Qinghai **Rong**Reporter Wang Shimei.
The red lanterns hung on the streets, the firecrackers lit by children, the dragon gates erected high in the city, the bustling crowds of people in supermarkets and markets to do New Year's goods, and the rehearsal ...... of the social fire with the noisy gongs and drums in the countrysideAll this reminds us that the Spring Festival is here.
The Spring Festival is the most solemn and lively festival in China. As the saying goes, "Ten miles of different winds, a hundred miles of different customs." This phrase reflects the diversity of customs and habits in various parts of China. Qinghai is located on the plateau, because of the influence of climate, products, cultural customs and history, Qinghai's annual customs are also unique.
Zhu Shikui, an expert on Qinghai folklore, said: "In Qinghai, the main day of the Spring Festival starts from the first month of the first month. Each of these five days has different customs. ”
New Year's toast. Photo by Liu Peng.
Zhu Shikui said: "In the Hehuang area, the first day of the Lunar New Year is a day for family reunions. Early in the morning, the Han people in Qinghai will eat wontons in the shape of ingots, which means 'chaos is beginning to open'. Legend has it that Pangu opened the world and ended the state of chaos, so that there was a four-way universe. Moreover, wonton is homophonic to 'hun hoarding', which means full of grain and abundant grains. After breakfast, people began their tense New Year's greeting activities. On the first day of the first lunar month, most of the Han people in Qinghai only pay New Year's greetings between their uncles. Adults often go to the elders first, kneel and bow, saying 'congratulations', and generally bow among peers. After the congratulations, drink wine and tea. When the adults in the family are busy, they will also send children to pay New Year's greetings, and they will kowtow to the elders one by one, and then they will also get the New Year's money (New Year's money) scattered by the elders. During the Chinese New Year, even if you meet passers-by you don't know, you should greet each other or nod your head. ”
After the second day of the Lunar New Year, everyone will pay New Year's greetings according to the distance between relatives and friends. By visiting relatives and friends, we can enhance our relationship with each other. "Preparing New Year's rituals (gifts) is also a science. Before the 80s of the 20th century, people generally took steamed buns, tea, rock sugar, canned food and other rituals for the New Year. When the younger generation goes to the elder's house to pay New Year's greetings, the etiquette will generally be heavier and more numerous. New Year's greetings between peers are generally comparable. Nowadays, with the continuous development of the economy, the rituals of everyone to pay New Year's greetings are becoming more and more abundant. Zhu Shikui said.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the most important thing for each family is to go to the grave of their ancestors. Zhu Shikui said: "The people of the Han nationality in Qinghai will go to the ancestral tomb on the morning of the Chinese New Year's Eve to invite their ancestors home for the New Year, and then return to the ancestral tomb on the third day of the first lunar month, which means that they have invited their ancestors to spend the Spring Festival at home, and they will be sent back on this day." The original meaning of ancestor worship is to express respect, nostalgia, gratitude, inheritance, and repayment to the ancestors. When worshipping ancestors, people will involuntarily recall the various contributions made by their ancestors to the family, clan and country, and review the family rules, family mottos, and family education, which have become models for the clan and rules for dealing with the world after years of precipitation. ”
From the first day of the Lunar New Year to the third day of the Lunar New Year, there are still many taboos among Qinghai people, such as not using knives and rolling pins, not pouring garbage outside, not saying unlucky words, not breaking dishes, and so on. The cultural connotation of these taboos is: to cherish the harmony and happiness of the family, and to welcome the new year with a happy and peaceful attitude.
In Qinghai, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year is commonly known as "breaking five", and many taboos can be broken after the fifth day of the new year. Qinghai folk also call this day "Five Blessings Day", on this day, some people will eat churning or wheat rice, and businesses will reopen, meaning "Five Blessings are coming".
After the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the third stage of the Chinese New Year for Qinghai people begins. At this time, people beat gongs and drums in the streets and alleys, sing Taiping songs, play social fires, and pray for good weather in the coming year, abundant grains, and happy family life. Nowadays, Qinghai's folk art activities during the Spring Festival are more abundant, in addition to the traditional social fire, people also celebrate the Spring Festival through travel, watching movies, visiting various exhibitions and theatrical performances.
Editor: He Xianjun;
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