Hakka Spring Festival Customs The Spring Festival, commonly known as the New Year, is the largest and most solemn festival of the year. Entering the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, men are looking for ways to find more money to buy new year goods, while women are cutting more firewood and mowing grass to prepare for the New Year. December 25th is the "New Year's Day", commonly known as "Ghost Locks the Mountain Gate". Women do not go to the mountains to cut firewood and mow grass, but clean and maintain hygiene at home to welcome the New Year. In the 12th month of the lunar calendar, every household begins to prepare "New Year's goods" and rush to make "New Year's ingredients". The indispensable New Year products are as follows: Sichuan sugar. A kind of sucrose produced in Longchuan, Heyuan, Zijin and other places. It is characterized by its strong stickiness and is suitable for making rice cakes. Almost every household purchases hundreds of kilograms of it. New clothes. Each person should at least make a new set of clothes, a new pair of shoes, and buy a new pair of socks. m per year. Generally speaking, each household must prepare enough food rations for at least one month, and the drums are not allowed to be used until the "first month". In the past, there were no processing machines such as rice mills, and all the work was done manually using rice mills and rice mills. The workload was very heavy, and most of the time it took three or four days of hard work to complete. Fried rice cakes. Its production process is as follows: boil sticky rice or glutinous rice and dry it in the sun, then mix it with sand and heat and stir-fry it in an iron pot. Some use vegetable oil to fry it, which is called fried rice. Then fry the Sichuan sugar into a slurry, put the fried rice, peanuts, sesame seeds and other ingredients into the syrup, stir well, scoop it up, put it in a wooden frame made of boards, lay it flat and compact it, and cut it into rectangular pieces with a knife. Fried rice cakes taste sweet and crisp, and are loved by both adults and children. Making fried rice cakes is very technical. Not only the ingredients must be in proportion, but also the "heat" should be paid attention to when frying. If it is not done well, it will not form into lumps, and it will become loose rice and not edible. Generally speaking, a bucket of rice should be paired with 2.5 pounds of Sichuan sugar. You can only have more, but not less. Pay special attention to the "heat". Experienced people put a bowl of water on the stove. When the Sichuan sugar is fried to a certain point, it will begin to slurry. Use bamboo chopsticks to drop a little syrup into the water. If it becomes "pine nut spots", immediately extinguish the flame at the bottom of the pot and put it out. Put the fried rice into the pot and stir continuously. Try it with your hands. If it is very sticky, take it out of the pot, pour the fried rice into the wooden frame, spread it out and compact it until it solidifies, then use a knife to cut it into small pieces. Oil fruit. Also known as "fried fried dumpling". The preparation of oil fruit is relatively simple. First, grind the glutinous rice into powder, and add 2.5 kilograms of Sichuan sugar for each bucket of glutinous rice. Boil the sugar into sugar liquid and knead it evenly with glutinous rice flour. The longer you knead, the softer it becomes. After kneading into a dough, knead it into dough balls the size of ping pong balls. Stick white sesame seeds on the surface, and then put them into a pan for frying. , fry until deep red and serve. During the Chinese New Year, the fried fruits are steamed until soft and used as a drink. This is an indispensable food for every meal during the New Year. Pink skin. Grind the sticky rice into rice milk, add soybeans, sesame seeds, peanuts and other ingredients. Pour the rice milk into an iron spoon and fry it in an oil pan until it is deep red. Fried rice noodles taste crispy and are suitable for all ages. It is also one of the foods to entertain guests during the New Year. Sesame crisp, peanut crisp. The production method is similar to that of fried rice. Use sesame and peanut kernels as raw materials, fry Sichuan sugar into a paste, stir it with the fried sesame seeds and peanut kernels, pour it into a tin basin, flatten and compact it, and cut it into small cubes. Sesame crisps and peanut crisps are also indispensable foods during the Chinese New Year. The above several annual ingredients are necessary for every household and are all processed and made by themselves. In addition, citrus, melon seeds, biscuits, and candies are also indispensable. Most of these annual ingredients have to be purchased at the market, and the quantities are not large. They are mainly used to entertain guests. The above-mentioned annual materials are usually basically prepared before the "Enter the New Year" (the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month). The 25th day of the twelfth lunar month is the defining date for entering the new year, which means that after the 25th day of the twelfth month, the Chinese New Year begins. People who go out to work and do business have to rush back. The days from the 25th to the 30th of the twelfth lunar month are the most stressful. Men, women, old and young are all busy and nervous. They mainly carry out the following post-new year preparations: cleaning the house. Cleaning the house after entering the new year is extraordinary. It is really a three-dimensional general cleaning, and the whole family does it. After a thorough cleaning, the indoor and outdoor windows are clear and clean, people feel extremely comfortable, and everywhere presents a scene of removing the old and replacing the old with the new. Grind tofu, dry fish, kill pigs, chickens, ducks, etc. Around the 278th day of the twelfth lunar month, every household starts grinding tofu. Most farmers have small fish holes in front of their homes. Around the 278th day of the twelfth lunar month, all the fish are released into the water to catch fish. On the one hand, the fish are used to make dishes, and on the other hand, it is convenient to dig the holes to make fertilizers after the Spring Festival. At the same time, pigs began to be killed one after another. Most people use thirty or forty kilograms of pork during the Chinese New Year. Some families kill a big pig during the Chinese New Year. The main purposes are: 1. Gifts to relatives and friends. Each relative should give two to three kilograms of pork as a gift, especially to the father-in-law. More meat will be given as gifts from relatives, and the number of pork gifts from newly married relatives will be even more considerable, otherwise they will be ridiculed as "lonely ghosts". The whole family is busy until December 30th. All the new year's goods and materials are ready. The whole family is happy, especially the children. They are eating well, wearing well, and not being scolded or scolded by adults. People who go out to do business or work have to rush home for the "Reunion Dinner" on New Year's Eve at the latest. This day was also the busiest. We worked tirelessly to do what everyone had to do, but everyone was happy and cheerful. The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month is also called New Year’s Eve. Things you must do on this day are: take a pomelo leaf bath. In the morning, pomelo leaves are picked. After noon, every household puts the pomelo leaves into a pot of water and boils them. Everyone takes a hot pomelo leaf bath, which is meant to wash away the dirt, "poor energy" and "debilitating energy" and dry them out. Enter the new year cleanly. After taking a pomelo leaf bath, you put on new clothes, new hats, new socks, and new shoes, making you look brand new from head to toe. The dirty clothes you changed must be washed on the same day. Therefore, taking a pomelo leaf bath means removing the old and bringing in the new. This custom has faded year by year. Send it to Mr. Zao.

Purchase the statue of the God of the Stove from the town in advance, write down the name of the stove (name and age of the family), prepare ingots, incense candles, three animals, wine, fruits and other sacrifices, set up an "Eight Immortals Table" next to the stove, and place the sacrifices. The items are placed on the table. The whole family, old and young, gathered in front of the statue of the Kitchen God to salute, and devoutly sent the Kitchen God back to heaven to report on his duties. They prayed that the Kitchen God would bless and eliminate disasters with his kind words in front of the Jade Emperor, so that the fortune would be prosperous and the family would be safe in the coming year. When people worship, most people only pray a few auspicious words to the Kitchen Lord, such as "bless and eliminate disasters, and protect the family's safety." Educated and knowledgeable families should also solemnly place sacrifices and read the sacrificial inscriptions, which are as follows: "You are still the head of the family. You are the first of the five sacrifices, and you cook in the tomb and kitchen. Isn't there any blasphemy? Prosperity depends entirely on the power of support. We are grateful on weekdays and pay tribute on this evening. We look down upon the slightest worries and protect the elders and children in order to increase their happiness." This custom is practiced by a few elderly people. Outside, too much is no longer enough. Respect ancestors. After breakfast on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, anyone who had a son that year would send someone to clean the ancestral temple and paint the walls of the ancestral temple. In the afternoon, people successively brought gift boxes, three animals, firecrackers, ingots, incense candles and other sacrifices to the ancestral temple to worship and offer incense. After the salute, firecrackers were set off, and some fired blunderbuss. Every afternoon on New Year's Eve, the ancestral temple is filled with incense and the sound of firecrackers continues until dusk. This custom has also faded in recent years. Paste Spring Festival couplets and New Year pictures. The main door and small door are pasted with red Spring Festival couplets, the lintel is pasted with the word "profit", and the door panel is pasted with the words "good luck" or "good luck" such as door god or "luck". Kitchens, cattle pens, pig pens, chicken fences, toilets, etc. should also be pasted with red paper "peach charms" such as "wealth and wealth are prosperous" and "six livestock are prosperous". The hall, bedrooms and guest rooms are all decorated with New Year paintings, creating a joyful scene. Have a reunion dinner. The reunion dinner on the New Year's Eve is the most solemn family banquet. There are many rules: 1. The separated son must return to his parents for a "reunion dinner" on New Year's Eve. 2. Arrange seats. Elderly people must take the seat, and then move down according to seniority. At the same time, several empty seats should be reserved on the table, and a few empty bowls and chopsticks should be placed, in order to allow the deceased ancestors to come back and reunite as a sign of respect for the ancestors. 3. All prepared New Year dishes should be served in a bowl. If there are many dishes, a large round table should be used to express abundance. 4. Open the precepts. Parents usually do not allow their children to drink alcohol, but they break the rule during the New Year's Eve reunion dinner, and children can also drink alcohol as an exception. 5. Taboos. Men, women and children cannot say unlucky words. Some people are worried that children will not be able to comply, so they put a red note on the restaurant wall in advance with the words "Children's words have no taboos". Do not drop bowls or chopsticks. If you accidentally drop bowls and chopsticks, recite: "Good luck and good fortune" while cleaning up. If the bowl is broken, wrap the broken bowl in red paper and place it somewhere high and inconspicuous. When eating, the younger generation should serve dishes and drinks to the elders, and wish the elders happiness, prosperity and longevity. Everyone in the family, old and young, is polite, speaks kindly and cordially, and the atmosphere is full of unity, peace, respect for the elderly and love for the young. Send out lucky money. New Year's money is also called "profit". When old people give out new year's money to their children, they should put new banknotes into red paper bags and distribute them one by one. The younger generation should also give "profit" to their elders. Children can use "profit" money on their own without any interference from their parents. Wash dishes. According to the ancestral teachings, people should not eat meat on the first day of the Lunar New Year but should eat vegetarian food. Therefore, after the New Year's Eve family dinner, all tableware must be washed, and there must be no meat or fishy smell, otherwise it will be disrespectful to the ancestors. All meats that are meaty are stored in one place and sealed with paper strips, which is called "Feng Sui". This is objectively good for the stomach. Stay up late. After the reunion dinner, oil lamps (kerosene lamps) are lit everywhere in the house. The whole house is brightly lit all night, which is called "Lighting the New Year's Fire". Families gather together to taste fragrant tea, fruits, melon seeds, peanuts, candies, etc. The elders tell the younger generations family and clan history, and educate the younger ones to remember the ancestral precepts, inherit the ancestral virtues, be diligent and thrifty in running the family, and be united and harmonious. After telling family and clan history, some people beat gongs and drums, and some set off fireworks. They all can't go to bed early, which is called "keeping the New Year's Eve up". Generally, you have to wait until midnight to open the door and set off firecrackers to welcome the New Year before you can go to sleep. Children can be an exception. Some people simply make noise until dawn. Open the door. The early morning of the first day of the first lunar month (i.e. midnight) is the time to see off the old and welcome the new. Every household opens the door and sets off firecrackers. At this time, the deafening sound of firecrackers can be heard in every corner. It is really a lively scene with thousands of firecrackers going off. (In recent years, the setting off of firecrackers has been banned in Heyuan City and some counties. bamboo). Generally, the door is opened by the elders, and the person who opens the door should shout loudly: "Open the door with great luck, good luck and great prosperity." The halls, kitchen halls, main gates, and small doors are all lit with big red candles, and incense is burned in worship to welcome the New Year and the God of Wealth. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, young and old alike get up early. According to legend, not getting up early on this day means a bad year. After getting up, she brushes her teeth and washes her face. The woman goes to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. In fact, the rice and vegetarian dishes have been prepared the night before and they just need to be reheated. Men carry plain boxes filled with candies, rice cakes, ingots, incense candles, etc. to worship at the ancestral temple. The altar in the ancestral hall is filled with various vegetarian tributes. Young and old salute, and then go home for breakfast. Breakfast, lunch and dinner on New Year's Day are all vegetarian. Vegetarian dishes include yuba, vermicelli, golden leaves (day lily), fungus, tofu skin, mushrooms, celery (symbolizing diligence), garlic (cost-effective), onions (smart), etc. Although there is no meat such as chicken, duck, or fish, Very rich too. pay a New Year call. After breakfast, parents take their children to their elders' homes to pay New Year greetings. When they meet the elders, they bow and present "profits" and wish them "long life" and "happy new year". The elders also return the favor, handing out "profits" and candies to the children and wishing the younger generation "a happy family and all the best." Those senior and older people have juniors visiting their homes almost all day long to pay New Year greetings, and they are overwhelmed. Although I am a little tired, I am also proud and gratified. When people of the same age meet, they congratulate and wish each other well, and send each other "goodies" and candies to each other's children.

When meeting each other on the first day of the Lunar New Year, be sure not to ask for medical advice, otherwise it will not only be boring but also cause disputes. The first day of the new year also has the most taboos. In addition to not saying unlucky words, you are not allowed to change clothes, sweep the floor and take out garbage, go to the river to fetch water, herd cows, pigs, chickens and ducks, beat or scold children, or break ground. Do not break up household items. If something bad happens, it will be remembered for the whole year, so be especially careful when doing things on the first day of the new year. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, also called "Reunion Year", people generally don't go out. I started eating meat today. The third day of the Lunar New Year is also called "Poor Ghost Day". Get up early in the morning and the whole family starts cleaning, commonly known as "sweeping the poor people". The cleaner they are, the better. If there are a few scraps of paper on the ground that have not been swept away, they will be regarded as "the poor people". In short, all garbage must be swept away. When cleaning, you should also recite "The poor come out, the rich come in." The garbage collected is collected and sent to a wild river far away from the house. It is burned on the roadside and firecrackers are set off to indicate that the "poor ghosts" have been driven away. Although sweeping the floor on the third day of the Lunar New Year contains some superstition, it is also in line with hygienic requirements. Sweeping is not allowed on the first and second days of the Lunar New Year. There is a lot of garbage accumulation, so it is time to do a big cleanup on the third day of the Lunar New Year. Because the third day of the Lunar New Year is the "Poor Ghost Day", the whole family, old and young, does not go out or visit other houses. If you accidentally enter the door of another house, you will be regarded as a "poor ghost" by others, which is unlucky and unwelcome. Therefore, people generally do not enter other homes on the third day of the Lunar New Year. If there are special circumstances where it is necessary to come to the door, the owner of the house should be called out to talk. If the guest consciously refuses to come in, the host will not invite the guest in. On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, women begin to bring gifts such as pork and rice cakes back to their parents' homes and visit relatives. Everyone walks together, talking and laughing along the way, which is very lively. Men began to carry out recreational and sports activities, also called "making New Year's Eve" or "making New Year's Eve". The traditional folk cultural and artistic performances mainly include: "Lion Dance", "Dragon Dance" and "Lantern Dance". Starting from the fifth day of the new year, I started working one after another.