There are mainly two ancestor worship activities in a year. First, in Tomb-Sweeping Day, the priest hired a boat to send men (including school children) to the grave, and the patriarch was a priest who read the eulogy, which was solemn. The eulogy has a fixed format, beginning with "Wei Sui Ji ……" and ending with "Fu Wei's incense". About one hundred eulogies were written in ancient Chinese, praising the virtues accumulated by ancestors and expressing the admiration of future generations. If future generations are rich, they will be mentioned in the eulogy. At that time, there were "thousands of people in ink", but the recent situation of future generations in the eulogy was not good. According to the elders, if War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression wins in the future, it will be carefully written down and read out in the eulogy, so that our ancestors will be delighted with what is known underground. When I grow up, I think of a sentence in Lu You's poem Shizi, which says, "Julian Waghann will celebrate the Central Plains in the north, but don't forget to tell me about the family sacrifice." This is probably an inherent routine in funeral ceremonies in past dynasties. Generally speaking, the eulogy adheres to the law. If the country and family members have important events, they should enrich their eulogy and report to their ancestors. This is probably a constantly changing process. After the sacrifice, the crew of the whole ship who participated in the sacrifice returned to the ancestral hall to eat "wine on the grave" (still only men can enjoy it, women are not allowed to sit, and boys are preferred to girls). Traditionally, the "ten bowls" are ten bowls of Laicai, such as braised pork, red-cooked chicken, steamed fish, braised fish, meatballs, fish balls, sweet and sour taro soup, shepherd's purse tofu soup, fried shrimp and so on. When the meal is full, each person has two Ai jiaozi and four pretzels, which are usually taken home quietly to share with their mothers and sisters. In normal years, there are oral comments on whether someone is rich or not. If the word-of-mouth is bad, there will be no one to see you, so holding a sacrifice will generally not be mistreated. Offering sacrifices (locally called "that year") is very profitable. Sixty acres of sacrificial fields can collect about 178 stone meters, and the money for wine and incense boats on the grave will cost about 30 stone meters, which can make a net profit of 145 stone meters. Therefore, all these beautiful jobs are controversial. One family of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac this year and one family of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac next year have been arranged in advance. During the war, the family greeted the clan: This year's situation is special, and the food is almost there, so we will make up for it in peacetime. People also understand and say, "I know, there are several."
Ancestor worship was held again in the first month. From 23rd, 2000 to the New Year Lantern Festival, the portraits of ancestors were hung in the platform doors and incense sticks were lit. Almost all the portraits of ancestors are official uniforms. Are all officials? This is not the case, it's just beautifying our ancestors. It is not against etiquette to be established by convention. Is the ancestor's appearance as cool as his? The old people said, "Yes, yes." One day, I saw an artist drawing a birthday portrait of an elderly ethnic group, with careful description, delicate brushwork and careful research. The image is vivid, and people around you are very happy. They all said, "The image is transparent."
Don't think that there are no talents in towns and villages, and people with their own professional qualities are everywhere. It is said that this painter is good at drawing figures and portraits since he was a child, and there are many excellent works with both form and spirit. Later, he devoted himself to painting portraits of old age. I think that thousands of years ago, before photography, the images of ancient emperors, generals and literati were probably handed down from generation to generation by painters.
In the sacrificial activities, we also pay great attention to the generations in the family and arrange them according to the size of the generations. Once a 50-year-old man called me "uncle" and led me to the first row, only a few steps away from the white-haired patriarch. I think fashion is naive. My father is looking for a job outside, and he doesn't know the rules at home at all, and he is respectful to other people's instructions. Afterwards, someone in the clan said to me, "Although you are young, you are very generational. Some people in the clan are old but junior. When he sees you, he has to call you grandpa! " In our area, there are about hundreds of Ni surnames, which have been handed down from generation to generation. Poetry is used to embed the names of words in different generations: it is also the beginning of Zhao's sincerity and seeking family display. Before or after this, which generation is unknown. I was told that I belong to the "rule" generation, low.
In the "literary" generation, it is higher than the "sincere" generation. Before, I thought that the generation of these ten buildings was only adopted by the Ni family of hundreds of families in Mashan, Shaoxing, and was imprisoned in a corner. However, I found in the newspapers and periodicals for several years that there were many people who signed Ni Wenmou, Ni Zhimou, Ni Chengmou and Ni Zhengmou, and they were all over several provinces, and even people from Hong Kong and Taiwan were widely distributed. It may be the same family with many descendants and many branches. Times have changed. Nowadays, apart from an orderly family, it is rare to see people in the same family talking about seniority.
Reading lang-a small official
"Everything is inferior, only reading is high." The traditional concept of studying and being an official in feudal society is deeply rooted. There are countless people in Shaoxing who become officials because they study. Boys of scholarly family are called "small officials", that is, "officials" in the future. "Small official" is both a respectful name and a nickname.
In Shaoxing, the atmosphere of reading is very prosperous, and it is dawn. By the river, under the tree, school-age children are reading and reciting silently. In addition to the prescribed textbooks, there are many extracurricular reading materials, such as Tang poetry, Song ci, study tour in Qionglin, trilingual classics, ancient prose, Qiu Shui Xuan letters and so on. They recite Tang poems like a stream. However, many people realize that the books they read when they were young can often stay in their minds for a long time, just like the storage of computers. "Read it a hundred times and you'll see for yourself." When I was young, I didn't know its profound false meaning. After growing up, I gradually understood the artistic conception in the book through vicissitudes. "With a thousand years of history, I can see through Wan Li." I suddenly meditated and was suddenly enlightened. Books are never read for nothing. As you sow, you reap.
Shaoxing people read and practice calligraphy. Five-and six-year-old children began to understand the square space, and immediately learned Chinese characters, starting with writing "Shang Adult, Kong Yiji, 3,700 words", and then copying "the beginning of life, the nature is good" and "the heavens and the earth are mysterious and the universe is vast". The more you write, the more enlightenment books can be printed in your mind. While practicing calligraphy, my heart will calm down, and the book will be more readable and complement each other. People who study in rural areas can write good handwriting with almost only a few people, including Yan, Liu, Mi and Wang. Really a wild talent.
Shaoxing people pay attention to reading and the fun of reading. First, pay attention to reading aloud, not only to read the tone charm, but also to read the coherence and momentum of the article. Lang Lang's book sounds like singing an unforgettable and beautiful music. When reading "Sunset and Lonely Qi Fei, Autumn Water Grow Together" in Preface to Wang Tengting, the students shook their heads and were immersed in the artistic conception of that article. The second is to pay attention to confrontation. Du Fu's quatrain "Two orioles sing green willows, and a row of egrets go up to the sky. The window contains autumn snow in Xiling, and the Wu Dong Wan Li boat stops at the door. " Two orioles, a line of egrets, the window contains the Xiling, Wu Dong is moored, Qianqiu Snow and Wan Li Boat are neatly opposite, which inspires people to learn from each other's strong points and makes people interested. At the same time, students are encouraged to teach each other, such as "Xiaojiang Bridge, a round deck and a mirror, and the mirror looks at two counties." To Japan: "Dashan Pagoda, the tower head is sharp, sharp as a pen, and the strokes are everywhere." Xiaojiang Bridge and Dashan Pagoda are the place names and scenic spots in Shaoxing County. Third, the front and back couplets correspond. A classmate sang a couplet, "Good rain knows the season, when spring comes." Students continue to "sneak into the night with the wind and moisten things silently." Classmate B shouted, "Go back to Jiangling a thousand miles a day to bid farewell to Bai Di." Student C continued, "The apes on both sides of the strait can't stop crying, and the canoe has passed Chung Shan Man." The student who answers correctly is praised, and he has the right to ask any student, including boys and girls who can ask each other questions. At that time, feudal ideas were confined, and boys and girls did not ask each other questions. This problem that the preface doesn't match the latter is also a competition. It doesn't matter if you can't answer. Others can pick it up, one by one, cheering everywhere. It is a great pleasure to encourage students to read more books and watch more.
Teachers are also good at inspiring students with famous stories in local history. The teacher said, "Dear children, do you know what Shaoxing is most famous for?" A student said, "Yellow rice wine." The teacher smiled and said, "You are right, but there are more important things than this." Another student said, "Shaoxing asks about it." The teacher said, "it's near, think again." After the demise of the Qing Dynasty, the owner was not embarrassed. "
"Talent." The teacher was very happy: "Yes, yes." The teacher then made a comment: "Since ancient times, our place in Shaoxing has been a treasure of things, a land of outstanding people, a land of plenty, a wine-making capital, a tourist attraction, the Tomb of Yu Wang and Lanting, which is famous all over the country. Poet He, Lu You, painter Xu Wei () and Chen Laolian are all celebrities. In the 200 years of the Qing Dynasty, a large number of Shaoxing masters were produced, most of whom were literati counselors who maintained feudal society. At the time of the decline of feudal society, they were the most sensitive and won the first place in the atmosphere. Before and after the Revolution of 1911 to the May 4th Movement, intellectuals were the first to wake up. They are descendants of Shaoxing touts with wisdom and courage. Many of them study abroad and can keep up with the world trend. During this period, revolutionaries Qiu Jin, Xu Xilin, Tao, writer Lu Xun, educator Cai Yuanpei and economist Ma Yinchu emerged ... "
The students listened one after another.
The teacher said that he would spend time telling their stories in detail.
At that time, about half of the teachers in the school were not full-time primary school teachers, but very knowledgeable people working in other places, such as managers and assistants of banks, engineers of factories, editors of newspapers and publishing houses, and even university teachers. Because I took refuge in my hometown, I temporarily worked as a primary school teacher in my hometown. My experience was different, my horizons were broad, my lectures were vivid and rich in content.
"Do you know the May 4th Movement?" "Oh, I don't know." The teacher talked about the ins and outs of the May Fourth Movement, which was vigorous and vigorous. The main ideas were: democracy and science are the best ways to save the country; Since the Opium War, China has been poor and weak, imperialism invaded China, eliminated corruption, ceded land for reparations, and humiliated the country. Beiyang warlords scuffled, prostrated themselves before imperialism, and wanted to sign a traitorous treaty at the Paris Peace Conference. When the May 4th Movement broke out, the surrender activities were frustrated. The May 4th Movement is a patriotic movement of China people, with far-reaching influence. Cai Yuanpei, then president of Peking University, was from Shaoxing. The teacher said, "Cai Yuanpei is an educator and a scholar. We should learn from Cai Yuanpei, be as promising as he is, and be a patriotic scholar. We must be determined from an early age and study hard. "
"Do you know Lu Xun?" "I know." Lu Xun is a thinker and writer. He is the author of The True Story of Ah Q, Blessing and Kong Yiji. There are thousands of essays, about millions of words, and the articles are well written. He lashed out at feudal ideas and asked them to break through the cage. Lu Xun is also from Shaoxing. He studied in Japan and studied medicine. Later, from the movie, he saw that the Japanese killed the head of China. China people are still watching, and their minds are so numb. Lu Xun was so angry that he decided to return to China. He thinks it is more important to solve China people's ideological problems than their physical problems, so he writes articles and novels to wake people up. "Should we learn from Lu Xun?"
"Yes!" The students answered in unison.
Lu Xun is also a descendant of Shaoxing touts, but his thoughts are good. Being a man should seek happiness for the people. First, we must survive, second, we must have enough food and clothing, and third, we must develop. Now, children, everyone calls you "little officials". When you grow up (grow up), whether you are an official or not, in short, you should love your country and love the people, have high morality and be knowledgeable. This is very promising. The teacher also told the story of Ma Yinchu selling cattle to study abroad when he was young. Over time, the teachers listed the stories of local celebrities who were concerned about the country and the people and studied hard, which inspired the children and sowed the seeds of moral knowledge in their hearts. Isn't this a far-reaching exhortation?
Shaoxing people love reading, and there are many scholars who are eager to learn. History has created a well-known "Shaoxing Master" talent group. "Being determines consciousness", master Shaoxing used to be the think tank of feudal dynasty. With the changes of the times, they also felt the historical trend that the feudal dynasty was about to decline, but their descendants or students stood at the forefront of the times and became the enlighteners of the new era and leaders of the new society. Among these outstanding talents are Qiu Jin, Xu Xilin, Tao, proletarian revolutionist, thinker and writer Lu Xun, scientist Zhu Kezhen, economist Ma Yinchu, historian, diplomat, publisher, etc ... In modern history, in
About half a century or so, Shaoxing has a large number of talented people and bright stars, which shows that Shaoxing people advocate knowledge, keep pace with the times, gain insight into the world, adapt to the world trend and meet the needs of the crowd. It is worthy of our descendants' inheritance and vigorous development.
Wedding and funeral matters
In 1930s and 1940s, the marriage between men and women basically followed the arranged marriage of parents in feudal society, but there was also a new trend of free marriage and love.
Men are old, and women are old. The male is about 20 years old and has a certain job. The female is about 17 and 18 years old, and the matchmaker follows. Mainly to introduce the man's situation to the woman, such as how many acres of land there are, how many rooms there are, how parents, brothers and sisters are at home, and how their personality is, but there are usually many compliments, such as good-looking, kind, honest, alcohol, tobacco and domino ignorance. The woman also asked someone to inquire, which was generally acceptable, so she asked her "birthday" separately, and then the blind man told her fortune to see if it was appropriate. Usually always say "get along" or "good luck". However, fortune-telling for blind people is very easy to cheat. If the girl doesn't want this marriage, she will quietly ask someone to spend some money to dredge it, saying that if someone born in a certain year comes to tell fortune and asks if he can get married, please help stop it. At that time, someone came to the door and asked about marriage. The blind man said politely, "Ah, fight each other." As long as it involves Chong Heke, the family will give up this marriage. The reason for "euphemism" is to avoid showing signs of obstruction. If the "birthday" is recognized by the blind, it will be an auspicious day for engagement or marriage. In the past, the man gave the woman the date of occurrence, and the woman also gave the man the date of occurrence. Day: "Exchange red and green posts." The man gives the bride a bride price and the woman buys a dowry for the bride price. If the woman is a rich boy with a rich dowry, use the money to marry her daughter. Usually, the bride price is higher than the dowry, leaving a certain balance for the woman's brother to use when he gets married in the future.
During the war years, happy events were simple, and close relatives and friends were present, so there were only three or five tables. It is said that weddings in Taiping period were quite luxurious. At that time, some people in Shaoxing specialized in festive matters and were called "lazy people". "Idle people" is short for degenerate people. According to legend, Zhu Yuanzhang fought with Chen Youliang, Chen Youliang was defeated and the soldiers surrendered. Zhu Yuanzhang degraded Chen Youliang's descendants and subordinates to pieces. Later generations arranged weddings and funerals, and women called them "old men". There are many officials in Shaoxing, and the old door is equipped with a desk door. They regard serving the people in Taiwan as a patent. Even if the people in Taimen are declining, they are still commensurate with "grandfather" and "wife". When the wedding was held at Taimen, the old ladies made a fuss as soon as they arrived. They like people and say good things. He said that the young master must be promising, helped the bride and groom into the bridal chamber, and said that he would have a baby early, and asked the blessed and long-lived old man to bless the newlyweds. The lines were whispered by the old man to the old man, only to hear "more blessings, more men, wealth and health." When the old man helped the old man upstairs, he said that the master was "promoted step by step", while the drunken man said that "it is rare to get drunk several times in life, and it is a blessing to be drunk". In short, people who serve the celebration are comfortable and happy. When you leave, you will naturally get a corresponding reward, a few silver dollars, and even a gold ring. In difficult times, sometimes you only give a few barrels of rice or a piece of silk. Old people never care how much they pay, but take a long-term view. It is said that people in Taimen will be born in the future. In difficult times, it will be unforgettable to hear such comforting words.
When a funeral is held and a list is drawn up, it is often necessary to inform the relatives and friends around 10 and 20 miles, and then the client will go out to report the funeral. Undertaker is holding an umbrella in his hand, which is different from his usual attitude. Mourning is unlucky. Before finding the relevant family, please inquire about the house number to avoid stepping on the wrong threshold. When you step into a bereaved family, if you want to say that someone is "old" (don't say the word "dead"), the family will throw a bowl of vegetables, which means "broken jade", and then cry. Then ask about the illness and treatment, bring out a bowl of soup, and give a few dollars to the mourners. Saying "goodbye, goodbye" is the most taboo when leaving, because goodbye means coming again, and saying "go away, go away" means that the disaster is as far away as possible. Other funerals, such as the big funeral, the first seven and the broken seven, are no different from other places.
Over time, the vicissitudes of life have changed dramatically.
New Year's Eve
The first day of the first month, the beginning of the Spring Festival, was called "New Year's Day" in ancient times, also known as "Xinzheng" and "New Year's Day", which is the most solemn festival in Shaoxing.
Open-door firecrackers are commonly known as "open-door firecrackers" In the old society, this move had the meaning of exorcising evil spirits and eliminating epidemics, and "promoting to the third level". Shaoxing folks also have the saying that "set off firecrackers early and get rich early". Therefore, at three or four o'clock in the morning, firecrackers broke out one after another, adding to the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival.
Every household puts up Spring Festival couplets, saying, "All the best in the Spring Festival" and "Everything will be fine when you start writing". In the old days, Spring Festival couplets wrote many books, such as "Days add years, people prolong life, and spring is full of dry clothes". Today, the Spring Festival couplets are still auspicious, but the content is novel and full of the flavor of the times.
In the old society, after the doors were opened and firecrackers were set off, offerings such as jiaozi, tea and fruit were placed in the hall. Parents lead their families to pack their clothes, worship the bodhisattvas of heaven and earth, build four bodhisattvas, and pray for the blessing of the gods. Everything will be fine in the new year. Now this superstitious custom of expressing good wishes to idols is rare.
In the days when we used to eat Fuju, dumplings, Ruyi cakes and Yuanbao tea, we followed the custom of eating "firework dishes" (that is, food cooked with firewood) before speaking after getting up on New Year's Day. Now, we usually have jiaozi, Ruyi cake and oranges for breakfast. Xinzheng, the main family used to entertain guests with Yuanbao tea. Kumquat, olive, candied dates, etc. According to the custom, it is put in tea, which means reunion, wishful thinking and happiness.
New Year greetings are also called "New Year greetings", "New Year greetings" and "New Year greetings". In the old days, the male host led the younger generation into the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors, and then returned to his own room to worship the portrait of their ancestors hanging on New Year's Eve. Then, according to seniority and ranking, the younger generation bowed down to their elders in turn. The younger generation wishes the elders, and the elders give back their teachings and wishes. Finally, the younger generation pays New Year greetings. At that time, the children were beating gongs and drums (commonly known as "beating gongs and drums in the New Year") and walking around for entertainment. Nowadays, the legacy of New Year greetings still exists, but the etiquette is greatly simplified.
From the second day of the first month, we will take longan, litchi, wine, sugar and cake to visit relatives and friends to celebrate the New Year. Relatives and friends will treat them warmly and come back another day. This custom usually respects early birth. From 65438 to 0950, the people advocated civilized festivals. During the New Year's Day to the Spring Festival, Shaoxing urban and rural areas generally carried out activities such as supporting the army and loving the people, supporting the army's superior members, supporting the government and loving the people, and expressing condolences to retired cadres and workers. At the same time, various parties, social gatherings, cultural performances and sports competitions were held.
Traveling on the first day of the first month is an old custom of "being distracted and loving one side". Before you go, you must find out the direction of Nishi from the calendar, and then follow this direction. If the calendar says that "the northeast of Italy is not conducive to the southwest", you should start from your own doorstep and head northeast instead of southwest, so as to seek the protection of the western gods and get good luck. This custom was abolished today.
In the old days, there was a custom of counting arhats at Kaiyuan Temple in Fucheng on the first day of the first month, which was intended to be auspicious all the year round and to entertain ourselves. To enter the Kaiyuan Lohan Temple, you must first step at the foot of Lohan Hall and determine the direction of Lohan. If you cross your left foot first, from left to right, count the arhats of the same age according to one's age, that is, predict the future of the new year with their names and demeanor. If it is a long-browed arhat, it is a long life; If it's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, it's strong.
Catching chickens to sleep is actually a homonym of "rushing to sleep", which means going to bed early on the first night of the first month of the first month and having a good sleep. People were busy for many days before the festival. On the first day of the first month, they celebrated early, and the children were very tired after playing for a few days. So after dinner, they drove the poultry into the shed in advance and closed the door early to rest. This custom has been passed down to this day.
Taboos During the Spring Festival, there are many taboos for praying for good luck. If you avoid sweeping the floor and taking out the garbage, you will be afraid of sweeping away and losing everything; Avoid using knives and scissors for fear of bone diseases; Avoid porridge and soup in case it rains; Never break bowls, pots and other utensils for fear of losing money. If you make a mistake, you must say "it's normal to blame, but it's self-defeating", so as to eliminate disasters and masturbate, and avoid quarreling and throwing the toilet chamber pot, so as to avoid blasphemy. The words "death" and "poverty" are the most taboo. Adults are afraid of children's gaffes, and after more than a year, they will admonish and paste red notes with the words "Children's words are outrageous" and "All exonerated". Such taboos are often superstitious. The above taboo customs have gradually disappeared.
There was a saying in Shaoxing in the old days: "Begging for food is from the beginning of the year to New Year's Eve". During the Spring Festival, beggars beg by "sending cash cows", "jumping mud gods", "jumping cows", "sweeping the floor with sheep" and "going downstream". "Down the River" is usually performed by two beggars, one carrying a bamboo basket and the other carrying a giant paper "Gold ingot" and throwing it in front of the householder.
He who walks five days and five roads is also the god of wealth. Traditionally, the fifth day of the first month is the birthday of the god of wealth. On that day, all the merchants took over the God of Wealth, praying for wealth and a hundredfold profit in the market, and opened their doors from that day on. Generally speaking, there are also people who worship the god of wealth. This custom was abolished today.
During the Spring Festival, people should respect agriculture and mulberry trees, and hold cattle herding activities every day before the spring begins. On that day, "all the officials below the county level have high horses and chariots" and "spring cattle prepare for old age" to "explain the farming in the coming year". Spring cattle are led by drum music, the officers sound gongs to clear the way, flags and umbrellas are accompanied by gifts, the magistrate or magistrate "parents" and "pole drivers", local gentry line up with each other, and the audience is like a tide. When they arrived in the countryside, the farmers greeted each other with smiles to welcome the spring cattle sent by their parents as a sign of the beginning of farming. Since then, farmers have ended their entertainment activities during the Spring Festival and started to prepare for farming.
In Shaoxing Fucheng, "the day before the spring, the officials of Fuxian Grain Capture Hall obeyed, went out to Wuyunmen to welcome the spring in the eastern suburbs, and entered the city to set up a government. The color of local cattle is drawn according to the spring cattle map of Qin Song Li Ben. Yellow is the valley, red is the sun, green is the wind, and black is the water that apologizes for the flood and drought. " On the second day after the Spring Festival, the spring cattle were crushed, and the villagers collected and hid their clods, hoping that the animal husbandry would flourish. "
Whether the Chinese nation is extremely lucky, well-off has replaced poverty. Shaoxing, a famous historical and cultural city, has also become a tourist attraction.
Shaoxing has always been simple in folk customs, while retaining and mixing with some backward feudal customs. Perhaps with the changes of the times and advancing with the times, we will discard the useless.