New Year's Day is even more distant and strange for bloggers in the north. What exactly is New Year's Day? The blogger is from Maoming, Guangdong, and he is familiar with the customs of that year. According to the survey, the annual customs of Maoming (some counties and cities in Zhanjiang) were popular in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and they have been passed down to this day. However, the dates of each village are staggered. It's almost the same every year, but every village is different. And the date of each village is determined according to its origin. These calendar days are generally auspicious days for the completion of temples, or the anniversary of ancestors' migration, or the birth and death of ancestors. On New Year's Day, every township will hang colored flags on the archway at the entrance of the village and on both sides of all the roads into the village, play some festive songs, and every household will decorate with lanterns and hold a big banquet. Generally, people put three or five tables, and rich people even put dozens of tables. Dozens of cars and motorcycles were parked in front of the door, and the scene was very lively. The more cars in front of the door, the greater the owner's face. Now Maoming people are rich and pay attention to years. The table is full of delicacies, some running mountains and some swimming. Lobster, swimming fish, grouper, snail, shrimp, sea cucumber, what kind of precious seafood, let the guests who come to visit the New Year feast their eyes and eat delicious food. As long as the host hears the guests praise the food for its good ingredients and good taste, there will be a triumphant smile on his face, which is particularly brilliant! In Maoming, invitations are generally not sent, so there is no fixed sitting time. Generally, tables are opened one after another after noon, and you can eat while walking. The amount of food this year is incalculable, and most people have prepared more dishes in case the guests are caught off guard after a long time. In addition, after the guests have had enough to eat and drink, they have to take back the "vegetable feet". The "vegetable foot" is the food prepared by the host in advance, so that relatives can take it back to the elders who didn't come to eat the festival that day to show filial piety!
However, Maoming chronology also had some unsatisfactory years, namely 1977, when the economy was in recession. 1966 broke the old four and set up four new ones, so it is forbidden to make chronologies. The task force searched the village door to door, and if it was found that killing chickens and ducks was an annual practice, it caught the cultural room of the brigade's education and reform. Later, in order to avoid being searched, many villages simply moved the year number forward or backward for one day and informed relatives and friends to come over. There are policies on the top and countermeasures on the bottom. This guerrilla warfare continued until the reform and opening up. After the reform and opening up, the distorted calendar day has been corrected and the excitement and happiness of the past have been restored.
Maoming's chronology not only brought a lot of happiness to people, but also promoted Maoming's economic development, attracting many businessmen and traders to come for gold. According to general records, it costs more than 20 million yuan to book plays and worship God every year. Maoming's annual taste economy and culture are really unlimited business opportunities! It is worth exploring, developing and protecting! Every year on New Year's Day, temporary New Year's Day preparatory groups will be set up in each village to practice various aspects such as public security, entertainment activities and vagrancy activities during New Year's Day.
There are also biennials. Some villages also hold "lighting" ceremonies. It is these families who make a lantern and put it in the light shed when they give birth to a boy, Gardin. The shed is a temporary simple houses made of saplings, bamboo and adhesive tape. The Lantern Festival is also different, especially the 13th day of the first month, which is the same as the first day of China. On the official New Year's Day, the atmosphere of these people who hold wedding banquets with lanterns is much relaxed.
Maoming chronology is the most representative. Every year, from the fifth day of the first lunar month to the twelfth day of February, there is even an autumn festival (the seventh day of the seventh lunar month in Xiaoliangnaqin Village). However, the annual regulations are concentrated from the tenth day of the first month to the 28th day of the first month, and they can be eaten almost every day. It can be understood that every village has customs and there are cases every year. In the old days, it was also called "dining period". We Maoming people have the saying that "the Chinese New Year is a big holiday", because the Chinese New Year is our own business, and no relatives and friends come to our house for dinner. However, this year is very different. A year is mainly a feast for relatives and friends, mainly a festival of eating, drinking and having fun. Relatives, relatives, friends of friends can come and play for a year. Maoming people love to pay attention to face and ostentation, so there is a saying that "2008 is a big New Year".
The earliest year of Dianbai should be the fifth day of the first month in Magang, and the latest year should be the seventh day of the seventh lunar month (also known as the Autumn Festival) in Xiaoliangnaqin Village. This year is the 22nd day of the first month, but since the 17th day of the first month, Gong has already traveled, and he officially started a six-day "Loyalty Wanderer" activity. A few families only need to take out a table and put wine glasses, tea leaves, paper money and tributes (that is, apples, tribute pears, grapes and sugar cane, etc.). The three sacrifices were placed on the day of the official year). Among them, apples represent peace, pears represent smoothness, grapes represent children and grandchildren, and sugarcane represents the sweetness of life.
In Maoming, it is called "watching" locally, which can also be interpreted as having food and a big show. The "viewing period" is divided into "starting to watch", "watching" and "watching over". "Looking at it from the beginning" is a literary error activity that started normal years ago. "Watch it", that is, the day when the regulations were formally formulated, is also the most lively day. Children, in particular, jumped up and down early in the morning, went door to door to get snacks such as candy, and bent down with joy. On the day of "watching", every household prepares a pair of "three sacrifices" (pork, chicken and fish) to show their loyalty to God. I also bought some sweets, biscuits and other tributes, put them on the table prepared in advance, and put incense candles on it, waiting for the arrival of the "Gong" (Bodhisattva) team. When the "public" team comes, firecrackers will be set off to show that the snake gods and wild ghosts are in the way. In addition, when the gong comes, people must bow and bow, and put their hands together to be loyal to God and pray for his protection. After the gong came, people began to burn paper money, kneel down and kowtow with their hands folded. The villagers muttered to themselves with the Taoist priest, which means praying to God to bless all villages and townships and make everyone safe. The ceremony was very serious, orderly and pious. After the ceremony, every family will bring some incense sticks home and put them on the incense burner, praying that God will bless them, and all their wishes, old and young, will come true. After that, fireworks and firecrackers began to be set off, and in the deafening sound of firecrackers, "Gong" began to lift the sedan chair again. There are hundreds of people carrying the "Gong" team. Everyone is holding colorful flags, banging gongs and drums, and playing happy flutes to go to the next destination.
On New Year's Eve, there are still wonderful programs. For example, fireworks, movies, puppet shows, lion dances and drama (Cantonese opera is called drama locally). The program is rich and colorful, and the festive atmosphere is rich. On the day of "Tail Watching", a Taoist priest was invited to chant Buddhist scripture, waved a rusty sword, made some classic and funny moves, then set fire to paper boats, set off firecrackers and held a ceremony to send "Gong" back to the temple. At this point, the exciting year is over.