The Spring Festival is the most lively, grandest and most valued festival among the traditional festivals of the Chinese nation. The Spring Festival is the first of the year. In ancient times, it was also called "New Year's Day", "Yuanri", "Yuanzheng", "Yuanshuo", "Zhengdan", "Xinzheng", etc. These names have different names but are actually the same. They are the different names for the Spring Festival in various dynasties in history. For example, during the Shang Dynasty, December 1st was regarded as New Year's Day, also called Yuanshuo; during the reign of King Wu of Zhou Dynasty, November 1st was regarded as the first day of the year, and the first day of the first month of the Han Dynasty was regarded as New Year's Day, also known as Xinzheng; during the Revolution of 1911 Later, the first day of the first lunar month was designated as the New Year, and the first day of the first lunar month was renamed the Spring Festival. This festival is still followed today. The Spring Festival is commonly known as "Celebrating the New Year" or "Celebrating the New Year" among the people.
In Chaoshan, the Spring Festival can be divided into a narrow sense and a broad sense. In the narrow sense, it specifically refers to the first day of the first lunar month, which is also called New Year's Day and New Year's Day in the county annals; in the broad sense, it refers to the period from the first day of the first lunar month to the fourth day of the lunar month. What fashionable people call the Spring Festival usually refers to the Spring Festival in a broad sense. Because the customs of a place are influenced by its natural geographical conditions and social environment, the Chaoshan area has many folk activities that are both similar to and different from the Central Plains area.
1. Set off firecrackers
In Chaozhou customs, early in the morning of the first lunar month, every household will worship Nanchen, Beidou, Tiangong, and the gods enshrined in the home in front of the door or on the balcony. , wishing you peace and good luck in the New Year.
After worshiping the gods, firecrackers are set off. Firecrackers are also called "firecrackers", "firecrackers" and "firecrackers". "Popular Haikui You": "In ancient times, firecrackers were all made of real bamboo, so they were also called firecrackers in Tang Dynasty poetry. Later generations rolled paper for them and called them firecrackers." Legend has it that it originated from "Ting Liao". There is a sentence in "The Book of Songs? Xiaoya" that "the court is clear". Ancient people used pine branches and bamboo to make torches and lit them in the courtyard for lighting. The bamboo joints make a popping sound when burning, which is an early "firecracker". Furthermore, people use this to drive away ghosts and evil spirits and hope for good luck. Zong Mao of the Southern Dynasties records in "Jingchu's Years of Life": "The first day of the first lunar month is the day of the Three Yuan Dynasties, and the Spring and Autumn Period is called the Dragon Boat Festival. When the rooster crows, firecrackers are fired in front of the court to ward off mandrills and evil spirits." Chaozhou people followed suit. The purpose of this custom is also to drive away evil spirits, pray for good health in the new year, abundant crops, prosperous livestock, and everything goes well in the world. After the reform and opening up, with the improvement of material living standards, it has become more common for hipsters to set off firecrackers during the Spring Festival. Except for the remaining traditional concept of "dispelling obscurity" among a few people, it no longer has the superstitious color of the past. It has only become a way for people to get rid of the old and welcome the new. An emotional expression of joyful celebration and good luck. In recent years, due to the progress of social civilization and safety concerns, many cities in Chaoshan have banned the setting off of firecrackers during festivals (however, traditional customs are always so deeply rooted, some cities have begun to lift the ban recently), but the sound of firecrackers in the countryside Still lingering.
2. Ancestor Worship
The Han people’s custom of worshiping their ancestors on New Year’s Day was formed in the Han Dynasty. After the Song and Ming Dynasties, it became popular throughout the country. "Dongli Zhi" written by Chen Tianzi of the Ming Dynasty says: "On the New Year's Day of the first lunar month, we celebrate the Duan Festival, both inside and outside. We set up incense, candles, wine and fruits, and worship the gods and ancestors in rich clothes." It can be seen that before the Ming Dynasty, Chaoshan had the custom of worshiping ancestors on the first day of the first lunar month. Since then, there have been many detailed records of this in the documents of the past dynasties. For example, the "Chenghai County Chronicle" of Jiaqing of the Qing Dynasty says: "On New Year's Day, you get up in the morning to worship your ancestors, burn candles and incense, and prepare tea, fruit, wine and food." Before liberation, there were two types of ancestor worship in Chaoshan: clan sacrifice and family sacrifice. Clan sacrifices are held to honor distant ancestors and are held in the public hall of the ancestral hall, while family sacrifices are held in the main house. Clan festivals often invite paper shadow troupes and theater troupes to perform, which is more grand. ( Shen Min of the Republic of China ("Chaozhou New Year Customs") Because it is said that Maitreya Buddha is seated on this day, a vegetarian meal is eaten. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, ancestors must be worshiped again, and this time only meat dishes, such as fish, pork, geese, chickens, ducks, etc., are used. Therefore, "Puning County Chronicles" written by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty says: "On the first day of the Lunar New Year, vegetarian dishes are used to worship ancestors, and on the second day of the Lunar New Year, vegetarian dishes are used to worship ancestors. Meat. "In the old days, ancestors were worshiped in ancestral halls on New Year's Day. This is an important ceremony for clan sacrifices, usually with meat dishes, but in some places five kinds of vegetarian dishes are also added.
There are ancestor worship activities in other "eight festivals of the year", the form is similar, the sacrifices are slightly different, and some seasonal fruits and vegetables and characteristic cakes are added. The following sections will not elaborate on them one by one.
3. New Year's greetings
Walking New Year's greetings is also known as walking in the spring and visiting the spring. According to legend, there was a monster in ancient times with a single horn on its head and a mouth like a blood basin. People called it "Nian". Every New Year's Eve, it goes from house to house looking for food and eating people. People had no choice but to put the meat outside the door, then close the door tightly and hide in their homes. They did not open the door until the morning of the first day of the first lunar month to congratulate themselves on not being eaten in the new year. So the trend of New Year greetings spread from generation to generation.
New Year greetings, like ancestor worship, are both the most important etiquette and customs for fashionable people. There are three main types of New Year greetings among the trendy people, with different etiquette and customs. The first type is New Year greetings between family members. In Chaoshan, after worshiping their ancestors in the morning, the younger generation first pays New Year greetings to their elders, wishing them a "happy new year" and "health and longevity." In the old society, the younger generation had to wear new clothes and bow down to their elders. Then the elders send their expectations to the younger ones, wishing the children to have a "big new year" and "progress in learning".
The second type is New Year greetings between relatives and friends. After breakfast, family members either together or separately pay New Year greetings to relatives and friends. New Year's greetings between relatives and friends often take place in the morning of the first or second day of the Lunar New Year. Therefore, there is a proverb in Chaoshan: "If you want to pay New Year's greetings on the first or second day of the Lunar New Year, you have no intention of paying New Year's greetings on the third or fourth day of the Lunar New Year." It means that the earlier the New Year's greetings are, the better, and the more sincerity will be seen. . When Chaozhou people visit relatives and friends to pay New Year greetings, they always bring betel nuts (now replaced by olives) and Teochew mandarins as gifts. There is no limit to the number, but it must be an even number, not an odd number.
The host's coffee table always has a plate of red and green Teochew mandarin oranges and betel nuts, plus candies, to welcome guests.
Because Chaozhou mandarin oranges are larger than oranges, they are named Dajie. Oranges are the same pronunciation of auspicious, and the homophones are used to understand the meaning, so they become "big auspiciousness". The origin of "Daji" is quite interesting. It is said that a long time ago, one year before the Chinese New Year, in a village in Chaozhou, all the villagers suffered from thirst. A beautiful and intelligent girl in the village dreamed of an immortal who entrusted her with a dream at night: "Eating oranges will bring good luck." After the girl woke up, she told her mother, who half-believed that after eating oranges, she recovered from her illness. Since then, Teochew mandarin orange has become a symbol of good luck. Betel nut and Binlang have the same pronunciation, which means guests, so the homophony of "Betel Nut and Big Orange" means "Best Guests". Chaozhou people have a long history of using betel nuts to entertain guests during New Year greetings, which is recorded in the county annals. "Puning County Chronicles" written by Wanli of the Ming Dynasty says: "On New Year's Day... everyone also prepares betel nut and betel leaves for tea sets." Qianlong's "Chaozhou Prefecture Chronicle" of the Qing Dynasty said: "If there is no betel nut, it is called simple." After the late Qing Dynasty, Chaoshan food The custom of betel nut gradually faded away. This is because food customs change with the development of the times, and the process of eating betel nut is cumbersome, and Chaoshan is not a betel nut producing area. Later, because Chaoshan was rich in olives, which were very similar in shape and taste to betel nut, Chaozhou people used olives instead of betel nut. Due to the lag in the change of customs, the trendy people also call olives the betel nut.
When the guests come in and say some auspicious words to each other such as "Good luck in the new year" and "Congratulations on getting rich", the host will treat the guests to eat olives, candies, and drink Gongfu tea (Jiexi Hakkas also have special greetings) With the custom of "making tea and rice?"). Before guests say New Year greetings and leave, they also exchange oranges and give each other "profits" (red envelopes) for their children, expressing the best wishes of "exchanging good luck and greeting each other". For some close relatives and friends, the host will also diligently ask them to stay for lunch. Therefore, "Chenghai County Chronicle" of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty says: "Everyone has wine and food to invite each other to drink. The proverb goes, 'Every family has wine in the first month.'"
The third type is New Year greetings between colleagues and peers. This is mostly a ceremonial behavior. After meeting, they greet each other with auspicious words such as "get rich" and "promote". In the past, it was common for scholar-bureaucrats to send famous posts to pay New Year greetings. For example, Guangxu's "Haiyang County Chronicle" of the Qing Dynasty recorded: "Sending famous posts to people is called 'New Year's greetings', and it is also called 'Blessings to Zheng'." The third type of New Year greetings does not contain the warm atmosphere of family and friendship as much as the first two types.
In recent years, due to the progress of society and the development of science and technology, people have become fashionable to use New Year's cards, New Year's phone calls, New Year's mobile phone messages, and New Year's "Yimeier" greetings. Most work units hold "group worship" on the first day of the Lunar New Year, where people gather together to congratulate each other, which not only saves time but also takes into account many aspects, which is really a good thing.
4. Spring gift basket
Spring gift basket ("?" original meaning) is a folk item in Chaoshan. It is a bamboo woven gift basket with three or four layers and a lid. , usually used in pairs. On the first day of the new year, the natal family will give gifts to the daughter’s family who is getting married. The gifts include more than a dozen kinds of oranges, sugar cane, bananas, etc., which are packed in a pair of large spring bags and delivered by the brothers of the married woman, commonly known as "send spring bags." When the brother-in-law arrives, the in-laws will slaughter three birds and treat him warmly. Therefore, there is a folk proverb: "Uncle comes to plunder the chickens?". After the daughter's family received the gift from her brother-in-law, the mother-in-law would carry the flower basket and the red plate and distribute the gifts to the neighbors, which is commonly known as "Xiawushi". Since there are daughters-in-law in every village, it is very lively to send gifts to each other on this day. This unique folk activity in Chaoshan embodies the Chaozhou people's excellent qualities of attaching importance to neighborly friendship, living in harmony, and being united and progressive.
5. Lion Dance and Playing with Gongs and Drums
During the Spring Festival, Chaoshan’s cultural activities are very active, including dragon dance, centipede dance, riddles, etc. Among them, lion dance and playing with gongs and drums are the most popular ones. The most popular and eye-catching.
During the Spring Festival, lion dance is more popular. There are two types of Chaoshan lion dance: one is the "literary lion" and the other is the "martial lion". The "Wenshi" consists of two people wearing masks and pretending to be the smiling "Tudi Gong" and "Tudi Po" respectively. Holding sunflower fans, they lead the big lion to dance and walk, and the lion keeps shaking its mane and rolling. Whenever someone sets off firecrackers in front of the door, the lion dance team has to stop marching to pay New Year greetings to the owner. The recipients of "Wu Shi" New Year greetings are local famous families and large business houses. As soon as the lion team arrives, the owner lights firecrackers, gongs and drums sound, and the lion team performs actions such as rolling, leaping, and falling. The most exciting thing is when the owner rewards the lion with a red envelope. When the dance reaches its climax, the host hangs red envelopes from the entrance of the second or third floor. With the help of the host, the lion dance team used big stools and small stools to stack them under the red envelope. Amidst the sound of gongs and drums, the lion calmly climbed up each table, climbed to the top, and then jumped up and opened its mouth to take out the red envelope. The onlookers finally burst into applause and cheers. The lion bowed his head and bowed in all directions to bless people.
The lion dance performance program in the square is for the lion dancer to raise the lion's head as if shaking his head, walk quickly in a circle, and dance while walking, like a tiger descending a mountain. When the dance reaches the center of the field, it immediately sits down on the ground, sometimes scratching its abdomen and back with its feet, sometimes turning its head and biting its tail, which is called "scratching and biting lice". Suddenly he lies on the ground and rolls, which is called "turning over on his stomach"; then he lies on the ground and dozes off. This shows that the lion is sitting back and relaxing, and its movements are lifelike. At this time, there was also a man wearing a mask who was teasing the lion at will, which added a lot of fun to people. The lion dance performance was followed by a martial arts performance. Boxing can be divided into Zhujiajiao, Lijiajiao and Nanzhishou boxing styles, but the performance procedures are generally the same. Finally, they danced the lion again, and received "red envelopes" from people after the performance.
During the Spring Festival, there is also a Chaozhou gong and drum troupe, which plays Chaozhou music, walks through the streets and alleys, and tours, which is called "touring gongs and drums" in Chaozhou folklore. Chaozhou gongs and drums are a large-scale ensemble with percussion as the main instrument, the drum as the center, and the suona as the leader. The drummer is both the lead singer and the conductor of the band. The drummer directs the band's performance by hitting the heart, rim, and rim of the drum with his hammer, using techniques such as snapping, squelching, heavy hitting, light hitting, rhythm changes, and adding flowers with the hammer.
Chaozhou gong and drum entertainment teams often use flags to clear the way, and the flags carried on their shoulders are called "standards". They use green bamboo with tails as flagpoles, and mascots are hung at the head of the poles. Most of the people carrying the flags are young women. . The girl carrying the standard is beautifully decorated and graceful. Then came the carefully dressed golden boys and girls, carrying firecrackers and eight treasures on their shoulders, bringing auspiciousness to people. There are also dolls pretending to be actors and performing some traditional Teochew opera excerpts. After the huge leader, there is an endless band of gongs and drums. The performance form of Chaozhou gongs and drums is very flexible. Those played during marching are called "Changxing Tao", and the repertoire is mostly marching music. If it is played in a fixed venue, it is called a "brand set". For large-scale performances, the band often has thousands of people and is majestic.
Reputable families and merchants set off firecrackers to welcome the gongs and drums team. At this time, the gong and drum team will stop and perform their skills to celebrate the New Year. After the performance, you will receive a red envelope reward from the host.
Although this kind of lion dance and gong-drum performance activities vaguely contain the legacy of Nuo dance to drive away ghosts, and their purpose is to win rewards, they do bring vitality, joy, and celebration to the Spring Festival, adding to the Festive atmosphere.
6. Family Gambling
Gambling originated from gaming. "Historical Records of the Yin Dynasty" records: "Xin Yi is a puppet, called the god of heaven, and gambles with him." It can be seen that gambling games existed as early as the Yin and Shang Dynasties. In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, money was used as a bet.
During the Spring Festival, after a year of hard work, Chaozhou people rarely have this leisurely and happy time, so they gather in alleys, ancestral halls and other places to gamble to predict their luck this year. But this is only a small number of people, and more people gamble at home. In this kind of family gambling activity, the parents often make the banker and others place bets. Even in families with strict discipline, children can easily compete with their elders at this time. It does not have the tension and worry of real gambling, but is relaxed and joyful. Anyway, the money you win or lose belongs to your family. It is commonly known as "the rich water does not flow out of the field".
In recent years, due to the government’s promotion of civilized new trends, this bad Spring Festival gambling habit has become increasingly indifferent.
7. Stirring swill tank
Swill tank is the common name of the trendy people for the pottery tank that holds swill (water for washing rice) and is used for feeding pigs. During the Spring Festival, in the rural areas of Chaoshan, housewives have to put their hands or bamboo poles into the swill tank, stir the swill, and recite: "The tank stirs to float, this year the pigs are bigger than the cattle" or "The tank stirs the swill round." , the more pigs you raise, the more money you will make." I hope the pigs will grow smoothly and make more money in the New Year.
8. Opening wells
Before liberation, except for Shantou City, which had tap water supply after the completion of the water plant in 1914, other urban and rural residents had to draw drinking water from wells or ditches. Every village must have a well, both public wells outside the courtyard and private wells inside the courtyard.
The Chaozhou people worship wells very much, and there is a folk myth and legend about the wells and the wells. The well mouth must be sealed on New Year's Eve, and the well must be opened after paying homage to Jing Gong and Jing Po during the Spring Festival. Usually, public wells in the countryside are disabled on the first and second days of the new year, and can only be used on the third day of the new year. In some places, they can be used from the second day of the new year. When opening a well, the old woman in the village should take the lead and offer gifts such as oranges, tea, brown sugar, and fruits to the well platform to worship. Afterwards, the old woman officiating will open the manhole cover and pour half of the brown sugar and 3 cups of tea into the well. Finally, 12 buckets of water were taken from the well and poured onto the ground. Every time you pour a bucket of water, recite 4 auspicious poems. This ritual activity is "opening the well". When the well is opened for home use, the mother-in-law at home must also worship it. The ceremony is similar to that of a public well.
Nowadays, rural areas in Chaoshan basically have tap water, and the activities of sacrificing wells have gradually disappeared.
9. Return to your natal home
On the first and second day of the first lunar month (especially the second day of the lunar month is more common), married daughters should take their husbands and children back to their natal home to pay New Year greetings to their parents. This is an expression of the filial piety of a married daughter to her adoptive parents. There is a folk proverb that goes: "If you are a filial daughter on the first or second day of the lunar month, if you are not filial, the god of zouzai will fall from the sky (on the fourth day of the lunar month), and you will pass the Lantern Festival without paying any tribute." This is the truth. When a daughter returns to her parents' home, she should prepare a large bag of biscuits and candies for her mother to distribute to the neighbors and villagers to express the girl's longing for the villagers. When there is a nephew in the family, red envelopes are distributed to the nephew. After her daughter had lunch, she had a small chat with her parents and rushed back to her husband's house before dinner. Therefore, it is commonly known as "Eating the Sun and the Day" among the people.
10. "Send the poor ghosts away"
In those days, Chaozhou people called the third day of the first lunar month "the poor ghost day" ("Raoping County Chronicles" by Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty records that the third day of the first lunar month in Raoping The fifth day is the day of the poor). On this day, people clean up the filth and debris in the house and send it to the fields to be burned. At the same time, they light incense as offerings, kowtow and say, "Go away, the poor ghosts, and the lucky stars will come." This activity is commonly known as "giving away poor people". On that day, people are most taboo about visiting relatives and friends.
There is a legend about this custom. During the reign of Emperor Zhuanxu, a son was born in the palace. He wanted to wear rags. When he was given new clothes, he tore them and burned them with fire before he would wear them. People in the palace called him "poor son". The "poor son" died on the twilight of the first lunar month. When he was buried, people said: "Today is the day to send the poor son off." The saying of "giving away the poor" has been around since then.
Later, the day for sending poor people changed from the day of the poor to the fifth day of the lunar month. In most areas of Guangdong, the third day of the first lunar month is regarded as the day of the poor.
With the development of society, the trendy people’s activities to support the poor have disappeared. Chaoshan people use their intelligence, diligence and bravery to truly relieve poverty and usher in prosperity. On poor days, people also go out to visit relatives and friends and congratulate each other. It is not forbidden to go out on the day as the ancients said.
11. Welcome Gods and Receive Blessings
The fourth day of the first lunar month is the "gods fall to the sky". Every household must worship at home to welcome the gods to the world. The sacrifices include red peach cake, which is a good sign of "a good start"; a plate of brown sugar, which implies the sweetness of life; a plate of rice, which means a good harvest, as well as oranges, black beans, wicks, paper horses, etc. In addition to worshiping at home, they also go to temples in the countryside to burn incense and give blessings. Some people also write the family's birth year and year on red stickers, tie them on the palanquin, make wishes to the gods, and thank God for "God's good deeds." , landing to ensure safety."
12. Festival taboos
The first day of the first lunar month is a holy day. There are many popular taboos, and everyone must say auspicious words. On this day, adults should avoid hitting or scolding children, lest they cry endlessly. Otherwise, crying means "no jackpot" and is a sign of New Year's disease, misfortune, etc. If a child accidentally breaks a plate, bowl or other utensils, adults should immediately say something auspicious such as: "Open your mouth, you will be rich" or "Don't go too far, don't do it, you will be lucky" to make up for the mistake. If you are burning lanterns or cloth, adults should say auspicious words such as "The fire is prosperous and the Ding is prosperous" or "The wealth is prosperous". On this day, it is forbidden for creditors to come to collect debts. If this happens, the owner will definitely say: "Please say good things, and you will get rich in the future." As soon as the creditor heard that the master would pay back in the future, he stood up and left.
On this day, you cannot sweep the floor. You have to hide the broom and let firecracker paper pile up on the floor, which means "auspicious snow heralds a good year." When you have to sweep the floor, just use a chicken feather fan to fan the stove from outside. , which means to prevent the outflow of family wealth. Don't do laundry on this day, for fear of losing money. It is also taboo to have a haircut, because people always like to associate haircuts with funerals on this day. It is also taboo to kill animals, as it is believed that killing will bring no wealth, and it is unlucky to raise livestock that year.
In terms of food, do not use long or short chopsticks when eating on this day, otherwise you will not be able to catch the boat during the transition; do not eat porridge or rice soup, otherwise it will rain when you go out; do not take medicine, Otherwise, you will be considered to be suffering from diseases all year round and need to take medicine constantly. If the patient has to eat, the family will say auspicious words such as "lost wealth but good fortune" to comfort the patient and help the patient recover as soon as possible.
With the development of society and the progress of civilization, some taboos are slowly being eliminated. For example, today's young people do not believe that stacking firecracker papers on the ground without sweeping them away is a superstitious saying of accumulating gold and jade. Instead, they believe that stacking firecracker papers on the ground is harmful to hygiene when people come and go during the Spring Festival, so they pick up brooms and sweep them to break the traditional custom.