Among the Hakka customs in Huichang, there has been a custom of cooking "Qibao porridge" on the seventh day of the first lunar month since ancient times. The so-called "Qibao porridge" is to cook mushrooms, corn, red dates, day lilies, red beans, dried longan and white rice in a pot. After cooking, it is used to worship the "Kitchen God Bodhisattva", commonly known as "worship the kitchen stove", in order to pray for the kitchen god to bless the auspicious New Year and the health of people and animals. On the seventh day, when there were no other meat dishes on the dinner table, the whole family ate "Qibao porridge".
Why did you choose to eat "Qibao porridge" for dinner on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year? According to local customs, from the first night of the New Year, a porcelain lamp is filled with vegetable oil or tea oil, and seven lamps are used to light it, which is called "kitchen lamp" in front of the kitchen god and lights it day and night for seven consecutive days. On the evening of the seventh day, you should pay homage to the kitchen god, put on offerings of three meats and three vegetables, light candles and set off firecrackers to thank the kitchen god. After "worshipping the stove", it means that the New Year has passed, and the "stove lamp" is not lit on the eighth day.
Now farmers in Yonglong, Dongtou, Nakamura, Zhu Lan and Xijiang still follow this custom. Some restaurants and small restaurants in the county also cook "seven-treasure porridge" or "eight-treasure porridge" in this way, but not on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, but in the summer when breakfast is made.
Deaf-mute Day
According to the Hakka custom in Huichang, the 20th day of the first lunar month is the "deaf-mute" day. The origin is related to the protection of Hakka people's living environment. Because many houses are built on the hill, the back hill where the main hall is located is called "Long Mai". The land of "Long Mai" can't be excavated casually, so it is forbidden to destroy "Long Mai" and engage in "swarming". However, the mountain soil is washed away by rain all the year round, and the sediment is deposited in the ditch behind the house, which leads to poor drainage over time and will inevitably affect the safety of the house. It is necessary to clear mud and rectify it to ensure safety, but it is not taboo to break the "Long Mai", so we chose the day of "Deaf-mute" to break ground.
On the 20th day of the first lunar month, the whole family, men, women and children, went into battle together, filled up the whole mountain, dredged ditches, planted bamboo, and protected the integrity of Long Mai. This custom is found in the village south of Mazhou Town, Huichang County. What is the basis for taking this day as "Deaf Day"? Older people can't tell why, but this custom has been passed down to this day. Now it seems that, whether deaf or not, it is undoubtedly correct to do a good job in soil and water conservation and safeguard the safety of residential areas. (
And "Soul Out of the Street" and so on.