New Year's memory and sending the poor is a kind of New Year's custom of Chinese folk on the sixth day of the first month. Its meaning is to sacrifice to the poor ghost (poor god) and welcome wealth (wealth god).
To send away poverty, as the name suggests, is to send away poverty, hardship and misfortune. This custom originated in ancient times and is closely linked to the legend of the poor ghost, the son of the Zhuan. The poor ghost is weak and ragged, always dressed in tattered clothes, and feeds on porridge. Even if he had new clothes, he would deliberately cut them or burn holes to wear them, hence the name "poor ghost".
It is believed that on the sixth day of the first lunar month, through specific rituals and customs, this unwelcome "guest" can be sent away, leading to wealth and good fortune in the new year.
The custom of sending the poor originated in the Qin and Han dynasties, prevailed in the Tang and Song dynasties, and is still circulating today, and the poems such as the great writer Han Yu's "Sending the Poor" and the Tang Dynasty poet Yao He's "Three Songs of Sending the Poor on an Obscure Day" have relevant records.
Han Yu once witnessed an interesting ceremony to send the poor:
On the first day of the first month of the sixth year of Yuanhe, the master ordered the slave Xing'er to weave a cart out of wicker, tie up thatch to make a boat, and prepare dry food, all to send away the poor ghosts at home.
I saw that the oxen were tied under the yoke, and the sails were hung high. The master appealed to the poor ghosts three times and told them, "I dare not ask you which way you are going, when I hear that you are about to depart, but I have secretly prepared for you chariots and boats, as well as plenty of dry food." Today is an auspicious day, which is conducive to travel, you can eat a meal and drink a glass of wine, you can take your friends and partners, leave the old land, and go to a new life.
I hope you can ride the dust and wind, compete with electricity, and never be dragged down by anything again. Since I have provided you with these farewell supplies, do you want to go? ”
In Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty, the ceremony of sending off the poor was particularly grand. The sky has just dawned, and the streets and alleys are already full of people. In front of every house, there is a pile of dust and garbage that has been swept up, which is a symbol of "poverty". People weave carts out of wicker and small boats tied with grass to load dust and garbage into them. Then, to the sound of firecrackers, they sent these carts and boats out of the city, symbolizing the poverty and misfortune to be sent away.
In the team to send the poor, some people played the appearance of "poor gods", wearing tattered clothes and black ash on their faces, and their images were funny and thought-provoking. They performed all kinds of antics along the way, which drew laughter from the crowd of onlookers. This kind of laughter not only contains people's ridicule of poverty, but also their yearning for a better life.
The ceremony of sending the poor in the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River is a little more gentle and delicate. In the early morning of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, families sweep the waste and dust into bamboo baskets, and then take a small boat to carry these things that symbolize "poverty" to the river**. With a gentle push from the boatman, the bamboo basket slowly sinks into the water, symbolizing poverty and misfortune to sink to the bottom of the river.
On the river, the small boats that send the poor shuttle back and forth, forming a unique landscape. The people on the ship sang songs or chanted poems, expressing their expectations and longing for a new life. The ceremony of sending the poor in the water town is more like a poetic event.
In some northern regions, the rites of sending off the poor are different.
Before the sun rises, every family begins the ritual of sending the poor. People set up kang mats, cleaned up some kang soil, and then sent them to the field. In the process of sending the poor, accompanied by rituals such as firing cannons, burning incense, and paying tribute to paper, it means sending the poor away and ushering in the wealth and good luck of the new year.
There are also people who use colored paper to cut out ** images, and the children take them to the street and exchange them with each other. Giving one's paper figure to others is called "sending away the poor daughter-in-law"; Changing someone else's paper figure back means "getting a blessed person".
The custom of sending away the poor varies from region to region, but in general, it is to send away something or a person that symbolizes poverty. Specifically, there are several ways:
Cleaning: People do a big cleaning on this day to clean up the garbage and waste, which means to sweep poverty and bad luck out of the door. In some places, garbage is also dumped at intersections or riversides, leaving the poor with nowhere to go.
Send away paper figures: In some places, people will cut out of paper into small figures (called "poor daughters-in-law" or "five poor women") and send them away. This means sending away poverty and misery along with the paper figures. In some places, children will be exchanged on the street with paper people, meaning to send away the poor daughter-in-law in exchange for the blessed.
Firecrackers: Firecrackers are also a way to send the poor. It is believed that the sound of firecrackers can scare away poor ghosts and bad luck, and usher in good luck and wealth.
Filling the Poor Pit: In some places, people will eat a lot on this day, which is called "filling the Poor Pit". This means filling one's stomach and no longer suffering from poverty. At the same time, there is also the custom of dumping garbage into pits and burying it, meaning to bury poverty.
Willow cart and grass boat: In ancient times, people would also use wicker to weave carts and grass into boats, and give them to poor ghosts to let them leave quickly. Han Yu's "Sending the Poor" mentions the way of "knotting willows for cars, and tying grass for boats".
In the process of sending the poor, there are also some taboos that need to be paid attention to:
Don't take out the garbage too late: Although you need to clean up and take out the garbage on the day of the poor, it should not be too late. Generally speaking, it is best to do it before noon to avoid throwing away your fortune as well.
Don't break things: It is unlucky to break things on this day as it can ruin wealth and good luck. If you accidentally break something, you should immediately say "New Year's peace" to resolve the bad luck.
It is not appropriate to quarrel and fight: The day of sending the poor should be a day of harmony and beauty, and it is not appropriate to quarrel and fight. In this way, it is easy for poor ghosts to take advantage of the opportunity to enter, bringing bad luck and misfortune.
Don't wear torn clothes: Although poor ghosts like to wear torn clothes, on the day of sending the poor, people should wear clean and tidy clothes to show their yearning and pursuit of a better life. If you wear torn clothes, you may be haunted by poor ghosts, bringing poverty and misfortune.
Sending the poor is a characteristic Chinese folk custom activity. Pray for wealth and good luck in the new year by cleaning, sending away things or people that symbolize poverty, setting off firecrackers, etc.
From the perspective of folk customs, although the customs of sending the poor are different in different places, they all reflect people's yearning and pursuit of a better life, as well as the spirit of positive optimism and self-improvement.