Entering the twelfth month, Heshun people begin to get busy preparing for the Spring Festival.In the past, when the Spring Festival came, every family would go to the mountain to cut a pine tree and hang lucky money or other festival items for children on the tree, which was called "year pine" or "money tree" by the local people.On the morning of laba, families go to the river to collect water and store large quantities of laba water, which is used to make pickles or wine.
Before the 23rd day of the 12th month, every family uses sour leaves to wipe the hearth, dusts the dust with green bamboo, and welcomes the New Year cleanly. 23 send the Kitchen god to "play wonderful music". On New Year's Eve, the whole family put up lanterns and decorations together, and put incense paper candles, tea and wine on the eight imcelestial table in front of the family card. Take out their best food, make it into a full table of delicacies, while hot end placed in Liufang hall in front of the location, lit incense as to the door of the central hall.First reverently bow down to worship ancestors, and then eat the New Year dinner, family reunion together to welcome the New Year. At this time, the housewife has prepared all kinds of fresh fruits and cakes, with the steamed three products of fast food, and clean tea water in front of the gate, lighting candles and burning incense, ready to meet the Kitchen God.This is to god on duty of the kitchen God to take home, pray for the coming year with good luck.Until New Year's Eve when firecrackers to welcome the arrival of the New Year just rest. This day whether the family rich or poor, do not slack off. So Heshun has slang: thirty nights knock on the chopping block - comply with the solar term.
On the first day of the New Year, getting up in the morning to open the door is the first big thing, commonly known as "opening the wealth door".Usually by the family of young boys first open the door, and read aloud "wealth door wealth door opened, gold and silver treasure roll in" and other auspicious words.After opening the gate, the boy went to the central hall to worship the memorial tablet of the family hall and carefully took off the red envelope pressed by the elders at the foot of the incense burner.Then the younger generation to pay New Year's greetings to their elders, wish their elders health and longevity, all the best.Elders will be ready to give money to the younger generation.People will greet each other when they meet outside.
The second day of the lunar calendar is the day when people in Heshun hold activities to bring fortune and fortune, commonly known as "enjoy delicious food". Early in the morning, housewives light incense sticks in front of the main gate and the central hall, and place the long prepared and tied together raw onions, akizi, celery, chopsticks, garlic shoots, a few live fish, cooked three animals, all kinds of fresh fruits, and fast rice on the eight immortalities table in the central hall to offer sacrifices to the earth and the god of wealth. Then light candles and burn paper money, and the family bows down in order of rank. This implied in the New Year to be smart and diligent, in order to get god care, in order to have enough food and clothing. After the sacrificial ceremony, the married daughters would take their husbands and children to visit their parents, but they had to return to their in-laws' home before sunset. On this day, there is also the custom of eating a special sweet "brain", implying that people with brains are rich in financial resources.
On the third day of the lunar calendar, every household is supposed to sweep away the rubbish accumulated on the first and second days, commonly known as "sweeping away poor ghosts". So this day generally do not go out, afraid of being swept away as a poor ghost. After the fourth day of the lunar calendar, people begin to visit each other among their relatives and friends and prepare delicacies for the newly-married couple, commonly known as "inviting spring guests".
During the Spring Festival, villages in Heshun want to "play with lanterns". The performances will continue until the Lantern Festival. Swings will be erected in every village and alley until the 16th day of the lunar New Year.
