Introduction to the Origin and Ceremony of Hong Kong’s Festival on the 18th Day of the First Lunar Month
Introduction: The first month of the new year is the first month of the lunar year. In addition to major festivals such as the Spring Festival, there are other folk cultural festivals in this month. Different regions have different ways of celebrating. So, have you heard about the Hong Kong Festival on the 18th day of the first lunar month? Now, let’s follow the editor to get to know it. The festive culture of the Chinese New Year is rich and colorful, and extraordinary. If you want to know more related content, just search in the Spring Festival special topic carefully compiled by Mr. Shui Mo!Hong Kong Festival - Hong Chao Festival in Jinqian Village on the 18th and 19th of the first lunar monthJinqian Village is located in the northern part of Hong Kong's New Territories. It is a village dominated by residents with the surname Hou. It is said that because the hill behind the village looks like a butterfly and the terrain of the village is very round, like money, geomancers call it "butterfly playing with money", hence the name.Although Jinqian Village is a Hou clan village, there are two major clans in the village: Zhuofeng clan and Diji clan. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Benli, the fifth son of Zhuofeng, moved from Heshang Township to Gutian and Jitian. At the end of the Qianlong period, his descendants moved from Gutian to Jinqian Village and Yangang Village to establish their own base. The Tinghui, Zhaofu, Zhuju, Wuqiong and Peixing families in Jinqian Village today are all descendants of Zhuofeng. As for Dijizu, he moved to Jinqian Village at about the same time. At the end of the 18th century, Dijizu's descendants Menglanggong and Zhonglanggong moved from Binggang Village to Jinqian and formed the Weifeng House. The current "Weifeng Hougong Temple" in Jinqian Village is the ancestral hall of this family, but it has been abandoned, reflecting that the financial resources of the Hou family, which moved to Jinqian from Binggang, are no longer as strong as before. In Jinqian Village, the organization that brings together the two major factions of Zhuofengzu and Dijizu is the Zongfu Temple, which is owned by the name of Zongfutang. The meaning of "Zongfu" is that people from the same "zong" clan enjoy the same "blessing". And this same clan is understood here as the two major branches of the Hou family. The most lively days of the year in the Zongfu Temple, besides the birthday of King Fude, are the Hongchao held on the 18th and 19th day of the first lunar month. All expenses for Hong Chao's activities are shared equally by all the "doormen" in the village. "Mentou" means roughly a "household". According to the custom in Jinqian Village, whenever a male surnamed Hou gets married, he must report to the Village Affairs Committee on the second day of the first lunar month every year, and he can become a "Mentou". The "Mentou" also serves as the "Chaoshou" of the Hong Dynasty and performs sacrificial ceremonies on behalf of all the Hou family members in the village. According to Jinqian Village's Chaoshou Book, Zongfu Hall's sacrificial organization was divided into ten "Jia", with each "Jia" having approximately 13 to 16 "Mentou". Every year, one "Jia" took turns to be responsible for the sacrifices of the Hong Dynasty. Main ceremony introduction1. Opening of the court: The monk Nanmu, wearing a red scarf and a battle skirt, will offer a roasted pig as a court pig to the gods.2. Dividing the sacrificial meat and eating morning porridge: The sacrificial meat (also known as "morning meat") is divided in the Zongfushen Hall, and the remaining pig offal is used to cook porridge for the heads of court to enjoy. 3. Boat-robbing: In some similar rituals, Hong Dynasty in Jinqian Village also has its own characteristics. For example, in the boat-robbing ceremony (watch the video), many households hang plants such as onions and garlic at their doors to ward off evil spirits. In addition to scattering hemp beans, black charcoal and chicken feathers that represent filth on the boat, the household head also prepares fried rice cakes. However, these fried rice cakes were not placed on the boat. The staff held a red rice bucket and collected the rice cakes and the "lucky money" given by the householders along the way. Therefore, the author suspects that these rice crackers are not unlucky things. They are part of the staff’s remuneration, just like the lai see money. In fact, the boat-racing activity on the 19th day of the first lunar month in Jinqian Village is somewhat similar to the "Tianji" activity in Yaqianwei Village before the war. This boat-rowing activity on the 19th day of the first lunar month was recorded in the local chronicles of the Ming and Qing dynasties, but the activity was called "Tianji" instead of "Tianji". The Dongguan County Annals of the Chongzhen period says: "The 19th day of the first lunar month is commonly known as Tianji Laibai, and peach branches are inserted on the doors to ward off evil spirits. The Xin'an County Annals of the Kangxi period also says: "The 19th day of the first lunar month is called Tianji, and the 20th day is called Laibai. Villagers make paper boats to send news to the door. The host puts hemp beans in the boat and sends it to the suburbs. After the boat leaves, peach branches and garlic are hung on the door to ward off evil spirits." According to these descriptions, villagers in Dongguan and Xin'an counties would perform a "Tianji" ceremony on the 19th day of the first lunar month, using paper boats to send away things that represented filth in the village. The "Tian Ji" performed in Nga Tsin Wai Village, Chuk Yuen Village and Po Kong Village is basically the same, except that straw dragon boats are used instead of paper boats. But it is very consistent with the boat-raiding activity in Jinqian Village, which uses paper boats. It turns out that hanging garlic on the door can ward off evil spirits. But why is the 19th day of the first lunar month a dangerous day? According to some research on Guangdong folk customs, the 19th day of the first lunar month is an unlucky day. According to legend, Gonggong competed with others for the throne and broke the pillar of heaven, creating a big hole in the sky, putting the sky in danger of collapsing. Nuwa then burned five-colored stones to repair the sky and used reed ash to fill the flood, so that people could have peace. The story of Nuwa patching the sky with stones has since become a festival, and the Cantonese people also spread the belief that the 19th day of the first lunar month is an unlucky day. In order to maintain peace, they imitate Nuwa on that day and fry thin pancakes with glutinous rice flour to offer sacrifice to the gods, which is called "Bu Tian Chuan". Therefore, some of the rituals in the boat-pulling in Jinqian Village, including hanging onions and garlic at the door and each household preparing fried rice cakes, are related to the ancient legend of Bu Tian Chuan, and are one of the important rituals for the village to drive away epidemics and filth every year. 4. Pi Sha Luo: Immediately after the boat-lifting ceremony, Master Nanmu will perform the "Pi Sha Luo". Before the ceremony, Nam-mo had to ask the five land gods whether he could carry out the ceremony. After getting confirmation, he would use a long axe to cut open the pig's stomach filled with clean water to symbolize the removal of filth. Summary: Through the above article, I believe everyone has a certain understanding of the Hong Kong Festival on the 18th day of the first lunar month. I hope everyone can learn more about the customs and culture of different regions and experience different customs and cultures. Finally, I wish you all good luck and all the best in the new year! After reading this article, there are more exciting content in the Spring Festival special topic, let’s take a look! |
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