Many other folk customs are similar to those in the northern region, such as welcoming guests to jiaozi and seeing them off; What's jiaozi's two-volt face, three-volt pancakes spread eggs; Break five and eat jiaozi; On the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the kitchen god ascended to heaven, and the heaven said good things, keeping the underground safe (worshiping the kitchen god);
Like many cities in China with cultural heritage behind them, there are indeed too many folk customs in Beijing. It is also really worth collecting, sorting out and inheriting. Go to the festival customs website to see the Chinese New Year customs in Beijing.
On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Laba porridge is a messenger.
What you eat is Laba porridge.
Every year, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, people in old Beijing cook a pot of Laba porridge, which is mainly made of beans, rice, red dates, raisins, longan and other miscellaneous grains and dried fruits, which means "five grains are abundant".
The sticky and delicious "Laba porridge" was used to worship the god "Kitchen God" in the old days. In the past, food was the most important thing, and the kitchen god had a great position.
In today's "Laba porridge", old Beijing will cook a pot at home, and neighbors will give each other a taste, and then the whole family will get together and enjoy it.
After drinking this "Laba porridge" which is a messenger for the New Year, old Beijing has entered the New Year's agenda. Buy food, buy new clothes, prepare new year's goods, and tidy the house to welcome the arrival of the 3 th year.
Careful colleagues also pointed out that this "messenger" has another meaning: from the day of Laba Festival, "those who release accounts begin to collect accounts, and those who are in debt must pay back the money". In this way, it not only gives those who put the bill a reason to collect debts, but also reminds those who are in debt. Don't cling to it. Why don't you boil this bill into a next year's meal? You have to pay it back sooner or later when you get out, and it's best to pay it off before the year, so that you can spend the New Year easily.
On the day of Laba, old Beijingers will never forget to soak some garlic in vinegar to prepare for jiaozi's food on the first day of the Lunar New Year. This garlic is commonly known as "Laba garlic".
As the years go by, the custom of boiling Laba porridge and pickling Laba garlic is still very popular in Beijing today.
As a "foreigner" born in Beijing, I was lucky enough to taste the Laba porridge sent by old Beijing in Laba this year. Thick sweet porridge, wrapped in the first fragrance of old Beijing for the New Year.
On the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, "candied melon sticks"
On the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, it is the real opening of the Chinese New Year curtain for old Beijingers, commonly known as "off-year", and the days are chasing and chasing, and the serious "New Year" is not far away.
This "off-year" has a saying in old Beijing folklore that "twenty-three candied melons are sticky". The so-called "sugar melon" is a candy made of maltose.
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, every family in old Beijing is going to offer a sacrifice to the kitchen stove, and the kitchen god is so happy that he "tastes sweet" in front of the Jade Emperor, which brings this family the blessing of the whole year, peace and health. Furthermore, the candied melon was used to stick the kitchen god's mouth and seal it with sugar. When he saw the jade emperor, he simply said nothing, in case he said too much, he would lose.
"Twenty-three candied melons are sticky; Twenty-four house sweeping days; Twenty-five windows; Twenty-six stewed meat; Twenty-seven killing cocks; Twenty-eight faces; Twenty-nine steamed buns; Thirty children stay up all night; Twist on the first day of the New Year. "
"house cleaning day" is a general cleaning, but it's not as simple as sweeping the floor and cleaning the windows when we were students. In addition to thoroughly cleaning the gray nets in the dead corners that can't be swept outside the house on weekdays, old Beijing also needs to do some work such as changing New Year pictures and painting and pasting walls.
The scene of "pasting windows" is difficult to reproduce in Beijing now, so my colleagues in the planning department suggest that it be changed to "wiping windows". The quadrangles in old Beijing are all wooden windows. Before the Chinese New Year, they have to be pasted with white new window paper, and the word "Fu", window grilles, paper-cuts and handicrafts such as "auspicious knots" are hung on the windows to symbolize peace and happiness.
it's not hard to imagine the excitement of the Chinese new year when you think about the red scenes of every household in those years. The most important part of this day is to put red paper and black (gold) Spring Festival couplets on the doors of our house. As soon as the Spring Festival couplets came out, the atmosphere of New Year suddenly became strong.
"stew big meat", "kill rooster", "make dough" and "steam steamed bread", one item a day, are the delicious links in this huge countdown to the New Year. In those days when the diet was light, the smell of meat was a wonderful temptation. This pursuit of keeping my body and mind warm is a vivid memory of my childhood. Today, young people who advocate vegetarianism or all kinds of weight loss do not know if they can understand it.
According to the rules of old Beijing, these rich Chinese New Year meals must be prepared in advance. Because there is a taboo in old Beijing, you can't use a knife at the turn of the years, otherwise it will be unlucky and cause trouble.
don't even move the needle and thread of scissors except the knife, so as to avoid squabbling and long needle holes. With so many taboos, it's not as early as years ago to prepare food. You can't chop meat and vegetables with a knife until after the "Breaking Five" (after the fifth day of the Lunar New Year).
New Year's Eve, "staying up" for one night
New Year's Eve is the climax of Chinese New Year, and all the accumulation and preparation seem to be for the "carnival" of this day. However, in the subtle and calm old Beijing, this "carnival" is enriched by the homely simplicity of Beijing flavor.
On this day, old Beijing must throw the leftovers out of the door and burn the prescriptions it is using. It is said that this can "throw away all diseases".
In addition, the family should prepare a banquet and wear new clothes, neighbors and relatives visit each other to pay New Year greetings, and the younger generation kowtows to their elders, commonly known as "Resignation". In particular, newly-married couples must "resign" at their mother-in-law's house, or they will be disrespectful and unfilial.
On New Year's Day, twist
Stay up until dawn, but you can't go to bed yet. I washed smoothly and tidied up neatly, and I had to bow to my elders to pay New Year greetings and kowtow to send my blessings.
It's a favorite of children on New Year's Day. You can get a lucky money red envelope by bowing and kowtowing. When I was a child, my neighbor's children bowed to everyone and kowtowed to everyone. They were quite economic-minded, and even if they broke their heads, they were also economic-minded. Later, he became an economist.
The New Year begins on this day, and children open the red envelopes of the New Year, which also opens a prosperous year.
Mid-Autumn Festival custom with the most Beijing characteristics
1. Every family in old Beijing, Yue Bai, should set up a Yue Bai stage for offering sacrifices. Among them, the focus is on reunion moon cakes and fruits. Of course, the placement of fruits is very particular. Peach and pomegranate should be put together. In the past, ordinary people thought that having more children and grandchildren was the best way to live longer. Chestnuts and persimmons are placed together, which is called "beneficial to the prosperity of merchants", and a handful of longan is sprinkled, which means "reunion is the most important thing". Wanderers in the distance can't go home and put lotus roots on it, which means "breaking the silk". Playing with the moon is also very popular in old Beijing. There are two kinds of playing with the moon, one is wenwan, that is, enjoying the moon, writing poems and painting solve riddles on the lanterns; The other is called martial arts play, which is to go to the lake and watch the moonlight cast in the water; Living in a quadrangle, there is a jar in the courtyard, which is full of water. I feel unsatisfied when I look at it. I pick up pebbles and throw them into the water, causing waves. Beijing children also love to chase the moon in the hutongs, which is called "chasing the moon". 3. Flower viewing culture is also very distinctive in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Every family loves to pile flowers on the windowsill and put them into a "flower mountain". There is also a flower market in Chongwen and Xuanwu, and all kinds of flowers add a happy atmosphere. In addition, the lamp market in old Beijing is equally lively. 4. Playing male prostitute male prostitute is a clay toy for children to play and entertain during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Its shape is human with rabbit mouth and rabbit ears. Typical or orthodox male prostitute is dressed as a military commander: wearing a golden helmet, a bright red shirt, the big one with an umbrella on his back, the small one with two flags on his back, a knife in his hand, a mortar in his left hand, a pestle in his right hand, or a pestle in his arms, or nothing in his hand. 5. Drinking reunion wine and eating reunion cakes is naturally inseparable from the food culture. Eating moon cakes first, and drinking osmanthus wine. Old Beijingers are often used to making moon cakes by themselves, some with bean stuffing and some with jujube paste stuffing. Moon cakes are generally called "reunion cakes".