Moving in the middle of the night is not a local custom in Lu 'an. In Lu 'an, moving is carried out during the day. Setting off firecrackers and "burning the bottom of the pot" are the most common customs of moving. On the one hand, setting off firecrackers is to drive away bad luck with firecrackers, on the other hand, it is also to express the joy of housewarming. In the past, everyone was a single house, and they were cautious about ghosts and gods in folklore. With the development of the times, people have long believed that setting off firecrackers can drive away bad luck, and folk setting off firecrackers is purely for celebration. The so-called "burning the bottom of the pot" means that the host's friends get together to celebrate the host's relocation. Generally speaking, firewood is required to express good wishes, hoping that the owner will live a rich life after moving into a new house. Celebrating others with firewood has also been eliminated by the times, but the custom of friends collecting money to express their blessings still follows.
Ma (Associate Professor, Wanxi University)
Setting off firecrackers is the psychological demand of citizens. As an important part of traditional culture, setting off firecrackers has many functions. Whether it is a happy event or a funeral, some people set off firecrackers to set off the atmosphere and vent their emotions. The fundamental reason is the national psychology and traditional habits of the Han nationality. The long-term farming life of the Han nationality leads them to hope for stability and long-term, attach importance to seeking happiness and exorcism, and setting off firecrackers just meets their psychological needs.
In the past, when we moved to a new house, we paid great attention to geomantic omen and had many taboos. We are afraid of unlucky things, and we attach great importance to them almost from the foundation stone laying, and every link is related to blessing. Now, although people live in the community, the geomantic omen and construction process are beyond the control of residents, but they still affect the lives of ordinary people to some extent.
As for setting off firecrackers in the middle of the night when moving to a new home, Professor Ma's understanding is that 12 is also the zero point of the next day, which is the moment when the old and the new alternate every day. People choose this moment in order to take its symbolic meaning, leave the past lifestyle and enter a better living environment and track. In the final analysis, this is a psychological effect.
With the changes in people's lives, things that could have been understood are slowly changing. People used to live in scattered places, and moving was an occasional thing. Even setting off firecrackers in the middle of the night won't cause any trouble to others. But now, people in the city live together, and every move will involve other people's lives. We should face up to whether personal lifestyle will bring bad influence to others. Everyone should consider the public and the general environment while seeking their own family happiness and psychological peace. We can express our pursuit and demand for a better life in other ways, such as posting Spring Festival couplets.
Xu (expert in folklore)
There is no custom of moving in the middle of the night in Lu 'an. In the past, urban residents generally moved during the day, and residents in surrounding rural areas also chose to move at dawn. In the process of moving, the sky gradually becomes brighter, which means "moving brighter and brighter".