Folk custom performances and entertainment

Welcome to the gods - Shuiji folk performance

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the first month of the lunar calendar was held to welcome Shuiji. The Shensai Festival is rare in all parts of Fujian Province. Not only does it last for more than 20 days, but its scale escalates day by day. By the night of the 21st of the first lunar month, the streets were empty. Here, not only are there games every night, but there are also games during the day.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, starting from the "Shiji Linghou" in Shitoufang Yongling Temple, at about 9 o'clock in the morning, there were a number of young and middle-aged people in Youli, playing gongs and drums, and running along the street carrying the gods to shape their bodies. , young adults from each workshop can block the road and snatch it. After they get it, they can play and hide it. The main workshop staff need to search separately, and continue the game after snatching it back. It is commonly known as "Le Weng Dad". The competition lasts from day to midnight, and then rests until the participants are exhausted.

On the night of the second day of the Lunar New Year, "Xu Zhenjun" from the Jiangxi Guild Hall was originally scheduled to participate, but fights occurred every time, causing public outrage and he was removed from the competition. Since then, there will be no games on the second night of the Lunar New Year every year.

On the third night of the Lunar New Year, the first match of "Wenchang Emperor" in Qitoufang continued until the night of the 21st, lasting twenty nights and four days. Seven gods participated in the game: Shiji Linghou, Wenchang Emperor and Grandfather Lao Buddha. The most frequent visit was "Shiji Linghou", which took up nine nights and three days. The most solemn and grand event of the competition is the "ancestral Buddha". There are five to seven dragon lanterns, two to three groups of fish lanterns, and colorful platforms (commonly known as Tieji). On each platform, two children are dressed as ancient characters. There are more than 20 lanterns carried by four people and paraded through the streets, and dozens of gongs and drums. There are hundreds of direct participants, and thousands of people from all over the country come to watch the lanterns. At this point, the meeting to welcome the gods in the first lunar month of Shuiji (commonly known as lantern viewing) has come to an end.

According to research, the Shuiji Yingshen Competition began in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, because the people in Shifang of the market town basically belong to the "top ten surnames", and most of the surnames were moved in from other provinces or other places in the province only in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. Among the seven gods, "Emperor Wenchang", "Emperor Guansheng" and "Marshal Tong" are public gods; the five brothers "Shiji Linghou" have lived in the local area for generations and are powerful. Others are sectarian and local. For example, the "Zugong Lao Buddha" was brought in by the founding ancestor of the Zhou family. The family temple in Ruishui Jiqian is at Liping Qingtian Rock, which entered Fujian from Jiangxi. "The Holy Mother of Heaven" is the title of "Mazu", commonly known as "Grandma Mazu" and is worshiped by people from Fuzhou (Sanshan Guild Hall) and Tingzhou (Tingzhou Guilduan). The former competes on the 13th of the first lunar month, and the latter competes on the night of the 15th On tour. Therefore, the main purpose of comparing the superior and inferior at the meeting to welcome the gods is to compare their respective status, power and financial resources, so that their respective status and sphere of influence will not be shaken or violated. This custom was abolished in 1950, and most temples were used for other purposes.

August Temple Fair - Shiji Temple Celebrations

Shuiji's "Shiji Temple" was built in the late Tang Dynasty and was renamed "Sanhou Temple" (commonly known as Dahou Temple) in the early Song Dynasty. Temple), the whole temple covers an area of ??nearly 10,000 square meters, and has three halls: the main hall is dedicated to Duke Jiang (common name Jiang Yuan, known as Lord Shiji, and was awarded the title for his contribution to the fight against the Huangchao rebels); the right hall is dedicated to Guanghui Hou (common name Lin Bixing, He was awarded by sacrificing his life for righteousness); Zuodian Zhaoweihou (commonly known as Zhang Xian, he was awarded the title of marquis for his integrity and selflessness, benefiting the people and benefiting the people, commonly known as "King of Hell"). According to legend, August 11th is the day when a marquis builds a temple. On that day, people from eleven squares kill pigs and sheep and go to the temple to offer sacrifices. The ceremony is grand. In normal years, there are dozens of offering tables. In addition to whole pigs and whole sheep, there are also three kinds of animals, lucky fruits, fruits, etc. placed on the decorated long offering tables. Each offering table is carried into the temple by four people and placed there. at a designated location. After the sacrificial ceremony, eight pairs of honor guards, including big gongs, avoidance cards, watermelon hammers, Guandao, and big axes, were the forerunners. All the offering tables followed. The procession was one to two hundred meters long. It was extremely spectacular. It circled three streets and then returned. Temple, the whole sacrificial activity came to an end. After participating in the sacrifice, people dispersed to eat at the homes of various donor households. On the eve of the temple fair, a theater troupe was invited from other places to perform from the 10th night of the lunar month to the 20th.

After liberation, the "August Meeting" period was used to hold a material exchange meeting from August 11th to 13th.

Guessing the Fist - Folk Drinking Culture

Guessing the Fist is one of the local folk drinking cultures. People often have fun by guessing and drinking during festivals or weddings, when relatives and friends gather together. When the wine was drunk to the fullest, the sound of fists was everywhere. Two people guessed, and the outcome was determined by "splitting firewood" (quanquanxiao) in one game, or "grabbing three yards" by winning two out of three games; another person "fight" Pass the customs", fighting against the heroes, it is very lively. When drinking, everyone has the energy to refuse to admit defeat, and no one is willing to accept the defeat. Such challenges take turns, and the ending is often "the person who leaves the table will be helped to return drunk."

Guessing is a folk game played with drinking. Two people guess, with their palms and fingers extended. The one who guesses correctly wins by the sum of their fingers, and the loser drinks. Faquan is not only about guessing the numbers of one, two, three, four and five, but also contains a set of folk blessings and auspicious words. Before guessing, the two sides bowed their hands in respect and asked each other for concessions. In order for both parties to punch and shout at the same time, they usually shout "Chuangu Sha" (dialect, similar pronunciation means "full blessing and longevity") or come and go, just like "Everyone takes his place..." in a 100-meter race. At the beginning of guessing the number of punches, call out "opponent" with empty fists (that is, neither party points out), which means that you will meet your opponent in chess and your confidant in wine. There are also shouts of "a pair of treasures", "a pair of treasures", "a pair of treasures", etc. Some people have made it a custom not to use empty fists. Instead, they start with empty fists and shout "One hand at a time" before starting to punch.

(1) Say "I will definitely get a promotion" or "I will definitely get rich" to congratulate the other party on their promotion and prosperity; some also call it "happy at first sight", which symbolizes the joy of meeting each other and the happiness.

(2) Calling "two good friends", "two good brothers", "two families happy", "two happy together", etc. means that everyone is happy.

(3) Shout "Three stars shine on you" or "Three stars shine on you", etc. The so-called "three stars" are the lucky stars, fortune stars and longevity stars popular among the people.

(4) Shouting "Four Seasons of Prosperity" means that money will flow all year round. There are also shouting of "Four Generations Under One Roof", "Four Seasons of Peace", "Four Happinesses", "Four Happinesses", etc. The so-called "Four Happinesses" are commonly known as happiness, wealth, longevity, and happiness.

(5) Calling "the leader of the five classics" is simply called "the leader of the five classics", "the leader of the five classics", and "the leader of the five classics". Leader, still refers to the first-class person. In the Ming Dynasty, the imperial examinations were based on the Five Classics. The first person was named the leader of the Five Classics, which was synonymous with the number one scholar in the imperial examination. There is also a popular saying called "Five Sons Pass the Examination".

(6) Call "Liu Lian" and "Liu He Hand". The ancients chose "good and auspicious days" for weddings and building new houses. "Liu Lian" means that the year, month, and day stems and branches are all connected. The so-called "Liuhe" means: Zi and Chou combine, Yin and Hai combine, Mao and Wu combine, Chen and You combine, Si and Shen combine, Wu and Wei combine, collectively called "Liuhe". The "Liuhe" in Guessing means that everything goes as planned and everything goes smoothly every day, so some people call it "Liuliu Shun" or "Liuliu Dashun".

(7) Call "Qi Qiao" (homophone for Qiqiao). According to folklore, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl can meet in the Milky Way on the night of July 7 every year. It is an old custom that on this night, women will prepare wine, preserved melons and fruits in front of the courtyard, and use five colors to decorate them. If the thread passes through the seven-hole needle to the moon, it will be a coincidence. Women hope to beg Weaver Girl to do something clever for them, so they call it "begging for cleverness".

(8) Calling "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea", "Eight Immortals" refers to the eight Taoist immortals widely spread among the people, namely: Li Tieguai, Han Zhongli, Zhang Guolao, Lu Dongbin, Han Xiangzi, Cao Guojiu, Lan Caihe and He Xiangu. There is a folk proverb that "the eight immortals cross the sea, each showing his magical powers". It originally means having great magical powers and being able to accomplish anything. Some people also call it "eight horses". In ancient times, high-ranking officials rode a carriage drawn by eight horses, which was very majestic. The meaning of "eight horses" is that the opponent is blessed with a high official position and a good salary.

(9) Call "Come quickly" or "Come quickly" instead of "Nine". This is because nine plus one side makes ten. The Chinese nation regards ten as beauty and ten directions as complete. traditional customs. The "Worlds of the Ten Directions" in Buddhism are boundless worlds of bliss. In contrast, "nine" is a fly in the ointment (there is still one missing), so "quickly come" in the drinking order means to make up one quickly to make up ten, making it perfect.

The number "ten" in guessing is often called "all come", and is also called "full house red", "full house blessing", "family portrait", etc. Its meaning is very clear. A good wine drink sounds like singing. When you are there, you not only see a vivid picture of life, but also appreciate the rich color of traditional folk wine culture.

Pengdun Gaozhao - Put up the tower lantern to hope for good luck

Pengdun Gaozhao is a kind of "gaozhao" paper lantern, which can be called the king of Jianyang lanterns. After being lost for more than 40 years, this lantern was displayed in front of the people of Jianyang with a new style and majestic style during the Spring Festival of 1988, when more than a hundred units participated in the county's first lantern street exhibition competition. , caused a sensation for a while.

"Gaozhao" means auspicious star Gaozhao. This giant paper lantern is made up of 12 sets of light boxes and 3 sets of rotating ceiling lights. It is shaped like a tower and is as high as a four-story building. According to Daoguang's "Jianyang County Chronicles", this kind of lamp originated in the Ming Dynasty and became popular in the Qing Dynasty. During the Qianlong period, people said: "Suzhou has the best gauze lanterns, and the best paper lanterns in the world are none other than Jianyang." This shows that Jianyang lanterns have a long history, exquisite craftsmanship, and majestic momentum.

Because the production process of this kind of lamp is complicated and expensive, according to the old man's recollection, Jianyang only used "high lighting" when celebrating the victory of the Anti-Japanese War and celebrating the land reform. Today, when we vigorously promote the promotion of excellent traditional folk culture, Wu Guitang and Zhang Xitao, old folk artists from Pengdun Village, Tongyou Township, Jianyang County, led six farmers, and with the support of village cadres and enthusiasts, mobilized the villagers to voluntarily donate 3,000 yuan Diversify and run around to buy crafting materials. It took them more than two months to make this 13-meter-high, 200-kilogram "high light" from memory, decorated with 36 flower baskets and lanterns with different looks. The parade performance is operated simultaneously by 24 people, which is extremely spectacular. In addition, 16 girls held 32 traditional flower pot lanterns, sang and danced, and three ancient percussion bands and a folk band comprised more than 80 people.

The performance of this "Gaozhao" lantern team, which symbolizes good luck, peace and prosperity, pushed the entire Spring Festival Lantern Race and Dragon Lantern Race to a climax, feasting the eyes of the masses and making the sheep happy. The mass cultural activities during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival in 2008 have seen an unprecedented new atmosphere, reflecting the charm of folk art activities.

Huangkeng Candle Bridge - bench lanterns and dragons reflecting rainbow

Huangkeng Candle Bridge, also known as "Candle Bridge and Dragon Lantern", is a rainbow of lights connected by candlelight. Bridge, 240 meters long. Huangkeng Candle Bridge originated in the early Song Dynasty. It is the crystallization of the hard work and wisdom of the working people in Jiaheli (the original place name of Huangkeng). In the early days, although there were various lantern festivals such as lanterns, dragon lanterns, horse lanterns, boat lanterns, lion lanterns, and flower drum lanterns in Jiaheli to celebrate the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, the candle bridge lanterns were auspicious lanterns in people's minds. , all pinned on the Candlebridge Gala.

The Candle Bridge Lantern Festival is the largest folk art event in the township, with more than a hundred members in each lantern festival. The candle bridge is united by "board", the board is 2 meters long, 3 candle lights are fixed on each board, and there is a 1.5-meter column at the bottom of the board for easy operation. Every year during the Candle Bridge Festival, each member makes a flower basket lantern of similar style, craftsmanship and size. The candle bridge consists of 12 groups of 120 panels in 4 sections, plus leading and tail lanterns, resulting in a total of 365 candle bridges. It symbolizes peace and prosperity for 365 days, good harvests and prosperity of livestock. There are candlelights in the lamps, which are connected to form a rainbow candle bridge, just like a long swimming dragon. As the procession marched, two large cymbals and gongs opened the way, four cannons fired in salute, and dozens of colorful flags fluttered in the wind. Hundreds of longevity peaches were distributed to viewers and hundreds of candle bridge operators along the way. If it is performed in a large playground, several long dragons will shuttle and perform words such as "ten thousand" and "longevity", which will be even more dazzling and dizzying. Coupled with the loud music of drums and the blast of salutes, it feels even more majestic and magnificent.

The Huangkeng Candle Bridge has been lost for decades. In order to promote and carry forward the excellent folk culture, Huangkeng people resumed this grand event. During the Lantern Festival in 1990, the county cultural department and the Huangkeng Township government mobilized more than 10 large trucks to move the candle bridge to the city to show off its charm, causing a sensation. Fujian TV and CCTV’s Lantern Festival evening news broadcast this event.

The beautiful legend of stinky fermented bean curd

Stinky fermented bean curd is also called Jianyang smelly. Since the Song Dynasty, it has become one of the eight local specialties of Jianyang. For hundreds of years, it has been deeply loved by people. It is only owned by authentic Jianyang people. There is a legend about stinky tofu curd: Once upon a time, there was an old man who sold tofu. One day, after the old man's tofu was sold for a day, there was still a small part left unsold. The old man put the tofu in the bowl, covered it with straw, and threw it aside.

On the second and third days... the old man even forgot that there was tofu in the bowl. After some days, he smelled a special odor, which turned out to be from the leftover tofu in the bowl. He was reluctant to throw away the stinky tofu and processed the stinky tofu. He tried to taste it first, and the more he ate it, the more delicious it became, and he shared it with the fellow villagers who were full of praise. He thought, this stinky tofu smells very bad, but tastes very fragrant, so let’s call it “stinky tofu”!

Since then, the reputation of "stinky fermented bean curd" has spread, and people especially like to eat it. In fact, the production method of stinky fermented bean curd is very strict. First, cut the water tofu into thumb-sized pieces, fish it out in boiling water, drain it, and put it into a bowl. Cover it tightly with straw to keep it at a certain temperature. After about 10 days, when the pieces of tofu turn from white to gray and the body is covered with soft hair, they can be dried in the sun until the hair on the tofu falls off and the color is a little reddish, then it can be placed in the pre-prepared It is dipped in an urn filled with more than a dozen condiments such as salt, home-brewed red wine, and garlic cores.

After one month, you can take it out and eat it. Stinky tofu is delicious, appetizing and digestible, and has high nutritional value. Among many farm-made foods, stinky tofu is one of the most popular foods. Most families will make several small jars every year for consumption in winter or during the off-season of vegetables. For hundreds of years, this stinky fermented bean curd has been produced and enjoyed by the people, and is deeply loved by the people of Jianyang.

Folk custom etiquette

Celebration etiquette

1. Birthday celebrations

The birthday celebrations in Shuiji area all use "ten" as the big celebration. Celebrations begin at the age of fifty, and the most solemn celebration is the sixtieth birthday, which is called the sixtieth birthday. A few surnames attach great importance to the "seventieth birthday" (the seventieth birthday). In ancestral halls with public property, if an elder of the clan reaches the "seventieth birthday", a certain amount of rice will be allocated from the clan property as the birthday expense of that person. , to express public congratulations.

For birthday celebrations, there is a big difference between the rich and the poor. It is considered good for ordinary families to host one or two banquets; while for the poor, they only behead their chickens and ducks to gather together as a family. Wealthy gentry and bureaucratic families also took this opportunity to make a fortune. They set up birthday halls, decorated with lanterns and colors, accepted blessings and hosted dozens of banquets. During the Republic of China, the head of a certain county in Shuiji celebrated his birthday, and the town and town security chiefs jointly made a golden Buddha as a gift. A few wealthy people celebrate their birthdays, and there are also those who want to gain fame and reputation. They hold banquets in the ancestral hall, treat everyone regardless of poverty and poverty, and give rewards to young people who wish to celebrate their birthdays. He also sent a special person to stand at the entrance of the ancestral hall, stopping passers-by, even beggars, and offering him food, noodles, and wine.

2. Childbirth

A new marriage and the birth of a child are a great joy for the family, and the "good news" must be reported to the grandma's house on the same day or the next day. If the baby is a boy, a tin teapot will be filled with glutinous rice, longan (longan), hazelnuts, peanuts, melon seeds and other "five fruits"; if the baby is a girl, a wine jar will be filled with wine and carried to the grandmother's house, which is called "repaying wine". Therefore, people along the way or neighbors will know the difference between the male and female children.

(1) Three Dynasties: The third day of the birth is called the "Three Dynasties". The celebrations vary depending on the place of origin. Some only use fried soybeans and wine to toast guests; others use Taiping to toast snacks. .

(2) Full Moon: It is called the full moon, but in fact, it only takes about ten days to hold a banquet to honor guests. Relatives and friends should give gifts of a rooster, eggs, and some noodles. The grandma's family gives the grandson (daughter) clothes, a cradle, a lot of thread, chickens and eggs, which is called "giving a bottle". The son-in-law will cook a bowl of chicken drumstick noodles for each guest from the Yue family as a snack, and then have lunch.

(Three) One-year-old: Most families are relatively simple and have one or two tables for a banquet to entertain grandma’s family and close relatives and friends. Rich people and literati have a more complicated banquet. In addition to having a grand banquet, they also need to use rice sieves or hold plates, put books, the four treasures of the study, abacus, account books, gold and silver jewelry and other items for one-year-old babies to choose and play to test their adult abilities. ambition.

3. Building a house

(1) Site selection: Most families choose their own homestead site. After confirming and completing the contract, they can start construction by choosing an "auspicious day". The wealthy family will ask Mr. Geography to choose a "treasure place" and determine its direction. After everything is ready, choose an "auspicious day" to start work.

(2) Start of construction: When the construction starts according to the selected "auspicious day", the owner will buy "starting wine", first provide the "land" to the workshop, and then banquet the master craftsmen and helpers' relatives and friends.

(3) Upper beam: It is an important event in building a house, and the owner attaches great importance to it. First of all, the main beam must be cut back from the mountain the day before the beam is raised. It must be protected by a dedicated person, and women must not be allowed to cross it and be touched by unrelated persons. Secondly, it must be carried out at the selected auspicious time (mostly chosen at the "Maochu" moment); thirdly, it is decorated. Red paper with "Eight Gui" graphics is pasted on the center of the main beam; "Bagui" graphics are pasted on the main pillars and horizontal beams. "Lucky star shines high" is posted horizontally; the middle pillar is pasted with the couplet "The pillar is happy to meet the zodiac day, and the upper beam coincidentally encounters the purple star". Firecrackers are set off when the ceremony is carried out on the main beam. After the ceremony is carried out, the carpenter throws the glutinous rice dumplings or steamed buns prepared in advance down for people to grab to show their good fortune. In the evening, wine is served on the beam to entertain the guests as a token of gratitude.

(4) Moving: After the new house is completed, move into the new house after choosing an "auspicious day". Generally, it is chosen in the "Mao hour" in the morning of the auspicious day. The whole family leaves the old home at the same time. When leaving, they light incense and candles and set off firecrackers to express their gratitude. When going to the new home, each child should carry a burning torch, and two people carry a "rice steamer" packed in a basket and a bed. After entering the new house, a torch is placed in the kitchen hall, candles are lit, incense is burned, paper is burned, and firecrackers are set off for the kitchen god to show the fire and calm the spirit. The remaining torches are placed at the gate, and the lantern is hung in the middle of the gate. If a horse lantern is used, it is placed on the desk. The head of the family lit a big red candle and red incense on the table in the hall, then burned paper and fired a cannon.

At this point, the housewarming ceremony is over. Then a luncheon is prepared to entertain the guests. Some move in for a few days before entertaining the guests.

Wedding etiquette

In the old society, wedding etiquette and customs were complicated. Young men and women had to obey "the orders of their parents and the words of the matchmaker" for marriage, and most of them took "being a good match" as a prerequisite. Generally, the groom's family first entrusts a matchmaker to propose marriage to the woman. After the woman finds out the man's family situation and thinks the conditions are suitable, she will send her daughter's birthday, the so-called "year, month, day and hour" (also known as "year Geng") to the man. The man will then ask the fortune teller to calculate the "geng" of both parties. If the calculation is "contradictory", the man will return the "geng post" to the woman, indicating that he will stop the marriage proposal; if there is no conflict, the man will propose marriage to the woman. .

1. Engagement:

That is, insert. After choosing an auspicious day, the parents of both men and women hold a banquet to entertain relatives and friends to show that the marriage of their children has been decided. The woman is attending a luncheon, her unmarried son-in-law is the guest of honor, and I am accompanied by her relatives and friends. When the unmarried groom goes to each table to propose a toast to the guests, the recipients should receive red envelopes as a greeting gift (the amounts vary). The groom's family hosts the dinner, and his unmarried daughter-in-law is the guest of honor. The etiquette is the same as that of the bride's family.

2. Wedding "ceremony":

We usually choose the "auspicious day" specified in the folk almanac to hold the wedding. The day before the wedding is the "engagement" day. The man needs to arrange a number of people (usually eight to ten people) to work with the matchmaker to bring live chickens, live geese and other banquet items, as well as a jar of red wine (the mouth of the jar is made of red paper with the words "Double Happiness" written on it). (Tie the mouth), bride cake, clothing materials, fruit basket (rectangular vertical cabinet type, with two to three levels of movable cabinets and drawers): Contains five nuts (variety depends on the season), red eggs, some pig's trotters and dried vegetables, the upper layer still needs paper flowers Cover the fruit and put two red paper packages about 20 centimeters long and 10 centimeters wide with "Shanmeng" (a little tea inside) and "Eternal Oath" (a little salt inside), expressing the meaning of devoted love and growing old together. , sent to the woman’s home. At the same time, he sent a number of "little gifts" (named: Ke Jing, Bai Zi, Qian Sun, Zheng Dian, Fu Dian, Xuan Shu, test stakes, cooking soup, sweeping the floor, carrying shoes, seats, door barriers, etc.), more than a dozen small red envelopes. About one or two hundred yuan) and "Invitation to Uncle" (four folded rectangular pieces, written vertically, with the words on the front: "The new uncle is at the banquet", and the words on the other side: "I would like to choose a certain day in a certain year and a certain month at noon to have a cup of wine." , Feng Pan", the writing on three sides: "The Taiwanese leader is here, chatting and laughing, and the marriage is promising", the bottom writing: "The deadline is early, the peppermint will shine", "The top right", "Great talents respect marriage" "Mr. Uncle", the brother-in-law bows "

3. Wedding:

The groom's family prepares a colorful sedan, and the trumpeter and matchmaker go to the bride's family to welcome the bride. Taiping invites the bride-to-be to have snacks. After the bride changes her makeup, she puts on a red scarf and is carried into the sedan by her uncle or elder brother, in order to prevent the bride's feet from getting stuck on her mother's family soil and taking her good luck away. When the auspicious time comes, candles and incense will be lit in front of the ancestral tablet, and cannons will be fired to send the bride. In addition, the bride's family will also give "little gifts" to the groom's family, which are the same as those of the groom's family. In addition, there are five small packages including test barrel, beauty care package, ice man package, and baby gift package. The auspicious words "Yu Jie", "Bing Qing" (with a little rock sugar inside), "Shan Gen" (fern powder), etc. are also attached to the gift box. "Ma Lin" (sesame), "Dou Yuan" (soybean) and other five red paper packets (the same shape as the man), which means that the man's character will be virtuous, and the man's family will make a fortune and have children and grandchildren at the same time. "Tie", except for the change of some words, the content is basically the same as the "Tie for Uncle". Rich families are given maids, land and real estate contracts, gold and silver jewelry as dowries; middle-class families are only given a small amount of jewelry and quilts, clothing boxes, etc.; poor families are only given a dowry. Accompanied by a basin, a suitcase, a mirror stand and a small amount of clothes. The procession for the bride-to-be in a wealthy gentry's house is led by two people carrying lanterns, and accompanied by a procession of sheng, flute and drum music.

The procession arrives at the bride's house. When the bride gets off the sedan chair, after the muezzin sings auspicious words, the bridesmaid helps the bride to the hall, where she and the groom both kneel to worship heaven and earth. This is called "worship" by ancestors, grandparents, and parents. Afterwards, the newlyweds enter the new house, and the bride and groom drink "cups of wine." In the new house, some candies, peanuts, etc. are placed around the new bed, and the door is opened wide for children to enter the room to add to the lively atmosphere. Visiting the bride in the new house and teasing her are called "making trouble in the new house". At the same time, a smart boy is chosen to urinate in the new toilet (test bucket), which means that the bride will have a baby soon, and the chosen boy can get a gift from the new toilet. The wedding candles lit in the bridal chamber are lit all night long, which is called the "bridal chamber candle", also known as "little Dengke". The next day is the "temple meeting day" for the bride, and the bride's parents-in-law and relatives and elders are given "meeting gifts". ". Then, the bride goes into the kitchen to worship the Kitchen God, which is called "cooking".

Three days after the wedding, the bride and her new husband prepare gifts and return to her parents' home to pay homage to her parents-in-law and other relatives. This is commonly known as "returning to the home after three dynasties". However, they must return to their husband's house in the evening to show that "the house is not empty every month." At this point, the old wedding etiquette comes to an end.

After the "May 4th" movement, civilized marriage was advocated. When men and women held a wedding ceremony, the bride and groom wore red flowers on their chests, and local celebrities were invited to be witnesses. The parents of both parties were the main wedding people, and the matchmaker was the introducer. The ceremony is simple but solemn. However, it was only popular among some intellectuals and civil servants at that time.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the country promulgated the "Marriage Law", and marriage between men and women was protected by law. Parents are not allowed to arrange or interfere with their children's marriages, let alone buy or sell marriages. After free love, men and women who reach the legal marriage age can go to the government to obtain a marriage certificate. Some participated in collective weddings held by their work units; some went on trips to get married; some had new weddings where no wine was held, but only refreshments and wedding candies were held. There are still a few people in rural areas who ask for high betrothal gifts when marrying off their daughters to engage in commercial marriages; some are extravagant and wasteful in their wedding arrangements.

In addition, there is also a kind of marriage in which a man goes to the woman's family to get married and becomes a family member of the woman's family. The so-called "recruiting a wife" means "recruiting a son-in-law". The woman is an only child and wants to recruit a man to support her parents. This is called "bring-in-law". When a woman's husband dies and her son is young, she has no need to recruit a man to support the whole family. This is commonly known as "coming to the door". In the old society, it was considered disgraceful for a man to marry into a woman's home and was looked down upon. After liberation, with the implementation of the Marriage Law and the implementation of family planning, this kind of thinking has been initially reversed.

Funeral Rituals

1. Funeral Rituals

Whether a man or a woman dies of illness, the body will be laid to rest on one side of the nave first, and then the coffin will be closed in the middle of the nave. If someone goes out for a funeral in the family and is asked by someone, he or she will respond by calling someone in the family "passed away" or "passed away" or "sleeped" or "grow old".

(1) Mortuary: Under normal circumstances, after changing the burial clothes, the corpse will only be buried for a day or two and then the coffin will be closed. If the children from afar have not returned or the "back" has not arrived, the coffin can only be sent (coffin lid) (not nailed), so that the children or "back ones" can see each other before closing the coffin.

(2) Selection of acupoint: (Choose a burial site) mostly done by geography, and in some places by both yin and yang. Most of the wealthy families have found crypts with good "feng shui" before their death, and some of them have been repaired and ready for use. Generally, after death, people ask their husband to calculate the age of the family and the time of death, determine the direction of the mountain for burial, and then go to the mountain in the determined direction to find a suitable crypt. After selecting, use a compass to determine the central axis and insert a bamboo pole to mark it. On the day before the funeral is confirmed, Tu Gong and several helpers will go to open the cave and prepare the masonry and other materials for sealing the cave.

(3) Transcendence: (Dojo, commonly known as doing meritorious deeds) set up a filial piety hall, hang elegiac couplets, it can be complicated or simple depending on the economic conditions, and the length of time for extending the road, chanting sutras, worshiping Qian, and doing things varies. Even poor people have to do it for one night, and for those who have more, it ranges from three to five nights. The longer the time, the more tricks there are. Finally, the coffin must be turned around, paper boats burned, etc. During the mourning period, those with daughters still need to set up an altar. The younger generation mourns four times in the morning, noon, evening and late at night, and invites the deceased to eat and sleep in peace.

2. Funeral Ceremony

(1) Funeral: The time is mostly chosen at Mao hour (6 to 7 a.m.). Before lifting the coffin, filial men and filial women should pay their respects (worship the coffin) and then kneel down. They lay on both sides of the coffin to pay their respects. Then, relatives and friends pay their respects, and then the coffin is raised after everything is finished. Most families usually have eight people carrying the coffin (commonly known as the "Eight Immortals"). If the burial place is far away (more than five miles away), four more people should be added to prepare for rotation on the way (because the coffin is not allowed to stop on the way). Rich families have sixteen people. There are up to thirty-two people carrying it. Generally, gongs are played to clear the way, preceded by suonas (in market towns nowadays, there are foreign drums or mourning music), followed by elegiac couplets (in modern times, wreaths are added), and then the coffin outline. The dutiful son is barefoot in straw sandals, wearing a linen belt, a straw rope tied around his waist, and holding a funeral stick in one hand. Holding the coffin with one hand. If there is a fork in the road along the way, the filial son must rush to the fork and kneel down, so as not to go astray. After the coffin, the coffin was wept for the father, and then there was the general procession of male relatives and friends, all wearing white hats and white belts around their waists. Whenever there are forks in the road along the way, firecrackers must be set off, which is called "blocking the road", which is synonymous with a filial son kneeling down. The funeral procession, except for the filial son who is sent to the cemetery, only ends at the entrance of the village and returns along the original route for a funeral meal, which is generally sumptuous. After several rounds of wine, the bereaved daughter-in-law has to kneel down at the table of relatives and elders to offer a toast. Relatives and friends usually toast at the table to express their gratitude.

(2) Burial: According to the selected time, the body is buried, the cave is sealed, the monument is installed, the altar is built, candles are lit, incense is burned, paper is burned, and cannons are fired, and the burial is completed. A filial son should reward those present with "blessed land" auspicious money, commonly known as "manshanhong".

(3) Feng shui reception: After distributing the "mountain full of red", the filial son puts on clean clothes and shoes, lights a torch, and carries the "silver bag" (red cloth sewn into a small bag with raised eaves at the four corners, containing rice) Eggs), wine bottles (containing water) and wind lanterns, etc., are returned with the accompaniment of suona. Along the way, water from the wine bottles is sprinkled until reaching home, the cannon is fired, and the altar is placed. This is called welcoming Defu back home, commonly known as "receiving Feng Shui" ".

Youchun Opera

A folk opera popular in Jianou, Jianyang, Songxi and Zhenghe areas. This kind of play is performed every year during the Spring Festival, hence its name.

There are very few actors in the Spring Festival Opera. Generally, two or three people can perform, and at most only six or seven people can perform. Most of the performances take place in small halls of farmhouses, and each house performs one or two small plays. The short ones only last from a few minutes to half an hour, and the long ones are no more than an hour. Due to the small population and small villages in the past, almost every household could perform the performance from night to dawn. There was no charge for the performance after the performance, as long as the owner gave gifts of rice cakes, oranges, popcorn and other festival foods. If it was a big village, every household would perform the performance at night. After the performance, a big-budget Taiwanese drama will be performed during the day.

There are not many repertoires of Spring Outing, and the content they reflect is relatively close to the real life in rural areas. For example, "Ten Persuading Husbands" describes the wife earnestly admonishing her husband to abstain from gambling, prostitution, study hard, and work hard in farming; some reflect the sisters watching the Lantern Festival together in "Lantern Festival"; some describe a pair of lovers who are unable to rely on each other. She's "Ten Farewell Songs" and so on. The content is easy to understand, simple and smooth, and has a strong folk song flavor. Therefore, Youchun Opera can be said to be a peasant opera with a strong local flavor.

Bird Dance

A folk dance in Chongluo Town, Jianyang City. The so-called bird walk dance means that the dancer's feet imitate the jumping movements of birds, which is called "bird jump" by the locals. According to different jumping methods, it can be divided into "high bird jumping step" and "dwarf bird jumping step", which imitate different birds respectively. "Gao Que Tiao" has four people in each team, shirtless on the upper body, shorts on the lower body, barefoot, with a red cloth strip tied around the head, and a mahogany stick in both hands. During the dance, the four people first stand in the four corners, and then follow the gongs and drums to beat, with their feet Cross forward and backward while jumping forward, change positions according to the Tai Chi curve, and turn back to the original position for one time. The "Dwarf Jump" is also a team of four, dressed like the "Gaoque Jump", but holding "dragon horns" and "master bells" in each hand. When dancing, they squat like the opera "Dwarf Step", but when moving forward, You should also jump with your front and rear feet alternately at the same time. The changing position is like "high bird jumping step". The name of this dance step is inherent. Villagers say it was passed down from their ancestors, and the age is unclear. The dance team generally consists of twelve people (another four people serve as guides and clean the dance venue) and are called the "twelve battalions." The Bird Step Dance is mostly performed when worshiping gods and praying for rain, so it is also called the "Bird Step Dance for Rain".