Everyone in Jingmen knows that there are many interesting activities during the Spring Festival. Whenever we enter the twelfth lunar month, farmers in both urban and rural areas are busy preparing materials for the New Year. Many families send messages to relatives who work in other places, telling them to go home for the New Year and have a reunion dinner. At the same time, they will also present New Year cards to relatives and friends to bless and encourage each other. Among them, the most popular are rural farmers and market town residents, such as killing pigs, curing bacon, drying sausages, curing chickens, raking, making rice cakes, grinding glutinous rice balls, making rice wine and grinding bean cakes (mung beans, soybeans and wheat are made from rice), spreading them into big cakes and cutting them into strips to dry.

Prepare Laba water, that is, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, farmers' families fill large and small water tanks with water and seal them for use in the spring and summer of the following year. It is said that this Laba water can cure all diseases; The second is to cool off in summer; Old people drink to cure all diseases, while children drink to keep healthy.

Drink Laba porridge on Laba Festival. Laba, the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, is the day when people eat Laba porridge. The ingredients of Laba porridge have long been recorded: Laba porridge is made of rice, yellow rice, coix seed, mung bean, millet, red beans, peanuts and red dates. If possible, you can add some walnuts, almonds, sugar, red ponds and raisins for spot dyeing. Every year on the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, the fruit is peeled and washed, and porridge is boiled until dawn.

Jingmen people will also make all kinds of rice cakes during the Spring Festival. On the basis of the original production, Jingmen people make glutinous rice flour and glutinous rice slurry according to the customs and tastes of Jingmen, which are processed by stone mill and made of white sugar after drying. Flour is delicate, sticky, tender and smooth, sweet and delicious, with bright color, and cannot be boiled, fried and stored for a long time. You can also make rice cakes with glutinous rice flour and lard, sesame oil, roses, osmanthus fragrans, mint and lotus seeds. There are many kinds of refreshments, such as "cakes", cubes, cakes, oil and sugar. Of course, with the change of the times and the development of economy, people in Jingmen can make all kinds of good and beautiful food, just like all over the country. In addition to some old traditional foods, some new holiday foods have been added, such as eating jiaozi on the 30th night, which is a custom in the north. Now the north and the south are connected, the taste is the same, and it has also entered the Chinese New Year cuisine. Some Jingmen in the north can also be found, and some places in Jingmen will also be made. Nowadays, there is a saying among Jingmen people: "Delicious food is not as good as jiaozi".

"Sweeping the dust" is also a meaningful activity. As the saying goes: sweep away the dust and welcome the new year. There is a folk saying that after the Lunar New Year's Eve, the sanitation in front of the house and behind the house will be sorted out from the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. Sweep the dust, also known as sweeping the year. At first, it was a religious ceremony for ancient working people to drive away epidemic ghosts for good luck, but sweeping away dust and filth reduced diseases and was beneficial to people's physical and mental health. In this regard, the Song Dynasty poet Wu made it very clear in the article "Night Except" in Volume 6 of "Dream Cool Record": "In December winter, people, big or small. Sweep the floor, remove dust and dirt, clean the home ... pray for peace in the new year. "

In Jingmen, an ancient place, especially farmers and residents in urban and rural areas, respect for the kitchen god has a long history. Although it is a superstitious activity, people naturally worship it. The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is a good day for the kitchen god to go to heaven. On this day, early in the morning, every household invited the "Commander Bodhisattva" enshrined in the kitchen door. Some of them are carved with wood, while others are carved with Shi Zhuan. Please put the Buddha statue on the table, burn incense and wax, pray and bow down, recite Amitabha, and repent for the good things that Kitchen God has done in the past year to protect the fireworks safety of the whole family, and then pray that Kitchen God will go to heaven.

Sticking Spring Festival couplets and hanging New Year pictures during the Spring Festival is a folk custom and traditional culture with a long history in China. In ancient times, it was called peach symbol, door pair and door couplet, which were recorded in ancient books in China. The word "public guest" first appeared in Li Ji Mai Drive: Zheng Xuan's Notes on Tea Interpretation and the Courtesy of Public Guests. But it is only an abstract concept, and there is no specific name yet. Later generations think that this is Cheng qin's "ancient warrior" or Jing Ke.

Shounian, also known as Shoucai. Both urban and rural residents in Jingmen have this custom. They don't sleep on New Year's Eve, especially for the elderly. When they are busy at night, the host will make a fire in the hall and the whole family will sit around the fire. Some people play cards and drink tea, talk about the achievements and experiences of the hard work of the whole family in the past year, and say hello and blessings to each other. They can't pour water or sweep the floor on this night. Some people say that sweeping the floor on New Year's Eve means "sweeping away good luck."

The most distinctive folk custom-folk songs

Jingmen folk songs are widely distributed and varied, and their musical structures are generally divided into single-paragraph, multi-paragraph and couplet. Modal features are mainly tone-seeking. From the content, there are modern folk songs and traditional folk songs; As far as forms are concerned, there are mainly songs, folk songs, Tian Ge, minor, light tones, folk songs and so on.

Modern folk songs came into being during the first and second revolutionary civil wars, and there were a large number of folk songs in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, the war of liberation, the socialist revolution and construction. In different historical periods, most folk songs sang the features of the times and the aspirations of the people to varying degrees, which played a certain role in promoting the progress of social civilization.

Traditional folk songs mostly reflect the resistance of the working people to the old society, the irony and ridicule of the ruling class, the sufferings of the working people and the injustice of the world. In feudal society, due to the shackles of feudal ethics, women's status was the lowest, so folk songs also produced some contents related to marriage, love and family.

Since the proletariat stepped onto the historical stage, the creation of folk songs has entered a brand-new stage, with distinct class nature and distinctive people's nature, which shows the high revolutionary sentiment and optimistic spirit of the people under the leadership of the proletariat. After the national liberation, with the rise of socialist construction, Jingmen folk songs have made new development, and many new folk songs have appeared, which have played an active role in propaganda and education and enriching people's cultural life.

First, the spread of folk songs

Jingmen folk songs are divided into mountainous areas, hilly areas and Heping original areas according to folk songs, Tian Ge, chant and minor.

Folk songs are mainly popular in the mountainous areas in the north of the city, and there are some other kinds of songs. Hilly areas bordering mountainous areas are the main rice producing areas. Besides some Xinmin songs and minor tunes, there are many Tian Ge, which are diverse in form, rich in content and beautiful in tune. There are many labor songs and rich ditties in the plain area. The lights in all three areas can be adjusted. At present, only Zhanghe Town and Li Xi Town have folk songs.

Second, the types of folk songs

Folk songs:

Folk songs are popular in Jingmen mountain area and some hilly areas. Mainly farmers go up the mountain to cut firewood, and when children go up the mountain to herd cattle, they sing solo and start duets. There are many flat tunes and few high notes, both of which are feather-seeking modes, and the content and form of lyrics are not limited. Most adults sing love songs, such as "I Love My Sister's Good Works" and "The Sun Rises". Shepherd boys often sing songs that tease and tease people; They are a group, a mountain, from far to near, they are proud of singing more and ashamed of singing less.

② Tian Ge:

1. Yangko: Yangko is a kind of Tian Ge, which is mainly sung in the Yangko season (the lunar month). This is a rice field song. For example, the "noisy flowers and leaves" in the south of the city is one of the main vocals for planting yangko. The song is beautiful and pleasant, with two modes: Zheng and Yu. The lyrics are taken from the lyrics of popular minor, which are divided into team A and team B or male and female teams to ask questions and answer or sing solutions. Sometimes they will take advantage of the situation, mainly to eliminate the fatigue of growers and improve the speed of planting seedlings.

2. Transplanting and gongs and drums: According to relevant data, transplanting and gongs and drums appeared before the Ming Dynasty. The poet Tang Zhixuan once wrote a poem: "Shicheng is full of fog, chickens and dogs are full of mulberry; The stars in the sky came to the gorge, the river trees in the clouds met Jingmen, the snow in the clouds was irreconcilable, and there was a village in Lujia Mochow. When I am free, I am optimistic and strange, and I beat the drums and insert willow roots. " It was sung during the transplanting season, and there were two singers, one with a gong and the other with a drum. Stop singing and fill the door with gongs and drums. When the growers just went to the fields, the singer sang on the ridge. When the grower reached the center of the field, the singer followed the crowd into the field and sang in front of the grower. Mode is mode, and most of the lyrics are selected from ancient books and operas. Mainly to eliminate the fatigue and distraction of growers, let growers concentrate and improve the efficiency of planting seedlings.

3. Weeding gongs and drums: Generally, three people (one drum and two gongs) are a team, and they sing for those who pull weeds in rice fields. There are many gongs and drums for pulling grass, among which the most popular ones are Drumming, Embracing the Dragon, Hunting by the General, Sitting on the Lotus with Guanyin, Water Snake Spitting Toad, Daguai, Xiaoguai (all sung in the morning), Clouds Blooming and Magpies in the Forest. When rakers line up in the field and start pulling weeds, drummers will sing with them and retreat in front of rakers.

In the morning, most people sing long historical stories (which drummers call "original"), and in the afternoon, they sing short and interesting jokes, such as "Flower Songs", to cheer people up.

4. Weeding songs: Weeding songs are mainly sung during the weeding season (May to June in the lunar calendar). Yangko in Tuanlin and Wuli areas in the south of the city is very representative. The tunes are high-pitched, mostly in tune, and some have a lot of lyrics. When singing, Team A and Team B lead and join together, accompanied by two or one suona. There are different lyrics in the morning, morning and afternoon. Sing a few polite words just after work in the morning, such as lyrics such as "guests go to work early" and "congratulations to the boss on the good crops"; Sing the right song in the morning and urge the boss to get off work in the afternoon. Other Tian Ge also sang in weeding, such as "Guess Place Names" and "Count Toads", mainly to make people adjust their spirits and improve the efficiency of weeding.

5. Cutting grass gongs and drums: Cutting grass gongs and drums mainly refers to cutting hay. Two singers, one with a gong and the other with a drum, sing four sentences in each paragraph, and the end of each sentence is full of gongs and drums. Lyrics. Praise the ancients and ancient books.

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1. mussel bugle: mussel bugle is mainly sung when playing mud. One person leads the singing and everyone sings in chorus. The main purpose of chanting songs is to strive for unity and consistency. There are more than ten kinds of songs in Jingmen, mainly including Shaanxi songs, slow songs, one-word songs, two-person songs and twenty-four songs. It has a strong sense of rhythm and a wide range of lyrics. Some people sing ancient books and dramas, and some sing at will.

2. Carrying the trumpet: porters who mainly sing in towns have few lyrics, mainly sing interludes and have a strong sense of music rhythm. There are many kinds of songs, such as "heavy songs" when lifting heavy objects and "shaking songs" when shaking bags.

3. Boatman's chant: Boatman's chant was the chant of shipping workers before liberation. Under the call of the fiber-drawing workers, they kept pace and made concerted efforts. Popular in Jianghan Plain, there are more than ten kinds of fiber drawing, boating and crossing the river.

4. Oil-pressing bugle: It is the song of the workers in the oil-pressing workshop. Before liberation, most oil extraction was done by hand, and the movements were divided into light and heavy, from pulling the stick (singing lyrics) to sending it out (singing the lining word "hey"). Generally, two people work, one forehand and one assistant. A pulls once, B knocks once, and the actions are consistent. The harder the force, the higher the oil yield.

5. Farming chant: It is popular in Li Xi, Yanchi and Zi Ling in the north of the city, mainly because farmers shout rhythmically when plowing, plowing and rolling. Shouting on the farm can make the cows listen to you and people are not tired.

④ Lighting

song

Jingmen's lantern songs are mainly sung during the annual Spring Festival when stilts and floats are performed. There are three people walking on stilts, one man and two women; There are three people in the float, a woman driving the boat, an old man punting the boat, and an old woman driving the boat with a broken banana fan. Regardless of stilts, boats are accompanied by gongs, drums, cymbals, golden gongs and horses. One person leads the singing, everyone helps, and sometimes everyone sings together. The lyrics are divided into two paragraphs, and there are also more than four paragraphs. The song is cheerful and warm, and the festive atmosphere is strong.

⑤ Folk songs

"Mourning drums" is called "sitting at night" by people in mountainous areas. Generally, after the death of an old man, the host will invite four, six or eight singers to sit in a circle in the mourning hall, and the two of them will play drums together and sing while knocking. Start singing the first slow and sad song; At about midnight, the second song is sung with gongs and cymbals. At dawn, the third song (called "Turning to Yang" by the singer) is played with gongs, cymbals and drums, which is faster. Lyrics come from ancient books or deeds before singing. One person can sing, or two people can sing, and the cycle is repeated, mainly to accompany the dead for the night.

Social folklore

1. Marriage custom: the champion's seat

In Jingmen, Hubei Province, the "No.1 scholar" does not refer to the "No.1 scholar" admitted in Beijing during the imperial examination period, nor is it the "No.1 scholar" admitted in the college entrance examination now. It refers to the "lunch" that young men ate on their wedding day in feudal society, "accompanying the groom" or "taking the exam" or "accompanying the champion", so it is called "the champion's seat" and also called "accompanying ten brothers". In some rural areas, the wedding day of men is called "overdue". Before the expiration, his elders called him "wretched" and others called him: after the expiration, he became an "adult". He should pretend to be an adult even though he is young and ignorant.

On the wedding day, it was very lively and exquisite. The house is clean and tidy. Rich families should decorate their houses, while poor families should decorate their new houses. They want to invite butchers to kill pigs, chefs to hold banquets, speakers to welcome guests, tea artists to make tea, and big double happiness and wedding banquets are posted on the doors, showing a jubilant atmosphere.

Before the banquet, the groom should shave his hair and beard, put on a melon hat with red beads, put on a newly sewn dress and new shoes and socks, and pay "eight gifts" to his ancestors. At about two o'clock in the afternoon, there is a square table and four benches in the middle of the hall. The courtesy gentleman puts the groom's invitation in the middle of the table, installs a new invitation (helps the groom get dressed), and then invites his brother, uncle and cousin to accompany him. Generally speaking, it is better to be unmarried. There are three people sitting up and down and two people sitting on each side, which is exactly ten people. They are called "Ten Brothers". Drinking is very particular. Ask the groom whether to drink "one year" (i.e. 12 cups) or one month (i.e., 30 cups). On this day, the groom was overjoyed and relatives and friends came to propose a toast. When the dishes reach four bowls, eight bowls and ten bowls, the trumpeter will come to play tuba to congratulate. When the groom comes for the third time, he will take out a "seal", which is money for Xi; The chef is also busy delivering "kidney flower soup", and the groom will also give "rewards". When drinking, you should "give orders", that is, "sing poems against each other", and those who can't speak will be punished for drinking.

On this day, the patriarch or teacher will give the groom a name, commonly known as "tuba". Write your name on a delicate wooden box with couplets on both sides. At night, the number will be mentioned, and the number will be held by someone who can talk. When going upstairs, placards will sing songs such as "the last step, splendor, the last two steps, happiness forever, the last three steps, ternary and the last four steps are world-famous. . 。” Hang the number plate on the wall of the hall.

2. Fertility customs:

1. Xijiu (Mi Zhu)

After giving birth to a child, the family should "send a wish to rice". "Sending wine to worship rice" is usually carried out on the ninth day, commonly known as "washing nine". After the date is fixed, grandpa, grandma, uncle, aunt, uncle and aunt will spend a sum of money to "send meals". Anyone who gives birth to their first child plays "lifting boxes". This box is made of wood, with three squares and a lamp. The box is painted red and bright, and there is a pole in the middle for two people to lift. There are two buckets of rice in the bottom and 200 fried dough sticks in the middle. The upper floor is filled with large and small fabrics, necklaces, longevity locks, eggs, brown sugar and so on. The top of the box is tied with rope, and the outside is sealed with red paper, with festive greetings written. The departure was led by my grandfather and a team went there. Wealthy families are very particular about "bright boxes". The bright box is inlaid with glass, and the contents are transparent, so passers-by can see its brilliance. Apart from food, the cloth is twisted silk and satin, and I asked Suona to see me off. Grandparents should bring a "chair bag". Middle-and lower-class families use baskets to pick things to send "rice blessings". The quantity of gifts is small and the quality is poor. There is a relaxing cypress branch on the basket, which means that although they are "poor", they are "close" and ask their relatives and friends not to laugh. Poor households only use small baskets to carry what they can, and the polite words are "I'm not afraid to come empty-handed, but I'm afraid I won't come" and "I'm very grateful".

The rules of "washing nine" are more particular. Grandpa, grandma and others all arrived, set off firecrackers and held a wedding with great fanfare. Male guests such as grandpa and uncle were invited to the guest room, while female guests such as grandma and aunt were invited to the main room. After smoking and offering tea, Mr. Li Nuo sent someone to distribute some fried dough sticks to all the guests to show the generosity of the host. When eating, the seats are very particular. The elderly sit in their seats and the young sit down. There are large and small seats on the table. Those who are close should sit first and those who are sparse should sit first. The table is full of delicious food and there are many toasts. At breakfast the next day, because they are all "relatives", three eggs were added to the distiller's grains to express their gratitude, and the food was more casual.

Pregnant women have many taboos in the second month. Pregnant women and women who come to "good things" cannot enter the inner room, saying that they are afraid of "kicking their breasts". After the child's "full moon", the young couple went to visit their parents with their children and gifts, also known as "leaving the nest", to express their gratitude for "sending rice".

Step 2 catch up with the custom of one week

In Jingmen, Hubei, children are called one year old when they are born, and "grasping the week" when they are one year old. Some people call it "centenary", which means children want to live a long life, while others call it "long tail" and "eating noodles", with different names and the same content.

"Catch the Week" is a relatively convenient way to treat guests and get together. The specifications are not too high and the manners are not very particular. On the day of "Catch the Week", the host's home and outside were very clean, so it is unnecessary to elaborate. One or two women were invited to light the fire. Yancha is proud of family or clan, and pays attention to dressing up and dressing up children, and pays special attention to new clothes, new hats, new shoes and socks and even old clothes. The guests are mainly grandmothers, aunts, aunts, but also family members and relatives. Grandmother gave more gifts, followed by aunts and aunts. Most of the gifts are children's clothes and toys, and some are paper money and silver dollars. After lunch, choose a spacious house with two square tables in the middle, covered with cloth or cushions, one or two things given by guests at one end of the table, and children at the other end of the table, so that children can climb forward and grab what they like with their hands. This is the most interesting scene, and it is also the moment to really "grasp the week". Relatives and friends get together to see what children take without any guidance and hints, and predict their life development and interests in this way.