As the saying goes, "On the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, tofu is made by grinding". Do you know any other customs?

China has a history of 5,000 years, and has also created a long Chinese culture, which is extensive and profound. Among them, proverbs, as a vein of traditional culture, are summarized by ordinary people through their own life experiences, some are descriptions of folk life, and some are reflections on life. Because it is easy to understand and catchy, it is widely circulated among the people. There are also many proverbs about Chinese New Year customs, such as "the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month" said by the older generation of farmers.

On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, grinding bean curd called "the twelfth lunar month is tight, the first month is slow, and November is not slow". People can't stop to welcome the Spring Festival after two things: offering sacrifices to stoves in the off-year and sweeping dust on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. Besides, it is getting closer and closer to the Spring Festival, but there are still many things to prepare, so there are fixed customs every day. Among the traditional customs of the Spring Festival, the first and most important thing on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month is ". Earlier, people made their own tofu at home, so they had to peel the beans early, soak the beans the night before and make tofu the next day. A pot of tofu can be made by grinding dregs and soybean milk with a bean curd mill, filtering, boiling soybean milk, ordering tofu and pressing tofu.

In the past, people called tofu "Fu", which means that making tofu on the 25th of the twelfth lunar month can cover all the couples in the family, so that the next year will be even more blessed, and children will also eat newly made tofu, which is a good wish of the elders for their children.

In addition to the saying of making tofu, there are six other customs on this day, all of which should be completed on this day.

The custom of the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month. Receive the Jade Emperor. In our traditional custom, on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the kitchen god will go to heaven. When the Jade Emperor heard that Kitchen God had returned, he would personally descend to the next world on the 25th of the twelfth lunar month to see what the common people had done, observe the good and evil among the people and decide the fortune for the coming year. Therefore, on this day, ordinary people and families will hang a picture scroll of the arrival of the jade emperor for sacrifice, hoping to have good luck in the coming year. This is the so-called "receiving the jade emperor". People should be very careful what they say and live on this day, and strive for a good performance for the Jade Emperor, so that they will be blessed in the coming year.

Second, abrasive particles. Not only grinding bean curd brain, but also grinding grains in rural areas in the past. The common people take the grain accumulated for a winter to the mill and grind it into flour to prepare steamed buns on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, and eat steamed buns made of grains, which means a bumper harvest in the coming year.

Third, the farewell ceremony. In some places, people will see their parents off on the 25th of the twelfth lunar month. That is to say, the married daughter and son-in-law will go back to their parents' home together to pay New Year greetings to their parents. Especially in the first year of her daughter's marriage, no matter how far the journey is, she must return to her family. As the saying goes, "On the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, the old man welcomes his son-in-law". In rural cognition, it was very important to be a bride three years before marriage. The wedding ceremony should begin on the 16th of the twelfth lunar month, while those who have been married for more than three years are called old brides, and the farewell ceremony will not begin until the 25th of the twelfth lunar month. In fact, there is no fixed time to send New Year gifts. Nowadays, many couples usually go back on the second day of the Lunar New Year, but before that, people will choose the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, because this is the time when every household is buying new year's goods, so sending new year's goods to their parents' home early can save money for them.

Fourth, stick grilles. There is a local folk proverb: "At the age of twenty-five, be a silly new wife, cut a five-petal window flower, cut a magpie chirp, cut a blessing, and cut a doll to laugh." Twenty-five families cut paper in the twelfth lunar month, and stick grilles is a wonderful New Year. "So the twelfth lunar month 23, the twelfth lunar month 24 to clean the house, the home is brand-new. At this time, it's time to put up the window. Tearing off enough old paper means tearing off last year's disappointment, and the newly pasted window is a new hope for the coming year. After pasting enough paper, you can go to stick grilles. First of all, you can paste the word "blessing" to show that you are blessed, and then you can paste all kinds of beautiful window grilles.

Five, according to the silkworm farm. In the south of the Yangtze River, the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month is called "according to the field silkworm" and "burning field wealth". In the past, fields were people's wealth, so it was necessary to make heaven and earth have a good omen before the arrival of the new year, so people would tie a torch to a long pole and use the flame to predict the new year. If the flame burns vigorously, it indicates that next year will be a bumper year.

Sixth, send the old year. On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, there is a custom of sending the old year off in rural areas. Sending the old year refers to taking newly torn window grilles, old Spring Festival couplets on the door, etc. Burn incense in the yard, pray for the blessing of the Buddha, send away the old year smoothly, and bless the new year.

Bian Xiao has something to say: When Bian Xiao was a child, my mother made tofu, and my father helped to make a fire to filter the bean dregs. When the tofu was cured, we children would eat the freshest bean curd and put some sesame oil, salt, soy sauce and pepper. This is a simple but delicious family food. Tofu cooked at home always smells like beans, and it dries when washed with water. This is the real tofu.