What are the folk customs in Chaoshan Spring Festival?

Regional differences lead to cultural differences. Every place will celebrate the Spring Festival according to local traditions. The new year is coming. Let's go ahead and see what's the difference between the folk customs of the Spring Festival in Chaoshan area with Lao Huangli!

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"Your Excellency"

In Chaoshan area, the God who stays at home for a long time to protect the safety and health of the whole family is called "Grandpa", and the 24th of the twelfth lunar month is the day when God pays his gratitude to heaven. So on this day, Chaoshan people will "learn from their teachers" and pray for all the best in the coming year. After that, there will be a general cleaning, followed by a haircut and a bath. Saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, eliminating disasters and diseases.

"Around the stove" New Year's Eve dinner

Chaoshan has the custom of eating New Year's Eve dinner around the stove, which represents family reunion. There will be not only a variety of rich fish dishes on the dining table, but also a plate of fried garlic with pork intestines and a plate of sea clams, which symbolizes the good omen of "long-term" and "getting rich".

"pressing the waist"

When keeping the old age, the younger generation greets the elders, and the elders return the gifts with auspicious words and give the children lucky money. And the younger generation will also give red envelopes to the elderly. This custom is called "waist pressing", which means that the pockets will be full all year round.

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Stickers, Spring Festival couplets

On New Year's Eve, every household will go to the streets to buy Spring Festival couplets. People in Chaoshan paste Spring Festival couplets, sometimes with the word "spring", which not only means that spring will return to the earth and everything will be renewed, but also homophones the meaning of "saving", hoping for more than one year.

Pay New Year greetings and send "good luck"

When Chaoshan people pay New Year's greetings, there must be big oranges (Chaozhou oranges) in the gifts, which means "good luck", and it should be noted that it cannot be odd. The host will entertain the guests with Chaoshan congou, and when the guests leave, they will leave two oranges and exchange them with their own oranges, which is intended to bring good luck to each other, so this custom is also called "orange exchange movement".

Draw spring (choose a gift box)

During the Chaoshan Spring Festival, on the first day of the New Year, the bride's family will give gifts to her married daughter. These gifts are put in covered bamboo baskets and used in pairs, usually in three or four layers. It is also called "spring bearing". Daughters receive these gifts and distribute them to neighbors and relatives, which is a major feature of Chaoshan Spring Festival custom.

Eat the sun and the day

In Chaoshan area, married daughters should return to their parents' homes with gifts on the second or third day of the first month and give red envelopes to their nieces and nephews. Because we just have lunch, we have to get back to our husband's house before dinner, which is also called "eating midnight snack".

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Greet God and receive blessings.

On the fourth day of the first month, Chaoshan people usually prepare chicken, fish, pig's head or a plate of rice and brown sugar to welcome the gods and pray for a bumper harvest and a smooth profit.

Eat qibao soup

"Qibao Soup" is a soup made of seven kinds of vegetables, among which celery and onion represent cleverness, garlic represents being good at calculation, and mustard symbolizes longevity. Chaoshan people will eat "Qibao Tang" on the seventh day to drive away evil spirits and protect their health.

Worship God in Lantern Festival

On the fifteenth day of the first month, many Chaoshan people will set up altars to worship the gods. There are many kinds of offerings in the clubhouse, including chicken, goose, duck, sugar, candy, candles, Daji (Chaozhou orange) and so on. At the same time, Chaoshan people will worship sugar lions before God and pray for all the best in the new year.