Qingtang
Before the Spring Festival, Langqi people carried out an annual cleaning, commonly known as the Palace, also known as the Qingtang. The hall is tied with bamboo branches on long bamboo poles to sweep away the dust on indoor heights and walls, which is not only hygienic, but also can sweep away the bad luck of the past year. Say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. After the hall, clean the indoor and outdoor sanitation, clean the doors, windows and walls, and then paste red Spring Festival couplets and New Year pictures, so that the hall is brightly lit, beaming and clean to welcome the Spring Festival.
In the past, most Langqi people lived in small bungalows with wooden and civil structures. Usually I can only roughly clean the facade, so I have to wait until the Spring Festival. Now that housing conditions have improved, it is rare to find the old "firewood fence". We live in a new house with brick and wood structure and reinforced concrete structure, and the interior decoration is also more exquisite. However, the custom of cleaning the hall before the Spring Festival is still inherited.
Send year
On the occasion of the Spring Festival, Langqi people have the custom of "sending new year's goods". The married daughter will go to her parents' home to "celebrate the New Year" and send new year's goods to honor her parents. Generally speaking, pig's feet, fish, peace (eggs), noodles and other "four colors" should be sent to "send the New Year", so Langqi people have the mantra of "feeding their daughters with pig's feet". On the day of sending new year's goods, the couple carried the burden and the husband sang with the woman. If you have enough new year's goods, you will attract praise from passers-by and feel that there is light on your face. Parents also feel filial when they see their daughter coming to send new year's goods. They left their daughters and son-in-law to eat snacks, prepared food and drinks at noon, and gave their daughters some red envelopes called "coming back for the New Year" and "lucky money" to their grandchildren. Now farmers' lives have improved, and sending new year's goods has changed from "sending money" to 300 yuan to 500 yuan. As a daughter, it is a traditional virtue to express her heart to her parents during the Spring Festival. As for sending new year's goods and lucky money, it depends on personal living conditions.
Sacrifice to the kitchen god
In the twenty-fourth year of the twelfth lunar month, it was the day when Langqi people sacrificed their stoves. On this day, after dinner, every household prepared ten plates of fruits, such as stove candy, stove cake, sugarcane, oranges, apples and water chestnut, on the stove to offer sacrifices to the kitchen god, so as to send the kitchen god and the kitchen god back to heaven to report to the jade emperor, hoping that the kitchen god would put in a good word in front of the jade emperor. The folks call Jujube Jun and Jujube Ma Zeng Shou. When offering sacrifices to the kitchen god, housewives should sing poems and ask the kitchen god to prolong life and ensure safety. There is a folk song to worship the kitchen god: "Sacrifice a gourd to the kitchen stove, a golden candle fights a silver incense burner, and the kitchen god speaks well in heaven." The cook goes down to protect the slave, protect the slave husband to earn money, protect the long life of the father, protect the slave brother to find a good wife, and protect the champion among the slave children. "
On the fourth day of the first month of the second year, Zao Gong and Zao Ma came back from the sky. On this day, ten plates of fruit will be prepared to welcome the kitchen god back, which is called "receiving God". Nowadays, people will put up "Spring Cattle Map" when offering sacrifices to stoves.
Divide into years
"Divided year" was originally called "this year", which means that next year is next year. "Divide the Year" was held on the night before New Year's Eve. The activities of "annual sacrifice" are mainly to thank God, heaven and earth and worship ancestors. The offerings are all big fish and meat, and ten plates of whole chicken, whole sheep, eggs, noodles and fruits. Although superstitious, it also expresses people's virtue of respecting their ancestors.
"Year" offerings are generally placed in the hall, and a knife, ten pairs of chopsticks and ten wine glasses must be placed on the table. At the same time, we have to burn incense, burn paper money and set off firecrackers, which is still in use today.
New Year's Eve
On the night of December 30th of the lunar calendar, the last night of the year is called New Year's Eve. After ancestor worship, the whole family sits around to eat and drink, which is also called reunion dinner. Generally, there are ten bowls of New Year's Eve dinner, which means perfection. When eating New Year's Eve, you should leave some rice bowls and vegetables, but you can't finish them, which means you still have more than one year. After dinner, the elders give the younger generation lucky money (red envelopes) to express their love for the younger generation. Housewives also put red paper on stoves, water tanks, rice tanks, buckets and other furniture and appliances. At the same time, you also need to use chopsticks to wrap "New Year's rice", red dates, hazelnuts, chestnuts, melon seeds and so on. Then clean the house, and the family sit around and talk and watch the night. There is no custom of vigil now. After dinner, the family sat around the TV and watched the wonderful program of CCTV Spring Festival Gala. After midnight, people set off firecrackers and fireworks to celebrate the arrival of the New Year.
New Year's Day
On the first day of the first month, also known as the New Year, the New Year begins. In the morning, housewives light incense and set off firecrackers. The family eats too insipid. They usually eat vegetarian food for breakfast. After dinner, they went out to pay New Year's greetings. The host stays at home to receive guests, and puts oranges, sweets and fruits on the table, which means "auspicious" and "auspicious". The meaning of "receiving happiness" and "rich family". "Happy New Year, Happy New Year, you can get money without oranges." When visiting the New Year, elders usually send red oranges or give them "red envelopes". Some adults take their children everywhere to pay New Year greetings, and they can still get many benefits. On this day, I met an acquaintance on the road. I nodded and said congratulations on getting rich and happy New Year. Nowadays, many people call to pay New Year greetings and wish each other peace and happiness.
In the past, on the morning of the first day of the first month, Langqi people had the custom of holding wedding banquets. Anyone who got married in previous years will prepare a table of wine in the ancestral hall, put ten plates of fruit, stove candy, stove cakes and other foods, and invite the villagers to drink, adding a festive atmosphere. Adults drink, children eat fruit, people who participate in drinking will bow to their masters, and the masters will ask them to do the same.
There are many taboos in grade one. One should avoid sweeping the floor and taking away wealth. Second, avoid pouring water. In Fuzhou dialect, "water" is the homonym of "zi", and it is unlucky to pour water. Third, don't operate the knife, the knife is not good, and you accidentally hurt your hands and feet; Fourth, don't beat and scold children, for fear of crying ominously; Five avoid debt collection, afraid of hurting the gas; Six taboos close the door, closing the door is unfavorable, and opening the door is beneficial; Seven, it is not good to go out to the countryside and travel far away. Today, some of these taboos have been broken, but most of them are still inherited.
Pay new year's call
On the second day of junior high school, married women want to take their husbands and children back to their parents' homes to pay New Year's greetings. Langqi people call it "noodle soup". "Sending noodles in soup" generally means sending fish, peace, cakes, fruits and other foods. Langqi people have a custom. Relatives can't go home empty-handed when they go out in the first month. You should bring some gifts as a sign of respect and courtesy. Even if you don't bring a gift, you should bring money. The host will cook a bowl that is too peaceful and warm. Therefore, when the daughter goes back to her parents' home, she will also visit her uncle and uncle's elders' home to pay New Year greetings, and also send some "cakes" and fruits to show her respect for the elders.
Jia Min celebrates the New Year.
On both banks of Yanxinghe River in Langqi Island, there are ancient Vietnamese boathouses. In the past, every day from the second day of the first month to the fourth day of the first month, the women on the boat rushed to the shore with bamboo baskets, begging from house to house, singing New Year songs and paying New Year greetings, so as to sweep away bad luck and make good luck. They will share the salvaged food with their children and grandchildren in order to go to sea safely in the past year, beg for more fishing goods and make a fortune.
Begging on the shore is a custom of Miqi people, which has a long history. According to legend, the custom of begging for rice originated from 1000 years ago. When the king of Fujian led his troops south to Fujian, he conquered the local people in Fujian, drove all the Guyue men from other countries to the river, and took their wives and daughters captive to be wives or maids. Men miss their wives and daughters, so every time they go ashore at the beginning of the first month, they will meet their relatives in the name of begging (Mickey). When the wives and daughters on the shore saw their relatives, they made (Miqi) and hid gold or jewels in (Miqi). The shell was marked with red lead, and (Miqi) was secretly given to relatives who came to ask for (Miqi). Sometimes, some foods, such as meat and eggs, are secretly put in bamboo baskets for relatives to eat, which is the origin of the custom of begging (Mickey). Begging (Mickey) used to be a man, but for some reason, it was changed to a woman (Mickey).
Miao people go ashore to beg (Miqi), and every family sings New Year songs. Most of the lyrics are written by female fishermen themselves or handed down by their ancestors. Beautiful timbre, full of human touch, and with the local flavor of fishermen, people on the shore love to listen. After singing the congratulatory song, people on the shore are very generous, giving some (Mickey) and sometimes giving a little "red envelope" to show their gratitude. New Year songs such as: "Go ashore to celebrate (Mickey) the New Year, and be happy all the year round. Good luck, good luck, rich and big money. " "Sing a good song with a bamboo basket in hand, and wish the boss to celebrate more. I hope that the year is good and the business is booming. "
the Lantern Festival
The fifteenth day of the first month, also known as Lantern Festival, is a traditional festival of Langqi people. On the night of Lantern Festival, the streets in the countryside are full of lanterns and lanterns. Lantern lanterns include lanterns, orange lanterns, round lanterns, palace lanterns and octagonal lanterns. Most of them are tied by folk artists and women themselves, and candles are lit in lanterns, which are varied and radiant.
On the night of Lantern Festival, Langqi people have the habit of welcoming lanterns and stepping on the streets. They hold folk activities such as welcoming lanterns and stepping on the streets in the village or surname. At least one person from each family participated, and everyone joined the welcome lanterns with a row of lanterns. There are gong and drum classes, beating gongs and drums, and ten folk bands, shoulder play, stilts, dragon dance, lion dance, land boating, children's team, floats and so on. This activity of greeting the lights and stepping on the street has continued to this day. In recent years, the Zhu family spontaneously organized lantern festival activities to welcome lanterns to the streets, and the scene was very wonderful.
Aojiujie
The 29th day of the first month is "Aojiu Festival", also known as "Jiujiu Festival". On this day, every household eats "Houjiu Pill", which is similar to "Yuanxiao Pill". It grinds glutinous rice, dries it to make a shell, and uses sugar, peanuts and sesame as stuffing to wrap jiaozi. "Houjiu Pill" and glutinous rice are boiled together to make "Houjiu porridge", and some of them also add longan meat and eggs. The family sits around and eats "Houjiu Pills" or "Houjiu Porridge". Langqi people often avoid the word "nine" People are nine years old, such as nineteen or twenty-nine. They are most afraid of "committing nine crimes and not committing ten". Therefore, on this day, people who are nine years old or multiples of nine years old should eat peacefully for peace. If parents, brothers and sisters are "nine" or multiples of "nine" (commonly known as "dark nine"), married daughters have to give them "nine gifts" to ensure peace and health. "Send nine" generally means sending glutinous rice, pressed rice paste, flat rice, brown sugar and so on. This custom has been preserved to this day.