Spring Festival (1)

"Ha ha ha—","This is too funny!" "How can Fan Wei be so silly?!"...

The 2002 CCTV New Year's Gala is playing on the TV, featuring the skit "Selling the Car" by Zhao Benshan, Fan Wei, and Gao Xiumin. The hilarious scenes are making everyone laugh heartily.

The Spring Festival is a traditional holiday for the Chinese nation. No matter where you are, people of Chinese descent will regard the Spring Festival as the most important day of the year. Since the first Spring Festival Gala aired on CCTV on New Year's Eve in 1983, it has become a custom for families to watch the Gala together after the New Year's Eve dinner. Jiang Cheng's family is no exception, and he is watching this year's Gala with his family after returning from Hong Kong.

After recording "A Date with Luyu," Jiang Cheng didn't head straight back to Shanghai. After all, being in the "shopping paradise" of the East, it would be a waste not to visit the famous domestic and international shopping malls in Hong Kong. He spent a day shopping, buying a plethora of New Year's gifts for his parents and friends, indulging in a shopping spree before returning to Shanghai.

Usually, the New Year's celebration at Jiang Cheng's home is a bit quiet, with only the three family members. However, this year is much more lively, as two more people have joined them: Yuan Hong and Sun Xiao. Since they had to stay in Shanghai for filming and had already informed their families they wouldn't be returning home for the New Year, Jiang Cheng invited them to spend it with his family. Feeling a bit lonely themselves, they gladly accepted the invitation.

It must be said that during the New Year, the more the merrier. Especially in Jiang Cheng's house, people from all over are present: from Beijing, the Northeast, Hubei Province, Taiwan, and Shanghai. Everyone showed off their culinary skills while preparing the New Year's Eve dinner. Jiang Dejun cooked his specialty, red-braised shrimp. Gao Linlan made the traditional Taiwanese dish, Three-Cup Chicken. Jiang Cheng prepared an authentic Shanghai dish, steamed crab, along with a basket of soup dumplings. Yuan Hong cooked fried eel slices and braised pork. As for Sun Xiao... the table was filled with various hearty Northeastern stews!

In the North, people eat dumplings on New Year's Eve, while in the South, they eat sweet rice balls. Normally, after dinner, they would start making sweet rice balls, but with Sun Xiao there, a Northerner who only eats sweet rice balls on the Lantern Festival and is accustomed to eating dumplings for New Year's, Jiang Cheng, who also grew up eating dumplings in the North, found it odd to eat sweet rice balls for the New Year. Therefore, this year, the Jiang family prepared two sets of ingredients, one for dumplings and one for sweet rice balls. The five people split into two teams, one making dumplings and the other making sweet rice balls. Whether you prefer dumplings or sweet rice balls, there's something for everyone. The atmosphere was truly harmonious and joyful!

"Ah, it's been so many years since our house has had such a lively New Year's celebration! This feels really good!" Jiang Dejun remarked as it approached 11 PM, close to the New Year.

"Yes, ever since Acheng returned, it's just been the three of us. During festivals, when everyone else's home is bustling, ours feels so quiet; it's quite uncomfortable," Gao Linlan sighed. "Thinking back, it's been a long time since we've been back to Taipei. I wonder how everyone is doing there. Maybe we should find some time to go back after the New Year?"

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng seemed interested, but noticing a fleeting sadness on Jiang Dejun's face, likely reminiscing about his family in Beijing, he quickly said, "Mom and Dad, look at you, bringing up such sentimental topics during the New Year! Let's talk about other things later. Right now, let's just enjoy the New Year!" With that, he also gave Yuan Hong and Sun Xiao a look.

Having spent half a year living together, the four roommates had developed a certain level of understanding. Although Yuan Hong and Sun Xiao didn't fully grasp the situation in Jiang Cheng's family, they knew he wanted to change the subject and quickly started helping. Yuan Hong spoke first, "Auntie Gao, I heard from Jiang Cheng that you're from Taiwan. The New Year customs there must be quite different from the mainland, right?"

"That's a long story." Gao Linlan perked up at the question, "Actually, the folk customs of celebrating the Spring Festival in Taiwan are not much different from those on the mainland. They start from the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, known as 'sending off the Kitchen God,' and continue until the 18th of the first lunar month, known as 'the end of the Lantern Festival.' If you're talking about differences in customs, perhaps due to the many changes and transitions experienced by the Minnan and Hakka people, Taiwan's Spring Festival customs have gradually developed some unique patterns and colors."

Sun Xiao, captivated, asked, "What kind of customs are those?"

Gao Linlan smiled, "I'll let Acheng explain that."

Jiang Cheng laughed bitterly, "Mom, why are you dragging me into this?"

"You grew up in Taiwan too, so you know these customs. It's also a good test to see if you've forgotten them," Gao Linlan said.

"Alright, alright!" Sighing and then laughing, Jiang Cheng turned to Yuan Hong and Sun Xiao, "If I'm going to talk about the New Year customs of Taiwan, you can't be left out. After I finish, you also have to talk about the different New Year customs in Hubei Province and the Northeast, okay?"

"Sure!" "No problem!" Yuan Hong and Sun Xiao readily agreed. "You go first."

"Alright, then I'll start with the New Year customs of Taiwan." Clearing his throat, Jiang Cheng began, "In Taiwan, as soon as the twelfth lunar month begins, the atmosphere of the New Year starts to thicken. On the sixteenth of every month, people try to improve their meals, known as 'doing a tooth.'

On the sixteenth of December, the last 'tooth' of the year is called the 'tail tooth.' On this day, every household puts out big fish and meat to worship the Earth God, thanking him for his protection over the past year. They also place benches in front of their doors, offering bowls of five flavors, burning joss paper, and silver paper to worship the Earth God.

Businesses also lavish their employees with feasts on this day to reward them for their hard work over the past year. In the past, if an employer did not plan to rehire an employee for the coming year, they would point a chicken head at them during the feast to imply dismissal. 

However, this custom has disappeared. In addition to the increasingly popular tail tooth feasts, traditionally, the entire family would gather to 'eat the tail tooth.' The main food is runbing and guabao. Runbing is made with runbing skin wrapped around bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, tofu, garlic, egg dry, tiger seaweed, peanut powder, and ketchup. Guabao is filled with three layers of pork, pickled vegetables, dried bamboo shoots, cilantro, and peanut powder, all delicious local foods."

Pausing, Jiang Cheng continued, "After the 'tail tooth,' comes 'sending off the Kitchen God,' also known as 'bidding farewell to the Kitchen God.' The Kitchen God is said to be a heavenly deity assigned to each household by the heavens. Every year at the end of the year, he returns to heaven to 'report to the Jade Emperor,' reporting on the good and evil deeds of each household over the past year so the Jade Emperor can decide on rewards or punishments. 

The fortunes of the coming year are also determined by this, which is of great significance to the people. Therefore, to ensure the Kitchen God 'speaks well of them in heaven and ensures peace on earth,' people offer abundant sacrifices to the Kitchen God. After sending the Kitchen God to heaven, it's about time for New Year's Eve. The customs of 'staying up all night' and 'distributing lucky money' on New Year's Eve are similar to those on the mainland."

"And then comes the New Year's Eve dinner, right?" Yuan Hong asked.

"Correct," Jiang Cheng nodded and continued, "But there are particularities to this dinner as well. In Taiwan, on the evening of the thirtieth, the whole family, young and old, gathers around a round table with a hot pot for a meal called 'surrounding the stove.' Some coins are placed near the stove to signify warmth like spring and abundant wealth. 

The foods eaten during 'surrounding the stove' generally have symbolic meanings. For instance, one must eat 'longevity vegetables' (made from mustard greens to represent longevity), 'chives' (the word 'chive' sounds like 'long' in Taiwanese, and when eating it, you must eat one strand from start to finish without biting it in half to 'live long and prosper'). 

Additionally, radishes (representing good fortune), 'whole chicken' (the word 'chicken' sounds like 'home' in Taiwanese dialect, symbolizing prosperity for the whole family), clams (representing fertility, and after eating, the shells are placed under the bed, signifying the birth of children and grandchildren), fish balls, shrimp balls, and meatballs (representing 'top three scholars'), and many deep-fried foods (indicating a flourishing family business). Everyone at the table must try a bit of each dish. They also have to drink a bit of alcohol for good luck.

During 'surrounding the stove,' the vegetables are washed and cooked whole, and when eaten, they are consumed from start to finish slowly to wish for the parents' long and peaceful lives. After 'surrounding the stove,' many rural areas in Taiwan still maintain the custom of 'watching the fire basin.' A basin of straw is lit in front of the door, and all the male members of the family jump over it in succession, symbolizing prosperity as fiery as the flames. While jumping, they recite auspicious words. After the fire goes out, the ashes are taken to the kitchen stove to pray to the gods for wealth and prosperity.

After eating, the elders give the younger members 'lucky money,' and then the whole family sits around the stove, talking and laughing, staying up all night, known as 'staying up for the New Year.' It is believed that doing so can pray for the parents' longevity, hence it's also called 'the night of longevity.' 'Not sleeping' in Minnan dialect is 'not kun,' and 'kun' sounds like 'hardship.' Therefore, 'staying up for the New Year' is also waiting for a 'no hardship' New Year to arrive."

"What about after the first day of the New Year? Are there any unique customs in Taiwan that differ from the mainland?" Sun Xiao continued to ask.

"Yes!" Jiang Cheng thought for a moment and said, "For example, in some rural areas of Taiwan, there's still an interesting custom. Starting from New Year's Eve, some temples begin to perform plays. Those who couldn't pay off their debts before the New Year run to the temples to watch the plays to avoid their creditors. If a creditor chases them to the temple to demand repayment, it will provoke public anger and they will be collectively attacked. These plays go from New Year's Eve to the morning of the first day. 

After watching the play, those in debt can safely return home to reunite with their families. This custom, known as 'debt-avoidance plays,' is a product of society but has a human touch. However, creditors also have a way to deal with this, by wearing old clothes on the first day of the New Year, carrying a lantern to collect debts, pretending they have been chasing since New Year's Eve and haven't returned home yet, and that they're not 'collecting debts in the New Year.' This kind of lantern is called a 'debt-collecting lantern.' Unless there's deep resentment, creditors generally don't use the 'debt-collecting lantern.'

After the first day, there's a New Year's song in Taiwan that explains the significance of each day during the New Year period: the early first day signifies opening doors for great luck; the clever second day is when sons-in-law visit their parents-in-law, a rare clever event; the third day is when cleverness connects to the heavens, known as 'Red Dog Day,' where it's unlucky for anyone to go out, making it difficult to achieve anything clever; the fourth day is for eating to one's content, as guests have left and leftover dishes are consumed; the fifth day is for separation, as businesses open; the sixth day is for scooping manure, meaning cleaning up; the seventh day is the 'seventh origin,' also known as 'Renri,' the day to eat noodles for longevity; the eighth day is for temporary recovery; the ninth day is 'Heavenly God's Day,' the birthday of the Jade Emperor, where gods are worshiped and gifts are offered; the tenth day is for eating, signifying rest until the tenth day; the eleventh day is approximate, meaning things are generally as they are; the twelfth day is for diarrhea, meaning eating bad food; the thirteenth day is for eating congee with clams and mustard greens, meaning eating porridge with vegetables; the fourteenth day is for setting up the lanterns, as the Lantern Festival is approaching; the fifteenth day is for the Lantern Festival.

Not to mention too much, just talk about the first day. The first day of the first lunar month, also known as 'New Day,' is when relatives and friends visit each other to wish a happy new year, known as 'celebrating the New Year' or 'congratulating the New Year.' The host offers guests sweet treats and tea, then utters auspicious phrases. There's a lot of particularity here, as different things are said to different people.

To the wife, they say 'eat sweet and give birth to a son;' to the elderly, 'eat sweet and live healthy to 120;' to businessmen, 'eat sweet and make a fortune;' to children, 'eat sweet and grow up fast;' to young women, 'eat sweet and marry a good husband;' and generally to each other, 'earn a lot of money in the New Year' - a common wish for everyone.

The first day of the year has many taboos. In the morning, people eat vegetarian food, not meat, and don't cook. The food eaten must be pre-prepared on New Year's Eve, called 'year-over food,' indicating that there was leftover food from the last year. This day, frying cakes is forbidden, as fried cakes turn red, and 'red' is synonymous with 'utter poverty.'

Eating dried rice, not porridge, is necessary, or else one might get rained on or encounter accidents throughout the year. From the first to the fifth day, sweeping the floor or scooping manure is not allowed. If cleaning is unavoidable, the trash must be kept inside the house and not thrown outside, as that's like throwing away the household's wealth and bringing poverty.

No cursing, fighting, debt collecting, or injuring oneself is allowed. If injured, it's considered 'pain over the New Year,' which is extremely unlucky. No breaking or damaging bowls and dishes; if accidentally broken, wrap them in red paper and throw them into the river on the fifth day while reciting comforting words like 'breaking porcelain, a pile of money and silver,' turning bad luck into good. Absolutely no napping, as elders say, men napping on the first day will cause their fields to collapse, and women napping will lead to the kitchen collapsing."

"So many details!" Sun Xiao marveled.

"Alright, I've said quite a bit. Now it's your turn!" Jiang Cheng clapped his hands, "Who's going first?"

"I'll go first!" Yuan Hong said, "In our Hubei Province, the New Year also starts from the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month. There's a folk rhyme: 'On the twenty-third, send off the lantern; on the twenty-fourth, pick fishbones; on the twenty-fifth, beat the drum; on the twenty-sixth, bless the pork; on the twenty-seventh, remove the dirt; on the twenty-eighth, bless the chicken and duck; on the twenty-ninth, everyone has, which all refers to the New Year's preparations.

Sending off the lantern is also sending off the Kitchen God, similar to Taiwan.

Picking fishbones refers to making fish balls. As Hubei Province is known for its lakes and fish, people there love fish. On major occasions like weddings and funerals, fish balls are an indispensable specialty dish. On the New Year's Eve dinner table, their importance is self-evident, as 'having fish every year' implies prosperity.

Beating the drum means from the twenty-fifth, various noisemakers can be taken out. This mainly refers to rural artists who took advantage of the New Year's mindset to perform from house to house to collect tips. However, this has changed now, and it's more about self-entertainment or public entertainment.

The twenty-sixth and twenty-eighth are the days for slaughtering animals, but instead of saying 'slaughter,' people say 'bless' to seek good fortune. Removing dirt means cleaning the house, especially the kitchen on the twenty-seventh because it's used daily for cooking. Cleaning too early would mean it gets dirty again before the New Year.

The last saying refers to the twenty-ninth, when every household has prepared all their New Year's goods, ready to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new.

On the thirtieth, the excitement of the day goes without saying. Interestingly, according to custom, married daughters can return home to eat the reunion dinner but cannot stay overnight for the New Year. So, in Hubei Province, the reunion dinner is eaten at noon to allow daughters to return to their in-laws after the meal. However, sons-in-law and nephews can stay! This seems to imply the saying, 'a married daughter is like water poured out.'

I've heard from the elders that there was an old custom where one could not cook fresh rice and water from the first to the third day of the New Year. On the afternoon of New Year's Eve, every housewife would be busy cooking rice, and the men would be responsible for boiling water. But that's not the case now, mainly because eating leftover rice during the New Year is too inauspicious.

The first day of the New Year is called 'going out.' Men used to bring some gifts to the elders in the clan to pay respects, or visit neighbors to reminisce about old times and forge new friendships. Housewives would mainly go to temples to pray and draw lots, hoping for peace and prosperity for the whole family in the new year. Young people would gather to sing and dance, showing their youthful vitality. According to old customs, on the first day of the New Year, one shouldn't take anything out of the house, not even trash, to avoid sweeping away good fortune and wealth. So, cleaning only starts on the third day.

The second day is for 'visiting the deceased.' Families who had a death in the previous year would host a big feast and invite many relatives and friends, known as 'clearing the fragrance.'

The third day is the day for paying New Year's visits, generally arranged according to the closeness of relatives. The basic order is usually the mother-in-law's family, then the grandmother's family, followed by aunts and cousins. However, visits should generally be completed before the sixth day. Going too late might make the other family feel neglected and often affect the relationship between the two families. If a relative hasn't visited for the New Year, it means they want to cut ties with you!

In the past, from the eighth to the fifteenth, there were customs like dragon boat races and lion dances, but these are less common now. As for the fifteenth day, the Lantern Festival, there's not much to say."

"Okay, it's my turn!" Sun Xiao said impatiently, eager to share, "We Northerners love a lively and festive New Year, so there are many customs, but they mostly focus on after New Year's Eve.

Firstly, eating dumplings is a Northern custom. On New Year's Eve, to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new, one must eat dumplings. Among the many dumplings made, only a few contain coins. Whoever eats these dumplings is considered to be bringing in good fortune for the new year. In addition, Northerners must eat dumplings on the fifth day, also known as 'breaking the fifth,' which means biting through the dumplings to symbolize breaking away from bad luck and warding off evil.

Next, after the New Year's Eve dinner, one must eat frozen pears. Due to the cold weather in the Northeast, some fruits have a different taste after freezing, with the most common being pears and persimmons. Frozen pears are not made from ordinary pears but from a type of pear unique to the North called autumn pears. These pears are sour and astringent when first picked, so they are left under the tree, covered with leaves, and eaten after freezing. After freezing, autumn pears become sweet and juicy. They need to be defrosted in water before eating. Eating this pear after the New Year's Eve dinner can relieve alcohol and greasiness.

Then comes lighting the longevity lamp. From New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the first lunar month, every household hangs red lanterns. At night, the lanterns are lit and must stay on all night, symbolizing longevity and unbroken family lineage. Some people even keep the longevity lamp lit until the end of the first lunar month to signify 'longevity and continuity.'

Next, no sweeping on the first and second days. In the Northeast, older people have a saying that on the first and second days of the New Year, one should not sweep the floor to avoid sweeping away good luck and wealth. So, sweeping only starts on the third day.

The first day is for staying in, and from the second day onward, it's time to visit relatives and friends, continuing until the sixth day. Everyone takes turns visiting each other's homes, creating a lively atmosphere!

In the Northeast, older people celebrate their birthdays not on their actual birthdays but in the first lunar month. The sixth day is for celebrating the sixtieth birthday, the seventh day for the seventieth, the eighth for the eightieth, the ninth for the ninetieth, and the tenth for the hundredth!

Then, from the eleventh to the fourteenth, distant relatives come to visit. This is quite straightforward.

Finally, the fifteenth day, the Lantern Festival. One must eat sweet rice balls, also known as yuanxiao, in the morning. In the evening, it's time to watch lanterns. This is the same all over China. But while you watch flower lanterns, we in the Northeast watch ice lanterns!

Also, Northerners generally don't cut their hair from the first day of the first lunar month until the second day of the second lunar month. If they do, it's believed to bring misfortune to their uncles, so Northerners are very cautious about this. 'The second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head' signifies that cutting hair on this day is very auspicious. So, many people rush to get haircuts on this day to seek good fortune."

The three of them chatted and laughed, and after eating dumplings and sweet rice balls, time slowly approached midnight.