Kitchen God, also known as Kitchen God and Kitchen God, is said to be a god sent by the Jade Emperor to monitor good and evil. In essence, he is a spy and spy sent by the Jade Emperor to every household. From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, he always stays in every household to monitor the words and deeds of the family. On the 23 rd of the twelfth lunar month, I ascended to heaven to report the good and evil of this family. However, the Jade Emperor was partial to listening and believing. According to the chef's tip-off, he gave the family good and bad luck to bring back in the new year. Therefore, people not only respect the Kitchen God as "the head of the family" and "the chef of the East", but also look down on him and even play tricks on him, which is very obvious in the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God.
Please invite a new "kitchen horse" before offering sacrifices to the kitchen stove. Rongcheng, commonly known as "kitchen horse head", is actually a woodcut printed calendar. In addition to the idol of the chef, the "kitchen horse" also has a calendar for one year. The contents of the calendar are added or deleted with the continuous improvement of the calendar.
Before offering sacrifices to the stove, first coat the stove with white mud, which means to wash and shave the face of "Master Chef" to avoid being buried in the ground. After dinner, offerings-rice, jiaozi, dining table, etc. -they are all arranged in front of the stove, but honeydew melons made of malt and sticky cakes made of glutinous rice noodles are indispensable. Some families also put a bowl of distiller's grains mixed with sweet potatoes. Eat honeydew melon, meet the Jade Emperor, and choose something nice to say. As for sticky cakes and distiller's grains, they are for those chefs who have not been bribed. Shut up. You can't open your mouth if you want to speak ill. After eating the cooking soil of distiller's grains, I was so drunk that I didn't want to complain at all. After the offerings were set, the family knelt in front of the stove, burned incense and worshipped, took down the old "kitchen horse", clamped it with "Gedeng stick" (sorghum straw), and incinerated it in the incense, while Master Chef rode to heaven. At this time, the man prayed while burning: "God said," Peace in the next world. "
When the old kitchen king ascended to heaven, the new kitchen king occupied the magpie's nest and became the "head of the family", sticking it to the position of the old kitchen king. The location of Rongcheng Kitchen King is generally posted on the wall above the East Pot in front, and there are also stickers on the west wall of Donglifang. On both sides of the "kitchen horse" of several people, there is a couplet: "Heaven speaks well and goes back to the palace for good luck", and horizontally approves: "Head of the family". More people have a down-to-earth attitude towards the chef king. Except for off-year holidays, I am not respectful on weekdays. "Chef's Horsehead" actually only plays the role of a calendar.
After quitting the kitchen, people who have been suppressed by various etiquette taboos for a long time have been liberated and started to prepare for the New Year "unscrupulously". Killing pigs and sheep and moving things are not bound by etiquette taboos, and they have the final say. Maybe this is also a kind of catharsis. On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, every household should steam sacrifices, commonly known as Rongcheng Steamed Sacrifice. There are many kinds of offerings, such as family offerings, heaven and earth offerings, etc., and they vary in size. The biggest is the cake provided by our family. Its bottom is at least a foot in diameter and six to seven inches high. It has three openings at the top, and dates are inserted in it, each weighing about five kilograms, commonly known as jujube cake. A few people who can't afford to buy dates can steam their heads and put a red dot on them after steaming, commonly known as a small cake, to show brightness, but it is the same size as jujube cakes and the number is ten. If such a big cake is steamed with steamed noodles, even rich people can't steam it. In the past, farmers' annual expenses mainly depended on selling wheat and peanuts, and steaming cakes had to cut corners. When making dough, the first side and the second side are made at the same time. When making a cake, first knead the dough into a ball, with a layer of dough outside, thicker on the top and thinner on the bottom, because when placing the offering, the bottom is down and the fourth is on the top, but it is covered by the fifth, and no one can see it. However, it's not surprising that the cake is steamed so well that it looks black. Every family is like this, and no one can see it. Heaven and earth are smaller than fists, commonly known as jujube cakes. Because they are small, they all use their heads and faces. Rice cakes are steamed into plates, commonly known as plate cakes, with dates inserted and without dates inserted. Order some red cakes on the cake surface, which are bright and beautiful. When offering, cut it into two squares with the same size and stack them together. Home is big, add drawers when steaming, and use incense when burning. One wick of incense has run out. The cake is steamed.
Steaming is the busiest and most exhausting, especially for mixing noodles. Neighborhood housewives are willing to help each other, and whoever opens first will help first. Even children and the elderly come in handy-insert the date; After the offerings are steamed, neighbors will look at each other's offerings. If the offering is made by a new daughter-in-law, she smiles well, people will praise her for her dexterity, and the new daughter-in-law will be beautiful from ear to ear.
After the offerings are steamed, put them in plates and dustpans. When they are completely cool, put them in wicker baskets and cover them with red bags for the New Year. If it is not cold, it will stick in the middle of the cake, which is not good-looking. The twelfth lunar month includes the twenty-ninth birthday, and Rongcheng is customarily called New Year's Eve. The busiest day, the main activities are:
Rongcheng is commonly known as the Spring Festival couplets, but strictly speaking, it is slightly different from the Spring Festival couplets. It's early morning to put up couplets. Mothers prepare new clothes and hats and put them on their children's pillows. Children wake up, put on new clothes, open the door with their father in a paste basin, set off firecrackers first, blow away bad luck and poverty, and then post couplets. The content of "Dui" has a strong sense of the times. In the Qing Dynasty, many people used words such as "one yuan revives, everything revives" and "the first spring of Xiangyang family is always there, and the rich celebrate more than enough". Even when Yuan Shikai was in power, the national emblem became five colors, and the people's flags were everywhere. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the content of "right" mostly praises the kindness of the party, such as "Wan Li is green in spring breeze, Kyushu is grateful to the party" and "the scenery here is unique and the mountains and rivers are much more beautiful". The reason why "Dui" was posted early is directly related to "Nian". Legend has it that Nian is a fierce monster that eats and kills people every New Year's Eve. One day, it just arrived in a village, ready to commit murder, and suddenly heard a crunchy "beep". Nian thought it was bombing it and ran away. In fact, it is the villagers who compete for the bullwhip. The breath of 2008 is uncertain. When I ran to another village, I suddenly saw a flash of red light, called him and scared him to run around. This time, a girl was drying her red coat, just in front of Nian. From then on, people knew that Nian was afraid of being red, so they invented firecrackers and Spring Festival couplets. Nian never dared to go into the village to hurt people again. However, Rongcheng posted a "yes", which is directly related to debt collection. In the past, poor families often borrowed money from rich families to prepare for weddings, funerals or disasters. At the end of the year, when the creditors clear their debts, they will send people to the debtor's home to collect debts. Entering the twelfth lunar month, debtors are forced to collect debts more tightly. As long as you hide on New Year's Eve and put a pair on the door, the debtor can turn around and leave, so that the debtor can celebrate the New Year safely. It is for this reason that Rongcheng's couples posted it early in the morning. During the Republic of China, an old man in Zhang Cun was even worse. Because he couldn't pay his debts, he posted a pair on the day of "off-year": "The sword, the spear and the halberd come to ask for the debts, but the needle tip can't afford to pay back the debts to Maimang", and horizontally approved: "Planning for the coming year". Then I locked the door and went to hide the debt. I didn't go home until the Spring Festival, and the creditors were very helpless.
Spring Festival couplets are different. You can eat it after breakfast. On New Year's Eve, you eat steamed bread with instant noodles in Yatou South. The dishes are exquisite, the folds are fine and beautiful, not worse than the three fresh steamed dumplings in the city, so it is safe and rich. Eating noodles in the north of the cliff is called stringing money, which indicates that the financial resources will be rolling in the coming year, and the rope for wearing money must be prepared in advance.
After breakfast, parents are busy worshipping God, while children stick Spring Festival couplets at home, such as "Looking up to see happiness" on the wall, "The way to make money" on the cupboard, "The harvest of grains" on the rice store, "Six livestock flourish" and "Mules and horses flock" on the corral. The word "Fu" is not only posted on the doorplate, but also posted everywhere, and the word "Fu" is deliberately posted backwards, which is called "Fu arrived". As for the little girls, stick grilles, what bug (little dragon), the combination of two immortals, is more than enough every year, beaming, making every effort to constantly renovate the pattern. If the adult deceased in the family is less than the third anniversary, don't paste red paper pairs, such as plain paper. The custom of posting Spring Festival couplets has not only continued to this day, but also added content. Since War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression's time, Rongcheng people, out of respect for the soldiers who defended their country and the families of martyrs who died for their country, have posted Spring Festival couplets for the families of martyrs on New Year's Eve, hanging red lights and glory cards to show their respect and sympathy. In the past, agricultural production came to an end on this day of each month and entered the slack season. Rongcheng people also ate two meals from that day on. Dinner is called "two dinners" and the time is between 3: 30 and 4: 00. The dinner on New Year's Eve is called "New Year's Eve". Rongcheng's New Year's Eve dinner is very particular, with rich food and wine. The difference is that the quality of the rich family is better than that of the poor family, but it must be filled with plates and bowls. The number is even, and each has its own name: four dishes are called "Four Seasons Get Rich", six dishes are called "Six Seasons" and eight dishes are called "Nothing". Anyway, they are all auspicious words. There is a rule for New Year's Eve-legally, guests are not entertained, guests are not invited, and neighbors are not invited to dinner. Only family members sit on the hot kang, eat reunion dinner and drink reunion wine. The staple food is rice dry rice. Before it is cooked, scoop out some to make paper for distribution, and then cook and eat. Every New Year's Eve dinner, including steamed buns in the morning, dry rice in the evening, and jiaozi in the first day, should be cooked more, so that the whole family can eat enough. Leftovers must be stored in the grain depot and covered with a red bag, which means "more than one year."
After the New Year's Eve, housewives are busy wrapping jiaozi paper, and the male host leads the children, carries a fragrant paper sacrificial plate, carries a shovel and carries a grey basket, and goes to the yard to offer sacrifices. When offering sacrifices, burn incense paper first. Drinking and worshipping. After the worship, the host shoveled to plant ash, spread a circle in the yard, made a cross on the circle, and put a pinch of grain in the center of the cross, which is called "grain storage". Sprinkle ash next to the circle to form a ladder, which is called a grain ladder. It means that the grain circle is too full and too high, and you have to step on the ladder to get there. After the grain store was saved, it burned paper, set off firecrackers and kowtowed. When they came back from the altar, they scattered a grain depot in front of their respective doors and put grain on it, indicating a bumper harvest of grain in the coming year. When you walk into the street gate, you can block the peach wooden stick that you have already prepared horizontally in front of the threshold, which is called the "door-blocking stick" to block the treasure, prevent the outflow and prevent bad luck from entering the door. Put down the fragrant paper tray, shovel and ash basket. The male host will insert a geometric and long carved paper product made of paper under his eaves, which is called "hanging sutra" in Rongcheng dialect. Hanging "hanging up" is equivalent to announcing the official start of the Chinese New Year. Because after hanging "hanging through", all labor activities are forbidden except sleeping and eating, and there are many taboos, such as not plowing, not weaving, not washing (clothes), not sewing, not catching (fish), not pushing (grinding), not picking (water), not weeding (grass), not sweeping, not splashing (water), not splashing (water). Also known as asking God, it is actually a kind of ancestor worship. After dinner and offering sacrifices, it will be dark. The male host led his son, carrying fragrant paper plates and offerings, carrying lanterns, and went to the ancestral grave to invite his ancestors home for the New Year. First of all, set up offerings, put lanterns, and walk around each grave according to the level of the world. Rongcheng called grandma grandma, and when he turned around, he said devoutly, "Please go home for the New Year, please go home for the New Year ..." Every grave was taken, incense paper trays and offerings were put away, and the road was still chanting until the "old father-in-law" was shown to the room where the altar was placed, commonly known as the house of worship, and was told that the "old father-in-law" had arrived home. Then, the lantern was nailed to the left-hand table of the altar. The male owner first took off the main cover of the statue, which was called Qi Xie in ancient times, and then lit candles and burned paper to kowtow. After this procedure is completed, the lantern leading the way can be put out and removed. Before asking God, family members and offerings must be complete, otherwise people will not be reunited and their wealth will be incomplete, which is why the whole family must eat together and cannot entertain outsiders. Since then, the candles on the altar have always been on, incense is lingering, and paper is burned at three o'clock every day to worship the ancestors. The scraps of paper in front of the incense table can't be swept away. At the same time, when asking God, the younger generation must strictly abide by the rules and provide seats on both sides of the table. No one is allowed to sit still, lest they compete with their ancestors for seats. Don't quarrel and scold, so as not to disturb or disrespect our ancestors. Don't spill the leftover water on the floor, so as not to confuse the drink. When offering sacrifices to gods, don't shout children's names, lest ghosts outside the door hear them, take their lives and make it difficult for children to raise.
God's memorial tablet only worships Tai, Gao, Zeng, Zu and Father, and the following Taizu is put into the genealogy and hanged as a sacrifice. People less than the third anniversary of their death can't be worshipped as gods, so they don't enter the family hall, but set up an altar to worship separately. The offering can be simpler than the family hall. On New Year's Eve, sending papers, greeting the God of Wealth, saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new year all take place at midnight. Maybe that's why you stay old. Paper was distributed to the table of heaven and earth. During the New Year's Eve, a table of heaven and earth was set in the south of the yard. For the convenience of walking, the table of heaven and earth generally uses a table of six immortals or a dining table. The offering is not as prosperous and complete as the main table of the gods. The sign said, "The gods of heaven, earth, three realms and all spirits really kill God", and the sacrifice time was before dinner. When offering sacrifices, burn incense and soju, kowtow and bow down, and pray for the blessing of Master Heaven and Earth. In the end, I can only get up by burning yellow watches, saying that it is "sending money to send vegetables." This god may be the Jade Emperor. Otherwise, why should ordinary people pay him the "national tax on imperial grain"? It's called offering sacrifices to heaven.
After asking God to come back, the whole family sat around the hot kang and began to observe the life of the elderly. People used to stay up all night. At midnight, every household sets up offerings on the table of Heaven and Earth: cakes, jiaozi, rice, wine, vegetables and so on. Parents lead the whole family to burn incense and paper, set off firecrackers, and worship the gods of heaven and earth first, then the door gods, kitchen gods, family halls in turn, and finally the ancestors. At the same time of these ceremonies, housewives cut a cabbage in the middle and read: "Cut cabbage, (home) grows fast!" After cutting the cabbage, I cut a square melon and read: "Cut the square melon to get grain (pronounced as" hurry "in Rongcheng dialect)!" It's called "excuse color" The paper-feeding creature wants to burn corn or straw when cooking. When he sent it, he said a word in his mouth: "Strong burning will promote agriculture." Days are like sesame blossoms-higher and higher. Pay attention to your language when distributing documents. No unlucky words. Parents have repeatedly urged the children and daughter-in-law who have just passed the door. After handing out the paper, I went to my home to worship my ancestors. When I got up to worship my ancestors, I took away the rose that had been placed next to the altar in advance. Offer incense trays and burn incense to worship outside the village according to the position of the god of wealth shown in "Jujube Horsehead". Then pick up a stone (not necessarily a stone, whatever hard things your hand touches first, such as clods and sticks, take whatever you touch), gently put it in the liter and turn around and go home. No talking on the road. When you get home, put the roses under the altar and cover them with red cloth. In some places, tables are set for the God of Wealth at home, gods of God of Wealth are hung, offerings are placed, and incense is burned for sacrifice. This is called "Welcome the God of Wealth". The god of wealth sacrificed longer than his ancestors. Roses can be taken out from under the altar from welcoming the god of wealth to offering sacrifices on the 16th day of the first month. Because the tenth five-year plan has passed and everything is thriving, the god of wealth will be responsible for ensuring the prosperity of a family.
When men greet the God of Wealth, housewives will make jiaozi and cook jiaozi at home. In the past, the dead jiaozi and the jiaozi on the first day of junior high school were all wrapped in the shape of an ingot. As the saying goes, it is called "the ingot is autistic". Jiaozi is about to pinch, and the two corners are alternately pinched together. After welcoming the God of Wealth, the whole family sits around and eats jiaozi, which is also called farewell dinner. After the agricultural co-operation, these customs gradually disappeared, and keeping the old also became a mere formality. Generally, the family sits together, makes a symbolic gesture, neither handing out paper nor welcoming the god of wealth, and goes to bed separately. Over the years, with the general improvement of people's living standards and the popularity of TV, TV programs are novel and attractive, and Jiaozi, who resigned in her later years, has prospered again. After watching the Spring Festival Gala, it is already one or two in the middle of the night. Old people and children may be asleep. How can young people have the heart to sleep? Paper was replaced by firecrackers. From midnight 12 until the morning of New Year's Day, firecrackers became bigger and louder.