Eight eccentrics in Guanzhong
Eight eccentrics in Shaanxi, that is, eight eccentrics in Guanzhong, refer to eight kinds of traditional folk customs unique to Guanzhong area of Shaanxi (roughly including An, Baoji, Xianyang, Weinan, Tongchuan, north of Qinling and south of Loess Plateau). Due to the influence of climate, economy and culture, Guanzhong area has formed some unique ways in food, clothing, housing, transportation and entertainment. Guanzhong area in Shaanxi Province has rich historical and cultural accumulation, followed historical folk customs, and formed a vivid and interesting "eight eccentrics", which has become a hot spot for foreign tourists to explore with its unique charm of "ancient style, ancient rhyme and ancient Chang 'an".
The source of fame and custom
It is worth mentioning that although "Eight eccentrics in Guanzhong" is sometimes called "Eight eccentrics in Shaanxi", it is not completely reasonable. In fact, the custom of "Shaanxi Eight Eccentrics" only appears in Guanzhong area, not in most parts of Shaanxi. Shaanxi province has a great geographical latitude span. From north to south, there are three regions with great differences in natural conditions and cultures: northern Shaanxi (mainly the Loess Plateau), Guanzhong (mainly the Weihe Plain) and southern Shaanxi (mainly the Hanshui River basin south of Qinling Mountains). To sum up the whole Shaanxi with Guanzhong customs, there are conceptual defects of generalizing from point to area, and most of them are expressed as "eight eccentrics in Guanzhong" to remove ambiguity.
folk custom
Specific characteristics
The first monster
Squat up without sitting on the bench
Allusion 1: Historical records show that Jing Ke stabbed the king of Qin. The first emperor couldn't draw his sword while sitting on the floor, but he forgot to draw his sword when he fled, so he had to walk around on crutches.
Allusion 2: There is an allusion in the Eastern Jin Dynasty called "penniless", which is also about the custom of sitting on the floor. The change of this fashion should be that after the Jin Dynasty, the original intention of "sitting" was basically maintained in Guanzhong area, but the posture changed slightly, the knees did not touch the ground, the thighs pressed against the calves, and it became a squatting posture, and the fashion was passed down.
Guan zhong's "squatting scene"
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has become the most famous highlight in Guanzhong area, especially in rural areas. This strange phenomenon is unique in the world, and the "squatting scene" of Guanzhong people is out of print on the earth. Some people squat for a long time, their legs are not sore and their backs are not painful. This is a kind of hard work.
It takes kung fu to squat. Only after years of experience can you squat for a long time, take your time and be carefree. Few people "squat", but occasionally some Guanzhong people "squat" down and wait for the bus in front of Xi' an and Xianyang stop signs.
Guanzhong people call squatting kicking, and the history can be traced back to the distant Spring and Autumn Period. Guanzhong people like squatting, which evolved from "sitting" in ancient Chinese. The ancient people's original intention of "sitting" was to kneel down and sit side by side in the seat, keeping up with the weight of the ass behind their feet.
Squat up without sitting on a stool.
The second monster
Half-built house
The traditional home in China is generally in the shape of a person. This kind of house is called "Anjian" house in Guanzhong area, also called Fangshang. There are owners and old people living in it. The structure is a hall with bedrooms on both sides. In addition to the building, a courtyard also has a wing, which is called the house ovary in Guanzhong. The structure of the house is half "human", which is a "strange" house with half cover.
Why did you build the house in half? The first factor is poverty. It turns out that this semi-built house is a civil structure, which can save a lot of wood and realize the concept of building a house with less wood and more soil in Guanzhong. There is a wall called Zhaobi at the entrance of the traditional Guanzhong Courtyard, with a mansion ovary on the left and right, and the innermost room is the front hall. There is a jingle in Guanzhong, "If you have money to live in the north room, you can take shelter from the wind." Beifang refers to a house facing south, which is generally a safe house, but there are also luxury houses built in the direction of the yard. This quadrangle pattern is the mainstream of Guanzhong residents.
Guanzhong area is the cradle of Chinese civilization. When civilization grows, the cradle is broken. The bare yellow land lacks green clothes. Although there are Nanshan Qinling Mountains, it can't meet the needs of thousands of residents for housing, kitchen and storage. Smart farmers in Guanzhong built the ovary of the mansion according to local conditions, built three earth walls with loess, and left doors and windows on one side of the courtyard. The roof only needs a small amount of big wood to make purlins and beams, and the requirements for making small rafters are low. One of the three earth walls uses a fence, which saves the space of the courtyard and solves the problem of insufficient housing. "Half-built house" is a great landscape in Guanzhong, and it is also the product of low people's livelihood. This kind of house has plenty of light, but it is not well ventilated. Movable prefabricated houses are built in rural areas. The building materials revolution has changed the habits for thousands of years, and there are fewer and fewer houses built on half floors.
Half-built house
Most people say that "the house is half-built" means that fertilizer and water do not flow out. This kind of eaves drips into your yard, which can solve the problem of water shortage. But Guanzhong people don't need to pit water or collect rainwater. This statement is just an excuse and is not credible. This is not right. It is well known that Guanzhong is short of water. In order to alleviate the problem of water shortage, many people in Guanzhong collect rainwater from the roof into the cellar, and when necessary, use the "building" to pump up the water from the cellar and store it in the urn.
The third monster
Girls are not external.
This strange phenomenon exists in many areas, but in Guanzhong area, it is more prominent and more human. "A cow in two acres, wife and children are hot on the kang" is a portrayal of Guanzhong men. Its positive significance is that Guanzhong men miss home and their wives. In the era of small farmers, this thought was also orthodox. Since the men in Guanzhong are not bad, the girls here naturally love to marry local lang. In line with this concept, there is also the geographical advantage here. Qinchuan, 800 Li, has been a self-sufficient treasure since ancient times, with favorable weather, rich products and few disasters. Therefore, ordinary people are comfortable with the status quo and don't want to go out to make a living.
Girls don't marry.
In Guanzhong area, the concept of "golden nest and silver nest are not as good as one's own grass nest" has long occupied a dominant position. Guanzhong girl was born here, of course, she didn't want to marry far away. Besides, geographically, there is no place that can compete with imperial countries on all sides. Tongguan in the east will cross the Yellow River. Although the Central Plains there is good, there was a small disaster in the previous three years and a major disaster in ten years. Henan people fled to Guanzhong with their burdens. Can I get married in such a place? There is a saying in Guanzhong that "Tongguan is not short of people"; To the west is Yangguan, which has been a bitter and cold place since ancient times. In front of it is Wang Zhaojun's plaintive pipa throat for thousands of years, and behind it is which melon girl (silly girl, Shaanxi dialect). ) Would you abuse yourself as a shepherd's wife? To the south is the 800-mile-long Qinling Mountains. Historically, transportation was inconvenient and eating habits varied greatly. If you don't escape the disaster of war, who wants to go into the mountains? There is northern Shaanxi in the north, with deep ravines, beautiful mountains and water, and lack of water resources. There is a classic saying, "It is easier for us to hold hands when we meet!" It means that a young man and a young woman met on a high loess slope. You look at me affectionately, and I stare at you sweetly. If you want to hold hands gently when your feelings are strong, it will be miserable. Because a deep ditch in the middle lacks a magpie bridge, it takes a day to cross the dirt ditch across the street. Since you can't walk around, of course, it's good to marry a Guanzhong Lang, and the men outside are even more hopeless.
The fourth monster
Dad put it on his head.
This strange phenomenon is best explained in Guanzhong customs. In the past, people's living environment was poor, the loess plateau was windy and dusty, and the sun was scorching. Without shelter, it is impossible for women to go out to work and visit their families. It's not strange to have a handkerchief, is it? Sunshade, sunscreen, mask and sunglasses are the necessities of modern women. Women in Guanzhong didn't have such conditions before. It is good to have a beautiful cloth as a handkerchief in their life. This kind of homemade handkerchief plays a great role in visiting relatives and friends, returning to the door (back to my family) and working in the fields. Young women wear handkerchiefs with various patterns, which become amorous feelings and decorations.
Dad put it on his head.
Generally speaking, women put the sun and windshield on their heads. In Mao Mao, they can keep out the rain for a while. The handkerchiefs of Guanzhong women are very big. If necessary, it can also be wrapped as a handbag, and other uses can be imagined. The most important thing is not to get their hair dirty. Although Guanzhong area is known as "Eight Rivers Around Chang 'an", it is located in the northwest and is generally short of water. There were no bathing facilities before, and there were problems in other seasons except summer. It is not convenient to wash your hair, for fear of lice on your head. So men shave their heads, and women with long hair are in trouble, so they have to wrap their heads with handkerchiefs for fear that they won't be cleaned.
The fifth monster
Noodles are like belts.
Guanzhong's unique geographical structure and natural environment make it a region dominated by pasta. People in places dominated by rice and vegetables always wonder why Guanzhong people are not tired of eating noodles every day. In fact, in Guanzhong, smart Guanzhong women have developed pasta to a very high level. On a simple noodle, Guanzhong people have made dozens of patterns, such as stick noodles, single-sided, cold noodles, minced meat noodles, sour soup noodles, plasma noodles and so on. It's like a belt, but it's about the width and length of noodles. There is only one noodle in a bowl of noodles in Guanzhong area, but it is difficult for a weak woman to finish it. Among them, the stick is the longest, the minced meat noodles are the least, and a bowl of rice is only enough for one bite, so it has its name: full of fragrance. Most men in Guanzhong marry their daughters-in-law because of this woman's rolling ability.
Noodles are like belts.
The skill of making dough is at the level of kneading dough. Noodles that have not been kneaded will become lumps as soon as they are boiled in water, and then they will be scattered when they are boiled in water. Therefore, the length of this noodle can also be seen from the skill and calculation of this daughter-in-law, which is also a reason for the long noodles in Guanzhong area. Every lunch time, every man in a village takes out a big bowl, gets together, picks it up with chopsticks and smells good. Then everyone commented on whose daughter-in-law cooked well, and the praised man always said modestly, "What is this!" " In fact, the heart is as sweet as honey, and it is inevitable that backward men will scold lazy women when they go home. Wugong, Yangling, Ganxian, Fufeng and Qishan are the best in Guanzhong area. Because of the unique brewing of local vinegar, Changning vinegar and Qishan vinegar in Wugong county are famous one after another, so it is necessary to put vinegar in the noodles. The so-called "sour soup noodles and salty dumplings".
The sixth monster
Guo Kui Guo Xiang Gai
Legend 1: There was a war in those years. One side of the war is from Xinjiang. In Shaanxi, there was no dry food, only some flour was left. I had no choice but to mix flour and water, make cakes, put them in that helmet and burn them. It is durable and widely spread. After winning the battle, the soldiers asked the women to do the same, but there were no helmets.
Legend 2: According to legend, when Ganling was built in the Tang Dynasty, the construction progress was often delayed and punished because of too many military craftsmen in service. So, a soldier anxiously put the dough into his helmet and baked it into a cake in the fire.
Guo Kui's Practice
1, add water to flour, add baking powder and stir well. Sometimes a small amount of refined salt and eggs are added to ensure that the noodles are gluten-free, and the fried pot helmet is yellow outside and crisp inside, so as to preserve it for a long time;
Guo Kui Guo Xiang Gai
2. Knead the dough repeatedly until it is full of vitality and put it in the "live noodle" container for about half a day. After finishing and fermenting the dough, add pepper and sesame seeds in advance, put them on the chopping board and knead them repeatedly to make the dough surface smooth and energetic, and roll them into a pot-sized circle with a rolling pin;
3. Punch a number of small holes in the rolled dough, and cook it fully after the pot helmet is ready to be branded;
4. Heat the pot body with slow fire, and repeatedly wipe the surface of the pot body with vegetable oil. When the pot is shiny and has a residual temperature, put the rolled dough into the pot and steam it repeatedly with slow fire until it is cooked.
The origin of the name
In order to avoid waste, it belongs to the tradition of big family eating. In the past, every household in Guanzhong area had a big pot to cook, and the baked cake was equivalent to the bottom of the pot. Moreover, because the dough is well fermented and moderately thick, it is commonly known as "Guo Kui".
The seventh monster
You spicy zi yi Dao Cai
Guanzhong people have a soft spot for spicy food and like to eat it. They eat differently from other places. They don't eat dried Chili noodles, but eat greasy and spicy food. Qin Zanthoxylum bungeanum is very famous, not only full of spicy flavor, but also unique flavor. Spicy noodles are simple and interesting. It's also Chili noodles, but the taste of each family is different. The common practice is that the pepper noodles in the pepper jar can't fit, but 60% can. Put some salt, pepper or something. The raw rapeseed oil tastes the best and the oil temperature is very particular. If it is high, the Chili noodles will paste, and the taste of the paste is bitter; Low, not the taste of pepper, but the taste of raw oil. The oil temperature should be controlled at 80% to 90% heat, while stirring until the oil submerges the Chili noodles. At this time, the unique fragrance will be scattered everywhere and can be smelled all over the street.
Pepper is a dish.
Of course, there are many ways to be spicy, and each way tastes different. A small bowl of oil is endless.
The eighth monster
Qin opera doesn't sing or shout.
Singing opera here refers to the performance of Shaanxi opera. In fact, Shaanxi opera is not really a roar, but an actor's really hard performance, joking that it is "called skyshatter". In summer, there will be many spontaneous mass organizations singing Shaanxi opera around xi 'an City Wall. You really don't need a megaphone or anything. You can hear it from a distance. This kind of singing may be related to the language characteristics of Guanzhong people. This is simple, honest, honest, frank and high-profile.