My aunt first introduced me to the most Chaoshan food "Kung Fu Tea". Kung fu tea is a kind of tea tasting fashion in Chaoshan area, which is famous for its uniqueness and exquisiteness. The so-called congou tea means that the way of making tea is very particular, and it takes a certain amount of effort to operate, and it must be very hard to operate.
The basic characteristics of congou tea can be summarized in one sentence: soak oolong tea in small pots and cups. A small teapot teacup can not only keep the fragrance of tea, but also drink congou not to quench thirst, but to enjoy and welcome guests.
My aunt told me with a smile that drinking more tea can effectively remove body fat, which is why Chaoshan people have more oil and water when eating, but they are all very thin, and there are few heart diseases such as "three highs".
Next, my aunt introduced me to another specialty of Chaoshan, "beef balls", which took the lean meat of cattle and chopped it with beef tendon; It is made by beating repeatedly. At the same time, she reminded me that a famous movie that we have all seen, Stephen Chow's The God of Food, can be used as a famous Chaoshan specialty to play table tennis. This pee means that there is fresh and sweet beef juice in the middle of beef balls, and a bite is just like a baby peeing. I find it interesting to hear this. I must ask my aunt to take me to have a taste.
Celebrate Lantern Festival
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is New Year's Eve, which is also called "Shangyuan Festival". It originated in the Western Han Dynasty in China, and was regarded by Chaoshan people as a festival to celebrate happiness and reunion, symbolizing good luck and a bright night in the future. Shangyuan is the first full moon night when spring returns to the earth, so it is called Yuanye and Yuanxi, and the tide is commonly known as "Fifteen Nights". Ancient times were the most charming, lively and "night" time of the year. This night is not only bright and bright, but also brightly lit and twinkling, so it is also called "Lantern Festival". In the first year of Tongzhi in Qing Dynasty (1862), Chen Kun, the magistrate of Chaoyang County, recited the poem "Chaozhou Lantern Festival": "The lights of Shangyuan are red and six streets, and the clothes and fragrance of the characters are the same everywhere. Meet with a smile and forget the enmity, and there is no news. Who works with Yi Deng Tiger? " Tang Bohu, a romantic talent in the south of the Yangtze River, also left a wonderful poem praising the popularity of Lantern Festival: "Without lights, there is no entertainment, and without lights, there is no spring; Spring is everywhere, just like the lady seen here. On a bright moonlit night, flashing lanterns set off the moon like pure silver. The streets are full of women swimming in the village, and the stars are singing and playing; If you don't laugh, how can you get rid of this wonderful time? " The poem tells a touching scene of a man and a woman celebrating the Lantern Festival.
The Lantern Festival cultural entertainment and activities of Chaoshan people are rich in content, diverse in forms, varied, unique and fascinating. Besides traditional lanterns, there are fireworks, animal dances, lion and dragon dances, graffiti dramas, yangko, square dramas, film screenings, swings and solve riddles on the lanterns. There are also "sitting on a big dish", "pushing the toilet wall", "holding a big pig", "seeking happiness", "making a ding table", "hanging banyan branches and bamboo tips on the door" and "gambling on sugar lions", which contain folk customs and anecdotes. Especially, in Zhanglingu Port of Chenghai, every household has to cook mouse rice and feed it to relatives and friends. This peach is the most homesick of overseas hipsters. On the night of Lantern Festival, the whole family got together and held a banquet to eat "family happiness". Clams, garlic and fish are indispensable delicacies in a gourmet feast. In ancient times, clams' shells meant coins, and eating clams meant "counting money". Eating garlic symbolizes auspiciousness for many years and "will be cost-effective"; Eat fish to pray for family prosperity, more than a year and so on.
It turns out that Chaoshan Lantern Festival also has so many habits.
Sacrifice to ancestors (Zhou)
Sacrificing ancestors is a grand, solemn and solemn folk activity held by Chaoshan people to commemorate their ancestors and link the past with the future. Sacrificing ancestors is usually held at the vernal equinox or autumnal equinox of the lunar calendar every year, so there is often a saying of "Spring and Autumn Festival", some on March 3 or September 9, and some on the winter festival. The night before the sacrifice, an incense table will be set up in the courtyard to sacrifice the world and slaughter a pig and a sheep. Early the next morning, I began to knock gongs to tell the public. At this time, the believers heard an endless stream, and the red candle in the ancestral hall had a high fever, bright lights and drums and music. Then he ordered the deacons to do their own things, then brought out the owner of the niche and arranged the gods. Before entering the spirit, the ancestors were sent to burn incense, and the ancestors bowed down and offered incense. Participants are arranged neatly according to their generation and age. At the beginning of ancestor worship, first of all, there are recommendations, first rites, ancestor worship wine, and participants worship three times. Then kneel down and listen to the eulogy, which is read by the ceremony. After reciting, people will worship again, and finally recommend rice and tea, offer money and withdraw money. After the ancestor worship, the pig and mutton in the sacrifice are distributed to everyone according to the number of participants, which is called meat appreciation. During the ancestor worship, some even asked the troupe to perform for a few days, which has been held every year since the Ming Dynasty, so it has become a major folk custom in Chaoshan.
New Year's Eve
The last day of the Lunar New Year is called New Year's Eve, and Chaoshan custom calls it "Chinese New Year".
Before New Year's Eve, people are busy preparing all kinds of new year's goods: buying chicken, duck and fish; Add new clothes; Newly purchased furniture and appliances; Buy New Year pictures, Spring Festival couplets, etc. I especially want to buy oranges, green olives and other fruits as auspicious symbols. Welcome friends and relatives. Before the Chinese New Year, men want a new haircut and women want to "pull their faces". Nowadays, most women have haircuts and beauty treatments.
One or two days before New Year's Eve, every household is making all kinds of new year's goods.
Families who go out on New Year's Eve have to rush home for reunion. On New Year's Eve, the whole family sat around the fire and had a reunion dinner. After dinner, adults give "lucky money" to children and their parents. At night, the farmer's water tank should be full of water, the rice tank should be full of rice, and the lights can't go out, which symbolizes the good omen of "more than one year old" and "more than one year old".
The custom of vigil on New Year's Eve is very common. Waiting for the arrival of the new year, the New Year bell rings and firecrackers sound in every household.
have a family reunion dinner
New Year's Eve is approaching after all the houses in every household are completely decorated. Therefore, housewives are busy preparing the most abundant and meaningful reunion dinner in a year. A family reunion dinner, as its name implies, is a family gathering for dinner during the Chinese New Year, and even the deceased ancestors will not forget it. Therefore, after a good reunion dinner, every household should first "worship their husbands" (worship their ancestors). When offering sacrifices to ancestors, the incense burner representing ancestors should be removed from the shrine, put on the altar, and then burn incense to pray and invite ancestors to dinner. Then the old and the young bowed down in turn, fully demonstrating the traditional virtues of the hipsters, being cautious to the end, pursuing the distance, and putting all virtues first. After the sacrifice, the food for ancestor worship was reheated, and a big table was set in the hall, and the whole family gathered around. This is a wonderful time for every family to get together. No matter how far apart the family is at ordinary times, or how many zits there are at ordinary times, we should talk and laugh at this time, and we should not say anything sad or make noise.
After dinner, housewives were busy clearing the table, so a cleaning activity began. This time, we don't have to care too much about cleaning, just for cleaning. Unlike the time at the end of the year, you have to brush pine grass. Then he lit a fire in the stove and began to prepare the offering to God tomorrow-vegetarian food. There are many kinds of vegetarian dishes, including taro, sweet potato, jujube, peanut, taro and sweet potato. All the ingredients of vegetarian dishes should be prepared and dried at noon. When frying vegetarian dishes, put the iron pot and inject a lot of peanut oil when the fire is good. When the oil boils, mix these materials with the slurry and put them into the pan, which will make squeaks and bubbles in the oil pan. Huang Chengcheng is especially attractive when cooking. At this time, if there are guests at home, the hostess will serve a plate of freshly fried vegetarian dishes, and then soak in mellow congou tea to let you taste delicious Chaoshan snacks.
Send lucky money
Giving lucky money is an important part of Chaoshan Spring Festival custom. The elders should give money to the younger generation, and those who can earn money should also send money to the elders. Money can't be sent directly to wait for a while, but it should be packed in a profit bag or a red paper bag. This is commonly known as "pressing the abdomen and waist", which means that from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, the pockets will be full of reality and wealth. What is particularly interesting is that when a child sleeps, his parents will put a large bill in his belly pocket and bring it back after waking up.