four Treasures of the Study.
Eating dragon food
As an auspicious and festive day, in order to get lucky, the Japanese usually add the title of "dragon" to the name of food. Eating jiaozi is called eating dragon's ears, eating spring cakes is called eating Long Lin, eating noodles is called eating dragon's beard meat, eating rice is called eating dragon's beard meat, eating wonton is called eating longan, eating noodles is called helping dragon's beard meat, and steamed cakes are also made into Long Lin shapes on the noodles, called "Long Lin cakes" and so on. All these have pinned people's good wishes for long happiness, good weather and good harvests.
Needle-forbidden scissors
Women can't do needlework on this day. Because the black dragon will look up at the world on this day and stab the dragon in the eye with a needle. Before getting up, the woman said, "On February 2nd, the dragon looks up, and if the dragon doesn't look up, I will look up.". After getting up, I will light the beams with lanterns and read "February 2nd, light the beams, scorpions and centipedes have nowhere to hide". In some places, women stop washing clothes because they are afraid of hurting Longpi, and so on.
Go and pick up that girl.
Another important custom on February 2 is to pick up girls, that is, parents pick up their married daughters, so there is a saying of "picking up girls on February 2". In the days when she was taken back, in addition to eating and drinking, the "girl" just stopped by to chat and relax. City people "bring girls" means that girls and their son-in-law bring them back together for a sumptuous lunch. This custom is very popular in northern Jiangsu, Peking and most parts of northern China.
What to eat during the Spring Festival?
1, wonton
Eating wonton is called "eating longan", the dragon looks up, eats longan-shaped wonton with colorful meat, drinks a mouthful of fresh and salty wonton soup, and then eats a mouthful of delicious wonton with thick meat and thin skin to drive away the cold in February, leaving a warm and comfortable feeling. Really happy.
2. Fried oil cake
In some areas such as Beijing and Tianjin, people have the custom of eating fried cakes during the Spring Festival, which is called "eating gentian". The fried cake is golden in color, which makes Gentiana macrophylla very vivid. The practice is to grind millet into yellow rice, and then grind yellow rice into flour, which is yellow wheat. Yellow rice cake made of yellow wheat has four characteristics: yellow, soft, thick and fragrant. There are two ways to eat, one is vegetarian cake and the other is fried cake.
3. jiaozi
Eating jiaozi is called "eating dragon ears". China people can always find countless reasonable reasons to eat jiaozi, and they all want to eat jiaozi in big festivals and small celebrations. Jiaozi is the simplest food, especially at family gatherings. No matter how many people, as long as there is enough stuffing and noodles, everyone sits around too many chefs to make jiaozi. This kind of labor process itself is enough to make people yearn for, not to mention the moment when hot jiaozi is served on the table.
Expanding knowledge: What are the customs of raising dragon heads in Beijing?
Eat spring pancake
Since February 2nd is the day when dragons look up, many foods are related to dragons. Beijing folk food, a kind of pancake, is also called pancake. Noodles and jiaozi are also very popular in the north. Every year in beginning of spring, Beijingers eat spring cakes, which is called "biting spring". On the second day of the second lunar month, Beijingers also eat spring cakes, which is called "eating Longlin". Spring cakes are bigger than roast duck pancakes, and they are tough (Beijingers call them "strong gluten") because they have to roll a lot of dishes before they can be eaten. In the past, when eating spring cakes, we paid attention to going to a box restaurant called "Pan Su" (also called box lunch). When eating spring cakes, the family sits around and puts the baked spring cakes in a steamer, taking them with them while eating, in order to have a hot meal. If you eat spring cakes on February 2, Beijingers also pay attention to taking married girls home to eat spring cakes.
Eat "snowballing usury"
According to the custom of old Beijing, people like to buy "snowballing usury" on the second day of the second lunar month. The bean powder stuffed with bean paste snowballs, which is round in shape and has the auspicious meaning of "rolling financial resources".
According to Liang, insect repellent.
There is a folk saying in Beijing that "on February 2nd, look at the house beams, scorpions and centipedes have nowhere to hide". On this day, people will drive away pests, light candles and drive away scorpions and centipedes according to the beams and walls. These insects will fall down and be destroyed at the sight of light. The custom of expelling insects on the day when dragons look up is mainly popular in northern China. On February 2, the activities of various insects, including poisonous insects, began to be frequent. In order to avoid the harm of poisonous insects, people have held some activities with insect repellent significance. Such as beating the beam head, wall, portal, bed kang and so on. Use sticks, brooms or shoes to avoid snakes, scorpions, mice and other insects. Usually, you should recite ballads, such as "On February 2, the dragon looked up and the scorpion centipede didn't show up."