I am a student who went to Xiamen for university from other places. What are the customs in Xiamen?

Hey hey, I'm from southern Fujian. Minnan people are easy to get along with ... as for customs, there is nothing to pay attention to. One thing is that Minnan people believe in Buddhism. ...

Here are some materials that you can have a look at.

Xiamen folk custom

Ornamental lanterns

The fifteenth day of the first month is Shangyuan Festival, also called Lantern Festival or Lantern Festival. Shangyuan is the birthday of Zhong Shangyuan, who wishes the Emperor Wei Zi of the Heavenly Palace. On the fifteenth day of the first month of every year, Xiamen people go to the Heavenly Palace to pray. Every household offers five sacrifices, fruits, a dining table and paper money on the table early in the morning, burns incense to worship the Heavenly Palace God, predicts the good and bad luck of the year, burns gold paper after drinking, and then completes ceremonies such as offering sacrifices and withdrawing offerings. During the five days from 13 to 17, every household in the streets was covered with beautiful lanterns. Festive activities such as dragon dancing, lion dancing, walking on stilts, roller boating, setting off fireworks, welcoming Zigu, solve riddles on the lanterns and eating jiaozi were held in public places such as Zhongshan Park, temples or Workers' Cultural Palace. At night, glittering palace lanterns, lanterns, lotus lanterns, lotus lanterns, pictographs and other lights are brilliant, and on the surface of the pool, lamp boats sway; Girls and children dressed in costumes danced with joy; The high court team held spectacular street activities; The actors of the Southern Orchestra sang Nanyin ancient music. There is a ready-made jiaozi in the street, about the size of a longan. The Minnan folk song "Selling glutinous rice balls" sings: "Selling glutinous rice balls, selling glutinous rice balls, and the glutinous rice balls at Yuanxiao are round …", which is a true portrayal of Minnan people's "eating glutinous rice balls at Yuanxiao".

Mid-autumn Bo champion

The Mid-Autumn Festival, accompanied by the full moon, is a time for people to reunite with their families or miss their distant relatives and friends. Xiamen people pay special attention to the Mid-Autumn Festival. Many folks living abroad and compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will set foot on their way home, reunite with their families and friends, enjoy family happiness and talk about their friendship after parting.

In Xiamen, there is a folk activity to win the Mid-Autumn Cake Expo, which is the most attractive. More than 300 years ago, the national hero Zheng Chenggong took Xiamen as his base, expelled the Dutch and recovered Taiwan Province Province. Zheng Chenggong's soldiers came from all over Fujian and Guangdong. Around the Mid-Autumn Festival, the soldiers missed their loved ones. After some planning, General Zheng Chenggong Hong Xu and Ministry of War Staff Tang Ya (now No.32-44 Hongben Lane, Xiamen) set up "Mid-Autumn Festival Cake" to comfort the soldiers' homesickness and encourage them to put their country first and defeat the enemy. There are 63 cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival, which means 796 13, because three and nine are auspicious numbers among China people. There are 1 champion in the cake, which is 20 cm in diameter and looks like a bright moon. The moon cakes are engraved with designs such as "the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon" and "Guishu Yutu". 2 opposite hall, about13cm in diameter; Three reds, four, one show, 32, with a diameter of about 1.7 cm, respectively represent the champion of Wen or Wu, and the second place is Hua Tan, scholar, juren and scholar. Because the number one scholar is entertaining, lively and interesting, Zheng Chenggong approved it specially. From August 13 to 18, the troops took turns to watch moon cakes in batches.

This custom of winning the top prize in the Mid-Autumn Festival has been circulating among Xiamen people for more than 300 years. Around the Mid-Autumn Festival every year, cake shops in Xiamen produce a large number of cakes, including pies and Cantonese cakes, which are beautifully packaged and are good gifts. When the moon is bright, every household lights red candles and holds cakes. The whole family, friends and relatives, old and young, five or six people will roll the dice devoutly to see who the moon god will bless. It is warm, interesting and full of laughter. Champion Lang appeared one after another, firecrackers and fireworks were heard, and it was a happy and peaceful scene.

Catch ducks on Dragon Boat Festival

During the Dragon Boat Festival in Xiamen, people not only have the custom of eating zongzi and racing dragon boats, but also hold duck catching activities. This is a folk sports competition that tests people's physical strength, perseverance and skills.

The arena is usually located by the sea or in a big pond. There are 1 root length 10 meters of circular wooden columns hanging on the shore and coated with lubricating oil. At the end of the woodwork, a small wooden box containing ducks was installed, and there were valves on the box. Participants have to climb the wooden ladder, walk through the log skill that extends into the sea, and finally open the valve of the small wooden box with their hands to let the duck fall into the water, and at the same time, people jump into the water to catch the duck as a victory. Usually more than a dozen ducks are caught by warriors in more than an hour.

This clever and agile water sports activity is full of warm atmosphere and rich Minnan customs.

Xiamen folk custom

There are many folk customs in Xiamen, which have changed greatly with the progress of the times in recent years. In order to do as the Romans do, we hereby introduce the following:

On the first day of the first month, the door opened at dawn, and the Vatican burst into flames, saying "open right." It's a day to worship ancestors in the morning, and the manure doesn't pour out.

On the third day of the first month, it is the day of mourning (that is, burning a new bed). Anyone who has never been to a friend's house on the first day and the second day of junior high school should not visit on this day. Visiting is disrespectful.

On the fourth day of the first month, worshippers will burn paper, silk and horses to meet God, that is,1February 24 to meet God.

On the ninth day of the first month, the Jade Emperor was born, and the incense table was dedicated to God. However, if you lose your family, you will stop offering sacrifices for two years.

On the tenth day of the first month, the earth was born. We don't chop wood or dig soil every day. And offer sacrifices to ordinary objects.

On the 13th day of the first month, on Guan Jun's birthday, merchants paid homage to him.

On the fifteenth day of the first month, Shangyuan or Dayuan, the birthday of Emperor Sangong, will put colorful lanterns to celebrate the Lantern Festival.

On the second day of February, Ford (Land) was born.

On the third day of March, the festival has been held. Spring belongs to five counties, making spring cakes to worship ancestors or sweeping graves.

On February 19th, Guanyin was born. Women burn more incense.

March 20th, Tianhou's birthday (commonly known as Mazupo's birthday). There used to be many games to meet the gods.

On the fifth day of May, Dragon Boat Festival. In the past, every family hung willow branches and inserted wormwood to eliminate the smell of the epidemic; Drink realgar wine at noon to ward off evil spirits; Phase feed. Take a bath at noon and you won't get prickly heat. Dragon boat race at sea.

June 15 "half a year", every family cooks and reunites to worship their ancestors.

In July, commonly known as "Ghost Moon", the first day of the month "opens the door of the ghost", releasing helpless ghosts and being sacrificed by Yang people. By the end of the month, "close the gates of hell". Streets and alleys take turns to "Purdue".

On July 7th, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl met.

On July 15th, in the Central Plains, three emperors came.

On August 15th, "Mid-Autumn Festival", fighting cakes to congratulate each other.

On the ninth day of September, the Double Ninth Festival, climb high. On the solstice of winter, all families will get together.

10 15, "Xia Yuan" was dedicated to the three emperors.

1February 16, "Weiya".

1February 24th, send to God.

1February 25th, the immortal descended to earth, and the debt was not received.

1February 29th, New Year's Eve.

taboo

Don't say "monkey" in front of the baby. I am afraid that my baby will be harmed by monkeys. If you want to say monkey, you should change it to "climb a tree" or "mountain man"

When you see a baby is fat, don't taste it personally, but say "good-looking". Don't say "heavy" when hugging.

It is extremely impolite to point at people with "middle finger".

It is the most shameful to hit people with a broom.

It's a shame to sweep the floor when guests come, and it's also a shame to drive them away.

It is the most disrespectful to treat people with six bowls of dishes. (Under the old system of the Qing Dynasty, the official asked for six salaries for all death sentences to show the emperor's kindness. )

Relatives and friends have a holiday party, breaking plates in a hurry. Wedding day is especially taboo.

When the matchmaker comes home to talk about marriage, it is difficult to serve tea.

You are not allowed to enter the delivery room before the full moon.

When eating with people, chopsticks are hastily inserted into the rice, which is called offering sacrifices to ghosts and is impolite.

People who wear mourning or linen clothes after the funeral should not go to other people's homes. You can't go to other people's homes to pay New Year's greetings.

Children should wear two hats in a hurry so as not to look tall.

An umbrella at home leaks easily.

Minnan is located on the east coast of the motherland. Minnan people basically migrated from the Central Plains, mainly living in Xiamen, Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Nan 'an, Hui 'an, Tongan, Jinmen, Anxi, Yongchun, Dehua and Zhangzhou in Fujian. Since Ming and Qing Dynasties, Fujian has immigrated to Taiwan Province Province in large numbers. According to statistics, at present, about 75% people in Taiwan Province Province speak Minnan dialect. Therefore, Taiwan Province Province is also the main settlement of Minnan people.

Minnan people are known as "living fossils of oriental civilization". After more than a thousand years of evolution, their unique language and marriage customs still retain the profound legacy of the Tang and Song Dynasties, which is intriguing. Therefore, only by truly entering and integrating with Minnan can we appreciate the mystery of Minnan and feel the profound and long-standing charm of Minnan culture.

With the yearning for Minnan dialect, we can learn more about Minnan people from festivals, folk songs and dialects, folk houses, marriage customs and ancestor worship.

I festivals, folk songs and dialects

At the beginning of the Spring Festival and the New Year, Vientiane is renewed, and ceremonies are usually held in Fujian and Taiwan. Every household puts up new Spring Festival couplets, symbolizing the renewal of annual rings and the spring of everything. Men and women, old and young, dressed in new clothes, arranged vegetarian meals, tea and wine, and annual meals to worship heaven and earth, family gods and ancestors. Eat longevity noodles (noodles) or rice cakes for breakfast, which means "long life" and "rising year by year". After dinner, a slightly longer worship sequence, worship the ancestral hall and elders, relatives and friends to congratulate each other and say auspicious words. Most elders give lucky money to their younger generation. Hakka, with fructose, oranges, melon seeds, betel nuts, etc. One product will do. While visiting the New Year, there is also the custom of traveling, that is, putting on new clothes, going to the temple to burn incense and kowtow, and praying for the blessing of the Bodhisattva. On New Year's Day, kill things, eat porridge, eat delicious potatoes, clean up feces, cry, take medicine, throw things, etc. In order to have a good year, it is generally avoided. Since the Ming Dynasty, Fujian has had the custom of going to the grave during the Spring Festival, especially on the second and third days of the following year, most of Huamen's giant surnames took the young and old to visit the grave. The fourth day of the first month is the extension day. The body you are connected to generally refers to the family gods such as Kitchen God and Kitchen Niang. The fifth day was a fake open day, and the cannon was fired. Putian, Xianyou and other places have designated the fifth day as "older". It is said that on the New Year's Eve of the Ming Dynasty, the Japanese raided, burned and plundered. After the enemy was driven out the next day, the refugees came back at a certain speed. On the second and third days, every family was busy collecting the bodies of their loved ones for the funeral, and had no intention of visiting the New Year. Therefore, it is agreed that the next day will be a day for families to pay homage to the victims, instead of visiting each other to pay New Year greetings. On the fourth and fifth day, they will make up for the New Year holiday. Therefore, in the future, Puxian area will make up for the New Year on the fourth night of each year, and then make up for it on the fifth day.

Minnan folk songs refer to folk songs sung in Minnan which are widely spread in Fujian and Taiwan, and have formed various styles and characteristics with the differences of regional environment, living habits and historical changes. According to different styles, Minnan folk songs are mainly divided into Quanzhou and Zhangzhou in Fujian. The folk songs in Quanzhou are greatly influenced by Nanqu, including the ancient scales that change from palace to palace. The melody is in a steady and tortuous linear rhythm, and the medium speed is slightly slow, which is characterized by elegance. The folk songs in Zhangzhou area are mostly modal and simple in color. Local tapestry songs and dramas have also had a far-reaching impact on folk songs. For example, there is a close relationship between Zhangzhou opera songs and miscellaneous tunes, which forms a contrast between feather merchants and business tunes and melodic tunes, with bright colors.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people from Quanzhou and Zhangzhou immigrated to Taiwan Province Province in large numbers, bringing a lot of Minnan local music with strong local characteristics. With the spread of immigrants, local tunes have been formed, such as Taipei tune, Tainan tune, Changhua tune, Hengchun tune and Yilan tune. Nevertheless, these folk songs still have the local flavor of southern Fujian, and scholars in Taiwan Province Province collectively call them Fulao folk songs. Fu Lao folk songs have been enriched and developed in various places. For example, after the rich old folk songs entered Hengchun, influenced by Hakka, they created folk songs such as Missing, Four Seasons Spring, Three Disappointments, and Oxtail Swing. After entering Taipei, he created Taipei Tune, Fat Feet Tune and Longjia Cry Tune. In addition, after some ancient Minnan folk songs spread to Taiwan Province Province, after several generations of processing, they formed quite perfect tunes. The Minnan folk songs in Taiwan Province Province are characterized by progressive melodies, exquisite and beautiful, simple and fluent, catchy, cordial and touching. The singing content of Minnan folk songs covers a wide range, including nursery rhymes, love songs, narrative songs, sacrificial songs and labor songs.

Minnan dialect was formed and developed in southern Fujian province. It is mainly formed by the fact that the Central Plains people in the north moved south many times in different historical periods to escape from war, anti-war or famine, and then entered the southern Fujian area. In the process of communication and integration between Central Plains and local indigenous languages, Central Plains Chinese has an absolute advantage, which is the integration of indigenous languages. Although it also absorbed some elements of indigenous languages, it finally formed Minnan language with Chinese as the main body.

In the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, with Zheng Chenggong leading Fujian people and Hakkas into Taiwan Province, Minnan became the most important language in Taiwan Province Province. In terms of domestic distribution, Minnan dialect can be divided into five parts: local Minnan dialect, Taiwan Province Minnan dialect, Chaoshan Minnan dialect, Lei Qiong Minnan dialect and Zhejiang Minnan dialect. Due to the influence of other dialects in the region and the passage of time, the five major Minnan dialects are slightly different, among which Minnan dialect and Taiwan Province dialect are the closest, and there is almost no difference. About 75% people in Taiwan Province speak Minnan. Secondly, Hakka dialect and mountain dialect.

Second, residence, marriage customs and ancestor worship.

The building structure in southern Fujian is generally the main hall with the highest roof, with the courtyard at the second and third entrances as the center, and the two sides are symmetrically combined horizontally, with strip guardrails developing to both sides respectively. The big room on the left and the second room on the right. The back of the left and right houses is slightly lower. The house expanded from the main hall is like a winding dragon, so it is called "Ring Dragon". This horizontal combination of protective houses is most suitable for the hot climate conditions along the coast of southern Fujian. Among the urban houses in Quanzhou, there is also a small house with a long and narrow layout, which is commonly called "towel" because it looks like a long towel. There is another kind of "arcade-style" residence in Xiamen. Its house is low and small, with many doors. On the top is a flat house where people can walk. Hui 'an and other places are rich in granite, and most of them are completely stone houses built with granite, which have unique technology and style and become an important part of Minnan culture.

The unique style of Minnan folk houses is especially reflected in the roof. The two ends of the main ridge are like flying swallow houses, and the middle is flat, which shows the traditional meaning of curved top in Song Dynasty. The doors of Minnan folk houses are also quite elegant. The doors must be centered and go deep into the distance, forming a hall, causing a larger void level and increasing the physical changes of the building.

Among the wedding customs in southern Fujian, there is a custom of tying red silk thread throughout the wedding. As a mascot, this custom runs through the whole wedding process because of its beautiful meaning of "unite as one and grow old together".

The first use of red silk thread was when proposing marriage. In the accompanying meeting ceremony, the man should tie up the package with a red silk thread or use a red line instead. When entering the woman's house, put it in a conspicuous position in the hall to show good luck. When both parties are satisfied with the marriage, the next step is to choose the wedding date, commonly known as "choosing a date". "Choosing a date" means that the man chooses a relative who is respected and trusted by both sides as an envoy to avoid the woman not showing her "birthday". When you finish writing "Birthday", you should wrap it in red paper with red silk thread inside, so that the man can bring back the meaning of "Match your birthday and choose a date" to tie the knot.

On the wedding day, the two sides should tie a small red silk thread and a small red paper on many gifts given to each other. Such as motorcycles and refrigerators, as small as a pair of scissors; From fresh foods such as fish, meat and noodles to gift boxes containing dried fruits and non-staple foods such as biscuits, candy and cigarettes; Even all gifts given by both parties, including large and small red envelopes, should be serious and unambiguous.

When the wedding ceremony is held, in addition to the wedding couplets, decorations made of red stripes and red silk thread should be pasted on the door eyebrows of the hall and the new house for good luck. It is really a veritable "marriage line".

According to folk stories, there has been a "marriage line of thousands of miles" since ancient times. There is an old man in charge of marriage. It is destined that only one red line will trip these two people's feet. You two families are separated by the sea, and you will have a chance to become husband and wife in the end. If old people don't have to tie a red line under the moon, they can't be together anymore. Nowadays, the custom of tying red silk thread preserved in southern Fujian is rare.

On the third day of the third lunar month, there is an old custom of ancestor worship in southern Fujian and Taiwan Province Province, which is called "March Festival". When offering sacrifices to ancestors, people should first offer sacrifices to ancestors in ancestral temples or at home, and then go up the mountain to sweep graves. After arriving at the cemetery, they must first worship the "land god". Then, they will press paper on the graves of their ancestors, fill the graves and paint them with red ink to show that their descendants will not forget their ancestors' kindness. Taiwan Province compatriots brought the customs of their ancestors to the other side of the Straits, and they still follow these customs today.

Thousands of years of Chinese civilization have given birth to different ethnic cultures with different characteristics in different regions, different nationalities and different dialects. Minnan custom is a wonderful flower in folk culture. Nowadays, with the historic leap of China's social development, the change of folk customs is inevitable, but Minnan culture will remain forever.