The most interesting folklore

Chapter 1 The most interesting festival culture (1)
1. Why do northerners make dumplings on New Year’s Eve

As the saying goes: "Dumplings are not as good as they are delicious, but they are as comfortable as lying down." Eating dumplings on New Year's Eve is a Chinese tradition, and eating dumplings is also considered a symbol of good luck.Tracing back to the history of dumplings, in the Tang Dynasty, the shape of "dumplings" was basically the same as the current dumplings, and the way of eating is exactly the same as the way of eating now, that is, the cooked dumplings are taken out and served on a plate.In the Song Dynasty, dumplings were called "jiaoer", which is the etymology of the word "dumpling" in later generations. This way of writing can still be seen in the Yuan, Ming, Qing and the Republic of China.In addition to the above-mentioned names, dumplings were also called "flat food" in the Yuan Dynasty, and this statement was also used in the Ming Dynasty. Shen Bang's "Miscellaneous Records of the Wanshu" in the Wanli period recorded: "New Year's New Year's greetings, make plaque food".

"History of the Ming Dynasty" recorded the custom of eating dumplings during the Chinese New Year "From the fifth watch...Drinking dim sum, that is, flat food." Wait for the new appellation about dumplings.

"Chu" means to go, and "Xi" means night.The original intention of New Year's Eve is to remove the last night of the year, which means removing the old and bringing forth the new.The most common custom is that the whole family will gather together on this evening to have a happy New Year's Eve dinner.Dumplings are a must for this meal in the north.

Why do northerners eat dumplings on the night of New Year's Eve? One is to take its homonym, "Geng Sui Jiao Zi", and eat it in the middle of the night when the old year has just passed and the new year has been handed over, which is a metaphor for saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new.The second is to choose its auspicious shape, because the dumplings resemble ingots, which symbolize the prosperity of the country and the people, and "attract wealth and treasure".Dumplings are shaped like ingots, making dumplings means enclosing good luck, and eating dumplings symbolizes a prosperous life.

There are many kinds of dumplings because of the different fillings and preparation methods.Generally, three kinds of dumplings are made: meat ones, eaten at night; second, vegetarian ones, used for offering sacrifices to gods;

People in the north like to eat dumplings, especially during festivals. There is an interesting story about dumplings.

Once upon a time, there was an emperor who was picky about eating, and he asked for three meals a day to be the same.Before New Year's Eve, the emperor said to the royal chef: "If there are no new tricks for this year's New Year's Eve dinner, I will not spare you!" The chefs had no good ideas, so they asked the ministers of the DPRK and China for advice.There was a new cook in Pan Qi's house, the minister, and he asked people to buy some vegetables, meat and flour, and then he closed the door and started making preparations.It was getting dark, and the emperor was sitting at the dining table, waiting for a delicious meal.After a while, the chef served a steaming bowl of "Xiao Yuan Bao".The emperor put one into his mouth, it was full and fragrant. It turned out that the dough was filled with minced meat and vegetables. What is delicious?" The chef said: "People call it Fanjiao." "I think this food is eaten on the night of New Year's Eve, when the New Year and the Old Year alternate, so let's call it Jiaoyu." The emperor said.

Later, the name "Jiaoyu" spread among the people and evolved into "dumplings".Therefore, delicious dumplings have become an indispensable food on the lunch table of the Chinese Han people.

2. What are the customs of worshiping ancestors on New Year's Eve
Every New Year's Eve, every household will set up an altar to honor the ancestors, make dumplings, set off firecrackers, and post Spring Festival couplets, inviting the deceased ancestors to go home for the New Year.In ancient times, this kind of etiquette was very popular.Due to the different customs in various places, the forms of ancestor worship are also different. Some worship ancestors in the wild tombs, and some worship ancestors in ancestral halls. The order is to offer incense and kneel down.

The most solemn event on New Year's Eve is the New Year's Eve ancestor worship ceremony.If the family is rich and has an ancestral hall, the scene is even more dignified.In the afternoon of New Year's Eve, the portraits are hung up, and incense burners, lanterns, long money, paper money, firecrackers and other things are prepared for ancestor worship.

Most of the Han people worship their ancestors with fish and meat bowls; the southerners living in Beijing worship their ancestors in a grand manner, with eight bowls of big dishes, a hot pot in the center, and cups and chopsticks according to the spiritual seat; Manchu ancestors use peach cakes, hibiscus cakes, apples, vegetables Wax, sandalwood, etc.; Mongolians worship their ancestors and fry yellow rice noodles with butter.

In rural areas, the ancestors are usually invited at dusk.Some go to the grave to invite their ancestors to go home for the New Year; some elders of the clan lead one or two grandchildren, holding paper money, kneel down at the head of the village, and burn the paper while saying: "Grandpa and grandma, go home for the New Year." After burning the paper, they get up. go home.Go to the gate, burn paper again, set off firecrackers, kowtow to the gate, and read: "Grandpa and grandma are home for the New Year, please let the door god make way."After entering the gate, a wooden stick, called a door blocking stick, preferably made of peach wood, should be placed across the door to stop evil spirits from entering the door.Sprinkling sesame stalks or grain grass in the yard is called "stepping on the year". It is said that there will be noise when any elves or ghosts come in.On the sixth day of the first lunar month after the new year, burn the ingots and send the ancestors away, which is called "send the year".

3. Why is it said that the Spring Festival originated from the La Festival

For the Chinese, the most solemn, lively and festive day is the Spring Festival, which originated from the activities of worshiping gods and ancestors at the beginning and end of the Yin and Shang Dynasties (December Festival).In the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, there was an annual custom of celebrating the harvest and offering sacrifices to ancestors at the turn of the old and new years, which can be regarded as the embryonic form of "Nian".But the name of "Nian" appeared later, starting from the Zhou Dynasty.According to historical records, the Spring Festival was called "Zai" in the Tang and Yu Dynasties, "Sui" in the Xia Dynasty, "Si" in the Shang Dynasty, and "Nian" in the Zhou Dynasty. The original meaning of "nian" refers to the growth cycle of grains, and millet is ripe once a year, so the Spring Festival comes once a year, which contains the meaning of Qingfeng.It is also said that the Spring Festival originated from the "December Festival" at the end of primitive society. This custom first began in the Zhou Dynasty.The ancients had to hunt in the twelfth lunar month, and used the captured animals as "sacrifices" to worship their ancestors.

After a year of hard work, people use the harvest of farming and hunting to sacrifice to the gods and ancestors at the end of the year and the beginning of the year to thank the gift of nature, and gradually formed the custom of celebrating the beginning of the year.

The naming of the Spring Festival began in 1913.At that time, Mr. Zhu Qiqian, who was then the Chief of Internal Affairs, proposed to Yuan Shikai a "Fake Proposal to Set the Four Seasons". Festival", "Autumn Festival" and "Winter Festival" have no holidays.This system has been in use.

Shou Sui, that is, on New Year's Eve, people stay up all night, chatting, setting off firecrackers, playing cards, making dumplings...

The custom of keeping the year old first began in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Geng Jianwu and Xu Junqian of the Liang Dynasty both had poems about keeping the year old: "Two years in one night, two years at five o'clock." Lighting up candles or oil lamps and keeping vigil all night symbolizes driving away all evil plagues and diseases, and looking forward to good luck in the new year.This custom has been handed down to this day.

4. Why do we need to sweep the dust during the Spring Festival?
As the Spring Festival approaches, many homes will have a big cleaning.People sweep the dust in the house, scrub the furniture, wash the dishes, etc., which is called "sweeping the year" in ancient times. The custom of "sweeping the year" originated in the Yao and Shun era, and evolved from a religious ceremony to drive away diseases and epidemics in ancient times.Sweeping the dust during the Spring Festival is not just for the purpose of celebrating the New Year cleanly, it also pays attention to its origins!
There is a legend circulating among the people.The custom of sweeping dust came because the tenant farmers in Tongzhou (now Nantong) came to welcome the Jade Emperor's annual grain.In the early days, the tenant farmers here were busy all year round, and there was not much left except for paying grain and taxes.They prayed that God Stove would speak more good words when he went to heaven on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, so that the Jade Emperor would be merciful, allocate some gifts from the Tiancang, and send the New Year's Grain—Michelle before New Year's Eve, so that they could have a full reunion dinner.In order to welcome the gift from the Jade Emperor, the tenant farmers clean up the inside and outside of the house every year before the 24th of the twelfth lunar month to welcome the annual grain given by heaven.In this way, year after year, the custom of sweeping dust during the Spring Festival has been passed down from generation to generation.

5. Who do you commemorate by eating rice cakes during the Spring Festival?

As a kind of food, rice cake has a long history in my country.The cookbook "Shici" in the 6th century A.D. contained the method of making rice cake "white cocoon sugar". After steaming glutinous rice, it was pounded into rice cakes while it was hot, then cut into peach pits, dried and fried, and rolled with sugar. Serve immediately.

Rice cakes are mostly made of glutinous rice flour, and glutinous rice is a special product in the south of the Yangtze River. In the north, there are sticky grains like glutinous rice. In ancient times, sticky millet (commonly known as small yellow rice) was the most popular.This kind of millet is shelled and ground, and after adding water and steaming, it is yellow, sticky and sweet. It is a delicacy for people in the Yellow River Basin to celebrate the harvest.

During the new year, every family will eat rice cakes.This custom has been formed before the Tang Dynasty.Regarding the origin of eating rice cakes, there is such a legend: During the Spring and Autumn Period, King Helu of Wu ordered Wu Zixu to be responsible for building the royal city.After three years, the city was completed and named "Great City of Eunuchs".After the eunuch died, Fucha succeeded him.He ignored Wu Zixu's advice and went north to attack Qi in spite of Yue's confidant.When Fu Chai defeated Qi and returned to the court, all civil and military officials lined up outside the city to welcome him.At that time, everyone was singing their praises and beaming with joy, but Wu Zixu was worried.On the way home, Wu Zixu solemnly said to the people close to him: "If something happens to me in the future, the capital will be besieged and the people will have nothing to eat, you can go dig the ground three feet under Xiangmen City to get food." He believed the slander and ordered Wu Zixu to commit suicide.

Goujian, King of Yue, heard that Wu Zixu was dead, so he sent troops to attack Wu, and surrounded the capital of Wu State like a broken bamboo all the way.The army and people of Wu State were besieged for a long time, and the food in the city ran out, and people starved to death every day.Therefore, Wu Zixu's personal companions led the residents to Xiangmen to dig three feet of ground, and found that the city bricks were boiled and pressed with glutinous rice flour.This discovery made people ecstatic, and they finally survived the catastrophe by relying on these "city bricks".Since then, every new year, people will use glutinous rice flour to make "city bricks" and enshrine Wu Zixu to express their memory of the savior.Over time, this "city brick"

It was called "Nian Gao", and the custom of eating rice cakes during the New Year was formed.

Rice cakes have different flavors from north to south.There are two kinds of steamed and fried rice cakes in the north, both of which are sweet; in addition to steamed and fried rice cakes in the south, there are also other methods of frying and boiling in soup, which taste both sweet and salty.

6. The custom of setting off firecrackers during Chinese New Year

It is a traditional Chinese custom to set off firecrackers during the New Year. Without firecrackers, the taste of the New Year is not enough.Firecrackers have been around for a long time in China, "Book of Songs?Xiaoya?In the chapter "Ting Liao", there is a record of "Ting Liao's light".The so-called "Ting Liao" is a torch made of bamboo poles. After the bamboo poles are burned, the air in the bamboo joints expands, and the bamboo cavity bursts, making a crackling sound, which is the origin of "firecrackers".

On the first day of the first lunar month, when the rooster crows for the first time, everyone gets up one after another and sets off firecrackers in their yards.At that time, there was no gunpowder and no paper, so people used fire to make bamboo burst and make sound to expel the god of plague. This is of course a superstition.

In the Tang Dynasty, firecrackers were also known as "exploding poles", probably by burning a long bamboo pole one by one, making continuous blasting sounds.Nanchang poet Laihu's poem "Early Spring": "The new calendar is half open, and the small pavilion is still full of pole ash", which describes the scene of burning bamboo poles during the Spring Festival at that time.

Later, through continuous chemical experiments, alchemists discovered that the combination of saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal could cause combustion and explosion, so they invented gunpowder.Someone put gunpowder in a bamboo tube and fired it louder, which changed the ancient custom of burning bamboo fundamentally.In the Northern Song Dynasty, fireworks wrapped with gunpowder in rolled paper appeared among the people, and there was a difference between single and double rings, which were renamed "firecrackers" and later changed to "firecrackers".

Although people no longer burned bamboo after the invention of gunpowder, they still used the name "firecracker" until today.

7. What are the other names for "year"
Zai: Tang Yu began to call the year "Zai".In Lu You's "Book Anger", there is a sentence, "If you are a teacher with a real name, who will be the best in a thousand years", and now it is often said that it takes a year and a half, and it is rare to meet a thousand plants.

Year: "Sweet Potato Preface" written by Xu Guangqi in the Ming Dynasty: "Sui Wushen. There is a flood in the south of the river." There is still a sentence "saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new year".

Sacrifice: The Yin Dynasty called the year "Sacrifice". "Book?"Hong Fan" said: "There are only three sacrifices out of ten."

Spring: Generally refers to the year.Gao Shi's "People Say Send Du Er Supplements) poem: "One sleeps in Dongshan and thirty springs."

Autumn: Li Bai's "Jinling Song Farewell to Fan Xuan": "Forty emperors and three hundred autumns." As the saying goes: "If you don't see each other in a day, it's like three autumns." The "autumn" in it means the year.

Frost: Jia Dao's "Crossing Sanggan": "Ten frosts have passed in Bingzhou in the guest house, and I remember Xianyang day and night in my heart." Frost is the year.

Nian: Nian when the valley is cooked, so it is also called Nian. "Mandarin?Zheng Yu: "Nine weeks of life and death, no three Spring Festival couplets start-7 When the new year begins, the Spring Festival is approaching. According to the traditional customs of our country, every household in urban and rural areas always pastes new Spring Festival couplets to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. I hope to spend a harmonious New Year's Eve and usher in a sweet and sweet Spring Festival. It can be said that the Spring Festival is a unique traditional festival in my country, and the Spring Festival couplets are a unique traditional culture in our country. The Spring Festival couplets are also called "door pairs". , "Spring post", "Couple", and "Couple", it depicts the background of the times and expresses good wishes with neat, dual, concise, and exquisite words. It is a unique literary form in our country.

At first, Peng J wrote inscriptions on Taofu, which is called inscription Taofu.Such as "Jiang Taigong is here, nothing is forbidden" or "There are orders here, all evils are far away" and other evil words and spells.Then someone inscribed couplets on the basis of inscriptions on Taofu.Judging from the content and form, Lianyu is a good story in auspicious language, with neat writing, equal length and contrast, and emphasizing confrontation.This approach has developed again in the fifth generation.

Zhang Tangying, a scholar of the Northern Song Dynasty, recorded in "Shu Prayer": "Before Shu returned to the Song Dynasty, Xin Yinxun, a scholar of Changling, inscribed a peach charm on the door of his bedroom. He used his words as non-work, and called his pen cloud: New Year Na Yuqing, and the festival is called Changchun." In the year before the death of Houshu (964), on New Year's Eve, Emperor Yuchang of Houshu ordered Xin Yinxun, a scholar, to write an inscription on a peach board to stick to the bedroom door. Because he thought the inscription would not work against the battle, he wrote a couplet in his own hand: " The New Year is Na Yuqing, and the festival is called Changchun." These two lines of Taofu poems are the earliest couplets in my country that were later recognized by everyone.Since then, in the Song Dynasty, couplets began to rise.

It was the Ming Dynasty that Taofu was changed into Spring Festival couplets.In 1368 AD, when Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty lived in Jinling (Nanjing), on New Year's Eve, the families of the public, ministers and commoners posted Spring Festival couplets.And taking advantage of Xing's own handwritten inscription couplet, one bestowed on Tao An, a senior official: "The unparalleled man in the country's strategy, and the first in Hanyuan's articles." It became popular in both urban and rural areas.

8. Why do some places pay for the Spring Festival?

Menqian is also called "Menjian", "Guomenqian", "Luomenqian" and "Paper Curtain".Its shape is square, and the two triangles at the bottom represent the tassels, like flags and small flags, mostly in five rows, hanging on the gate in bright colors, echoing the couplets and door gods, adding a touch of charm to the farmhouses and cottages during the Spring Festival. Strong festive atmosphere.

Although the custom of pasting door notes is not common in China, it has a long history. In ancient times, there was a custom of expressing wishes with flags.In the Tang Dynasty, the embryonic form of door paper gradually took shape.In the Qing Dynasty, the door paper was formally formed. The poet Zhou Baoshan of the Qing Dynasty wrote a popular poem for it, saying: "First post the door paper, then hang the money, remove the gold and red paper to write the Spring Festival couplets; tightly bundle the bamboo poles and save the front broom, sweep the house and paste the window to count the New Year. "Fucha Dunchong also made a detailed annotation for it in "Yanjing Years": "The person who hangs the money is engraved on the red paper with auspicious words, and the long ruler has a hurricane, which is pasted in front of the door. The peach charms reflect each other." It can be seen that the history of hanging money has a long history.Today, people love it for another reason, that is, the word "money" in its name, hanging them under the eaves in front of the door, heralding that in the new year, the financial resources will roll in.

Why do you have to hang money? It is said that in ancient times, "Nian" itself was a hungry ghost, who would come out to eat people and children at the end of each year.In order to ward off evil spirits, people hang colorful cut-and-cut papers at the gates, under the eaves and on tree branches to scare "Nian".

In the old days, at noon on New Year's Eve, the door money was pasted at home, which means that the Chinese New Year has passed, and all reminders will stop here.Even if you owe money, you can't come to ask for it, and you can live a stable year.

9. What customs do merchants have during the Spring Festival?
The Spring Festival is the time when businesses pay the most attention to customs, and all commercial shops attach great importance to it.The first is to worship the "God of Wealth".Every year on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the shopkeeper leads his staff to kowtow and burn paper in front of the tablet of the God of Wealth, which means "group worship" in the New Year.

During the "Broken Five", the business will be closed and the food will be improved.For the Chinese New Year’s Lai style, in addition to chicken, there must be braised pork on the table (prosperous), fish (surplus every year), fat vegetables and oysters (good fortune), vermicelli (continuously), yuba, sweet Bamboo (rich, sweet feet).There will also be fried clams, which means "fat market", and fried snails, which means "many children".In addition, old folks are allowed to play cards for fun, but vicious gambling is strictly prohibited.The little guy can get some tips for serving tea and water.

At the beginning of February every year, the merchants transfer the remuneration due to the guys in the first year to their accounts separately, and everyone can withdraw it at any time.If the remuneration transferred into the "account" has been paid out, that is to say, it is not allowed to extend the floating loan. This business custom, including the shopkeeper, must be followed by everyone.

Usually, a commercial name will invite the owner to "check the accounts" every year during the "Broken Five".The so-called "account checking" is to report to the owner the business situation of the shop in the past year, explaining the profit, inventory, and dividends for each share.After checking the accounts, the owner had no objection, and decided to open for business on the sixth day of the first lunar month, and stipulated the date of "approving accounts".

10. Why is there a saying that chickens are not killed on the first day of the new year?
Among the taboos during the Spring Festival, the taboo on the first day of the new year is particularly prominent. "On the first day of the new year, don't kill chickens" is one of the most widely spread and influential ones.

There are many origins of the custom of "Don't kill chickens on the first day of the new year".

First, there is no actual need to kill chickens.From the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month (commonly known as Xiaonian) to New Year's Eve, every household has to clean up, buy new year's goods, prepare food and clothes, and welcome the arrival of the Spring Festival.Generally, before New Year’s Eve, chicken, duck, fish, rice cakes, dumplings, fried food, cigarettes, Tusu wine, sausages, dried noodles, etc. are all ready.Now that everything is ready and everything is available, there is no need to kill chickens on the first day of the new year.

Second, it is due to the overall taboos during the festival.Not only do chickens not be killed on the first day of the first lunar month, but any animal is not allowed to be slaughtered. This taboo continues until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.If you kill a chicken, it will inevitably bleed, which is the so-called "po", which means dilapidated, destroyed, and declining. Of course, it is very unlucky.Since the Chinese New Year emphasizes good luck, it is not allowed to kill chickens.In addition, "chicken" and "auspicious" have the same pronunciation, and the homophony of "auspicious" with chicken symbolizes good luck.Due to the importance of the first day of the new year, not killing chickens on the first day of the new year means auspiciousness throughout the year.

11. Why is it "the first day of the year. Don't eat rare food"

(End of this chapter)