Spring comes early in Lingnan.
After Hui Neng returned to the south with the Zen mantle taught by the Fifth Patriarch Hongren, he was hunted down by vicious men seeking fame and wealth, so he had to hide in the deep mountains and forests in Sihui and Huaiji, Lingnan. During this period, I missed my mother at home and returned to Xinzhou to visit my mother. A gangster who was also known to be ruthless and vicious came after me. In desperation, I carried my mother to the Tianlu Mountain to live in seclusion. Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, it was the annual Spring Festival again. The future is coming. Exactly: the flowers are similar every year, but the people are different every year.
The sound of New Year's firecrackers in the distant villages caused the plum blossoms to bloom all over the mountains and plains, expressing the joy of spring in the vast mountains and wilderness.
The plum blossoms in Tianlu Mountain that greet the spring are blooming charmingly. The clusters of plum blossoms are in harmony with people's hearts. They bloom so well for the festival, bloom so brightly, and bloom so delicately. The snow-white plum blossoms all over the mountains and plains form a unique landscape, just like the unique scenery of "thousands of miles of ice and thousands of miles of snow drifting".
In this grand folk festival, every plum blossom on Tianlu Mountain raises a warm smile, every wisp of fragrance blooms with warm feelings, and every petal extends a sincere invitation, just like a The affectionate Plum Blossom Fairy has set up branches early to wait for her friends who live in seclusion in the mountains.
Huineng strolled on Tianlu Mountain, which was shrouded in clouds and mist, like a fairyland. Looking around, he saw plum blossoms blooming all over the mountains and plains in the cold weather. The vast expanse of white was a spectacular sight. The plum blossoms blooming on the branches are like beautiful plum blossom fairies. Even in the deep mountains and wild forests with biting cold winds and misty clouds, their charming youthfulness cannot be concealed.
Bursts of faint fragrance floated in the wind, making people's hearts sway, and Huineng's mind wandering. He climbed onto the "Tongtian Avenue" boulder beside the ancient post road that stood between the vast sky and earth, and his thoughts filled the sky like dew and fairy springs. …
In his thoughts, Hui Neng recalled the past events of celebrating Chinese New Year with his father and mother when he was a child.
I remember that when he was two years old, Huineng’s father taught him to write and post Spring Festival couplets.
Lu Xingxin first told Huineng the origin of the couplets: As early as before the Qin and Han Dynasties, during the Chinese New Year, there was a custom of hanging peach charms on the left and right sides of the door. Taofu are two large boards made of peach wood, with the names of the legendary ghost-conquering gods "Shen Tu" and "Yu Lei" written on them respectively, which are used to drive away ghosts and suppress evil spirits. It was not until the Five Dynasties that people began to inscribe couplets on peach boards to replace the names of the ghost-conquering gods. After that, every new year, people would hang peach charms to ward off ghosts and evil spirits and welcome good fortune. This was the bud of the couplets. During the Five Dynasties, the idols on the peach charms disappeared and were replaced by couplets. Meng Chang, the empress of Shu, once wrote a couplet that read "New Year's greetings for Yuqing, Jiaji Festival's name for Changchun", which is the earliest couplet in history.
"When posting Spring Festival couplets during the Spring Festival, do not paste the upper and lower couplets upside down, but stick them in the order of the upper and lower couplets." After Lu Xingxin finished talking about the origin of the couplets, he turned to the topic of how to paste the Spring Festival couplets during the Spring Festival.
"Dad, how do we divide the upper and lower couplets?" Huineng asked unclearly.
Lu Xingxin explained: "First of all, we must distinguish the upper and lower heads of the door. When facing the door, the right hand direction is the upper head, and the left hand direction is the lower head. When pasting couplets, the upper couplet is attached to the upper head, and the lower couplet is attached to the lower head."
"Then how to distinguish the superior and inferior?" Huineng asked again.
Lu Xingxuan said: "First of all, divide them according to the tones. The Spring Festival couplets pay more attention to the tones. The last character of the first couplet is the oblique tone, and the last character of the second couplet is the flat tone."
"How to distinguish oblique tones and flat tones?" Huineng blinked his bright little eyes with interest.
Lu Xingxuan looked at Xiao Huineng, who had a strong thirst for knowledge, and explained the difference between the oblique tone and the flat tone like a school teacher, and gave an example: "The oblique tone generally has three or four tones. For example, the word ʻqingʼ is used to express Yuqing in the New Year. It is a oblique tone. The flat tone is usually one or two tones. For example, the character ʻ春 in the Jiajie number Changchun is a flat tone."
…
The Spring Festival means that spring is coming, everything is revived and the vegetation is renewed. The long history of Chinese culture has given the Spring Festival too much connotation. Since the Tang Dynasty, the special time and space environment of the Spring Festival has given many literati and writers room to express their imagination, leaving many beautiful poems and sentences:
One Yuan Returns to the Beginning
Vientiane update
Hearing firecrackers in the distance tells you how old you are
Occasionally seeing plum blossoms, I feel like it’s spring
Time has passed and many years later, Lu Xingxin was filled with emotion when reading these popular Spring Festival couplets.
…
The Spring Festival is an ancient festival and the most important festival of the whole year.
When Hui Neng was a child, he was happiest when celebrating the New Year. His pious mood and eagerness still fill him with passion every time he thinks about it. Wear new clothes, set off firecrackers, put up Spring Festival couplets, eat dumplings, kowtow to my father and mother to pay New Year greetings, ask for lucky money, go to temple fairs, etc.;
On New Year's Eve, chasing the smell and sound of gunpowder smoke when firecrackers were set off, carrying a big bowl full of glutinous rice balls and a group of friends, running from east to west of the village, the simplicity, the liveliness, and the childishness have left a deep impression on me. In memory.
When I grow up, these childhood dreams that have been imprinted in my mind consciously or unconsciously become a unique and lingering image, deeply rooted in my heart.
Life is unpredictable, with ups and downs. It’s the New Year, and when we look back at the past and present, sometimes we are as colorful as flowers, sometimes as winding as rivers; think about the road we have traveled, there are flowers, applause, thorns, and whirlpools;
Having lived in seclusion in the mountains and wilderness for so many years, Huineng is now nearly 30 years old. The experience of life will inevitably lead to encountering many unforgettable people and things. It is precisely because of these strange things and unforgettable people that life becomes Richer and more exciting.
The Spring Festival is the most traditional festival, where families get together and spend a good night together. Home, family affection, and harmonious love constitute the source of the flavor of the year, which takes root in the heart day after day, year after year, and continues to grow.
Grinding rice flour, rolling glutinous rice cakes, frying rice cakes... the fragrant smell of the New Year is floating in the sky of the village.
On New Year's Eve, the Tutu Temple and ancestral hall at the head of the village were bustling with people. Amidst the fragrance and the bright red candles, firecrackers went off in bursts. Pious faces carried good wishes: smooth sailing and a happy marriage. May happiness come to the door, may the three Yangs prosper, may the four seasons be safe, may the grain be abundant, and may the livestock be prosperous!
Put up red couplets and festive New Year pictures. The kitchen god has been replaced with a new plaque, bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new amidst the bright incense and candles.
Stewed chicken, braised pig's feet; cured meat, bonus! The sky in the village boils with excitement on New Year's Eve: the deafening sound of firecrackers, accompanied by everyone's cheers and blessings, marks the arrival of the new year quietly.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, put on brand-new clothes, bring sincere blessings, and pay New Year greetings to your elders. Say a few auspicious blessings, drink a few sips of home-brewed rice wine, and taste a few sips of cured meat that has been accumulated under the sunshine all winter. The elders' sincere blessings are like the clear yellow rice wine, which warms the heart bit by bit.
The door of every house was covered with a thick layer of firecracker paper, which made the faces of the guests coming and going red.
Children setting off firecrackers can be seen everywhere at the beginning and end of the village:
Throw a lit firecracker into the pond, and a few seconds later there will be a burst of waves, accompanied by a "goo" sound and the cheers of children;
Put a firecracker into the glass bottle, light it with a thin incense, and with a "pop" sound, a wisp of smoke slowly emerges from the narrow mouth of the glass bottle;
Or, insert a firecracker into the mud pile, let the mud splash and bloom like a flower;
Or, throw a firecracker in front of your friend and listen to his exaggerated scream.
The mountains are happy and the water is smiling. The Spring Festival in the countryside is innocent and pure, like the spring breeze blowing from the fields, fresh, natural and full of hope for the year...
At this moment, Huineng is immersed in the joy of celebrating the New Year as a child...
When Huineng was a child, although his family was poor, every time when the Spring Festival was approaching, his mother would go to the lime kiln a few miles away, pick up some lime fragments and bring them back, then dissolve them with water and stir them into a slurry, and then use a millet broom to apply them on Go to the earthen walls blackened by stove smoke to make the old house look brighter.
My mother said that people in my hometown call this sweeping the house. After that, it is a matter of making him a new pair of shoes, modifying or sewing a new piece of clothing.
At that time, materials were scarce and life was poor. It would be enough if I could store some rice years ago and use it to grind it into white rice in the rice pounding room. On New Year's Eve, if you can have a meal of white rice, you will be able to live a good year. However, even if it is so difficult, the family can get together and reunite, and the anticipation for the New Year and the feeling of the Spring Festival are very deep and even joyful.
Huineng still remembers his father once talking about putting up New Year pictures at home during the New Year. Twenty-eight, decal flower. But the highlight of the appliqué flower isn’t twenty-eight. For example, Spring Festival couplets, door gods and blessing characters. These three items are all bright red, and they are all flamboyant. Just like the Chinese people are known as the descendants of Yan and Huang, red and yellow have always been the traditional auspicious colors of China. Especially during the New Year, red symbolizes prosperity, auspiciousness, enthusiasm and joy. At this time, the Spring Festival couplets, door gods and the word "Fu", the bold red color ignites the enthusiasm for the New Year to boiling point.
There are also Qin Qiong, Jingde, Guan Gong, and Zhang Fei painted in the door gods. If one door is small, they will be pasted together, and if the two doors are large, they will be pasted separately. Historical figures as door gods are often The lines drawn by two military generals who met frequently and were not acquainted with each other before fighting each other, were neither symbolic nor stream-of-consciousness, but thick lines, bold and freehand Spring and Autumn brushwork. They were painted on bright red paper, which looked so direct and festive.
Huineng's father, Lu Xingxin, was considered one of the most educated people in Xinzhou, and he was good at calligraphy. He was a famous calligrapher in Chang'an. Therefore, whenever the Spring Festival approaches, neighbors in Xialu Village and even folks from dozens of miles away come here to pray for his blessing to write Spring Festival couplets.
Before Lu Xingxin was demoted to Xialu Village in Xinzhou, most of the Spring Festival couplets, door gods and blessing characters posted on every household in the village were spent a few dollars in Xinzhou County, and came from people who set up stalls on the street to write calligraphy before the New Year. The ones I bought had real handwriting on red paper and ink, and some even bought them on the spot after seeing the writing. The words are not from famous writers, but all of them are vulgar.
Lu Xingxin has a quick mind and a good character. He can always create and write Spring Festival couplets that satisfy the visitors according to the requirements put forward by the visitors, so that the visitors come here happily and leave satisfied. Even Li Xueru, the Jurengong of Liangcun after the quarantine, praised his Spring Festival couplets: he expressed them freely and contentedly, with rare good calligraphy and literary talent!
Since the New Year came on the 30th day, Huineng put on new clothes early in the morning. Li always said: "Wear new clothes only in the afternoon, otherwise they will get dirty before the New Year."
But these words could not control the little Huineng who was eager to wear new clothes. He put on the new clothes and ran out to show off.
Generally, children eat the New Year's Eve dinner patiently and abide by the rules of the family on New Year's Eve. After the meal, they run out to have fun and run around all night without feeling cold at all.
Huineng still remembers that he stayed up all night on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month and kept his eyes open until the morning of the first day of the lunar new year. His father called this "staying up late" during the Chinese New Year.
At that time, adults, especially the elderly, stayed up late on New Year's Eve, which was completely different from how children stayed up late on New Year's Eve.
The reason why adults stay up late on New Year's Eve is because on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, there are endless things to do.
Busy preparing New Year's goods, busy cooking, busy changing new quilts for the whole family, busy preparing new clothes for the children, busy making the children happy.
Anyway, in Huineng's eyes, adults have too much to do on the 30th night of the twelfth lunar month, so they are so busy that they have no time to sleep, so they have to stay up late.
He is the child's watcher, and he is just asking for it.
Thinking of having candy to eat, there are so many delicious foods, such good new clothes to wear, and there are firecrackers to set off, so I go door to door with a group of childhood friends such as Shi Gou and Wen Zai. He picked up firecrackers and went to play until dawn. This was his way of staying up late as a child.
The morning or evening of New Year's Eve is a good time to post Spring Festival couplets, the characters "Fu", and door gods. Li made a small pot full of sticky paste, and then Lu Xingxin taught Huineng to paste:
First, tear off last year's old ones. If you can't clean them all, apply paste along last year's old marks and stick them directly. In this way, we can see the New Year atmosphere of getting rid of the old and bringing in the new.
The door is small but the door god is big. In addition, most of the doors are uneven and the door god sticks to the door, which creates a vivid three-dimensional sense of convex and concave.
There is also the word "福" which is used to bring blessing and joy from a distance to the home step by step.
Blessings should be posted head down, which is called blessings arriving.
The word "happy" is visible when you look up when you go out. This is called "happy when you go out".
This is called the layout of the Tang Dynasty people, and the wisdom of the Tang Dynasty people reveals their care and thoroughness in every detail of their New Year life.
There are bright red Spring Festival couplets, door gods and blessing characters, as well as red cannon debris from firecrackers set off at the door during the New Year that cannot be swept away by sweeping the floor.
Spring couplets, door gods, blessing characters, and firecrackers are all red, just like the visible chili peppers in Malatang. They are red, hot and flavorful. This is the pure flavor of the New Year.
The Chinese New Year is celebrated in a prosperous manner. The prosperous fires include the Spring Festival couplets, door gods, and blessing characters written on red paper, as well as the firecrackers wrapped in red paper. They are not afraid of being broken into pieces, but they want to leave the joy in the world.
Huineng heard what his father said: Firecrackers, also called firecrackers, are commonly known as "firecrackers". During the Chinese New Year, firecrackers play an important and indispensable role in bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. To welcome the New Year on New Year's Eve, people light bamboo with fire to make a loud crackling sound. This is the reason why later generations called firecrackers made of gunpowder firecrackers.
During the Chinese New Year, setting off firecrackers is suitable for all ages, but it is different for men and women. Setting off firecrackers has always been a game for the brave, reserved for men.
While the boys were happily setting off firecrackers, the girls over there couldn't help but cover their ears. They were so frightened that they ran away as fast as they could before turning around and looking at them with an expression of admiration. The boy who fired off the cannons here must be full of excitement and contentment while scoffing.
At that time, Huineng was only a two-year-old boy who had a special liking for setting off firecrackers during the New Year. He was very obsessed with setting off firecrackers during the New Year. He saw the young man smoking, lighting up the firecrackers while taking a puff, while Huineng used incense to light it.
While he stuck out his butt and shivered and used incense to light the small cannon from a distance, the young men held the cigarette in their left hand and the big thunder cannon in their right hand, lit it, paused for a few seconds, and then threw it away to show that they did not want to. Shame on the courage to hang out with brats.
Because firecrackers are set off during the Chinese New Year, big holes often appear in new clothes without noticing, and it is common for fingers to be blown off by accident.
Otherwise, how can I say that setting off firecrackers is a sport for brave men?
Otherwise, why do you say "the sound of firecrackers bid farewell to the old year?"
Every night on the 30th night of the twelfth lunar month and in the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the sound of firecrackers continues day and night throughout the sky and is deafening.
The loud and loud sound of setting off firecrackers emits the enthusiasm and unrestrainedness of the New Year. The strong smoke emitted by setting off firecrackers is the lingering smell of the New Year.
…
Huineng lost his father when he was three years old. During the Spring Festival when he was four years old, Shi Gou, Wen Zai, Zi Hui and others from the village who were about the same age as him came to invite him to play.
Huineng's mother went to the village that day (local custom is that after the second day of the Lunar New Year, married women have to go back to their parents' home to visit relatives and celebrate the New Year). He was alone at home and was a little bored. It was rare to have such good friends to visit him. Play, so I readily agreed.
Huineng closed the door and asked, "Where should I go to play?"
Wen Tsai said: "There is a lion dance going on in the village hall. How about we watch the lion dance first?"
"good."
A few of them jumped up and down, laughing and joking as they headed towards the village hall.
As they approached the underworld, a loud sound of gongs and drums sounded, as if urging them to hurry up.
They quickened their pace and walked to the village hall. They saw a dark crowd surrounding the hall.
They sneaked into the crowd like hedgehogs and arrived in front of the crypt. I saw three people performing lion dance in the center of the vast hall: one person danced the lion head, one person danced the lion tail, and the other person was wearing a mask (commonly known as Big Head Boy or Big Head Buddha), wearing a big cardigan and holding a hand. The sunflower fan dances and leads the lion forward.
Next to the hall, there are three people playing drums, gongs, and cymbals respectively, accompanied by the sounds that symbolize the roar of lions and wind and thunder. The lion dances with the sound of gongs, drums, and cymbals, strong, weak, fast, slow, rapid, and gentle. Sometimes they dance to the beat of the drums, sometimes they look left and right, sometimes they stand alone, and sometimes they jump up and down. "The lion comes out of the cave", "Peeping the direction", "Drinking water from the high platform"... Huineng and the others found it very interesting and fun, and couldn't help but applaud and cheer along with the adults present!
…
After watching "Lion Dance", they were still enjoying themselves and wandered around the villages to play. Unknowingly, I wandered into Cangxia Village near Xinzhou County.
As soon as we arrived at the entrance of the village, we heard bursts of noisy gongs and drums. When I entered the village, I saw that the village was crowded with people, excited and lively. It turned out that a fire dragon dance event was being held in the village. It was a coincidence. Later, when Huineng was a little older, he went up the mountain to collect firewood and sold it in the nearby market. Unfortunately, at such a young age, he had already shouldered the burden of collecting firewood to support his mother (this is a story later).
The weather changes during the New Year. Just a moment ago, the sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear. Suddenly, a dark cloud appeared in the sky, and after a while, it started to drizzle. But it did not reduce the enthusiasm of the people at the scene to watch the fire dragon dance.
There are only two "golden dragons", which are danced by 18 men and 18 women respectively, and one person is responsible for dancing the dragon ball. As the gongs and drums beat, the "Dragon Pearl" leads the way, and two "Golden Dragons" immediately chase the "Dragon Pearl". Against the background of the dance of fish, shrimp, crab and other animals, the two "golden dragons" paraded around the village.
Huineng and the others were very happy to see it. The stone dog got excited and danced. Suddenly he scratched his head and asked Huineng: "Why are those two 'golden dragons' parading around the village?"
Huineng said to Shigou, "When we go to someone else's village, it's best to just look around and not cause trouble."
"This child is really sensible." An elder who was watching the fire dragon dance saw that Huineng said something like an adult at a young age. While praising Huineng, he said to the stone dog: "The golden dragon moving around the village is a good luck and good luck." It means peace and good harvest."
Huineng bowed forward and thanked him profusely.
"You're welcome. My surname is He, and my name is Zong. You can call me Uncle Zong." As the elder said, he took out a stack of red envelopes from his bag, gave one to each person, and then asked, "Look at how you look, which one is it?" A fortress?"
Huineng said respectfully: "We are from Xialu Village. My surname is Lu and my given name is Huineng. His names are Shigou, Wenzi and Zihui." After Huineng finished the introduction, they said in unison: Thank you Uncle Zong for the red envelope! I wish you a happy new year, good health, happiness to your family, and all the best!
Uncle Zong said to Huineng, "You are really good-natured and sensible."
Hedang Huineng and Zongbo were destined, and only heard Zongbo say again: "Your Xialu village is close to the mountains. We are the county town here, and we need a lot of firewood in our daily life. If we go up to the mountains to collect firewood and sell it here, we can sell it at a good price." " Uncle Zong's unintentional remark turned out to be Huineng's future job of collecting firewood from the mountains and selling it here.
After Zongbo finished speaking, he touched the stone dog's head and continued, "According to legend, in ancient times, the water in Xinjiang surged every May and June and rushed through the city embankment, causing disasters to the county every year, and even more to the people. The people suffered greatly. So a flood control embankment was built at the bend of the Xinjiang River, and the "Dragon Temple" was built inside the embankment, later also known as the "Hongsheng Temple". People came to worship on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month to pray for the dragon. God bless you with good weather, peace and contentment, and abundant harvests.”
Next, Zong Bo described how when the golden dragon dances, in addition to having solid martial arts skills, the dancers must also meticulously perform the golden dragon's soaring into the clouds and mist, the golden dragon coiling the pearl, the dragon flying across the sea, the two dragons fighting for the pearl, the two dragons going out to sea, the golden dragon playing with the pearl, flying over the peak, The golden dragon plays in the water and other actions to express the bravery, strength, dexterity and emotion of the golden dragon.
To show the vividness of the golden dragon, when dancing, the leading hand is used as the command. The dragon dancers determine the number of dragon dancers according to the length of the dragon body. One person beats the gong, one person beats the drum, one person holds the flag, and one person carries the lantern. Other fish, shrimp, several people, etc.
Each dragon dance team member wears uniform yellow clothes and trousers, a belt, a yellow scarf on their head, and cloth shoes on their feet. The teams are arranged in the order of flag team, first card, water cluster lantern (fish, shrimp, crab, crab), dragon fan, gong and drum team, and dragon dance team;
The complete set of dragon dance movements are divided into small swimming dragon, big swimming dragon, dragon raising its head, dragon turning over, drilling the dragon's tail, coiling the dragon's nest, and rolling the salon.
When rolling the dragon, people must be very close to each other so that the dragon can roll round and high. At the beginning of the performance, gongs and drums are played as the command, and the dragon ball leads the way. The golden dragon chases it as fast as chasing the dragon ball. All the actions are carried out while the dragon is swimming. Against the background of the sound of firecrackers and the dancing of fish, shrimp and other animals, it circles the village or the street. Dance, one is to ward off evil spirits, the other is to bring good luck, and the third is to support celebrations.
When the golden dragon moves, wherever it goes, there will be blessings. Therefore, local good people and people who have money and strength to contribute hope that the arrival of the golden dragon will ensure the safety of their families and villages.
Zongbo's vivid description of the golden dragon dance made Huineng and others cheer for him.
"Huineng, look, these two golden dragons seem to be real. How were they made?" Shi Gou looked at the two lifelike golden dragons dancing and was so happy that he forgot what Huineng had just said to him. if.
Huineng glanced at Shigou, but unexpectedly, Zongbo saw him.
Uncle Zong introduced him considerately:
The production of the golden dragon is very particular. The dragon is fifty or sixty meters long, and thirty-six people are required to dance at one time. In addition, a dragon ball is added. The dragon head, dragon body (segment), and dragon ball are all made of bamboo silk, and are decorated with other decorations. They are pasted with golden silk cloth; the cloth is dyed and painted with scales. The golden dragon production process is light and strong, especially the dragon head part. A faucet weighing more than ten kilograms can withstand 120 kilograms of pressure. The golden dragon is lifelike and vivid in its tying, with precise workmanship and smooth lines. The shape of the golden dragon is exquisite and majestic, with a neat and concise outline. The main color is golden yellow with green modifications. In particular, the golden dragon's whiskers are finely and smoothly made.
In the past, the sacred dragon had to be tied once a year, and it had to be tied before the 29th of each year, and a "consecration" ceremony was held at the same time.
They kill chickens on the beach to "dot their eyes" (hang colors) and dance. From the first day of the Spring Festival to the Lantern Festival, residents in villages in the county pay New Year greetings and perform golden dragon performances.
After the Lantern Festival, the golden dragon is cremated at Hongsheng Temple, and its ashes are scattered into the river. Everyone is vying to use the dragon cloth to make clothes and hats for children. It is said that children can grow taller quickly if they wear clothes and hats made of dragon cloth. Big, no disasters.
Usually, during every major festival or celebration, the Golden Dragon Team will be dispatched to perform dragon dances to celebrate.
