What are the folk customs of the Chinese New Year’s Eve on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month?
Introduction: The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is also known as the Little New Year's Eve, which is the day for "sweeping the house" and "worshiping the kitchen god" in our traditional Chinese culture. What is "sweeping the dust"? What is "Kitchen God Offering"? What are the traditional folk customs and activities on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month? With these questions, please follow the editor to learn more! Mr. Shui Mo has carefully sorted out many customs and some precautions about New Year’s Eve. If you want to know more exciting content, please go to Mr. Shui Mo’s New Year’s Eve special topic to see more!Folk customs on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month - worshiping the kitchen godThe custom of sending off the Kitchen God is very common in all parts of China. Mr. Lu Xun once wrote a poem called "Sending Off the Kitchen God in the Gengzi Year": A chicken and some gummies, pawning clothes to offer incense. There is nothing valuable in the house, not just the yellow sheep. In his article "Random Thoughts on Sending Off the Kitchen God", he said: "On the day when the Kitchen God ascended to heaven, a kind of candy as big as a tangerine was sold on the street. We also have this thing where we are, but it is flat, like a thick pancake. It is the so-called 'sticky candy'. The original intention was to invite the Kitchen God to eat it so that his teeth would stick to it and prevent him from parroting and saying bad things about the Jade Emperor." The allusion to 'yellow sheep' in Lu Xun's poem comes from "Book of the Later Han Dynasty·Biography of Yin Shi": "During the time of Emperor Xuan, Yin Zifang was very filial and benevolent. On the morning of the twelfth lunar month, when cooking, the Kitchen God appeared. Zifang bowed twice to receive the congratulations. His family had a yellow sheep, so they offered it to the Kitchen God. From then on, they became extremely wealthy. By the third generation of Shi, the family prospered. Therefore, they often offered yellow sheep to the Kitchen God on the twelfth lunar month." Yin Zifang saw the Kitchen God and killed a yellow sheep for sacrifice. Later, he had good luck. From then on, the custom of killing yellow sheep to sacrifice to the Kitchen God has been passed down. The offerings for the Kitchen God Festival during the Tang and Song dynasties were quite rich. The "Song of Offering to the Kitchen God" by the Song Dynasty poet Fan Chengda gave a very vivid description of the folk offering to the Kitchen God at that time: According to ancient legend, on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God would look up to the sky and speak. The cloud chariot and the wind horse linger for a while, while the home has cups and plates for rich sacrifices. The pig's head is well cooked and the two fish are fresh, the red bean paste and sweet pine rice bait are round. Men offer wine and girls avoid it. Pouring wine and burning money will please the Kitchen God. Don’t listen to the servants’ quarrels, and don’t be angry when cats and dogs get dirty. I'll send you off to the Heavenly Gate when you're drunk and full. Don't tell me whether the spoon is long or short. I'll ask for the profit and share it with you when I come back. The Kitchen God worship on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is closely related to the Chinese New Year. Because, a week later, on the night of New Year’s Eve, the Kitchen God will come to the human world together with other gods, bringing with him the good and bad fortune that the family deserves. The Kitchen God is believed to lead the way for the gods in heaven. Other gods will ascend to heaven again after the Chinese New Year, but the Kitchen God will stay in people's kitchens for a long time. The ceremony to welcome the gods is called "Jieshen", and for the Kitchen God it is called "Jie Zao". The stove god is usually welcomed on New Year's Eve, and the ceremony is much simpler. All that is required is to replace the new stove lamp and burn incense in front of the stove niche. There is a saying that "men don't worship the moon, and women don't worship the kitchen god." In some places, women are not allowed to worship the Kitchen God. It is said that the Kitchen God looks like a pretty boy, and people are afraid that women worshiping the Kitchen God may be suspected of having an affair. The origin of the Kitchen God has a long history. Among China's traditional folk gods, the Kitchen God is one of the oldest. As early as the Xia Dynasty, he was already a great god revered by the people. According to the ancient book "Book of Rites·Ritual Vessels" Kong Yingda's commentary: "Zhuanxu had a son named Li, who was Zhurong and was worshipped as the Kitchen God." "Zhuangzi·Da Sheng" records: "The stove has a bun." Sima Biao commented: "The bun is the Kitchen God, who wears red clothes and looks like a beautiful woman." "Baopuzi·Weizhi" also records: "On the night of the new moon, the Kitchen God also reports the sins of people to the sky." These records are probably the origins of the Kitchen God worship. Some say that the Kitchen God is "Suiren", who drilled wood to make fire; some say that he is the "fire official" of Shennong; some say that he is "Sujili", who "made stoves for the Yellow Emperor"; some say that the Kitchen God's surname is Zhang, his name is Dan, and his courtesy name is Ziguo; there are many different opinions. Due to different customs in different places, there are traditional folk activities such as "jumping the Kitchen God" and "beating the Kitchen God".Folk customs on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month - sweeping the houseAfter the Kitchen God Festival, preparations for the New Year officially begin. Every year, from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month to the New Year's Eve, the Chinese people call this period of time "Welcoming Spring Day" or "Dust Sweeping Day". Sweeping the dust is the year-end cleaning, which is called "sweeping the house" in the north and "dusting" in the south. Sweeping the house before the Spring Festival is a traditional custom of the Chinese people. Every time the Spring Festival comes, every household has to clean the environment, wash various utensils, take apart and wash bedding and curtains, sweep the courtyard, dust off dust and cobwebs, and dredge open and underground ditches. From north to south, there is an atmosphere of joyfully cleaning up and welcoming the New Year in a clean manner. [2] The custom of “dusting and sweeping the house on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month” has a long history. According to "Lüshi Chunqiu", the custom of sweeping the house during the Spring Festival has existed in my country since the Yao and Shun era. According to folk saying: because "dust" and "old" are homophones, sweeping the dust during the New Year has the meaning of "getting rid of the old and bringing in the new", and its purpose is to sweep away all the "bad luck" and "bad luck". This custom embodies people's desire to break the old and establish the new and their prayers to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. The “Three Corpse Gods” are the Taoist term for the “gods” that wreak havoc inside the human body. According to the "Tai Shang San Shi Zhong Jing", "The upper corpse is named Peng Ju, and is in the human head; the middle corpse is named Peng Zhi, and is in the human abdomen; the lower corpse is named Peng Jiao, and is in the human feet." It also says that on the day of Gengshen, they will go to heaven to report people's sins to the Emperor of Heaven; but as long as people stay awake all night, they can avoid it, which is called "guarding Gengshen."Folk custom of the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month - eating stove candyAn old saying goes, "On the 23rd, sugar-coated melons are sticky and the Kitchen God is about to ascend to heaven." Eat stove sugar, which is a kind of malt sugar with great stickiness. When it is pulled into a long stick, it is called "Kanto sugar", and when it is pulled into a flat round shape, it is called "sugar melon". In winter, it is placed outside. Because of the cold weather, the sugar melon solidifies and there are tiny bubbles inside. It tastes crispy, sweet and crunchy, with a unique flavor. Real Kanto sugar is extremely hard and cannot be broken even if dropped. It must be chopped with a kitchen knife when eaten. The material is very heavy and fine. The taste is slightly sour, and there is absolutely no honeycomb in the middle. Each piece weighs one, two, or four taels, and the price is also more expensive. There are two types of sugar melons, one with sesame seeds and the other without. They are made with sugar in the shape of a melon or a pumpkin, with a hollow center and a skin less than five centimeters thick. Although they come in different sizes, transactions are still calculated by weight. The large sugar melons can weigh one or two pounds, but they are used as a cover and few people buy them. Guandong sugar is also known as Kitchen God sugar and big piece of sugar. It is only sold around the New Year's Eve in a year. Guandong sugar is a sugar product made from malt and millet, and is used to worship the Kitchen God. It is recorded in "Yanjing Sui Shi Ji" written by a Qing Dynasty person: During the Qing Dynasty, offerings to the Kitchen God included "Guan Dong Sugar" and "Sugar Cakes". In the rural areas and cities of Northeast China, on the streets and alleys, and in the markets, there are vendors selling Guandong candy: "Big pieces of candy, big pieces of candy, big pieces of candy that are crispy and fragrant." The large milky white pieces of candy are placed on a square plate, and are generally three inches long, one inch wide, flat, and in the shape of silk strips. The newly made large pieces of candy are crispy, fragrant, sticky, and have a special flavor. They are a kind of candy that is loved by men, women, and children in Kanto. It has come down from the sacrificial table of the Kitchen God and is now widely enjoyed by the people.Folk customs on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month - chasing away chaotic marriagesAfter the 23rd, people believe that the gods have gone to heaven and there are no taboos. There is no need to choose a date to marry a wife or a daughter, which is called a hasty marriage. There is a saying in the folk song, "At the end of the year, villages are busy with weddings, and Yichun sends invitations to celebrate the spring. Sisters whisper to each other in front of the lamp, and this year's staying up late is the bridal chamber."Summary: The above article introduces us to four folk customs. These customs are held on the twelfth month and the twenty-third day of the lunar calendar. You can learn about them. If you want to know more, please continue to follow Mr. Shui Mo! |
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