Spring Festival is the most solemn traditional festival in China. Hakka people celebrate the New Year from the 24th of the twelfth lunar month to the 15th of the first month, which means that the New Year begins with the traditional "off-year". After the Lunar New Year, every household prepares new year's goods, such as fried rice noodles, rice candy, fried tofu, chicken, duck and fish, incense and firecrackers. In addition, it is indispensable to take time out to clean the courtyard and clean the doors and windows.
On the day before New Year's Eve, Hakkas will steam "New Year's (New Year's) rice" with big wooden retort, which is also called "New Year's rice". When offering sacrifices to ancestors, 12 pairs of chopsticks and 12 garlic should be inserted in the "new year meal" (a pair of chopsticks and a garlic should be added in leap years). It is necessary to burn paper money for oranges, grapefruit, etc. Some people have to put a few silver dollars (meaning they have food to eat and money to spend). "New Year's Meal" will be served for several days. On the third morning, the "New Year's Rice" will be steamed again and eaten by the whole family, which means "there is surplus food at the end of the year". After the fifth day, new rice will be put into the pot to cook new rice.
On New Year's Eve, families put up couplets and New Year pictures early, and then prepare for the New Year's Eve. New Year's Eve dishes are different according to the economic situation of each family. There are usually fish, chickens and ducks. When having New Year's Eve, there is usually a dish made of sweet potato powder and pork called "meatballs", which symbolizes reunion. One of the most exquisite dishes is "Nian Tang", which mainly includes meat, radish, meatballs and mushrooms. There are two things to do before eating New Year's Eve: First, serve steaming "New Year's Eve" to the elders; The second is to burn incense to worship ancestors and set off firecrackers. Later, only the whole family could have a family reunion dinner. This meal must be eaten, which means that they are one year older after eating the "New Year's Eve". After dinner, the old man will wrap auspicious "lucky money" for his children, and it will be finished on New Year's Eve.
In the early morning of the first day of the first month, men get up early to wash, then light candles and set off firecrackers, and every family wishes each other a New Year. The New Year is a year, a month and a day of the year. Ancestors called it "Three Dynasties". After that, put a plate of vermicelli, rice candy and peanuts, and be sure to eat them, indicating that there is a way to eat during the New Year. Hakka people are used to eating "longevity noodles" for breakfast on the first day of junior high school, because the length of noodles symbolizes longevity. Then the children will pay New Year greetings to their elders, who will give them candy and oranges, and some will give them "red envelopes", formerly known as "hanging their necks". When visiting relatives for New Year's greetings, they usually bring gifts such as orange cakes and sugar. The host will prepare tea and fruit for entertainment, and some will even stay to drink "New Year's wine" and eat chicken legs. There is a lot of stress on this day, don't fish for food, don't sweep the floor, don't draw water, and don't say unlucky things. Breakfast should also be lent, mainly celery and tofu, which means hard work and getting rich.
On the second day of the first month, the most important thing for Hakkas is to kill a capon and pour chicken blood on paper money, which is called "blood money". After breakfast, the whole family dressed up, brought candles, firecrackers, tea, wine and vegetarian dishes, and went to the grave to worship their ancestors. After the sacrifice, the family began to pay New Year greetings from door to door, drinking hot wine and saying good wishes. On this day, the married daughter of Hakkas has the custom of going back to her parents' home to visit relatives. They took chickens, candy and other gifts to visit their parents and reunite with their families. On the third day of the first month, Hakkas began to visit relatives.
On the fifth day of the first month, polder fields around the country began the first polder day of the New Year, commonly known as "opening polder". On this day, people are busy performing. There are many toys and snacks, as well as lion dances and dragon lanterns, which are very lively. Folklore, on this day, Hakkas also have the custom of "burning paper in front of the door", which means "the New Year is over", and then they will turn to normal life and production. However, rich families will play until the Lantern Festival.
On the morning of the seventh day of the first month, every household cooks porridge with seven seasonings, such as fried fruit, fried tofu and bacon, commonly known as "Qibao soup". Hakka people believe that eating "Qibao Tang" will lead to a year without disease and disaster. It was not until the fifteenth day of the first month after the Lantern Festival that the traditional China New Year ended.
Nowadays, many contents have been added to the New Year in China, feudal habits have been obviously reduced, people have held various cultural activities and sports competitions, and traditional festivals have taken on new colors.
Hakka in western Fujian: Eat "carpal tunnel" and "longevity dish" on New Year's Eve.
Hakka people in western Fujian are in the preparation stage for the Chinese New Year, starting from the New Year's Day holiday on 25th, 2008, until New Year's Eve.
On New Year's Eve, the most important thing for Hakkas is to become popular (posting Spring Festival couplets and red paper) to show their prosperity. After that, they stick to the door gods, worship their ancestors, prepare new year's meals, and keep the old age. "Carpal tunnel" and "longevity dish" are indispensable dishes for Hakka people in western Fujian. "Carpal tunnel" is braised pig's trotters. This braised pig's trotters is very special. Not only rotten, but also fragrant and delicious. Some ingredients here are local plant roots, so the fragrance is unique. "Longevity dish" is actually a whole chicken or a whole piece of pork cooked in a pot, and then the whole radish and mustard are added, which has a profound meaning.
At the dinner table, Hakkas also pay attention to how to eat. The head of a chicken is eaten by the elderly, the chicken wings are eaten by men who go out, and the children who study eat chicken arms (legs). The wine spilled on the table is regarded as making a fortune, and the broken bowl is regarded as adding vegetables. The fallen chopsticks are regarded as eating. The Hakkas in ................................................................................................................................................. use three special oil lamps to light the hall, door and stove until dawn. If the night is bright, it will mean good luck, peace and prosperity in the coming year.
Hakka in South Jiangxi: Many Taboos
Hakka people in southern Jiangxi have many taboos during the Spring Festival. On the first day of the first month, don't dump garbage or splash water outside, and don't pick vegetables in the vegetable garden. On this day, don't swear, say auspicious words. Don't throw bowls and chopsticks on New Year's Eve, Spring Festival, big festivals and festive days. From the first day of the first month to the fifteenth day of the first month, avoid borrowing or urging loans from others. Travel in the New Year, and avoid the presence of women. On the fifth day of the first month, it is the birthday of the "Five Grains God". On this day, no family can cook uncooked rice, but only cook uncooked rice the night before and steam it the next morning. At dawn, every household burns incense to welcome the "God of Grains" to the barn and pray for "a bumper harvest of grains".
Hakka people in southern Jiangxi pay attention to "good luck and good luck", and say auspicious words on the first and fifteenth day of each month, and say "yes" when "nothing" happens. Ningdu drum, small cloth and other rural "hats" should be called "oil" because "hat" is homophonic with "wool". New bereaved people are afraid to go to other people's homes for the New Year. The third day of New Year's Eve is called "Poor People's Day". Most people don't go out or socialize. The thing to do on this day is to send the garbage cleaned since the first day of junior high school to the edge of the village, light three incense sticks and burn them, commonly known as "sending the poor out"