"Moon Shrimp's Picture Book Tour"

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Spring Festival in Beijing (Part Two)

Author: [middle] Lao She

[Middle] Yu Dawutu

Spring Festival is the most grand festival in a year. From Laba Festival to the last day of Lunar New Year, there are nearly two months before and after. Starting from drinking Laba porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, annual custom activities followed one after another, such as offering sacrifices to stoves, holding new year's goods, putting up Spring Festival couplets, hanging blessings, cooking new year's dishes, and wrapping jiaozi ... These are not only the customs of old Beijing, but also the concentrated release and display of folk customs accumulated by the Chinese nation for thousands of years.

The Spring Festival in Beijing written by Mr. Lao She is a memory of old Beijing, and it is also a year in the collective memory of China people, stringing together details and feelings that have been ignored by the pace of modern life. Even the South where there are many differences enjoys many memories of the Spring Festival, and many people who have read picture books will have some soft feelings in their hearts. Yu Dawu, a picture book writer, also brought us back to Beijing in 195 1, and saw all kinds of China folk customs and the lively Spring Festival scene.

Romance of China people

Looking forward to, looking forward to, the east wind is coming, and the pace of spring is approaching.

Everything looks like I just woke up, and I opened my eyes with joy. The mountains are moist, the water is rising, and the sun is blushing.

Grass crept out of the soil, tender and green. In the garden, in the field, look, there are a lot of them. Sit, lie down, play two rolls, kick a few balls, race a few times, and catch a few times. The wind is quiet and the grass is soft.

-Zhu Ziqing's Spring

The Spring Festival of the Year of the Tiger is coming soon, and it is the most important festival for us in China.

Shrimp shrimp recently watched a program "Is there a word" Spring Festival article, talking about the word spring. The earliest writing of spring is: grass, chariot, and sun. The word chariot represents the germination of vegetation, gathering strength, breaking out of its shell, and being born with rage. The original meaning of "spring" was "the sun shines in the spring, and everything is glorious", and later it was named as the first season of the year. It also means "vitality" and "business" (such as "Yang and Qi Zhe, everything is spring"). Shuo Wen Jie Zi thinks that "spring is pushing", which means that "the sun shines in the spring, and everything is flourishing", so it can be extended to vitality and vigor.

The word "stupid" has a spring above it and two bugs below, which didn't mean swearing at first. It means that in spring, all animals wake up and are ready to move. There is also a solar term in spring called Jing Zhe. After the spring thunder, everything germinates.

Spring is the appearance of life, life and life, and the Spring Festival is also the most romantic and poetic embodiment of China people.

It's Spring Festival.

Don't be greedy for children,

After Laba is the year;

Laba porridge, drink for a few days, Li Li La La twenty-three;

Twenty-three, candied melons are sticky; Twenty-four, house sweeping day;

Twenty-five, frozen tofu;

Twenty-six, stewed pork;

Twenty-seven, slaughter the rooster;

Twenty-eight, send your face;

Twenty-nine, steamed buns;

Stay up for 30 nights;

Walking all over the street on the first day and the second day.

Laba porridge

What are the eight kinds of Laba porridge? Have you ever wondered.

In some parts of our country, there is a saying that "children and children should not be greedy, and it is the year after Laba", which means the prelude to the Chinese New Year. Every Laba Festival, the northern region is busy peeling garlic to make vinegar, soaking Laba garlic and eating Laba porridge.

Laba porridge, also known as "seven treasures and five flavors porridge", "Buddha porridge" and "everyone's rice", is a kind of porridge made of various ingredients. The earliest written record of Laba porridge was in the Song Dynasty. Wu Zimu's "Dream Liang Lu" in the Southern Song Dynasty reads: "On the eighth day of this month, the temple was called Laba. Temples such as Dasha have five-flavor porridge called Laba porridge. " The history of drinking Laba porridge in China has been more than 1000 years. On the day of Laba, Laba porridge is cooked in government offices, monasteries and the homes of the common people. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of drinking Laba porridge was even more popular.

The earliest Laba porridge was cooked with adzuki beans, and it gradually became colorful after evolution. Scholars in the Southern Song Dynasty carefully wrote "Old Wulin Stories", saying: "It is called Laba porridge to make porridge with walnuts, pine nuts, milk, persimmons and chestnuts." "Yanjing Nian Ji" said that "Laba porridge is cooked with yellow rice, white rice, glutinous rice, millet, water chestnut, peeled jujube paste, etc., and dyed with red peach kernels, almonds, melon seeds, peanuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, white sugar, brown sugar and zozo grapes".

In addition, another legend of Laba porridge is that all kinds of food crops left in the barn are cleaned and mixed to make porridge, ready for the bumper harvest next year, so we don't stick to which eight kinds, which mainly represents the meaning of removing the old and welcoming the new.

Customs and stress before the Spring Festival

Little?New?Year

Why is the off-year in the south and the north one day short?

The 23rd or 24th day of the end of the year is called "off-year" among the people. Off-year does not refer to a single day. Due to local customs, the days called off-year are different. During the off-year period, the main folk activities include sweeping dust and offering sacrifices to stoves. Before the Qing dynasty, the traditional folk festival of off-year sacrifice to stoves was on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. Since the middle and late Qing Dynasty, the emperors' families held a ceremony to worship heaven on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, and in order to "save money", they also worshipped the Kitchen God. Therefore, the folk people in the northern region followed suit, and most of them celebrated their holidays on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. In most parts of the south, the old tradition of celebrating the lunar new year on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month is still maintained.

There is another saying that is even more interesting. It is said that Zhu Yuanzhang was penniless and wanted to buy a pig's head for the New Year on credit, but the boss refused, so he said that one day I would become emperor, and it would take two years. Unexpectedly, he really became the emperor. For his own golden words, he ordered a small year and another big year. But I didn't expect that the traffic was inconvenient, and the northern twelfth lunar month received the will, but the southern twelfth lunar month did not receive it. Therefore, from now on, the northerners' small year was the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, while the southerners' was the twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month.

sweep the dust

Dusting is one of the new customs of removing old cloth years ago. The folk proverb says, "On the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, dust and sweep the house". Sweeping dust means year-end cleaning, which is called "house sweeping" in the north and "house sweeping" in the south. When the Spring Festival comes, every household should clean the environment, clean utensils, remove and wash bedding curtains, sweep the courtyard, dust the cobwebs, and happily engage in sanitation and welcome the Spring Festival.

According to the folk saying, "dust" and "Chen" are homophonic, and sweeping dust in the Spring Festival has the meaning of "removing Chen Buxin". The purpose of sweeping the dust is to sweep away all "poor luck" and "bad luck" in order to pray for the next year; This custom entrusts people's prayers and wishes to ward off evil spirits and disasters, bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and welcome the good fortune.

paste up Spring Festival couplets

Sticking New Year's Red is a general term for sticking Spring Festival couplets, door gods, New Year pictures, blessings, horizontal approvals and window grilles. Because these are red festive elements pasted during the New Year, they are collectively called "Sticking New Year's Red". In ancient times, red fire can drive away wild animals and bring warmth in the cold winter, and this custom has been handed down. Nian, the most famous god beast in China, is also most afraid of red and firecrackers.

family reunion dinner on the lunar New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve, also known as New Year's dinner, reunion dinner, reunion dinner, etc., refers to the family dinner on New Year's Eve (New Year's Eve). Originated from the ancient year-end sacrificial ceremony, worshipping the gods and having a reunion dinner with ancestors. China people's New Year's Eve dinner is not only colorful, but also very interesting. Before the traditional New Year's Eve dinner, worship the gods and ancestors, and wait until the worship ceremony is over before eating.

Generally, there are chicken (which means there is a plan), fish (which is more than enough every year), oyster sauce (which is good for the market), Nostoc flagelliforme (which is rich), yuba (which is rich), lotus root (which is smart), lettuce (which is rich) and raw garlic (which is calculated) for good luck.

New Year's Eve is a big meal that the whole family should mobilize. It is also an expectation for a better life in the coming year. New Year's Eve, what you eat is joy, what you taste is affection, and what you smell in the fragrant rice is the taste of home. The New Year's Eve dinner is extremely important to China people. The whole family respects and loves each other, and they are happy to sit around the dining table.

The sound of firecrackers welcomes the Spring Festival.

stay up late or all night on New Year's Eve

I don't know how many people still remember this custom. When shrimp was a child, it was often picked up by adults to eat jiaozi. Sometimes, children were put to bed early in the afternoon, and they could stay up at night. Especially when the bell rings at twelve o'clock, I give my grandparents a New Year greeting and say a lucky word. Of course, I don't rule out that some Xiong Haizi talk nonsense, but in any case, they all end up happily getting red envelopes and lucky money together.

Keeping the old age, also known as wasting, keeping the old age on fire and keeping the old age on fire, has a long history and is one of the folk activities in China.

On the night of New Year's Eve, the folk activities are mainly characterized by lighting the fire and keeping the fire. Shrimp shrimp once spent a Spring Festival in Inner Mongolia when I was a child. Every door was surrounded by rings of fire, and children lit fireworks and firecrackers around it. The lively scene was unforgettable.

On new year's eve, every room should be brightly lit all night, and the whole family will be reunited to welcome the new year. On New Year's Eve, lights and candles are burned all night, which is called "wasting". It is said that after this, the wealth at home will be enriched in the coming year. In ancient times, there were different customs in the north and the south. In some places, the custom of keeping the old age was mainly to stay up all night, that is, to keep vigil all night; For example, Zhou Chu of the Jin Dynasty wrote "Records of Local Customs", saying: On New Year's Eve, everyone gives gifts in different phases, which is called "giving gifts to the old"; Young and old get together and wish a complete song, which is called "dividing the age"; Sleeping all the year round, waiting for dawn, is called "keeping the age." In some places, on New Year's Eve, the whole family get together, eat New Year's Eve, light candles or oil lamps, sit around the stove and chat, and keep vigil all night, symbolizing driving away all evil diseases and looking forward to good luck in the new year.

New Year's Day, New Year's Day

Worship the old age

When I was a child, New Year's Day was the day to pay a New Year call to my elders, relatives and friends. Children put on new clothes, and parents came back with a family's New Year call, and the red envelopes and sweets were full of harvest. Now that the internet is developed, it is more convenient to pay New Year greetings, but it is also less fun.

Worship the New Year is one of the ancient activities. Welcome the new year in the morning of the first day of the New Year, and worship the "God of the Year". Legend has it that "Sui", also known as "Sheti" and "Tai Sui", is the star name of ancient times and also the god of folk beliefs. At the age of 60, the chronology of the cadres and branches of 60 Jiazi is used as the operation cycle, and there is 60 * * people. Every year, there is an old god on duty. In that year, the duty of Tai Sui is called "the duty of Tai Sui", which is the master of one year and is in charge of the good and bad luck of the world. For example, as stated in the "Three Commandments Meeting", "A man who is too old is the one-year-old master and the leader of the gods". Worship the New Year is the oldest traditional Chinese New Year custom, which is still popular in Guangdong, especially in Wuchuan. On the first day of the new year, the traditional custom of greeting the new year, offering sacrifices to the gods and receiving blessings has been passed down from generation to generation since ancient times.

Jucai

Legend has it that the first day of the first month is the broom birthday, so you can't use the broom on this day, otherwise it will sweep away luck and ruin money, and attract the "broom star" and cause bad luck. If you have to sweep the floor, you must sweep it from the outside to the inside. On this day, you can't throw water on the garbage, for fear of breaking the money. In many places, this custom is still preserved. On the New Year's Eve, no brooms are put out, no garbage is taken out, and a large bucket is prepared to hold waste water, so that it is not splashed outside on that day. There is also a saying that we can't use knives and scissors, of course, because we are a peace-loving nation.

Lantern Festival is joyful.

the Lantern Festival

Many shops open after the Lantern Festival. From childhood to the Lantern Festival, it is a traditional and complete year of China. Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, also known as Shangyuan Festival, Xiaoyuan Festival, Yuanxi Festival or Lantern Festival.

The first month is the first month of the lunar calendar, and the ancients called "night" "night". The fifteenth day of the first month is the first full moon night in a year, so it is called "Lantern Festival". According to the Taoist saying of "Sanyuan", the fifteenth day of the first month is also called "Shangyuan Festival".

Lantern Festival is rooted in the folk custom of turning on lights to pray for blessings. The fifteenth day of the first month has been paid attention to in the Western Han Dynasty, but the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month was really a national folk festival after the Han and Wei Dynasties. The rise of the custom of burning lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first month is also related to the eastward spread of Buddhism. During the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism flourished, and officials and ordinary people "burned lanterns for the Buddha" on the fifteenth day of the first month, so Buddhist lights spread all over the people. Therefore, since the Tang Dynasty, lanterns on Lantern Festival have become a legal thing.

The Lantern Festival mainly includes folk activities such as viewing lanterns, eating glutinous rice balls, solve riddles on the lanterns and setting off fireworks. In addition, performances such as Youlong lanterns, lion dancing, walking on stilts, boating, yangko dancing and playing Taiping drums have been added to the Lantern Festival in many places.

There are two most important things in the memory of the Spring Festival. Children's favorite is lucky money, of course. Adults, especially business people, pay more attention to welcoming the god of wealth. In the past few years, when fireworks were not banned, except on New Year's Eve, firecrackers kept going all night, which was the early morning of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. A foreign friend of Shrimp once asked strangely, isn't the Spring Festival over? Why should we celebrate so many days?

lucky money

The lucky money is distributed by the elders to the younger generation. It is said that the lucky money can suppress evil spirits, and the younger generation can spend one year safely when they get the lucky money. In some families, parents put them under their pillows after their children fall asleep at night. Lucky money in folk culture means exorcising evil spirits and keeping peace. The original intention of lucky money is to suppress evil and exorcise evil, because people think that children are vulnerable to sneaking, so they use lucky money to suppress evil.

Welcome the god of wealth

Some areas in the south welcome the god of wealth on the fifth day of the first month. According to folklore, the god of wealth is the five gods. The so-called five roads refer to the east, west, north and south, which means that you can get money if you go out five roads.

As early as the Qing Dynasty, Gu Lu's "Qing Jia Lu" said: "The fifth day of the first month is the birthday of Lu Tou Shen. Golden gongs and firecrackers, which are sacrificed to the past, are eager to make a profit, and they must get up early to meet them, which is called the end of the road. " He also said: "The road ahead today is a walking god in the five sacrifices. The so-called five roads are the east, west, north and south middle ears. " Shanghai has the custom of grabbing the road head in the old calendar year. On the fourth night of the first month of the first month, prepare sacrifices, cakes, incense sticks and other things, and ring gongs and drums to burn incense for worship, reverently respecting the god of wealth. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the folklore is the birthday of the God of Wealth. In order to compete for the market, it is followed by the fourth lunar month, which is called "grabbing the road", also known as "receiving the God of Wealth" and "offering sacrifices to the God of Wealth".

Among them, there are five sacrifices, namely, welcoming household gods, kitchen gods, earth gods, door gods and walking gods. Anyone who receives the god of wealth must offer sheep's head and carp. Offering sheep's head means "auspiciousness" and offering carp is a homonym for "fish" and "surplus". People are convinced that as long as the god of wealth can be revealed, they can get rich. Therefore, every New Year, people open doors and windows, burn incense and set off firecrackers and light fireworks at 0: 00 on the fifth day of the first month (after 24: 00 on the fourth day of the first month) to welcome the God of Wealth. After taking over the God of Wealth, I hope the God of Wealth can bring gold and silver treasures home and make a fortune in the new year.

2022 is the Year of the Tiger. In ancient China, the image of the tiger was worshipped very much, especially in the military. For example, a tiger was carved in gold on the military symbol of dispatching troops, which was called the tiger symbol.

Tiger is one of the 12 zodiac animals, ranking third, and the ground branch is Yin, which is called Yin Tiger. The tiger has always been worshipped by the Han nationality, and it is a symbol of justice, bravery and majesty. People in the Han Dynasty regarded the tiger as the king of beasts. The white tiger is one of the four great beasts in ancient times, and immortals often ascend to heaven by the white tiger, which is the beast of Zhenxi. Since the Han Dynasty, the tiger has been a favorite protector of the working people. After a long historical evolution and development, the cultural consciousness of worshipping tigers has become the same cultural concept of the Chinese nation!

The bell of the Spring Festival is about to ring. On the occasion of the Spring Festival, I wish you all a vibrant and prosperous Year of the Tiger!

New year folk nursery rhymes

When the new year comes,

Wear new clothes,

Wear a new hat;

Dragon lantern,

Walking on stilts,

Welcome the god of wealth;

Happy everyone,

Le Taotao,

Welcome the new year together!

Today's tour of shrimp picture books is over.