Guangdong Spring Festival custom
? 1, sacrifice to the kitchen?
According to folklore, Kitchen God was originally a star in the sky. Because he made a mistake, he was demoted to the world by the Jade Emperor and became an "oriental chef". It sits in the middle of every kitchen, watching how people live and act, recording all the good and bad things in detail, and turning to heaven on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, reporting the good and evil of every household to the Jade Emperor. On the night of the twelfth lunar month, he returned to earth to punish evil and promote good according to the jade emperor's will.
Therefore, on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, people will offer sacrifices to the kitchen god and give him sticky and sweet honeydew melons, so that he can "speak well in the sky and keep peace underground". Children regard this day as a prelude and "rehearsal" for the Spring Festival. Set off firecrackers as soon as it gets dark. In the sound of firecrackers, the host put a plate of honeydew melon and a bowl of green tea in front of the kitchen god statue, lit candles and incense, prayed and saluted, then took the kitchen god statue off the wall and burned it, then poured tea on the paper ash, and the honeydew melon was eaten by the children.
? 2. Open a wok?
"Burning pot" is a traditional custom of Guangfu people during the Spring Festival. Taking the meaning of "wok", people usually scramble eggs and oil angle. "oil angle" is said to be "angular" in the vernacular, which means to be outstanding in the coming year, and also means to "fry the blessings" and pray for happy events in the new year.
? 3. burning annual meat?
According to the old theory, "stewed meat on the 26th of the twelfth lunar month" is believed to be a festival for all children, and finally "year meat" can be eaten. In the past, people's lives were poor, and there were many people in their families. They often ate meals without meals, and the conditions were slightly better, but they could only eat steamed corn and wild vegetables. The Chinese New Year is finally coming, and the laborers at home have started to kill pigs. People who don't raise pigs go to the market to cut a piece of meat and go home. Therefore, the stew on the 26th of the twelfth lunar month is also called "the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, killing pigs and cutting meat for the coming year".
At the same time, due to the underdeveloped farming society and economy, people can often eat meat on the New Year's Day, so it is called "annual meat". "Nianrou" pays attention to eating braised pork, which in itself represents wealth, and braised pork can better express the prosperity in the coming year. On the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, how many people expect a steaming bowl of meat barbecue? Even today, the life of every household is getting more and more prosperous. Many people don't forget to buy some big meat on the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, which has become an old tradition.
? 4, sloppy, sticky spring?
Washing dirty clothes is mainly to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. At the age of 28, people will clean the incense burner, the room and all the places except the toilet. At the same time, people will take a good bath, put on new clothes and welcome the New Year with a new look. Swing Spring, which means Spring Festival couplets in Cantonese. New Year's Spring Festival couplets were posted in the residence years ago, representing going to the old and welcoming the new year.
? 5. Eat New Year's Eve, keep watch and visit the flower market?
On New Year's Eve, eating New Year's Eve, watching the Spring Festival and visiting the flower market are three major events in old Guangzhou. People in China have the habit of New Year's Eve. Watching the new year begins with eating New Year's Eve dinner. This New Year's Eve dinner should be eaten slowly, starting with lighting lanterns, and some families have to eat it until late at night. Keeping the Lunar New Year's Eve is one of the most important activities, and the custom of keeping the Lunar New Year's Eve has a long history. The earliest record can be found in the Local Records of the Western Jin Dynasty: on New Year's Eve, all parties give gifts to each other, which is called "the year of giving back"; Wine and food are invited, which is called "not old"; Young and old get together to drink and wish a complete song called "age division"; Everyone stays up all night, waiting for dawn. This is the so-called "shou sui".
On the 30th of the year, people will take out shad, pig's right hand, Nostoc flagelliforme, radish and other well-intentioned things and put them on rice jars to pray for prosperity and strength in the coming year.
"On New Year's Eve, the flower street is full of rows of winter jasmine. This red flower is very fresh, and that yellow flower is very big and full of flowers. Grandma laughs, Dad is happy, and people are happy ... "This well-known Guangzhou folk song describes the scene of every household visiting Flower Street.
? 6. Perry?
It is the custom of Guangdong Spring Festival to send new year's goods to cities during the Spring Festival. However, the earliest profitable market had nothing to do with money. It started in the Han Dynasty, and it is a coin-like thing, which is used as a mascot to ward off evil spirits. Later, the old man wore it with red thread and strung it together. On New Year's Eve, he pressed it under the child's pillow to ward off evil spirits. Now it's changed to years old. At first, it should be sneaking around. Later, I used copper coins and strung a string of copper coins. Now everyone is sealing red envelopes, which shows that it is beneficial to the market and also a kind of pressure.
Due to the early development of commodity economy in Guangzhou, the desire of old Guangzhou to come up with something famous and pray for a prosperous business is particularly prominent in Guangzhou's annual flavor culture. The red envelopes in Guangzhou are not called lucky money, so they are called "profit market". In addition, paying dividends to unmarried people is a practice with Lingnan characteristics, which is said to have originated in Hong Kong.
? 7. Celebrate this day?
On the seventh day of Lunar New Year's Eve, people in Guangzhou will celebrate People's Day, People's Victory Day or Seven Yuan Festival. According to folklore, when Nu Wa made man, she made chickens, dogs, sheep, pigs, cows and horses six days ago, and made man on the seventh day. So Han people think that the seventh day of the first month is people's birthday.
In the past, seven kinds of vegetables (celery, coriander, leek, onion and garlic are generally essential, and the other two can be mastered flexibly) were eaten for breakfast on this day, such as "Qibao soup" (also known as "seven kinds of vegetables") and "smoked cakes" (fried in the open air). Before liberation, young men and women went to the suburbs to play together on People's Day and elected the "Queen of People's Day", and the winner presided over the activities of the day. The first one climbed Guanyin Mountain (now Yuexiu Mountain) or Baiyun Mountain; Women go to the temple to worship God, while men go to the flower garden to admire flowers or worship Wong Tai Sin Temple. According to research, the address of the flower land that people patronize every day is today's Fangcun Flower Land Bay. In recent years, the tradition of people enjoying flowers every day has also been restored.
Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival in China, and it is also a day for family reunion. Show the fine traditions of our nation through different customs, share and love, pray for a happy, safe and healthy New Year, and make everyone happy in the Spring Festival! I wish you all a happy New Year and all the best!