Guangzhou’s annual Spring Festival Flower Market Guangzhou is known as the Flower City and has been engaged in flower cultivation for more than a thousand years. Nowadays, the annual Spring Festival Flower Market has attracted the attention of the world and has become a major folk custom in Guangzhou. Every year on the eve of the Spring Festival, the streets and alleys of Guangzhou are filled with flowers and bonsais, and all major parks hold Spring Festival flower exhibitions. Especially three days before New Year's Eve, colorful buildings and flower stands are erected on the main streets in various districts. Flower farmers came one after another to set up flower markets, sell flowers and enjoy flowers, and the crowds of people surged. The ten-mile long street was full of flowers, and the crowds continued until the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year before they dispersed. This is Guangzhou's unique Spring Festival flower market. Guangzhou distributes "riches" during the New Year. It is a custom in Guangzhou to distribute "riches" during the New Year. In interpersonal communication, "riches" are a must. Of course, the so-called "profit" refers to red envelopes. When relatives and friends meet, adults should give "profit" to their children. Among the citizens of Guangzhou, the citizen class is very particular about giving double envelopes, and it doesn't matter how many banknotes are included, but it is rude to not have "lushi". Therefore, when visiting Guangzhou people's homes during the Spring Festival, it is better to bring more red envelopes. Save yourself the trouble. Even at the entrance of shopping malls, kumquat trees will be hung with "profits" for anyone to pick for good luck.
Heng Chong said that as early as the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, Fuzhou people began to be busy preparing for the New Year. According to the tradition of Fuzhou people, they do not kill animals after the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, so the meat to be eaten in the first month must be prepared before then. Women at home hang the slaughtered chickens and pigs from the ceiling, wait for them to dry and then stew them, then put them in an urn and marinate them with wine and various ingredients.
Hou Hengchong said that such a jar of food is not only a delicacy on the reunion dinner table, but can often be eaten until the end of the first year.
On New Year's Eve, before having the reunion dinner, Fuzhou people would worship their ancestors. Among the many sacrifices, Hou Hengchong was most impressed by the horseshoes and rice cakes. Horseshoes grow in the fields and have strong vitality. Using horseshoes to worship ancestors has the hope that the ancestors will bless the family and have successors.
Fuzhou people’s rice cakes are different from the rice cakes commonly seen in local markets. They are about the size of a tray and have different tastes. Therefore, Fuzhou Guild Hall will order rice cakes for members every year so that fellow villagers can taste the unique ones. Fuzhou style rice cake.
When worshiping ancestors, rice cakes must be sliced ??and fried, then placed on a plate and placed on the table. Fuzhou people attach great importance to rice cakes. In addition to worshiping their ancestors, rice cakes are also a dessert at the reunion dinner table. Even if they don’t eat them, they are indispensable at the dinner table. In addition, red fermented chicken, Fuzhou fish balls and meat swallows are also delicacies on the reunion dinner table of Fuzhou people.
Fuzhou people also have an interesting custom. After the reunion dinner, parents have to use toilet paper to wipe their children's mouths, which means that children's words are unbridled. If the children say something wrong, they hope that the gods will not blame them.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, before Fuzhou people go out to pay New Year greetings, they must first offer sacrifices to heaven. Bamboo strips and rice are a must-have sacrifice. The rice is served in a container made of bamboo strips, with a paper red flower inserted in the middle and chopsticks inserted around it, which means praying to heaven.
According to tradition, Fuzhou people also eat a bowl of Taiping on this day. It is noodles soaked in red fermented chicken soup, and two eggs are added to the noodles. Now some people use quail eggs instead. As the name suggests, Taiping eats peace.
Hou Hengchong remembered that Fuzhou people’s Lantern Festival was also very lively. Wandering God is a major festival, with the sound of drums resounding in the sky, the crowds surrounding the place, and the sound of firecrackers rising and falling, pushing the festive atmosphere to the climax.
Hou Hengchong returned to Singapore in 1959 when he was 20 years old. Over the past few decades, due to various factors, the traditional customs of Fuzhou people during the New Year cannot be fully preserved.
Hou Hengchong said that for example, many Fuzhou families have non-Fuzhou members. In order to adapt to the eating habits and preferences of members of different origins, these families have to add some non-Fuzhou foods, making the food on the reunion dinner table even more difficult. It’s not just Fuzhou food anymore.
He said: "This is the result of changing times. Older Fuzhou people should not be stubborn. Under the principle of peace as the most important, we should make appropriate adjustments in line with the times."
New Year customs in old Shanghai
The Spring Festival has been in China for thousands of years. But for a long time, the name "Spring Festival" refers to the "beginning of spring" among the twenty-four solar terms in a year. It was not until the Revolution of 1911 that overthrew the Qing Dynasty and the founding of the Republic of China that Sun Yat-sen ordered the country to switch to the Gregorian calendar. Subsequently, the New Year should also be changed to New Year's Day of the Gregorian calendar. However, the Lunar New Year has, after all, become a traditional festival celebrated by all the people. The solid and profound customs and national culture are difficult to change. The celebration of the Lunar New Year continues every year and is strong every year. Due to the emergence of a new Gregorian New Year's Day, to show the difference, since the Republic of China, the Lunar New Year has been called the "Spring Festival" in solar terms.
In the old days, the "New Year" began on December 23 of the lunar calendar, and it lasted until the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and a fixed routine was formed. Let’s take a look at how Shanghai used to “celebrate the New Year” in the old days.
The twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, that is, the twenty-fourth day of December, is the day when the "Kitchen God" goes to heaven to perform tasks. Therefore, on the night of the twenty-third day, every household will "send stoves" and "sacrifice stoves" to celebrate the New Year. This kicks off. On that night, every household would worship the Kitchen God in the hall, and more often than not, they would offer wine, fruit, water chestnuts, wild rice, good fish and good meat on the kitchen stove next to the statue of the Kitchen God. There is a bamboo poem saying: "Fame and fortune" Prosperity means less disputes, and God's blessings are all in your mouth. There is nothing else to offer now, and you can buy fresh meat and fat for fish.
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The Kitchen God went to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor the good, bad and human faults of the year. In order to prevent him from saying too much, people also offered food made with caramel when "giving the stove" It is said that eating sugar ingots and other treasures will stick to his teeth and make him unable to speak clearly, so that he can speak less and not say bad things about the world. During the "send the stove", each family will light incense candles. It is night, the house is filled with cigarettes, and all kinds of offerings are dazzling. The atmosphere of celebrating the New Year has suddenly arrived.
The twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month is the day when the gods descend to the lower realms. According to tradition, every household dusts and sweeps away the accumulated dust of the year. This was quite serious, and in today’s terms, it can be called an active and large-scale mass sanitation campaign. After this day’s work, every household was clean and tidy. It's a big day, the supplies are more orderly than before, and the inside and outside look fresh, like a new year.
From this day on, every household began to be busy with all aspects of the New Year. The first thing to do is to buy and prepare all kinds of food for the New Year. Every household must grind flour to make glutinous rice balls. The former means "reunion and reunion", and the latter is delicious. "Be happy" and "be happy every year". The second is to prepare new clothes, new hats and new shoes. People generally wear old things throughout the year, but they must look through their "outfits" in the New Year; the third is. People began to buy Spring Festival couplets, New Year pictures, and "door gods" to post on doors, upstairs and downstairs. During this period, in order to meet the needs of the public, there were many varieties of these things sold in the market. For example, when buying Spring Festival couplets, stores usually choose "Business is booming all over the world, wealth is abundant in Sanjiang", while ordinary households usually choose "The sky increases years and people live longer, spring brings happiness to the world", etc.
< p>This period is also the busiest time for stores in the middle of the year. On the one hand, it is the season when business is booming and sales are at their peak. On the other hand, the end of the year is when every store cleans up its accounts for the year and asks debtors for outstanding debts. Period. So each family sent a special person to handle the matter, and a large-scale "debt collection" team appeared in the city: "carrying accounts and cloth bags in hand, walking across the street from east to west." Stepping into the heavy door, I hurriedly called for answers, sir, everything I owe must be returned. "There are those who repay debts readily, but there are also many who cannot repay debts on time due to various reasons. Debt collectors are burdened with heavy responsibilities and pursue them relentlessly. They often work day and night, regardless of the cold weather at night.Among those who cannot repay their debts on time, many are actually completely unable to repay their debts. In addition to debts owed to the store, these people are likely to also owe personal debts that will be repaid at the end of the year. At this time, these people are faced with the pressure of collecting money from two aspects. However, according to the convention, debt collection and debt collection can only be done until New Year's Eve. They cannot collect money during the New Year. If they don't, they will be asking for "bad luck". It is unlucky. Therefore, New Year’s Eve is the last hurdle for those who avoid debts and debts. If they escape this hurdle, they will have to deal with debt collectors next year and try their best to get through this hurdle: " The creditor comes with a lot of holes, and it is difficult to come back without any plan. I have no choice but to go on stage to avoid it. If I can avoid it, I will get rid of it. ”
However, except for the poor people mentioned above, generally speaking, when the New Year comes, everyone is extremely happy and cheerful. After all the preparations mentioned above, the New Year’s Eve that we look forward to every day finally arrives. Now, the New Year's celebration has reached its climax.
The beauty of New Year's Eve is at sunset. Parents and children gather indoors. Even those who are away from home should try their best to go home with their families beforehand. During the New Year, everyone sits together under the lights and eats the "New Year's Eve dinner", eating and drinking, talking and laughing. This meal lasts for a long time, which is the end of a year of hard work, so it is called "New Year's Eve Dinner". "Family fun".
This night follows the New Year, so the elders of many families do not go to bed after the New Year's Eve dinner, but stay up by the fire while talking and laughing. It feels like the night is getting darker and longer. At midnight, some people will go to the temple in the city to burn "first incense".
Every household, men, women, old and young, will stay until the rooster first crows and the sky is dim. Put on new clothes, new hats and new shoes, worship heaven and earth, and worship ancestors in the hall where the offerings have been placed. Then the young and the young will pay New Year greetings to their parents, and the parents will give their children the lucky money they have prepared before. This is what the children have been talking about. The long-awaited greetings are finally in hand. Then the doors are opened to welcome the new year, and neighbors meet each other to greet each other.
Every day since the first day of the Lunar New Year is a time for relatives and friends to visit each other. Bring more gifts and treat guests with "Yuanbao Tea", which is to put green fruit in the tea or put a green fruit on top of the tea lid. The fruit is also served to the guests in a gold lacquer plate, and they say "Congratulations! May you wish." At that time, elders had to give New Year's money to their younger counterparts, which was a big burden for those with financial difficulties. However, by the end of the Qing Dynasty, this kind of New Year greetings had become more common in Shanghai. When people go out to pay New Year's greetings, they often don't enter the door, but just throw in a thorn, saying that they have already come to celebrate the New Year, so that they can save entertainment and expenses: "In exchange for the peach charms, they will have new colors, and short robes will be put on in front of the door. Who is most afraid of having his waist broken frequently and throwing stabs in a hurry to celebrate the New Year? ”
In addition to walking around each other to express New Year greetings during the New Year, the rest of the time is spent “celebrating” with various parades and entertainment activities. For those who go out for outings, the most visited places are the Chenghuang Temple and The connected West Garden (i.e. Yu Garden): “If there is nothing to do in the New Year, I will be happy and happy. I will walk across the Jiuqu Bridge in the garden. Suddenly I heard children clapping their hands together, and whose kite was waving for a long time.
"However, since the establishment of the concession in modern times, the colorful Shili Foreign Market has become infinitely charming and has become a good place to have fun during the New Year, especially for those who live outside the foreign market: "People in the city love to go to the foreign market, while people outside the city strive to enter the temple garden. At the same time, people generally watch movies happily, and everyone talks to each other in silence." There are also people who go out to watch theater, listen to books, and drink tea. After the opening of the port, prostitution was very popular inside and outside Shanghai's ocean, and some people took advantage of this period to go on erotic tours, so Fireworks fields everywhere are busy: "New Year's weather glasses are newly polished, and money is thrown like a shuttle. There are thousands of Chu palaces and Qin towers, and there is lots of laughter when the fruit plate is open." Of course, more people often stay at home, and indoor fun can be found, such as inviting relatives and friends to build a "square city", playing drums and piano, He sings and sings by himself, etc.: "Food, fresh clothes, and joy change every year, and beautiful people throw insults at each other to borrow their names." Every house is closed for three days (referring to merchants), either with the sound of signs or the sound of drums. ”
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, it is the birthday of the God of Wealth (commonly known as the “Lutou God”). There are people all over the country to “receive the God of Wealth” and to receive the “Five Road God of Wealth” (which means the five roads of east, west, south, north, middle). , the move of "connecting the God of the Road". The God of Wealth is related to "wealth", and everyone is related to it, especially the opening of businesses, so they celebrate the most vigorously. Shanghai has long been a prosperous commercial city in the southeast, and shops can be seen everywhere. It is understandable that the celebration is particularly lively. Merchants offer three kinds of animals to the God of Wealth: pig heads, carp, and rooster. Villagers in rural areas sell fresh carp to every house. Carp is also called "Yuanbao fish", so it is called "giving Yuanbao as a gift". "
On the fifth day of the lunar month, a new portrait of General Zhao Gong was hung in the middle of the merchant hall. Except for the three animals, the other offerings were extremely rich. Incense and candles were lit, filling the hall with light. Then firecrackers were set off indoors and outdoors, one after another. The whole city roared, and the sound shook hundreds of miles continuously, and its sound and momentum were even stronger than the dawn of the first day of the Lunar New Year: "The firecrackers can't stop making noise, and the God of Wealth is busy fighting to welcome them." I just hope that business will be good this year, so why not arrive at the fifth shift for pick-up and drop-off? ”
Finally it’s the 15th day of the Lantern Festival. When the 15th month is over, it coincides with the meaning of reunion and good luck. On this day, every family must eat "Yuanxiao", that is, glutinous rice balls, which also means reunion and good luck. But the prosperity of the Lantern Festival lies in the "lanterns", so it is also called the "Lights Festival". Every house and shop hangs lanterns in front of the door, and public places such as temples, gardens, and squares display lanterns. After sunset, thousands of lanterns are put on, stretching all over the city, and the lights shine brightly in the sky. There are various lanterns, plant lanterns, animal lanterns, character lanterns, story lanterns, etc. The most common ones in Shanghai are rabbit lanterns, ingot lanterns, and ingot lanterns. Among the revolving lanterns, the largest and most exciting one is the "dragon lantern": the dragon body has a head and a tail, with flashing scales, and a long 9-section neck, which is held by a dragon dancer and held by a special person like a big bead. "Rolling lanterns", circling, chasing, and even fighting with the dragons. They dance in the streets and alleys of Shanghai.
At that time, groups of men, women, old and young will come out to watch the lanterns. The City God's Temple and the West The garden is also the center of the event. The pavilions and pavilions are decorated with lights, and the large rockery and high rocks in the garden are also lit with fireworks, which is the most attractive place for the audience. Looking at the lanterns, what you can appreciate is a special kind of "popularity": the so-called "the bead curtains are not rolled up for ten miles, the lantern watchers look at the lantern people", this is the unique artistic conception that the Lantern Festival night continues until the night. Deep in the evening, when the lights were off, everyone began to go home slowly. According to one theory, this day happened to be the day when the Kitchen God returned, so they would be catching up with the Kitchen God soon. In the dawn of dawn, this year's Spring Festival celebration comes to an end (Text/Zheng Zuan)
Chongming Spring Festival Customs
The Spring Festival is a major traditional festival in our country. It is the first festival of the year, so it is particularly valued by people. As the saying goes: "There are different customs in hundreds of miles, and different customs in thousands of miles." Due to the unique geographical location of this county, the Spring Festival customs are slightly different in different places. The scenes and shots before and after the Spring Festival in the past years immersed readers in the deep nostalgia.
Twenty-fourth night
Starting from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, People who have worked hard for a year start to get busy to celebrate the Spring Festival. The night of the 13th or 24th day of the twelfth lunar month is collectively called "Twenty-fourth Night". According to legend, this day is the day when the Kitchen God ascends to heaven. It is a common folk belief. It is a custom to send the Kitchen Lord to heaven on this night. On this night, people use "rolled silver packets" (stuffed with green vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, etc., and then wrapped in louver), "24 sugar", and red bean rice as sacrifices. Eat, light incense and candles, offer sacrifices to the Kitchen Lord, prepare paper money, tie colorful bridges, kowtow to worship, then set off firecrackers, and before burning the statue of the Kitchen Lord and the front curtain (commonly known as "Xixuan"), the head of the household faces the statue of the Lord. Saying auspicious words and praying to oneself, such as "God will bring good things, the lower world will be safe". This custom has been eliminated, but the old custom of eating red beans and rice and rolling money bags still exists after the 24th night. It is getting busier and busier. People in both urban and rural areas on the island are doing general cleaning, commonly known as dusting the eaves. They are busy washing bedding and tents, making wine, frying peanuts and broad beans, and purchasing food. People in both urban and rural areas on the island generally grind flour and steam cakes. The custom continues to this day. Because "cake" and "gao" are homophonic, people are looking for good luck every year. The methods of making cakes vary from place to place in the county. In Shangsha, steamed sponge cakes are the main ingredients, in the central region, sticky cakes are steamed, and in Xiasha, the main ingredients are steamed shoe sole cakes. Poor people use sorghum flour and white corn as the main ingredients for steamed cakes. raw material. In addition, people should prepare some tin foil, paper money, incense candles, ingots, tea, food and fruits as sacrifices to worship the gods.
A few days before New Year's Eve, people also put up New Year's couplets, hang their ancestors' portraits on the main wall of the nave, arrange sacrifices, and when New Year's Eve arrives, they light incense and candles for future generations to pay their respects. Before New Year's Eve, people also carry out hoarding, that is, putting lime in sacks and printing on the ground, hoping for a full warehouse of grain in the coming year. These events are now gone. Some farmers also pile up garbage, useless chores and weeds in the city outside and set them on fire to pray for good luck and safety in the coming year.
New Year's Eve
The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month is New Year's Eve, commonly known as New Year's Eve. On this day, all the New Year decorations are arranged, such as writing Spring Festival couplets, posting door gods, etc. In the evening, the whole family gathers together to eat New Year's Eve dinner. The dishes are much richer than usual. The main dish is made of cabbage sum, tofu, etc. and then wrapped in a louver roll. It is called a money bundle to show that the wealth will come in the coming year. This night is the happiest day for children because their parents and elders send them lucky money. In the old society, people without money had a hard time on this day. According to the old rules, the debts of the year had to be paid off that year. If the debts could not be collected at the end of the year, they could not be collected by force on the first day of the new year. The debts could not be collected until the lights went out in early February. Therefore, creditors send people everywhere to collect debts on New Year's Eve, and those who cannot repay their debts have to hide and cannot return home until the first day of the Lunar New Year. Therefore, there used to be a saying in the past: "It is easy for farmers to have food during the new year, but it is sad to have no money."
Spring Festival
The first day of the first lunar month is the Spring Festival, commonly known as the Chinese New Year. The first thing every family does in the early morning is to set off firecrackers, which is called "opening firecrackers". Its original meaning is to drive away evil spirits, but later it means opening the door to good luck, promotion and fortune. It’s the New Year, adults and children put on new clothes and neatly dress, the whole family sits around the table, and eats a sumptuous breakfast, which is mainly vegetarian, plus glutinous rice balls (yuanzi), sugar rice cakes, to show family reunion, every year Gao, and mixed a bowl of red bean rice from the 24th night of last year into breakfast, commonly known as "old rice", which means good food for the next year. After breakfast, the children greeted their neighbors, relatives, friends and elders one by one with respectful greetings. There are many taboos on the first day of the first lunar month. You cannot use knives, splash water, go to the water bridge to wash rice, sweep the floor, open the back door, move firewood, speak dirty words, hit people, and sleep too late. etc. Even the firewood used for cooking rice and vegetables must be placed in the furnace hall with sesame stalks, soybean stalks, etc. to make a crackling sound. The stronger the fire, the more auspicious it is, which predicts that everything will be prosperous and prosperous this year. In addition, on the third day of the lunar month and the beginning of the year On Friday morning, every family would cook breakfast and light incense candles before the meal to pray for the prosperity and safety of the whole family.
In the old days, there were more beggars during the Spring Festival. There was a kind of beggar who went begging not because of poverty at home. , but to practice filial piety. It is said that when the elderly live to the age of ninety-nine or eighty-one, there will be a gate of death. Only by eating "hundred families' food" can they pass through this gate unharmed. So filial men and women who have elderly people in their families are here. On the first day of the New Year, I go out to beg for food for my parents. There is also a kind of beggar commonly known as "beggar". Their way of begging is funny. Some beggars wrap vegetable heads in red paper and hang them on bamboo poles. Saying that the vegetables have arrived in front of the door, business is good, and begging for alms, this is called "giving vegetables". Some people use paper and bamboo silk to make a cow shape, and go to the door of each house and say all kinds of good and auspicious words in order to ask for alms. This is It is called "giving spring cows"; some people hold a holly or cypress branch and hang some small bells and ancient coins on the branch, indicating that in the new year, the family will be like a money tree, with financial resources rolling in. This is called a "money tree" ; Some beggars wear Buddhist robes and masks of gods, disguised as the God of Wealth and Bodhisattva, and run wildly in various houses to show that the God of Wealth and Bodhisattva is coming. This is called "jumping on the God of Wealth". In the old society, Chongming people Although they live in poverty, they are still kind to these beggars and give them some dry food and other food. After liberation, these ways of doing business have long since disappeared.
In the eyes of Hainanese, all folk customs They are all done artificially according to people's will and wishes. Therefore, in Hainan dialect, all folk behaviors are preceded by the word "do", such as doing Qingming Festival, doing in-laws (that is, getting married), and People in the north "celebrate the new year", while Hainan dialect calls it "making the new year". It should be noted that "making the new year" refers to "making the old year", that is, celebrating the Spring Festival. While in the north, celebrating New Year’s Day is called “making New Year’s Day” in Hainan. However, in rural areas of Hainan, "New Year" is not "done" in previous years.
As the saying goes in Hainan, "The year is afraid of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the moon is afraid of the fifteenth day." As soon as the Mid-Autumn Festival is over, preparations are made for the New Year in the countryside: caponing roosters, stuffing ducks, penning domestic pigs, and preparing New Year money. As soon as we enter late December of the lunar calendar, the "New Year" atmosphere becomes more and more intense!
The first is to send "Zao Gong" on December 24th. According to legend, "Zo Gong" is the god sent by the Jade Emperor to supervise good and evil in the world. He must report to the Jade Emperor on this day every year. To this end, every household uses bamboo handles or branches to clean the front and back of the house, inside and outside the house, and above and below the house. The incense burner must also be cleaned and replaced with new ashes. At night, wine and fruits are prepared as sacrifices to the "Zog Gong". "Send off.
As soon as the "Zao Gong" was delivered, the head of the family was busy "promoting the market".
In the past, the "cities" in various towns and villages had 365 days a year. Only in the past few days did the "cities" have "issues"! Those who sell three birds, those who sell gold and silver incense candles, those who sell Beijing fruit candy cakes, those who sell "doll paintings" (New Year pictures), those who sell "Wang Le plaster" (that is, travel around the world), those who sell bowls, chopsticks and pottery basins, those who sell "New Year Festival" "oranges", those selling all kinds of clothes... buy whatever is available, those who buy pork, dry vegetables, wet vegetables (i.e. seasonal vegetables), "gong worship" offerings, and clothes to wear during the New Year , those who buy New Year paintings and couplets... Throughout the morning, in each "market", people came to carry burdens, carry baskets, push carts, hold children, old, young, men, women... People come and go, and the flow never stops. Farmers use burdens to pick up new year's goods and carts to push them. They spent all their savings from a year of hard work! A year's worth of consumption energy has been unleashed in just a few days!
The words that acquaintances in "Fa Nian Market" ask each other when they meet are: "Brother! Is the chicken capon (that is, the castrated rooster) fat?" "Third sister-in-law! Is there a chicken?" "Third wife! Do you want the children in your house (that is, your family) to come back to celebrate the New Year?" Will you send back the New Year letters sent by relatives from overseas? ”
People are filled with the joy of “making the New Year”, and put the New Year pictures they bought in the living room, and put the couplets on the lintel of the door. Red paper "profitable" was also posted on furniture and fruit trees. A few days ago, every household was busy soaking glutinous rice, grinding rice milk, and making rice cakes. Wenchang and other places were busy making rice krispie treats and peanut candies (these rice cakes are made in large quantities, both for home consumption and as gifts). , usually until the end of the first month).
Every time at this time, whether it is dignitaries and literati working in large, medium or small cities, whether they are traffickers and foot soldiers, whether they are driving cars and selling pulp, whether they are honoring their ancestors, their pockets are dry. No matter how big or small they are, they bring their wives and children back to their hometown where they were born and raised...
There is a saying in Hainan that goes, "Thirty nights - the knife and anvil are not idle." Because in Hainan, no matter how poor a family is, on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, if they want to borrow money or rice, they will kill chickens and ducks. Seven large plates and eight large bowls of braised pork, pig's trotters, meat dishes, and vegetarian dishes are placed on the Eight Immortals table in front of the incense burner, waiting for sacrifices. After the ancestral ceremony is over, firecrackers are set off, and the food is taken down after it has cooled down. The whole family eats the New Year dinner around the stove (commonly known as "circling the stove"). On New Year's Eve, after taking a bath, men, women, and children all put on new clothes, which means saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new. Even in the coupon era, people had to save kerosene on daily basis. Starting from the 30th night, lights would be lit in every room and every household would have lights, day and night, for several days in a row until dawn on the fourth day of the lunar month. Commonly known as "Fa Leng", it means "adding children and making a fortune". On the thirtieth night, many people "stay up all night" and stay up all night until the first day of the Lunar New Year arrives. At this time, according to the time, every household competes to set off New Year's Eve firecrackers, which means "welcoming the spring and bringing blessings", and then each younger generation kowtows and salutes to their elders. , wishing "good luck and longevity", and the elders give "New Year's money" to the younger ones.
In the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, both young and old have to get up and eat "vegetarian rice" (that is, to be clean and white in memory of their ancestors). "Zhai rice" is not only similar to Islamic halal food, but also just like northerners must eat fish during the Chinese New Year (every year has more than enough), the food must also have auspicious meanings, among which must be fried eggplant (eggplant, which means a year in Hainanese) better than last year), stir-fried water celery ("celery" and "qin" are homophones, and hope that the whole family will work hard in the new year), long vermicelli (meaning a smooth and flowing life), yellow tofu shaped like a gold ingot Qian (meaning to attract wealth)...
On New Year's Day, there are many taboos: you can't carry water (you have to fill the water tank on New Year's Eve), you can't sweep the floor (even firecracker paper, nutshell paper Even if the crumbs are scattered all over the floor, you can’t sweep them away (it’s said that the “God of Wealth” has been swept away), you can’t curse, fight, or break utensils (meaning “harmony and harmony”), and you must say auspicious New Year greetings when you meet...< /p>
The customs of New Year greetings are different in different parts of Hainan. In some places, people come to visit people on the first or second day of the Lunar New Year, but it is boring to come on the third or fourth day of the Lunar New Year. In some places, they are not allowed to visit other people’s homes on the first day of the Lunar New Year. New Year gifts usually include citrus fruits or orange leaves sandwiched in the gifts to express the blessing that "this year will bring good luck and good luck".
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, a married daughter takes her husband and children back to her parents' home to pay New Year's greetings. If it is the first year of marriage, she will bring her own firecrackers and set off a string of firecrackers before entering the door to express her notice. The most solemn New Year greetings are when daughters and sons-in-law pay New Year greetings to their father-in-law and mother-in-law. On this day, everyone else in the family (especially the elders) must be at home to accept the New Year greetings. The father-in-law and mother-in-law have to prepare a sumptuous feast, and when the daughter and son-in-law leave in the afternoon, they have to give the daughter candies, rice cakes, etc. wrapped in red paper to "greet the way."
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, some places in Hainan call it "Chaokao", which means that the dry rice, chicken, and duck heads and feet specially cooked for the New Year's Eve are stir-fried in a pan with oil before eating to express this. If something is leftover from last year to this year, it also means that the year has passed.
Singapore: Thousands of people buy rice cakes
The Spring Festival is the biggest festival of the year in Singapore. In the New Year market, there are a wide variety of New Year goods. The traditional Chinese customs of celebrating the Spring Festival in the past, such as worshiping stoves, welcoming gods and eating New Year's dinner, have almost all been preserved by the Chinese in Singapore. To this day, Chinese people in Singapore still believe that rice cakes symbolize "prosperity every year" and oranges symbolize "good luck", so they are a must-have for every household during the Spring Festival. Singapore also imports rice cakes, tangerines and potted kumquats from China's Guangdong and Hong Kong. During the Spring Festival, thousands of people come to the New Year market every day to buy rice cakes and other new year products.
Indonesia: It’s finally legal to celebrate the New Year!
On January 18, 2001, Indonesian President Wahid announced that the Spring Festival would become an official holiday in Indonesian Chinese society. This is another concrete measure towards ethnic and religious equality in Indonesia after Wahid lifted the ban on Chinese celebrating the Spring Festival last year. As early as the 1960s, the then Suharto regime promulgated various laws and regulations that discriminated against the Chinese, including not allowing the Chinese to celebrate their own festivals. After the new Indonesian government was born in October 1999, it was determined to implement the policy of equality for all races and religions. On January 17, 2000, Wahid signed a presidential decision to abolish the ban restricting Chinese people from celebrating the festival in public, allowing Chinese Indonesians to legally celebrate the Spring Festival for the first time in more than 30 years.
Malaysia: Mahathir’s speech
The year 2001 just left was the year of Malaysia’s economic recovery, and the Chinese in Malaysia are waiting for the Spring Festival with a happy mood.
As usual, many shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur will arrange colorful dragon and lion dance performances, as well as singing by singers and artists and other festive activities during the Spring Festival from New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival. Chinese political parties and groups will hold a New Year's greetings. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will also deliver a Spring Festival speech and participate in group worship activities to share the joy of the Spring Festival with the Chinese.
Vietnam: The zodiac sign Rabbit turns into a cat
Like China, the Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival in Vietnam. On New Year's Eve, unprecedented dragon dance, lion dance, song and dance performances will be held across Vietnam. It is worth mentioning that although Vietnam also has twelve zodiac signs, it is the only one that does not include rabbits, and instead uses cats instead of rabbits. Why is there no rabbit but a cat among the Vietnamese zodiac animals? There is a saying that "Mao" of the twelve earthly branches has the same pronunciation as "cat". When it was spread to Vietnam, "Mao Year" was misunderstood as "Cat Year"; some people also say that Vietnamese people do not like rabbits but like cats. They think that among the twelve zodiac signs, since If there are rats, there should also be cats. Cats can defeat rats.
Perhaps this reflects the Vietnamese people’s concept of “ecological balance”!