In the traditional Chinese New Year, every day is full of profound cultural connotations and auspicious meanings. When the lively New Year Overture reaches the sixth day of the first lunar month, a highly symbolic ritual - "sending the poor god" is staged all over the land of China. On this day, people bid farewell to poverty in a unique way and welcomed prosperity and prosperity, and the origin and taboo behind this are the shining pearls in the treasure house of Chinese folk culture.
1. Send the origin of the poor god to explore
The custom of "sending the poor god" originated from the ancient folk belief, which was recorded as early as the Han Dynasty, and gradually evolved into an important part of the New Year's festival celebration after thousands of years of precipitation. Legend has it that the "poor god" is a symbol of poverty and misery, who wears rags and eats gruel to survive, and passes away on the last day of the first lunar month. The ancients burned them at the entrance of the alley by boiling porridge, discarding rags, and weaving willow branches as models of chariots and horses, so as to sacrifice and send off the poor gods, hoping for a prosperous life and staying away from hardship in the new year.
Tang dynasty Yao He once had a poem: ".Every year to this day, Lijiu worships the street. Thousands of households and thousands of doors are seen, and no one is not sent to the poor. It vividly depicts the grand occasion of the people participating in the poverty alleviation activities on the sixth day of the first lunar month in ancient times.
This custom embodies people's simple desire to live a life that uses the power of collective rituals to dispel the gloom of the old year and welcome the sunshine of the new year with the help of the change of years.
2. Colorful customs of sending the poor
1.Cleaning and sending the poor:In the early morning of the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, every household carries out a thorough cleaning to clean up all the garbage accumulated during the Spring Festival and take it out at a specific point in time, which is called "sending the poor". This behavior is not only the pursuit of a clean environment in the New Year, but also the expectation of getting rid of the bad luck of the old year and welcoming the new year.
2.Rites for children to send the poor:In some areas, there is still a custom of having a 12-year-old boy with an ox carrying a bean flour roll (commonly known as "donkey rolling") to parade through the streets, as a symbolic way to send poverty out of the house, symbolizing that life is sweet and rich, and the new year is more than rich.
3.The moral of the food:
Donkey rolling: This sweet dish has become a special delicacy on the day of poverty because of its vivid image and fragrant taste, and eating it means that life is sweet and happy in the coming year. Noodles: Southern people like to eat noodles on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, which means "all things are smooth, six or six are smooth", and they hope that everything will go smoothly and everything will be suitable. Dumplings: As a landmark food of the Spring Festival, dumplings on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year are like full loads of ingots, and eating them means that the career journey is smooth and the fortune is rich. Grapefruit: Homophonic "you", people taste grapefruit when they leave their hometown and return to work, which is intended to pray for peace and auspiciousness throughout the year and everything goes well. 4.Hanging note removed:The red hanging note hanging on the lintel of the home should also be taken down and thrown away at the right time on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, marking the sending away of the poor god and bringing new good luck to the family.
5.Ancient Rhyme:In ancient times, the ceremonies of sending off the poor were more elaborate and interesting, such as preparing models of cars and boats for the "poor gods" to ride away, or making small boats made of banana leaves to banish the river. These ancient customs all convey people's deep yearning for getting rid of difficulties and embracing a happy life.
3. Taboos and exquisiteness
1.Speech taboos:The sixth day of the first lunar month is the day to send off the poor gods, so it is taboo to mention any words related to poverty and ruin in family members and external exchanges, so as not to touch bad luck and hinder the good luck of the New Year. 2.Housework taboos:
From the beginning of the Chinese New Year to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, many families follow the custom of not taking out garbage in order to retain good fortune and wealth. However, on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, according to the rules, it is necessary to dump garbage in time, which is called "sending the poor", in order to show that it is separated from poverty and attract new wealth.
3.Life Details:On this day, in addition to the cleanliness of the home environment, people will also pay attention to the neatness of clothes and proper behavior, and strive to show their yearning and respect for a better life in the new year in an all-round way.
The custom of "sending off the poor gods" on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year is a unique expression of the concept of wealth and poverty in traditional Chinese culture, which reminds the world to cherish time and work hard in a creative and philosophical way, while conveying the ardent hope for a happy life.
Despite the changes of the times, this tradition, which is deeply rooted in the national psyche, has continued and developed, not only embodying the Chinese nation's pursuit of material life, but also entrusting people's beautiful yearning for spiritual prosperity.
Every "sending the poor" is a declaration of a new beginning, and it is an ancient and full of vitality of the national festival.
On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, send the poor