The customs and habits of the Zhuang New Year, the customs of the Zhuang Spring Festival

The customs of the Zhuang Spring Festival are as follows:

1. The Spring Festival of the Zhuang nationality generally begins to prepare for the 27th slaughter of pigs after the 23rd day of the lunar month. In the Spring Festival custom of the Zhuang people, as soon as the 23rd day of the lunar month is over, the Zhuang family is filled with the atmosphere of welcoming the New Year: sweeping the beams of the house and making New Year's foods such as meat dumplings, glutinous rice cakes, rice candy, glutinous rice cakes, etc.

2. On Chinese New Year's Eve, men, women and children from all families, the whole family gathers together to eat "New Year's Dinner" to welcome the New Year. According to the Spring Festival custom of the Zhuang people, the "New Year's Rice" meal should be cooked more, and there should be enough to eat, which is an indication of the harvest of the next year, and the meaning of the surplus in the coming year. On Chinese New Year's Eve, the most distinctive feature of the sumptuous dishes is to slaughter large gelding chickens and fish, which must be eaten by every family.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, before dawn, people get up to freshen up and dress up, and put on new clothes to welcome the beginning of the new year.

3. In the Spring Festival customs of the Zhuang people, those who do not visit relatives and friends on the first day of the first year should not take a knife or cut things. It is said that if you cut something with a knife on this day, you will cut off all the good luck of the New Year.

4. After the second day of the first month, you can visit relatives and friends, greet each other, and give each other food zongzi, rice candy, etc., which continues until the 15th Lantern Festival, and in some places even until the 30th day of the first month, the whole Spring Festival is over.

Zhuang distribution

The Chinese Zhuang people are distributed in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government in China, mainly in the south, ranging from Lianshan Bracelet Zhuang Yaoshan Jian Autonomous County in Guangdong Province in the east, to Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province in the west, Congjiang County in Guizhou Province in the north, and Beibu Gulf in the south.

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is the main distribution area of the Zhuang nationality, with a total of 10,000 people (2000), accounting for the total population of the Zhuang nationality, mainly living in Nanning City, Chongzuo City, Baise City, Hechi City, Liuzhou City, Laibin City, Guigang City and other places.

In addition, there are 10,000 people living in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province (2000) and 10,000 people scattered in other parts of Yunnan Province (2000). There are 10,000 people in Lianshan Zhuang Yao Autonomous County in Guangdong Province (2000), and more than 4,000 people (2000) live in Xiashuai Zhuang Yao Township, Huaiji County, which is adjacent to Lianshan; Congjiang County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, with 10,000 people (2000); There are more than 5,000 people in Jianghua Yao Autonomous County in Hunan Province (2000).

The customs of the Zhuang Spring Festival include absorbing new disadvantages and selling water, welcoming the spring cow to sing, and grabbing the head duck.

1. Draw new water.

Drawing new water is also known as picking smart water, picking new water, and picking good water. It is spread in the western part of Guangxi. In the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the new daughter-in-law or eldest girl of each family carries a bucket, holds three pillars of incense, sings a song, goes to the river or spring, inserts the incense, and puts the coins wrapped in red paper into the water to pick up the first load of new water in the new year.

2. Spring Festival Cow Song.

The spring cow is the earth cow, in ancient times, it was molded with clay, now it is the spring cow of paper, it is cleverly woven with bamboo pieces, the cow head, the horn is pasted on the cotton paper, the bull's eye is painted, and the cow body is a piece of black cloth or gray cloth. The spring cow dancers beat gongs and drums to perform in the village, and the two people who got into the bottom of the cloth, one person supported the head of the ox in front, followed by a man holding a plow. In addition, there are also gongs and drums, leading the singing of spring cow songs, and when they go to **, there are singing and laughing.

3. Rent a duck to grab the head.

After 12 o'clock on the first night of the new year, when people compete to slaughter chickens and ducks, recook zongba, and put them on the table of sacrificing ancestors according to the rules. The whole chicken and the whole duck are placed on the table**, the zongzi are peeled off and placed on both sides, and a handful of garlic seedlings with pig's head or pig's tail and red paper are placed on each side of the table. Sacrifice to the ancestors first, and then sacrifice the stove king, door god, pigsty, cattle pen, etc. one by one.

After the sacrifice is completed, the firecrackers are set off, and the first person to set off the firecrackers is to grab the first duck, thinking that if you grab the first duck, you will have good luck.

The customs of the Spring Festival of other ethnic groups:

1. Tibetans. On Chinese New Year's Eve, people put on colorful costumes, wear strange-shaped masks, and play music with snails, conches, and drums, and perform a grand and grand dance festival. The young men danced and sang wildly, saying that they would remove the old and welcome the new, and drive away evil spirits and bring blessings.

On the morning of the new year, the women carry auspicious water to wish the new year good luck.

2. Yi nationality. The Yi compatriots selected the New Year Festival according to the Yi calendar, and some celebrated the Spring Festival with the local Han people. In some areas, the Yi compatriots set up green pines in front of the door and paved the ground with pine needles to express the protection from disasters and eliminate disasters. In other areas, pigs and sheep are slaughtered and lumps of meat are eaten during festivals.

3. Gelao people.

From the first day of the first lunar month to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, men, women and children of all ages wear festive costumes, and dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of people gather on the hillside or in the arena to sing mountain songs, singing about labor, life and love.