Folk Customs De’ang people also celebrate the Water Splashing Festival, which takes place on the seventh day after the Qingming Festival. In addition to the water-splashing blessings and elephant-foot dancing and encouragement programs that are consistent with the Dai Water Splashing Festival, the De’ang Water Splashing Festival is the most distinctive. The custom is to wash the hands and feet of the elders. At that time, the younger generations of each family should prepare a basin of hot water and place it in the center of the hall. They will invite the parents and other elders to sit in the hall, kowtow to them and ask them to forgive the younger ones for their unfilial behavior in the past year. . The elders should also review their shortcomings in setting an example for the younger generation over the past year. Then, the younger generation washes their elders' hands and feet, and at the same time wishes each other a harmonious and hard-working atmosphere in the coming year. If a parent dies, the brother, sister, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law will be the ones to wash their hands and feet.
This custom comes from an ancient legend: a rebellious son was working in the mountains on the seventh day after the Qingming Festival. He saw the scene of the chicks feeding back, and he felt inspired and determined to treat his mother well. At this time, his mother was walking up the mountain to deliver food to her son, and accidentally slipped. Her son came to help her, but she thought he was coming to beat her, so she hit her head against a tree and died. The son was so remorseful that he cut down the tree and carved it into a statue of his mother. Every year on the seventh day after the Qingming Festival, the statue was dipped in warm water sprinkled with flower petals and washed. It later evolved into a custom.
Tibetan
Each ethnic group has its own unique culture and living habits. The Tibetan people are an ancient and passionate nation. In their long history, they have also formed their own living habits. and taboos in life.
1. When two friends who have reunited after a long separation greet each other or chat, you cannot put your hands on each other’s shoulders.
2. You cannot step over or step on other people's clothes, nor put your own clothes on other people's clothes, nor can you step over people.
3. Women should not dry clothes, especially pants and underwear, where everyone passes by.
4. Do not whistle or cry loudly in the room.
5. When the family is away from home and the guests have just left, you cannot sweep the floor or take out the garbage at noon, after sunset and on the first day of the Tibetan New Year.
6. Outsiders cannot mention the name of the deceased in front of his relatives.
7. The work that should be completed this year cannot be left to next year, such as twisting wool, knitting sweaters, carpets, etc.
8. Don’t just walk into other people’s homes at dusk, especially when there will be pregnant women, newly delivered mothers, or seriously ill people, and strangers are not allowed to go.
9. Do not take out any property at home after noon.
10. When a stranger comes to mountains, cliffs and canyons that you have never been to before, do not make loud noises.
11. Do not step on or step on eating utensils, pots, bowls, pans, etc.
12. If two people at home go out at the same time and walk in opposite directions, they cannot leave the house at the same time. They must go out before and after and at separate times.
13. Women cannot comb or wash their hair at night, nor can they go out with their hair down.
14. When using brooms and dustpans, they cannot be passed directly by hand. They must be placed on the ground first, and then another person picks them up from the ground.
15. Whenever relatives and friends come to your home or visit you, they will give you some butter tea or highland barley wine as gifts. When the guests leave, they should clear out the things. They cannot empty them all and must leave them behind. Put some in it or replace it with some of your own stuff.
16. Bowls with chips or cracks cannot be used for eating or serving tea to guests.
2. Yi Nationality
The Torch Festival of the Yi Nationality is also the Year of the Yi Nationality. In the eyes of the Yi people, fire symbolizes light, justice, prosperity, and a powerful force that can destroy all evil. The Torch Festival is a festival of joy, love and happiness for the Yi people. 3. Hong Kong New Year Customs
The Lunar New Year is a grand festival in our country’s tradition, and I believe that every Chinese person does not know it. However, celebrating the Lunar New Year in Hong Kong is completely different from traditional customs and atmosphere.
In recent years, few Hong Kong people have traditionally posted Spring Festival couplets and New Year pictures at home during the Lunar New Year. Instead, they have posted "Business is booming", "Business is booming", "Come in and out safely", etc. in some shops or homes. of Huichun. Even so, the original intention of posting Huichun is the same as posting Spring Festival couplets and New Year pictures. It means auspiciousness and hopes that everything will go well and be safe in the coming year.
In addition, lion dances, dragon lantern dances, etc. will also appear in some villages and walled villages in the New Territories. Large-scale lion dances and dragon lantern dance performances are also rare to see on the streets of urban areas during the New Year. As for setting off firecrackers and firecrackers, they are strictly prohibited in Hong Kong. However, since 1982, a grand fireworks display has been held on Victoria Harbor every year on the second day of the Lunar New Year. This has become a part of welcoming the Spring Festival in the past ten years. program.
Hong Kong is known as the "Food Paradise", and there are many customs related to eating during the Spring Festival. Most families will also have a "reunion dinner" during the Spring Festival, usually a banquet at home, with the whole family on New Year's Eve. Up and down, inside and out, we gather together to enjoy dinner.
As for the main attraction after dinner, the first choice is to visit the flower market. During the Lunar New Year, there are New Year’s Eve markets in many places in Hong Kong and Kowloon, among which the flower market in Victoria Park is the largest and busiest. Hong Kong citizens are accustomed to visiting the flower market as a family after dinner. On New Year's Eve, there are even more people, shoulder to shoulder, everyone celebrating the festival together.
During the Lunar New Year in Hong Kong, the happiest thing is the children collecting "lushies". When paying New Year greetings during the Spring Festival, you can hear the laughter everywhere as they "beg for" lushies. "Lishi" originally meant "good things" and meant good luck and good fortune. It has also become an indispensable custom for spending time with relatives during the Spring Festival.
4. Macao’s annual customs
Macao’s annual customs are unique. "Xie Zao" is one of the most traditional Chinese customs preserved in Macao. On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, people in Macao call it "Thanks to the Kitchen God". According to Chinese tradition, Macau people also use kitchen sugar to treat the Kitchen God. It is said that the mouth of the Kitchen God is glued with sugar to prevent him from speaking ill of the Jade Emperor. I saw a portrait of Santa Claus on the kitchen stove of a Macanese family in Macau Flower Street. The strange thing is that there is a couplet on the side of the portrait of Santa Claus: "God speaks good things, and returns home with good luck."
Macau people celebrate the New Year on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month. The 28th day of the twelfth lunar month is jokingly called "easy to fat" in Cantonese. Most business owners treat their employees to a "reunion dinner" at the end of the year. To show good fortune and good luck. The flavor of the New Year in Macau can be truly felt from the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.
On New Year’s Eve, staying up late and visiting the flower market are two major events for Macau people to bid farewell to the old year and usher in the new year. Staying up late means playing mahjong, watching TV, chatting about old times, and enjoying family happiness. Probably influenced by Western Christmas and Valentine's Day, Macau people also rush to buy some auspicious flowers and trees to welcome the New Year during the New Year. Now it has become a Macau customs. Macau holds a flower market on the New Year's Eve, mostly peach blossoms, daffodils, potted bamboos, and potted oranges. The flowers bloom, wishing prosperity and peace, and the flowers and trees signify a bright future in the new year. Macau's flower market is held for three days, and these three days bring endless comfort to Macau people who have been traveling all year long.
On the Spring Festival, Macau people pay attention to "profit", and "profit" means red envelopes. On this day, bosses see employees, elders see juniors, and even married people get "profit" when they see unmarried people. city". "profit market" is purely crisp to show good luck. Macau people call the second day of the Lunar New Year the "New Year's Day". It is customary to have a "New Year's" meal, which must contain norot, lettuce, and carp, with the intention of making money. Starting from the "New Year" day, the Macau government allows civil servants to "gambling" (gambling) within three days. After the "New Year", Macao completely returns to the traditional Chinese Spring Festival customs. Until the Lantern Festival, it is also a smoke festival, firecrackers, dragon and lion dances, and joy.
5. Interesting customs of Taiwan’s Spring Festival
The Spring Festival is the most solemn traditional folk festival with a long history of the Chinese nation. In Taiwan, which is separated from Fujian Province by a river, its history, culture, customs, living customs, kinship, etc. are all in line with the mainland of the motherland, especially the southern Fujian region. Therefore, the Spring Festival customs of the people on the island are naturally in line with those of the people in the mainland of the motherland. Much the same.
Since the ancestors of Baodao residents (mostly Hokkien and Hakka) went to Taiwan for development, it is a long time ago and has gone through many vicissitudes of life. The Spring Festival customs there have gradually formed some unique patterns and colors.
6. Interesting Jiangsu Spring Festival customs
During the Spring Festival, in addition to pasting Spring Festival couplets, hanging New Year pictures, staying up late, lion dancing, New Year greetings and other customs that are the same as those across the country, Jiangsu folk also Some unique customs are now compiled for the benefit of readers.
Suzhou people put cooked water chestnuts in their meals on New Year's Eve and dig them out when eating, which is called "digging for ingots." When relatives and friends come and go, they put two green olives in when making tea, which is called "drinking ingot tea" ",May you be happy and prosperous.
On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, people in Wujin hang the portraits of their ancestors in the central hall, offer tea, fruits and rice cakes, and the whole family performs New Year greetings in turn, which is called "worshiping the shadow of gods." They sweep the floor and are not allowed to sweep from the house. , for fear of sweeping away "wealth" and "good luck", we can only sweep from the outside in.
Jiangning people have the custom of "beating the sacred drum" during the Spring Festival. The big flag opens the way, and the gongs and drummers beat the drum vigorously to add to the fun. On the third day of the lunar month, they "play the night drum", on the seventh day of the lunar month, they "beat the seven drums", and on the tenth day of the lunar month, they "beat the sacred drum". From three to fifteen, "shirtless drumming" is played, and the atmosphere is lively.
Nantong people have the custom of planting sesame stalks, holly, and cypress branches at the door of their homes or in front of their halls, which means that life is blooming and green all year round.
Huaiyin people also have the custom of "baking their children's heads" on the sixth day of the lunar month. At night, children are taken to the open field to light torches to drive away diseases and evil spirits. While roasting, they sing: "Roast your head to wake up your brain. Roast your feet to straighten your steps. Roast your belly to prevent diarrhea. Roast your whole body." "
On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, fishermen in Wuxi have the custom of taking a boat to Xishan to worship the Yuwang Temple, pray for the blessing of the water god, and worship Aobo Buddha, which is called "Shang?". After the Yuwang Temple was demolished. , this custom gradually became indifferent.
During the Spring Festival, there are still many taboos in the old customs in Jiangsu, such as not using scissors on the first day of the year to avoid quarrels; not using kitchen knives to avoid death; not eating porridge for fear of encountering someone when going out. Rain; not sweeping the floor for fear of sweeping away all fortune, etc. With the popularization of scientific knowledge, many unscientific customs have gradually been forgotten; however, healthy and beneficial entertainment and leisure activities have continued.
7. Guilin Spring Festival Customs
?From "Little New Year's Eve" to New Year's Eve
The Spring Festival enters Guilin at the zero o'clock bell on December 24th of the lunar calendar. of urban and rural areas. This day is the "Little New Year's Eve" for Guilin people, which is also the "Little New Year's Eve". On this day, people kill dogs and ducks to celebrate the coming of the Spring Festival. The sound of firecrackers on this day crackled with people's wish to send the Stove Lord "God said good things" to Gao Yu. People believe that the Kitchen God is the head of the family and is responsible for all the good, evil, deeds and misfortunes of the family. Therefore, at the end of each year, the Kitchen God is sent to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor to bring blessings and avoid disasters for the whole family. The ceremony of offering sacrifices to the stove is mostly performed by the elders of the family. They put candies on the stove to worship the Kitchen God, praying to the Kitchen God to "speak good things from heaven and bring good luck to the earth." The purpose of using candies to worship the Kitchen God is to make the sugar "stick" to the Kitchen God's mouth, so that his sweet mouth can say good things. After night falls on New Year's Eve, firecrackers are set off to welcome the Stove Lord to earth. This is an ancient custom in Guilin to "celebrate the off-year". Now even setting off firecrackers is just a ritual left over from ancient customs.
From the 24th to 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, people are busy buying new year's goods and cleaning their homes and outside to welcome the new year cleanly. There are many kinds of traditional foods for the festival, and they contain good wishes: Steamed rice cakes are steamed on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month. Rice cakes can be sweet, mature, meaty, or vegetarian. If you eat rice cakes (high), your life and work will be prosperous in the new year. Advance step by step.
During the New Year’s Eve dinner, people like to have family reunions, and the dishes must include "Yuanzi" and "Huanxi", which means reunion and joy. On this night, the streets are empty, and everyone is staying at home to watch the New Year. When keeping watch, the charcoal fire in the brazier should be burned brightly to symbolize that life will be prosperous year by year. When midnight arrives, people of all ages are filled with joy and welcome the New Year with the sound of firecrackers. The sound of the happy firecrackers is endless, one after another, until late at night, people are still sleepy, and the fire is still bright. Even if they want to rest, they still will not forget to put the fire in the brazier and leave the tinder to light it up tomorrow morning. A good fire. The New Year's fire is like human life. It is a good sign of prosperity in the New Year and a prosperous family. People have such deep feelings for fire, perhaps because fire has brought civilization and warmth to mankind. Loving fire is like loving your own life, especially in the New Year.
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Spring Festival Customs of Chinese Ethnic Minorities
China is a multi-ethnic country, with 55 ethnic minorities in addition to the Han people. Although they have different languages, characters, and different lifestyles and customs, most of them celebrate the Spring Festival as a major festival of their own nation.
8. Daur people: prosperous every year
The Daur people in the north have the habit of paying New Year greetings. During the Spring Festival, people put on festive costumes and visit each house to congratulate each other. Every house has steamed cakes. As soon as New Year greeters come in, the host will treat them with steamed cakes. "Cake" is homophonic with "高" in Chinese. Treating each other with cakes means that each other's living standards will be further improved in the new year. During the festival, the Daur people also hold singing, dancing and sports activities that last for half a month.
9. Mongolian people: endless food and wine
The Mongolian people in the north have a different scene during the Spring Festival. Before the festival, every household prepares rams and various kinds of food that grew that year. Dairy products and a few bottles of wine. On New Year's Eve, people put on beautiful Mongolian robes and the whole family sits on the floor in the middle of the yurt to welcome the new year. Drinking and dining begins at midnight. As a rule, you should eat and drink as much as possible. The more wine and meat left over, the better. This symbolizes that there will be endless food and wine in the new year, and you will have no worries about eating and drinking. On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, men and women wearing various costumes mount their horses and rush to "hot" (villages) in groups to string yurts one by one. When making packages, one must first kowtow to the elders and give blessings. Then the son-in-law of the host family toasts the guests who come to make packages, and people sing and dance.
10. Zhuang Ethnic Group: Welcome Heroes
The Zhuang ethnic group living in southern China calls the Spring Festival "New Year's Day". On this day, people congratulate each other no matter who they meet when they go out, thinking that this will be auspicious for the year. Among the Zhuang people, there is also the custom of spending time in old age, which the Zhuang people call "eating the Li Festival". "Eating Li Festival" is on the 30th of this month. According to legend, more than 100 years ago, a peasant armed force of the Zhuang ethnic group returned triumphantly after fighting against foreign invaders. At this time, the Spring Festival had passed, and in order to welcome them, the Zhuang people celebrated on this month. Let’s celebrate the Spring Festival for them on the 30th.
11. Buyi Nationality: The girl rushes to carry the first load of water
The Buyi people living in the southwest border of China stay up all night on New Year’s Eve every year. At dawn, the girls rushed outside to fetch water. Whoever fetched the first load of water would be the hardest-working girl. The Jingpo people there like to hold target shooting activities before the Spring Festival, and the girls are the organizers and referees of this activity. They hung the embroidered purses on bamboo poles with threads, swayed them from side to side in the treetops, and asked the young men to shoot them. The girls will give wine as a prize to whoever shoots off his purse first. The purse usually contains a coin, a few grains of grain and a few decorative beads as a symbol of happiness.
12. Hani People: Swinging
A few days before the Spring Festival, the villages where the Hani people live have become lively, and the women are busy pounding rice cakes. Baba is a cake made from glutinous rice. The young men were busy going up the mountain to chop bamboo and prepare to set up the swing. The swing there is more than ten meters high. Hani people, regardless of gender, old or young, love to play on the swing.
During the festival, everyone wears their favorite clothes to play on the swings, creating a lively and harmonious festival scene everywhere.
13. Dai Nationality: Throwing chaff bags
Dai young men and women like to throw chaff bags. During the Spring Festival, young men and girls throw chaff bags at each other to see who can throw them accurately. See who can catch it. When the play reaches a certain point, the girls will quietly steal the waist knife, turban or tied horse from the young man and run home. If the young man is interested, he will follow him. When the parents saw their daughter coming back with a turban and a horse, they hosted a banquet in honor of her.
In addition, April 13th every year is the Dai New Year, and it is also the most solemn festival of the Dai people - the Water Splashing Festival. They regard splashing water as a symbol of exorcism and good luck, and also regard it as a symbol of good luck and good luck. One day is regarded as the most beautiful and auspicious day.
14. Gaoshan Tribe: “Around the Fireplace”
The Gaoshan Tribe living in Taiwan Province of China have a different style of celebrating the Spring Festival. On New Year's Eve, a family of old and young gathers around a round table with hot pot for dinner, which is called "circling the stove". Women who usually do not drink alcohol should take a symbolic sip of wine to show good luck. The vegetables eaten during "circling the stove" do not need to be cut with a knife. They are washed and boiled with the roots attached to express wishes for the longevity of the parents. If someone in the family goes out, a seat should be left vacant and the person's clothes should be placed on the empty seat to express the family's longing for him.
15. Manchu people: Hanging flags to celebrate the New Year
The Manchu people are divided into four banners: red, yellow, blue and white. During the Spring Festival, people with red flags put red flags on their doors, people with yellow flags put yellow flags on their doors, people with blue flags put blue flags on their doors, and people with white flags put white flags on their doors. These hanging flags have beautiful patterns and bright colors, symbolizing the auspicious beginning of the year.
During the festival, boys set off firecrackers in groups, or ride various homemade wooden sledges, whizzing over hills and ice. Girls and young daughters-in-law wear newly made colorful clothes, gather in small groups, and play Galaha (pig or cow knee joints) together. On the evenings from the first to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, people also voluntarily organize to dance Yangko to celebrate the New Year. The Yangko team with a strong lineup not only performs in the village, but also performs in other villages. The onlookers often lean forward and backward with joy, forgetting their fatigue and cold. There were even enthusiastic spectators who followed the yangko team from house to house and did not return until dawn.
16. Bai Nationality: "Fang Gaosheng"
During the New Year, the Bai people in Yunnan have a celebration called "Fang Gaosheng". The so-called "Gaosheng" is to use a whole big bamboo, load gunpowder into the bamboo joints, and after lighting it, the whole big bamboo can collapse hundreds of feet into the sky, becoming a veritable "Gaosheng". In some areas, Bai compatriots, like the Miao and Zhuang people, engage in the activity of "throwing hydrangeas" from the Spring Festival to the Lantern Festival. Anyone who cannot catch the hydrangea will give a souvenir to the other person. Those who miss the ball many times but cannot redeem the souvenir will express their acceptance of the other person's love.
17. Dong Nationality: Lusheng Hui
Dong compatriots in Guizhou and Hunan have a popular mass activity of "Dong Year" (also called Lusheng Hui) during the Spring Festival. This kind of activity is similar to the "group worship" of the Han people, but it is more joyful and enthusiastic. This kind of activity is usually organized by consensus between the two village leaders. The two teams officially held a Lusheng singing and dancing competition in the square. At this time, the audience in the two villages danced to the music and had fun.
18. Yi Nationality: Tigging Tiger
The Yi people in Maidichong, Shuangbai County, Yunnan Province have a special custom of "Tigger Festival" during the Chinese New Year. On the eighth day of the first lunar month, the whole country The adult men of the village gather at the ruins of the Earth Temple behind the village, kill dogs and offer "Mi Si" ("Mi" means soil, "Si" means master, Mi Si means the god of the soil owner), and then the "Bimo" of the village offers sacrifices to the owner of the soil. Invite the Tiger God. Eight villagers dressed up as tigers and danced gracefully. The "tigers" had high ears, thick tails, tiger stripes all over their bodies, a Chinese character "王" painted on their foreheads, and a large copper bell hung around their necks, which looked majestic. After "Bi Mo" finished reciting the sacrifice to invite the Tiger God, the Tiger King led all the tigers into the village. During the entire Tiger Tiger Festival, the whole village, men, women and children, are immersed in the joyful atmosphere of welcoming tigers, seeing off tigers, watching tigers jump and driving away evil ghosts. The local people are convinced that only through the annual traditional Tiger Tiger Festival and respect After offering sacrifices to the Tiger God and praying for the blessings of their ancestors, all the villagers will have abundant harvests, a prosperous population, and become happier and happier year by year.
19. Sani people: eat glutinous rice balls
New Year’s Eve is called “Sirou period” in Sani language. It is very solemn to worship ancestors and eat New Year's dinner on New Year's Eve. In the afternoon, green branches are placed in front of every house, and a straw hat is hung on the branches. This is the silent notice: Keep out! No talking allowed! Even people at home are not allowed to speak loudly.
There is an interesting phenomenon in the Sani language: "Tangyuan" and "Celebrating the New Year" are the same word, called "Korsima". Because glutinous rice balls are a must during the New Year. Within half a month from the beginning of the first month, people indulge in joy. A bonfire party is held on the first night of the Lunar New Year, with duets of folk songs and Sanxianhu solos, simple and lyrical. The big three-stringed instrument was loud and exciting, and people sang and danced to the music.
On the second day of the lunar month, sacrifices are made to the mountain gods, and on the fourth day of the lunar month, Mars is sent to drive away disasters and show people's strength.
Every year on the afternoon of the second day of the Spring Festival, farmers will take the cow out, walk several times around the center of the village, and wear a red cloth with flowers on its forehead to show respect for its contribution throughout the year. He also feeds it rice and fatty pork to express his condolences to his close companion.
Sani people hold ancestor worship activities from New Year’s Eve to the fifth day of the lunar month. From their admiration and memory for their ancestors, we can discover the beautiful things in the nation's cohesion and traditional morality.
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