Many places in Hunan have had the custom of having a small year, but the specific time and grand degree are different. The New Year is the beginning of the Chinese New Year. From this day on, the festive atmosphere continued until there was no night. Most areas such as Zhuzhou regard the 24th day of the lunar calendar as the "off-year", Yiyang and other places regard the 23rd as the "off-year", and Shaoyang and Loudi regard the 15th day of the first month as the "off-year". Hengyang and Xiangbei pay more attention to off-year while Zhuzhou pays less attention to off-year
In most parts of Hunan, there is a custom of offering sacrifices to the kitchen god on February 23, 65438. It is said that Kitchen God 23 will tell people about good and evil. Therefore, on the day of offering sacrifices to the stove, every household will clean the stove, several cases, pots and pans, paste couplets next to the statue of the kitchen god: "Heaven says yes, lower bound is safe", and offer sweets in front of the stove. The whole family will bow down and make a wish, hoping that the kitchen god will not speak ill of others after eating it. This is called "sending the stove", and the whole sacrifice activity is completed.
New year's eve and reunion dinner
The vigil on New Year's Eve is one of the folk customs in Hunan Province. That night, the firewood in the stove will not go out all night, and the family will stay together until after twelve o'clock. Miao nationality in western Hunan is more distinctive. Every New Year's Eve, the whole family will fry delicious bacon, prepare delicacies such as sour fish, prepare corn and soju, and have a "reunion dinner" happily. But at this time, the whole family can't sit down. Armed to the teeth, the master hid alone in the corner of the gate with a spear in his hand, always staring at the outside of the village to prevent wild animals and foreigners from invading. If a friend comes, the host runs out of the door, pulls the friend into the house, and has a friendly reunion dinner there to celebrate New Year's Eve.
Have a reunion dinner for 30 nights, such as Zhuzhou, Changsha and Yongzhou; There are also mornings before dawn, such as Shaoyang and Loudi. There are also at noon, such as Hengyang. At the New Year's Eve dinner, the whole family sat around a table for dinner. The oldest person tastes the food first, and asks that every dish on the table, big or small, should be held with chopsticks. Women who don't drink at all should also have a symbolic thirst for wine for good luck.
Hunan people will eat chicken, meat and fish on New Year's Eve. Chicken requirements are roosters, whole chicken stew, and look up when loading; Fish should be silver carp, stewed and sprinkled with red pepper powder, which symbolizes that there is more than one year, and the grain is abundant. At the same time, many dishes on the table are interesting. For example, fish balls (meatballs) and meatballs symbolize reunion, radish symbolizes a good color, a whole chicken, and some fried foods. Because they are fried and fried, they show "prosperous wealth". If you have to go out in time for a reunion dinner, you should also leave a seat, put a cup of chopsticks on it, and even put this person's clothes on the empty seat to show that the whole family misses him. In Zhuzhou, Hengyang and other places, people eat reunion dinners. Vegetables do not need to be chopped with a knife. Just tear it by hand. They don't bite when eating, but eat slowly, which means wishing their parents a long life. In Shaoyang, Huaihua and other places, it is forbidden to "waste a year" without eating cabbage when having a reunion dinner.
On New Year's Day, the head of the family prepares morning tea and cooks eggs, popcorn, red dates and sugar together. Eggs are round, symbolizing family reunion; Popcorn symbolizes a bumper harvest of fish and rice and a bumper harvest of grains; Red dates and sugar symbolize the sweetness and happiness of life.
Spring Festival and Spring Festival couplets
Spring Festival is the biggest traditional festival in China. Originally on the second day of the twelfth lunar month (the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month), the Northern and Southern Dynasties changed to the end of the year. Spring Festival couplets have a long history. Couplets originated from ancient peach symbols. According to Huainanzi, peach symbols are made of peach wood, that is, the names of "Shencha" and "Lei Yu" Er Shen are written on the mahogany board or two statues are hung on the door. In the Five Dynasties, couplets were written on mahogany boards. It is said that China's first couplet was written by Meng Yun in the post-Shu period of the Five Dynasties: "Chinese New Year's Day, the First Festival is long.". The Chronicle of Yanjing in Qing Dynasty said: "Spring Festival couplets are also Fu Tao. Since entering the customs, some scholars have written Spring Festival couplets under the eaves of the streets in order to polish their writing style. After the sacrifice, it gradually sticks and hangs, and thousands of families are completely new. " It can be seen that the elusive charm has been replaced by welcome words since the Five Dynasties. Later, Taofu was replaced by Spring Festival couplets written on red paper. Nowadays, all parts of Hunan have the habit of posting couplets.
Happy new year, lucky money
People usually call their relatives and friends "Happy New Year" during the Spring Festival. According to legend, there are three strange things that disturb people's lives in Longke season: one is afraid of noise, the other is afraid of red, and the third is afraid of fire. In this way, every household will set off firecrackers, write Spring Festival couplets on red paper, light a fire, and say "Happy New Year" and "Happy New Year" to each other after the fierce beast ran away. These legends gradually evolved into today's customs.
It is necessary for people to choose a date for New Year's greetings. Changsha, Changde and other places, "the first day does not travel, the second day mother-in-law, after the third day, the village exchanges with each other." Zhuzhou, Xiangtan, Hengyang and other places, "the first child, the second son-in-law, (son-in-law), worship the foster mother in the third and fourth days, around the fifth and sixth days, and casually after the sixth day", and there is a taboo of "seven out of eight". Shaoyang and other places, "go to the first village, go to grandma's house on the second day, and pick up my mother on the fifteenth." Loudi and other places think that it is a delicious performance for the elders to visit the younger generation. During the New Year greetings, firecrackers are set off to celebrate. Hengyang and other places mainly set off firecrackers to receive guests, while guests in Shaoyang and other places brought firecrackers to the front of the host's house to set off firecrackers.
During the Spring Festival, a mass activity called "Playing Dong Year" (also called Lushenghui) prevailed among Dong compatriots in Hunan and Guizhou. This activity is similar to the "group worship" of the Han nationality, but it is more joyful and enthusiastic than the "group worship". This kind of activity is usually held in two villages, and the two teams formally hold a Lusheng dance competition in the square. At this time, the audience of the two villages danced with the music and enjoyed themselves.
The custom of greeting the New Year with "lucky money" has existed since ancient times. Fu Cha Dunchong's Chronicle of Yanjing in Qing Dynasty said: "On New Year's Eve, putting money through colored ropes at the foot of the bed is called lucky money. Those who respect their elders for their children are also called lucky money. " "One hundred dollars is a colorful long line, which is divided into corner pillows. The price of firecrackers (sugar) has also been negotiated, which has kept Joule busy all night." This is a poem written by predecessors, which describes the joy of getting lucky money. Now there are more and more tickets for the "lucky money" given by the elders to the younger generation.
Special customs of the Spring Festival
Hunan: On the first day of New Year's Day, people first worship heaven and earth, family gods and elders, and then go out to pay New Year's greetings. It's called "New Year greetings regardless of size". Hunan people will eat chicken, meat and fish on New Year's Eve. After stewing, sprinkle with red pepper powder, which symbolizes more than a year and a bumper harvest. On New Year's Day, the head of the family prepares morning tea and cooks eggs, popcorn, red dates and sugar together. Eggs are round, symbolizing family reunion; Popcorn symbolizes a bumper harvest of fish and rice and a bumper harvest of grains; Red dates and sugar symbolize the sweetness and happiness of life.
On New Year's Eve 12, each family will send a finished gold ingot model to their door, indicating that they will make money in the new year. On the first and second days of the New Year's Day, people don't sweep the floor, draw water or even make a fire. Food is prepared in advance, which is called "pressing the old".