First of all, from the name point of view, red dates have many different names in various places (taking Liulin dialect as an example). According to the variety and size, jujube has the following names: Ya Zao niazao, tuan zao Tuan Zao, Zizyphus jujuba xue zao, Lizao leizao, Jujube and Zizyphus jujuba, etc. According to the different growth stages of jujube, from the perspective of touch and taste, jujube has two names: hard jujube ningzao (also known as crisp jujube quzao) and noodle jujube Mianzao; From the visual point of view, jujube has the following four names: zaobe cei (the early stage before it turns red), hongniequeque (the jujube that is less than one third red), peyaoyao (the jujube that is half red) and tong honghong (the jujube that is completely red); Judging from its developmental characteristics, just as a fertilized egg can give birth to two people, two dates can also grow on a nucleus, and only a small part of them overlap, which is vividly called double horse and horse songmama；; Jujube processed by different processing methods has new names, such as dried jujube gie zao (naturally air-dried), candied jujube miezao, jujube jiu zao and smoked jujube xiongzao.
Jujube not only has a huge family, but also has a great influence on the lives of local people.
First of all, red dates are widely used in diet, especially in some major festivals. For example, people traditionally eat jujube beans on February 2, that is, put big jujube, red beans and cowpeas into a boiling pot and simmer them until they are cooked like dry rice; There are also dates in the traditional food Zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival, that is, soft rice and jujube are the main materials, wrapped in reed leaves into a triangle fist, and simmered; The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is Laba Festival. On that day, every household has to eat Laba porridge, and their raw materials are also inseparable from jujube. Jujube is needed for New Year's Eve rice cakes, whether they are case cakes or oil cakes. In addition, in ordinary days, people often steam jujube into steamed bread or cook it into millet porridge.
Jujube not only provides people with basic dietary functions, but also is infused with rich cultural connotations. When marrying a woman, the steamed flower bun is covered with red dates for the celebration. The newlyweds should wrap several big red dates in the four corners of their bedding, and the corners of the bridal chamber should also be sprinkled with red dates, which are homophonic with the morning, hoping for early birth of your son and wishing the new couple a prosperous future life. Children should also eat jujube cakes on their full moon and birthdays, hoping that their children will grow taller and become useful as soon as possible; Mothers should also bring a handful of red dates when they bring clothes to their children who go out, hoping that the children will return as soon as possible.
As a mascot, jujube not only conveys blessings to the living, but also sends infinite worship and respect to the gods and old friends outside life. During the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, the residents here will offer jujube hill on the altar, and these offerings are all made by inserting red dates on the processed dough to worship the ancestors of the gods; There is also the custom of steaming swallows in Liulin folk Tomb-Sweeping Day, that is, the white flour is fermented with alkali and kneaded into various shapes, such as birds, swallows and zodiac animals. After it comes out of the cage, it is threaded into strings, and red dates are hung in the house to commemorate the meson push.
Jujube has a high nutritional value. Li Shizhen, a great medical scientist in the Ming Dynasty, wrote in Compendium of Materia Medica: Jujube smells sweet and flat, calms the middle, nourishes the temper, calms the stomach, clears the nine orifices, helps the twelve meridians, and supplements less qi ... If you take it for a long time, you will be fit and prolong your life. So people often give big red dates as gifts to relatives and friends. In the revolutionary era, a big red jujube was sweet and fragrant, and it was given to our relatives to have a taste. One jujube and one heart sang the songs of the * * * production party, which was full of people's infinite love for the * * * production party. In addition, in people's color concept, jujube red is an indispensable color.
It can be seen that red dates have penetrated into all aspects of people's lives.
As the saying goes, "one side of the soil and water will nourish one side of the people", there are many customs related to jujube in Zaoxiang. < Zuo zhuan > As a sign of piety, women can't stand hazelnut and jujube, which shows that red dates were precious gifts for relatives and friends a long time ago, and this custom has been passed down to this day.
1, pig's head sacrifices jujube trees
Folk customs. On New Year's Eve, Zaoxiang, Shuidong, Xuancheng, did not offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, nor to human beings and gods, but to jujube trees. Put the pig's head on the altar during the sacrifice, with the boy holding the knife and the girl holding the bowl; When the boy cut a knife on the trunk, the girl poured a spoonful of pig's head soup on the edge. Answer while watering: "Is the jujube tree good this year?" "good!" "Can't you tie it?" "knot!" "How many knots?" "There are countless knots." If the child laughs, the parents will be frightened and discolored. They both kneel down on the tree and knock on the head three times, seriously apologizing to the jujube tree, so as not to miss the jujube harvest.
2, various ways to eat dates: get up in the morning to pick fresh dates to eat, called "dew dates", cool and crisp. Picking fresh jujube mixed with soju, putting it in a shrinking jar, sealing it with lotus leaves, and opening the altar to take jujube for guests during the Spring Festival is called "drunken jujube". Fold off jujube branches with fruits and hang them under the eaves to dry. It is "Kangzao" that is put under the kang mat and crushed and baked. Peel off the ribose and soak the "candied dates". Flavors vary.
Chinese New Year uses dates to make pasta, rice cakes, silk cakes, flowers, raccoons and bean bags, which are collectively called "four years to eat". May Dragon Boat Festival uses Yugu, sticky rice and dates to make sticky rice, knives to cut cakes and zongzi. In addition, there are jujube steamed buns and jujube cakes.
The old shochu brewed with jujube, commonly known as "jujube thick stick", has great stamina and strong liquor, which is most of the spirit of jujube villagers.
In recent years, the "Golden Silk Jujube Festival" has been held every year during the jujube ripening season, and Chinese and foreign tourists have come not far from Wan Li to enjoy the local customs of jujube.
3. In Liulin, there is also a unique and interesting custom of seeking children. When a woman is infertile after marriage, her family will "steal" dates or walnuts from other people's homes on August 15th, or "steal" lamps, face dogs and shoes from a family with many children in the first month. The stolen people not only don't blame them, but also pretend not to see them, and pray that they get their wish, and jujube (harmoniously "early") will have a baby. Liulin is famous for its jujube production. Every autumn, the jujube trees in the mountains and ravines are covered with bright red dates. The dates here are big, thick, small, dark and sweet. It is said that they were named "Youzao" by Emperor Kangxi. Folk people put the folk psychology of praying for more children and more happiness, and carrying on the family line on unique products, giving jujube a profound folk meaning and praying for early birth.
"Sacrifice Spirit" and "Stealing Jujube" in Shanxi Liulin
Li Rui, a young writer in Shanxi Province, described the unique amorous feelings of Luliang Liulin in his novel Tuotan with what he saw and heard from "Beijing Baby". His sight is full of dirty and round ass. The donkey carrying charcoal is going uphill, and the slope is steep and narrow, so you can only see these round and fat things in your eyes. The partner who led the animals popped up two lyrics from his throat: "Say Xizhuang, Daoxizhuang, and there is a good girl in Xizhuang". Only these two sentences can be sung again. Arriving at a thirst-quenching place in front, a strong peasant woman was greeted by the sound. The companion who led the animals came and went with her, flirting with her. When returning, the partner who led the animals sent the coal in the thatch to the peasant woman, split the remaining piece of coal in two and put it in the thatch, ready to give it to her aunt when she returned. On the road, the companion who led the animals sang the song with only two lyrics again.
This description is very real and interesting. When we travel in the Lvliang Mountains, from Fenyang in Jinzhong to the west via Xiangyanggou, Huangluling, Wucheng, Lishi to the Qikou of Liulin, we will see teams of worshippers. The unique traffic folk custom of Gandong Ling is caused by the special regional environment of Luliang Liulin. Liulin County is located at the west foot of Lvliang Mountains in the west of Shanxi Province, on the east bank of the middle reaches of the Yellow River, near Linxian County in the north and Shilou in Nantong, across the river from Wubao and Suide in Shaanxi Province in the west, and adjacent to Lishi and Zhongyang in the east. This is an ancient and civilized place. From the Warring States Period until the Yuan Dynasty to the first year (A.D.1271-1294), Mengmen Town on the bank of the Yellow River in this county was once the political, economic and cultural center across Liulin, Zhongyang, Linxian and wubu county, Shaanxi Province. It is located in the thoroughfare of Qin Jin, so it has always been a battleground for military strategists. At the same time, there are many businessmen in this area because of the geographical danger, the traffic artery in Shanxi and Shaanxi, and the high-quality coal and other products. There are also many people who walk sideways and sell their labor for a living. In Liulin, before liberation, there was a folk proverb: "An endless load of food fills an unsatisfied Wucheng." Luankou, a two-way wharf at the mouth of the Yellow River, connects Suide, Yulin, Jingbian and other places in northern Shaanxi in the west, and a large amount of salt and alkali, fur and grain are transported here from the two roads. Wucheng is now Wubao, with Fenyang, Pingyang, Jiexiu and Xiaoyi in the east, Houma and Yuncheng in the south, and "Yangguang Grocery" from the southeast road as a transit and transported to the northwest. Therefore, on the rugged mountain road leading to Shanxi and Pingchuan from Luantou to Wucheng, all day long, animals are constantly ringing, the mountain road is curved, and the road is long, and people who drive the spirits can't stand loneliness. They often open their throats and sing a ditty with a strong local accent, expressing their inner joy and misfortune.
In Liulin, there is also a unique and interesting custom of seeking children. When a woman is infertile after marriage, her family will "steal" dates or walnuts from other people's homes on August 15th, or "steal" lamps, face dogs and shoes from a family with many children in the first month. The stolen people not only don't blame them, but also pretend not to see them, and they pray that they will get their wish. Liulin is famous for its jujube production. Every autumn, the jujube trees in the mountains and ravines are covered with bright red dates. The dates here are big, thick, small, dark and sweet. It is said that they were named "Youzao" by Emperor Kangxi. Folk people put the folk psychology of praying for more children and more happiness and carrying on the family line on the unique products, giving jujube a profound folk meaning and praying for an early birth.
Many children are blessed, and this traditional concept has a long history. The reunion of five men, two women and seven children is the symbol of the rich in novels and dramas of past dynasties. The most famous is Guo Ziyi, a general of the Tang Dynasty, who had seven sons and eight husbands all his life. He was the most famous in the history of wealth and longevity, and from this, No Double Spectrum was published. The theme of Full Bed Water became the highlight of the Ming and Qing Dynasties from the officialdom to the folk. In A Dream of Red Mansions, the Jia family sang a drama to reward the gods, and the old lady Jia was overjoyed by this drama, which is a typical example.
The long-standing national cultural tradition has given birth to the cultural psychology of * * *. However, due to the different regional environment, there are differences in customs around the country, so the ways of seeking children are different. In Huainan, Anhui Province, in order to steal a doll, the family who wanted your son went to the shrine of Mount Taishan Niangniang Temple on Bagong Mountain to "steal" the clay doll bought by the temple owner. The stolen child really gave birth, and then he bought a clay doll to paint it red and send it back to its original place, which is called returning the child. In Huai 'an, Jiangsu Province, relatives and friends give gifts. What they give is a small red light or a brick pasted on paper and hung on the bedside of Panzi and his wife. In Liulin area, dates are mainly stolen, which is a kind of folk custom phenomenon interwoven with unique folk psychology and specific products.