Heyuan City is the center of Hakka settlement in Dongjiang River Basin. During the "Baiyue" period, Vietnamese in Jiangsu and Zhejiang were scattered among ethnic minorities, which played an important role in Guangdong's opening up. After Qin Ping Baiyue, he moved to Guangdong and Guangxi, settled in Shaanxi and Gansu, and brought the Yellow River culture. Since then, in the Central Plains war, groups of immigrants have entered Lingnan. These people who moved south assimilated with the local aborigines and gradually formed Hakka civilization.
In the long historical process, Heyuan people have been inheriting the excellent traditional virtues and humanistic spirit of Hakka people. The folk song culture in Meizhou, Guangdong Province is unique. Dongjiang Hakka dishes in Heyuan are more distinctive.
In 2008, experts and scholars from all over the country witnessed a special decision made by the Standing Committee of Heyuan Municipal Committee to list Zhao Tuo as the ancestor of Hakkas in Longchuan County, Heyuan.
Heyuan residents are mainly Han nationality, accounting for 99%; The ancestors of the Han nationality are Hakkas in the Central Plains, and the language they speak is Hakkas. There are also ethnic minorities such as She nationality. According to records, there were still a small number of Yao people living together in ancient times. By the end of 2007, she nationality had about 17000 people, and their customs and habits were basically sinicized, but they still kept some of their own customs and habits, such as advocating martial arts. Hakka customs generally include national traditional festivals, local sacrifices and rituals.
Major festivals
Spring Festival: It is the most solemn festival, with New Year greetings and entertainment activities.
Lantern Festival: The 15th day of the first month is the traditional Lantern Festival in China. Eat, play and enjoy the Lantern Festival in solving riddles.
Tomb-Sweeping Day: Most Hakka grave-sweeping customs began at the vernal equinox and reached its climax in Tomb-Sweeping Day.
Dragon Boat Festival: Hakka people generally call it May Festival. The main contents of the festival are eating zongzi, realgar wine and dragon boat racing.
Valentine's Day in China: It's also Seven Clever Days. On this day, it is basically rainy in Heyuan, but when it rains less, everyone will go swimming in the river. It is said that the river water on this day can cure diseases and relieve pain, and many people put it in the pot and use it directly. On this day, many old people will pick some flowers and soak them in water, then wash them for their grandchildren and pray for their health. I heard an old man say that there will be a lot of white powder scattered in the sky tonight. As long as you can hold it in your hand, the next year will be smooth, because those things are spilled by fairies.
July 14: that is, Ghost Festival. There is nothing special about this festival, but I bought more vegetables than usual, such as making tofu.
Mid-Autumn Festival: commonly known as August Festival. Eat moon cakes and enjoy the moon. Customs are generally the same everywhere.
Double Ninth Festival: Hakkas call it "September Festival".
Solstice of winter: Hakka people have the saying of "wintering". On this day, they will buy more good dishes. One thing must be indispensable, and that is to eat stuffed tofu.
Marriage customs and habits
Hakka's marriage customs are deeply influenced by ancient fashion, and they mainly carry on the family line, but they gradually advocate free love. The marriage between men and women in Hakka pays attention to "being suitable for each other", and the formal marriage relationship in Hakka society is a kind of "marrying into a rich family", and the wind of uxorilocal is not prevalent.
Most of the procedures and ceremonies still follow the old habits, such as blind date, dating, date announcement, bride price, dowry, bride reception, wedding ceremony and so on.
Folk entertainment
Hakka folk entertainment is rich in content. The main festivals are yangko, dragon boat race, lantern riding, dragon lantern dance, lion dance, high-legged teacher, lantern welcoming, lantern riding, drumming, musical instrument meeting, performance and fireworks. There are usually folk songs, ditty singing, piano playing, guzheng playing, erhu playing, flute playing, chess playing, gobang playing and so on. There are many Hakka accents in Heyuan, and there are great differences between different counties or towns in the same county. Generally, it can be divided into Hakka Cantonese and Shuiyuan Dialect (also known as Dongjiang Dialect, including Heyuan Dialect). However, the attribution of water source sounds (including Heyuan dialect and Longchuan Tacheng dialect). ) controversial. Most scholars think it is a branch of Hakka dialect, and some scholars think it is a branch of Cantonese. The source sound is used in the news program of Heyuan TV Station and the announcement of bus stop signs (subject to Longchuan Tuocheng dialect).
Heyuan is located between Meizhou and Guangzhou, and Heyuan dialect is greatly influenced by orthodox Hakka dialect and vernacular (Guangzhou dialect). Some words are similar to Meizhou dialect in pronunciation, and some words are similar to Guangzhou dialect, but there are also great differences between the dialects of Dongyuan, Zijin, Longchuan, Li Anping and Heping counties in Heyuan City. But generally speaking, Heyuan city belongs to Hakka dialect area.
In addition, there are a few Minnan languages and minority languages in Heyuan (such as the living Nie used by She people). The top ten Hakka dishes in Heyuan are: Dongjiang brine chicken, Dongjiang fermented bean curd braised pork, salted duck, crystal chicken, osmanthus fish, braised grass carp, stuffed Sambo, drunken shrimp and shredded potatoes. The dishes in Heyuan area are mainly Hakka dishes, which emphasize "fat, salty and cooked".
Dongjiang brine chicken
"Dongjiang brine chicken" is a famous Guangdong dish, also known as Hakka brine chicken and Hakka brine chicken. The main ingredient is spicy chicken, and the main cooking technology is salt roasting.
Red meat
Pork is crisp, tender and tender, very tasty, moderately salty and sweet, golden in color, unique in flavor, refreshing, soft and smooth, fat but not greasy.
Dongjiang stuffed tofu
Hakka fermented bean curd is a famous Hakka dish, but it is a must for any banquet. "Brewing" is a Hakka verb, which means "planting stuffing".
Salted duck meat
The local specialty local duck is well-made, golden in color and rich in flavor, and it is a unique wine-accompanying dish.
Crystal chicken
The color is smooth, the original juice is delicious, and the meat is tender and delicious.
Osmanthus fish soup
Sweet-scented osmanthus fish, also known as mandarin fish, is a famous dish in Dongjiang, with less skin and smooth bones and fresh meat.
Braised grass carp
Scaled grass carp, slaughtered, cut into large pieces, put into a earthen bowl, then add seasoning and cover the pot.
Niang sanbao
Chop shrimp and pork with a knife, add eggs and seasonings, mix well, fly eggplant and wax gourd together, obliquely cut pepper, remove the core, obliquely cut cold melon, each length is about 3cm, and remove the pulp.
Niangzui river shrimp
Hakka Niang wine and ginger slices are put into a water pot, and raw prawns and monosodium glutamate are added and cooked with salt. Niangzui river shrimp is fresh, sweet and mellow, and delicious.
Potato shredding pot
Sweet and refreshing, smooth but not greasy, fragrant. Heyuan even has the right amount of shredded potatoes, chicken juice, garlic, peanut oil and seasonings.