How did the Xie Nian ceremony go?

Sacrifice was presided over by the male host and held in front of the main hall. The sacrificial table consists of two square tables and a round table, facing the gate. On the table, there are drinks in the first row, and six cups of tea in the middle, without flushing. It is said that tea is a tribute for the Bodhisattva to take back and taste. Put six cups of yellow rice wine and twelve cups of * * * on each side, which means that there is wine to drink for twelve months of the year.

The second row is five-color cakes, including printed cakes, dice cakes, thousand-layer cakes, candy and so on. It means that you are happy and sweet.

The third row is five pots of fruit, mainly apples, which means peace and security; Sugarcane, meaning higher and higher, the older the sweeter; Kumquat or orange means that the house is full of gold; Banana means that life is sweet; Shoutao means longevity.

The fourth row is a big basin of seven animals. Put a pig head in the middle, which means good luck has a head and a tail; Slim meat means that life is organized; Rooster, herald the dawn, good weather; Pseudosciaena crocea, meaning more than one year; Ten eggs indicate that children and grandchildren are full; The rice cake means rising year by year; Wheat bran and yellow sugar show that the house is magnificent.

The fifth line is illuminated with incense sticks, which means full of energy, avoiding evil spirits and eliminating disasters.

In Xie Nian's procedure, the sacrifices are usually put away, and the male host lights a candle, worships to Tiansan with incense, and respectfully invites the Bodhisattva to come. Then three fireworks were lit, indicating that the bodhisattva had arrived and the sacrifice officially began.

The ceremony lasted for one hour, during which the wine was sifted three times, and the host bowed three times, praying for the safety and longevity of the whole family, the prosperity of six animals and the bumper harvest of grains. The incense was burned, the gold foil was burned, and the sacrifice was over.

The starting time should be the high tide. Things are left behind during the sacrifice, and fish, chickens, etc. all go in with their heads, which means swimming (walking) in.