According to the Qing Jiaqing this "Chenghai County Records": every year on the day of spring, the government must rate the men and horses to the outskirts of the Spring Ceremony, and then held a "whip spring bull" activities.
As early as in the Zhou Dynasty, there are spring whip spring bull activities. Every year, before the Spring Festival, each state government made clay sculptures of the god Mang and the oxen in advance. On the day of the Spring Festival, the government took the spring procession and came to the pre-prepared Manshen Pavilion and the earth cow platform at the eastern suburb of eight miles. Welcome spring procession of people are wearing green clothes, with green cars, green flag, people blowing the horn, singing the "Qing Yangqu", dancing feathers, jumping cloud dance, held a grand ceremony to welcome the spring. This ceremony developed to the Ming and Qing dynasties, is more grand, according to the Qing people's "Yanjing times": "...... spring first day, Shun Tianfu officials to the Dongzhimen a mile outside the spring field to welcome the spring, the Spring Festival presented into the Ministry of Rites spring mountain throne, Shun Tianfu presented into the spring bull figure, after the ceremony back to the Office, lead the spring bulls and hit the, said to hit the spring! ......"
The spring bull meant to encourage farming. Chaoshan is located in the Han River Delta fertile soil. Agriculture is very developed, and thus this custom related to encouragement of agriculture has been preserved in the Chaoshan area. However, the specific events have changed and it is not necessary to beat the ox.
2
Two, carry spring color
According to "Yue You Xiao Zhi", during the Qing Dynasty, there was also an activity called "carry spring color" in Chaoshan. In the spring parade, there must be decorated pavilion, sitting on the courtesan, carried by two people. Jiaying Meizhou area, there are high spring, short spring respectively: short spring for a person sitting on the stage; high spring with two people: a person standing on the stage, and then tied a straight wood, hidden in the person's coat, and the person's shoulder level. Then a wooden stick is tied across the top of the straight wood, which is hidden in the wide sleeves, and another person stands on the wood. For insurance purposes, the feet are firmly planted on the log, and the two men are dressed as characters from a story. Another person holds a long stick wrapped in cloth and sticks under the armpits of the person on top, marching with the procession to welcome spring. If an obstacle is encountered on the way, the person with the long stick uses the stick to push away the obstacle.
3
Three, eat spring cakes, spring rolls
The day of spring, Chaoshan folk also eat spring cakes, spring rolls a custom. According to the "Four Seasons Treasure Guide" says: "spring day spring cake, lettuce, No. spring plate." Spring cake is to wheat flour branded or steamed pancakes, to bean sprouts, leeks, vermicelli and other fried mixed vegetables as a filling wrapped in food. Spring cake is characterized by thin and soft, the shape according to the preference of each person can be large or small Yuan Dynasty when the Khitan Yelu Chu Cai had a poem on this common said: "yesterday's spring accidentally forget, try to make a spring plate I tasted. Wooden case first opened silver thread mess, sand bottle cooked lotus root long. And bowl of beans and shove onion white, fine cut artemisia point leeks. And also with the same has been full, the district why wait for the cream beams." Now the Chaoshan people spring day to eat spring pancakes, ingredients have been very elaborate in addition to the traditional bean sprouts fried leeks, there are shredded meat, shredded eggs, mushrooms and other high-level condiments, spring rolls were prevalent in the Song and Yuan dynasties, the Song Dynasty, known as the "spring" or "tanchun," the Yuan dynasty known as the In the Song Dynasty, it was called "chun" or "tanchun", and in the Yuan Dynasty, it was called "rolled pancake". Yuan - Han Yi "Yi teeth left behind" planted: "cakes and pancakes with the same, with two pounds of mutton, mutton fat a catty, or pork can also be. Probably like steamed bread filling, shall be more white onion or bamboo shoots and so on, installed in the cake, rolled into a line, both ends of the batter to stick to the floating oil frying, so that the red caramel color. "Chaoshan region less sheep", so now people eat more pork as ingredients, there is also a sweet, with dried fruits, sesame seeds, peanuts and other condiments crushed for filling, sweet and savory.
END
Precautions
The first of the twenty-four solar terms in the lunar calendar is commonly known as the "Spring Festival".
The beginning of spring, sometimes in the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, sometimes in the first month of the lunar calendar. Once the spring is over, it means the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
China has been an agricultural country since ancient times, and spring planting and fall harvesting is the key to spring. Proverbs have "a year's plan is in the spring" said. The old custom of spring, both an ancient festival, but also a major festival. The son of heaven in the spring, personal rate of the vassals, the doctor to welcome the spring in the eastern suburbs, the order of virtue and favor. Things remember the original" records: "the duke of zhou began to system spring soil cattle, cover out of the soil cattle to show farming morning and evening." Later generations of feudal rulers on this day to hold the ceremony of spring whip, intended to encourage farming, development and production.
Shanxi folk song popular spring character: "spring day spring wind movement, spring river spring water flow. Spring people drink spring wine, spring officials whip spring cattle." Speaking of the spring bull playing the spectacle.
The old custom of the spring the day before, there are two artists top crowns decorated with, one called spring officials, one called spring officials. Along the street shouting: "Spring is coming", commonly known as "spring". Regardless of the scholar, farmer, worker, businessman, see the spring officials have to bow and pay homage. Spring people encountered vendors store, you can take goods, food, shopkeepers welcome with a smile. On this day, the state and county to hold a grand "welcome spring" activities. In the front is a drum and music honor guard as a guide; in the middle are all the bureaucrats led by the state and county governors, all wearing official clothes; in the back is a team of peasants, all with farming tools. They came to the eastern suburb of the city to welcome the god of mango and the spring ox, which had been made in advance. When they arrive at the god of mango, they first perform the ritual of kneeling twice and kowtowing six times. After the deacon has poured wine from a jug and given it to the governor, the governor receives the wine and pours it on the ground, and then performs the ritual of kneeling two times and kowtowing six times. Then they go to the spring ox and bow before it. After the ceremony, they welcome the Manshin and the Spring Bull back to the city with the same bustle as when they arrived.
The next day at the time of spring, the local governor still leads his bureaucrats and farmers to whip the spring. The magistrates first hold certain traditional rituals. The magistrate presides over the ceremony of welcoming the spring, the first dedication of the jewels, the second dedication of the jewels, and the final dedication of the jewels. Then the colorful whip hit the spring bull three turns, after the ceremony back to the office. The peasants will break the spring bull.
Now, the city is no longer held in the spring whip activities, some rural areas are still playing the custom of spring bull. Before the spring, with clay molding a cow, known as the spring cow. Women holding children around the spring bull three times, the old saying can not suffer from disease, now has become entertainment. On the day of spring, the village elected an old man, with a whip symbolically hit the spring cow three times, meaning that the start of the year's agricultural work. Then all the villagers will break the mud cow, split the soil and back, sprinkled in their respective farmland. Lvliang region prevailed in the use of spring ox soil on the door to write the word "Yichun". It is customary to paint the horns of plowing oxen with spring ox soil in Southeast Jin, which, according to legend, can avoid cattle plague. In the south of Jin, it is customary to paint the stove with spring ox soil, which is said to be able to get rid of ants.
The Spring Festival, folk artists to make a lot of small clay cattle, known as the "spring cattle". Sent to each home, called "send spring". The master to give "send spring" to the person to pay. It is essentially a festive sales event, but it is a happy occasion for all. In some places, a yellow paper with a spring bull on it is put on the wall. Yellow represents the land, the spring ox represents the agricultural affairs, commonly known as "spring ox figure".
The Spring Festival, girls cut color for the swallow, known as the "spring chicken"; paste feathers for the butterfly, known as the "spring moth"; wrapped velvet for the staff, known as the "spring pole". Wear them on your head, and they will compete with each other. Southeast Jin girls, like to exchange these head wear, legend has it that the main silkworm prosperity. Xiangning and other places used to make small dolls made of silk, called "Chunwa", worn on the children. Jinbei region is concerned about the sewing of small cloth bag, filled with beans, grains and other miscellaneous grains, hanging on the horn of the oxen, meaning that the six animals are thriving, the five grains, all year round, peace and good luck.
The Spring Festival, folk customary to eat radish, ginger, green onions, cakes, known as "bite spring". Yuncheng area, the newly married woman, the mother's family to take back, known as "welcome spring". Linfen area is accustomed to ask the son-in-law to eat spring cake.