The Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival of the year for the Han people. People all over the country have customs during the Spring Festival, and there are also taboos that need to be observed in order to pray for blessings and eliminate disasters in the new year. This is true in the Chaoshan area. It’s no exception, so let’s learn about some of the customs and taboos during the Chaoshan Spring Festival.
Some customs of the Spring Festival in Chaoshan: "Pick Chun Sheng" (picking gift boxes) During the Spring Festival, a distinctive folk activity in Chaoshan is "Pick Chun Sheng". The "Chunsheng" here refers to a local bamboo basket with a lid that is divided into three or four layers. It is usually used in pairs, so "Pu Chunsheng" is also called "Dan Chunsheng".
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the mother’s family wants to give gifts to their daughter who is getting married. In the past, these gifts were always packed in a pair of big spring bags and carried by the brothers of the married woman. When the brother-in-law comes, the in-laws will kill chickens and geese and treat him warmly. This is what the folk saying goes, "Uncle comes and robs the chickens."
Among the gifts sent by the brother-in-law, in addition to the indispensable big oranges, there must also be dozens of sugar cane, probably secretly wishing his daughter a happy life. The frugality of gifts is determined by the financial situation of the mother's family, but generally, a newly married daughter should prepare more generous gifts, otherwise she will be looked down upon by her in-laws; while a daughter who has been married for a long time, or even a mother-in-law, is not so particular. When the daughter's family received these things, they distributed them to relatives and neighbors, which formed a major feature of Chaoshan Spring Festival customs.
During the Spring Festival, the firecrackers were crackling. In addition to the rush of New Year greeters, there were also many old women, carrying flower baskets and red plates, going from door to door shouting: "Emma "Auntie, here comes the snacks." Because every family has a daughter-in-law, every family has to go out.
From this custom, we can see the Chaoshan people's custom of living in harmony with neighbors. In addition, if there are brothers in the family who are separated, the person who gives the gift will give it to each household. However, a married daughter cannot return to her natal family on this day. Returning to your natal family on the first day of the new year is considered to be detrimental to your natal family.
On the second and third day of the first lunar month, married daughters take their husbands and children back to their natal homes to pay New Year greetings. When a daughter returns to her parents' home, she must bring a big bag of biscuits and candies, and her mother distributes them to the neighbors and folks, just like during the Chinese New Year. If there are multiple daughters in the family, and these daughters do not come back on the same day, then they have to be divided one at a time. The gift is quite thin, just four biscuits. However, it reflects a strong affection. The real gift is "gifts". "Slight affection but heavy affection" expresses the girl's deep longing for her fellow villagers.
When a girl returns home, if there is a nephew at home, the aunt must pay for it again. Although she has already given the new year's money on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the meaning is different this time. This custom is known among Chaoshan people. As the name suggests, it is just for lunch. The daughter must rush back to her husband's house before dinner.
Some taboos during the Spring Festival in Chaoshan: Do not say unlucky words or do unlucky things. Because the first month is the beginning of the year, Chaoshan people often regard it as a sign of good or bad luck in the new year. Therefore, there are many "taboos" during the Chinese New Year.
In terms of speech, any words such as "break", "bad", "dead", "death", "light", "ghost", "kill", "disease", "pain", and "lose" Unlucky words such as "poor" and "poor" are taboo to be uttered. It is also forbidden for babies to cry, because crying means "no luck" and indicates illness and misfortune. Therefore, even if the child causes trouble on this day, he cannot hit or scold him to avoid endless crying.
In terms of behavior, be extra careful when handling cups, plates, bowls, and saucers so as not to break them. On the first day of the first lunar month, creditors are not allowed to come to collect debts because people believe that collecting debts on this day is unlucky for both borrowers and lenders. It is also taboo to take things out of other people's pockets. It is believed that if someone picks out the pockets on the first day of the first lunar month, it may lead to the risk of being "emptied" throughout the year.
In terms of diet, it is strictly forbidden to take medicine on the first day of the first lunar month. Otherwise, it is considered that it will lead to illness and constant medication throughout the year; avoid eating meat for breakfast on the first day of the first lunar month. One theory is that if this meal is eaten as a vegetarian, its effect will be equal to one year; another theory is that vegetarianism is a metaphor for Manage your family with diligence and thrift, and avoid extravagance and waste.
On the first day of the first lunar month, avoid people and funerals, as this will bring bad luck to the family. At the same time, avoid getting a haircut on this day, because people always like to associate haircuts with funerals on this day. It is also forbidden to kill animals on this day. Killing animals is considered to lead to disasters such as knife disasters, military disasters, and blood disasters. However, now that people's living standards have improved, they eat fresh and fast, so they have no worries.
The original custom of sweeping the floor during the Spring Festival is now slowly being phased out, because firecrackers are set off during the Spring Festival, people come and go, and there are a lot of paper scraps and garbage on the ground. It is really unethical not to clean it. Therefore, from the perspective of paying attention to hygiene, many young people do not pay much attention to these traditional taboo customs.
You may also like: Festival Encyclopedia: What are the traditional Western festivals? Adhere to the traditional Chaoshan Spring Festival seven things. Chaoshan Spring Festival food customs, what to eat for Chaoshan New Year’s Eve dinner? Chaoshan Spring Festival sacrificial activities: welcome the master in the first month
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