Back at Zhang Guiquan's house, Zhang Yongsheng first went back to his room and put the blue and white bowl in his bag, and then came out to say hello to everyone. Everyone was busy in the kitchen. Zhang Guiquan went to the field to get some seasonal vegetables and caught a fish by the river. Together with what Zhang Yongsheng brought, the evening dishes were very rich.
People in the countryside get up very early. While Zhang Yongsheng was still confused, he heard the sound of Aunt Zhang and Granny Wang chatting in the yard. He was too embarrassed to stay in bed overnight at someone else's house, so he quickly got up, put on his clothes and came out to wash up. The conditions in rural areas are not good, so we can only make do with a mixture of hot and cold water.
Today is a day to worship ancestors. In the morning, we will worship ancestors, have a big banquet at noon, and burn sacrifices in the evening. The whole day is arranged slowly. The whole village's young and strong labor force must be active, and the elderly, women, and children will also follow suit. After breakfast, Zhang Yongsheng and Zhang Xuewen followed Zhang Guiquan to the ancestral hall to report.
The Zhang family's ancestral hall is not small, comparable to a temple, and is divided into various parts such as the front hall, the backyard, and the left and right wing rooms. The front hall is the place where ancestral tablets are enshrined and is divided into several floors. They are divided into different levels according to the rank of their ancestors, and they are all famous figures in the history of the Zhang family.
Zhang Yongsheng's great-grandfather donated a lot of money when expanding the ancestral hall, so he is also among the ancestral tablets. There are no electric lights in the front hall, so they rely on candles and oil lamps. At this time, all the candles and oil lamps were lit, and the hall was dotted with stars, giving people a serious and depressing feeling.
There is a small patio from the front hall to the main entrance. When Zhang Yongsheng arrived, the place was already very busy. The young people who came to help chatted and waited for the elders who managed the ancestral hall to assign tasks. The sacrifice is held in the small square outside the ancestral hall, and some preparations need to be made here to set up a stage for singing.
Zhang Yongsheng didn't understand the ritual process at all, so he could only work as a laborer with Zhang Guiquan, helping people move things and run errands. Zhang Xuewen's calligraphy was good and he was asked to do things such as copying memorial texts. Seats and benches have also been placed in the lanes around the ancestral hall, and work has begun to prepare a large banquet.
For a moment, the originally quiet village began to boil with excitement. People were busy running back and forth to do their part to worship their ancestors during the Hungry Ghost Festival. Such a large ceremony also costs a lot of money. Each household collects money and gives it to the ancestral hall, which is generally organized by the elders of the ancestral hall.
Although the whole process was busy, it was ready very quickly because of the sufficient manpower. Then, under the arrangement of the elders, men and women from each family put on new clothes and lined up in the square outside the ancestral hall, waiting for the sacrifice to begin. The atmosphere in the square was warm and solemn, with flags flying in the wind.
The elders who presided over the sacrifice were dressed like ancient scholars in robes and gowns. They stood at the front of the queue, with special gong and drum teams playing music on both sides. Soon, the sacrifice began with grand music, and the Zhang family members followed the process step by step under the command of the old patriarch Zhang Ke who presided over the ceremony.
Zhang Yongsheng was in the ancestor worship team, and next to him was Zhang Xuewen. They were two branches of the same lineage. He was surrounded by Zhang family members from all over the country, some from the local area, some from other counties, and even some from other cities in the province.
Everyone looked ahead with solemn expressions and began to worship their ancestors according to Zhang Ke's instructions. First, a wooden shrine was carried out, with the tablet of the ancestor of the Zhang family on it. Then Zhang Ke still recited the sacrificial rites. His voice was high and powerful, and the entire small square could hear it clearly.
Zhang Ke's recitation of sacrificial texts is very characteristic. Sometimes he reads it, and sometimes he sings it, with a melody, like an ancient piece of music. This method of singing and reading has been passed down for many years. It is an essential skill for every generation of patriarchs, and all the elders of the Zhang family who manage the ancestral hall must learn this.
Zhang Yongsheng was confused in the team and could not understand many parts. Because this kind of singing and reading not only requires the use of dialect, but also uses ancient pronunciation of many words and phrases, coupled with the ups and downs of the music, it sounds like an opera and is somewhat obscure and difficult to understand.
The memorial text was discussed by several elders in the ancestral hall. It was very lengthy and made the children in the team very impatient. Fortunately, the adults knew that this was an important occasion for ancestor worship, and strictly restricted the children's movements, allowing them to persist until the chanting and reading of the sacrificial verses were completed.
After reading the memorial text, each family took turns to worship in the main hall, and the Zhang family spent a lot of time. Everyone entered in order according to the previously arranged order. The expressions of both men, women and children were very solemn and solemn. According to the requirements of etiquette, they kowtowed in front of the ancestor's tablet.
The ancestor worship activities were busy until the end of the day, and then each family entered their assigned seats, and the flowing water banquet officially began. This is the happiest time for children, because the three meals in the countryside are very simple and the children are short of oil and water. Only the New Year is a good time to replenish oil and water.
The atmosphere of ancestor worship reaches its climax during the flowing water feast, when people toast each other to increase the feelings between relatives. Zhang Xuewen once again became the focus of attention among young people, and many people came to propose a toast. Wu Qiuyue and Zhang Yongsheng took turns holding back the wine, and both drank a lot.
In the afternoon, we will prepare for the burning ceremony, which everyone is looking forward to. The Zhang family has many sacrifices, so a high shelf must be set up to sweep the sacrifices together, and the sacrifices must be placed on the shelf in the order of each family. The entire shelf is three to four meters high, and young people need to climb up with ladders to complete it.
The shelf is set up in the small square at the entrance of the ancestral hall and consists of specially customized iron shelves. After these years of worship, the young people in the village are already very familiar with it. It is clear where to connect, where to insert candles, where to place offerings, and where to place braziers.
Zhang Yongsheng and Zhang Xuewen helped deliver various sacrifices below, while Zhang Guiquan climbed up and down the ladder to present the sacrifices from each household according to prior arrangements. They worked for two or three hours to finish stacking them, and the custom-made iron racks for burning sacrifices turned into colorful towers.
Dinner was still served on a flowing table, because after dinner a sacrifice was to be burned, so no one drank much. After a quick meal, everyone chatted for a while under the big tree outside the ancestral hall, waiting for nightfall to begin the final activities of ancestor worship. This is something very spectacular and everyone is looking forward to it.
After waiting for more than an hour, under the command of the elders headed by Zhang Ke, the incense burning ceremony officially began. A small group of young people who had been arranged in advance walked into the arena with torches and lit the sacrifice towers for burning offerings from all directions. The flames ignited from below and gradually engulfed the entire tower.
The weather is nice today, with a gentle breeze, which is very conducive to the burning of sacrifices. The wind helped the fire, and the momentum of the flames increased greatly, turning into a huge fire tower reaching the sky, which looked very spectacular. Various colorful sacrifices were swallowed up by the flames and turned into ashes in the scorching heat, forming wisps of green smoke flying into the sky.
Such a spectacular scene cannot be seen in the city. In fact, in many places, the custom of collective burning sacrifices has ceased. The faces of the surrounding tribesmen were full of smiles, and they were all very excited. Everyone was chatting around the memorial tower, and children were running around outside the circle, making it a lively scene.
