Spring Festival, the most important festival of the Han people.

In fact, not only the Han people attach importance to it, but also the Manchu people.

Although the Manchu rulers always wanted to be able to enslave the Han people for thousands of generations, they even did not hesitate to force them to change their hair and change their clothes, in order to assimilate the Han people.

But in the Chinese culture, where the Chinese language is at its core, it was the Manchus who were eventually assimilated.

In history, the Jurchen people have created their own writing twice, once at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, in 1119 (the first year of Song Xuanhe, the third year of Jin Tianfu), Wanyan Aguta, the edict promulgated by Wanyan Xiyin and Ye Lu imitation of the Khitan characters and Chinese characters based on the creation of Jurchen characters, later generations called Jurchen characters, but this kind of writing to the fall of the Jin State after no one used.

In 1599, Nurha's Chiming Manchu linguist Erdeni borrowed the Mongolian alphabet to create a new type of script, which was called "Old Manchu", "Uncircled Manchu" or "Eshi Manchu".

Later, in 1632, Huang Taiji ordered another scholar, Dahai, to improve it. Add a "circle" and a "dot" to the right side of the letter to make it easier to read and write. It is called "circled Manchu", "new Manchu" or "Dashi Manchu".

After the Manchus entered the Central Plains, they had close contacts with the Han people in terms of economy, culture, and life, and gradually learned Chinese and writing. Due to the universality of the learning and application of Chinese characters, the Manchu people in modern times use Mandarin Chinese, except for some linguists and Manchu elders in some villages in Northeast China.

In fact, not only the Manchus, but also the few famous ethnic groups who had ruled on this side of China in history were also assimilated by the Han culture in the end, such as the Five Hu Chaohua, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the Liao Yuan, and the Manchu Qing.

As long as the Chinese language is in existence, the vast and profound Chinese culture recorded in it can influence and assimilate every ethnic group.

Under the influence of Chinese culture, many of the Manchu festivals are the same as those of the Han people. There are mainly Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, February 2, Qingming Festival, and Dragon Boat Festival.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the contradictions between the Ming Dynasty and the Manchu Qing Dynasty were acute, and there were life-and-death battles almost every day. But under the common festival, the Han and Manchu tribes did not have the heart to fight in order to prepare for the New Year, but at this time, it was rare for the land of Shenzhou to restore a moment of calm.

Zheng Chenggong returned to Kinmen, and after arranging for the left-behind soldiers, he let some old and family veterans go home for the New Year.

The abundant food and salary, coupled with the gold and silver rewarded by Zheng Chenggong, allowed the soldiers of the Zheng family army to spend a good year happily.

Although there are some differences in the Spring Festival in various parts of Fujian, they are generally before Chinese New Year's Eve, and every family has to carry out a comprehensive cleaning and tidying up the courtyard room, preparing New Year goods, cutting clothes, cooking cakes and making cakes, and they are very busy.

Although the gap between the rich and the poor varies from household to household, on Chinese New Year's Eve, no matter which family has to ask someone to write the Spring Festival couplets symbolizing the auspicious new year, good luck in everything, and fortune and treasure, and paste them on their doors and windows, grain hoards, pigsties, well platforms, etc., in order to achieve good fortune and safety and health in the coming year.

Later, on both sides of the door, two sugarcane plants are separated, and the cane is circled with a red paper strip, which is called "door cane", which takes the auspicious meaning of gradually getting better.

Offerings, incense and candles are then placed on the altar table in the hall to worship the ancestors and welcome them "home for the New Year". On Chinese New Year's Eve, the whole family gathers around the "fireplace", that is, a family of men, women and children gather around the fire or hot pot to eat Chinese New Year's Eve dinner (or "reunion dinner"). This meal, of course, should be extraordinarily hearty.

During the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, families with some surplus money have to eat fish balls, meatballs, chicken that symbolizes family reunion, chicken with the meaning of "chicken eating", and leeks that mean "long life", as well as a variety of fried foods, rice balls, rice cakes with local flavors, especially "turtle bean paste rice cake" (a rice cake pressed with a wooden mold carved with the shape of a turtle and filled with bean paste filling), which means to prolong life.

In addition, there is a salty radish rice cake that is roasted over a fire and then wrapped in seaweed to eat. In addition to the effect of relieving the smell of meat and adjusting the taste, it also contains the wish of "good luck" in the coming year.

The people were busy celebrating the Spring Festival, but Zheng Chenggong, who returned to Kinmen, was so busy that he didn't even enter the door, and arranged for the soldiers to stay behind.

Zheng Chenggong, who has always paid close attention to the troops, rushed to the barracks to visit the soldiers on Chinese New Year's Eve with hundreds of soldiers from the Tiger Guard Battalion, braving the cold wind and dust.

After the money and food were refilled, Zheng Jiajun selected three or four thousand young and strong soldiers from the captives and refugees to supplement the troops, and combined with the original soldiers and horses, not counting the old, weak, sick and disabled in the left-behind division, Zheng Chenggong had 20,000 soldiers and horses.

Now most of those recruits are being trained by generals such as Hong Xu and Chen Hui on the islands of Kinmen.

When he came to the barracks, Zheng Chenggong shook hands cordially with Hong Xu, Chen Hui and other generals, thanking them for their hard work in the past year.

Accompanied by them, Zheng Chenggong stopped to watch the drills of the soldiers, and along the way, Hong Xu and others reported to Zheng Chenggong the recent situation of the Zheng family's army.

Carefully watching the drills of the soldiers, Zheng Chenggong nodded and praised from time to time.

It can be seen that under Zheng Chenggong's repeated emphasis on the education of generals and instructors at all levels to keep the soldiers in mind, to lay a foundation, and to continuously improve the cohesion and combat effectiveness of the troops, these generals have worked very hard to train their soldiers.

Looking at the strong soldiers in front of him, Zheng Chenggong swept away the tiredness of running around for days and re-energized.

With such a strong general, why can't you exterminate the Manchu Tartars.

Today is Chinese New Year's Eve, and Zheng Chenggong has asked the soldiers to collect the drill early, and there is no need to practice military posture anymore. In order to reward these soldiers who had to train guards during the Spring Festival, Zheng Chenggong asked the firehead soldiers to slaughter hundreds of pigs and sheep brought by the army.

Usually, the soldiers of Zheng Jiajun eat more fish and meat, but at this time, when they saw that there were so many pigs and sheep, the soldiers were so happy that they sharpened their knives to the pigs and sheep.

With the help of many soldiers, a rich Chinese New Year's Eve reunion dinner was quickly prepared!

Zheng Chenggong also stayed in the cafeteria to have Chinese New Year's Eve dinner with many soldiers.

In order to facilitate the march and meal, the Zheng family army did not use chopsticks, but according to the appearance of Zheng Chenggong's drawing of the lunch box of later generations, a large wooden box and a wooden spoon were formulated for each soldier.

In the lunch box, there was a large spoonful of pork stuffed dried vegetables, and a bowl of white rice and pork soup with it on it.

The rice is poured with gravy from the dish, and when you eat it, you can eat it with the aroma of stuffy meat. The pork belly is stuffy and rotten in a large iron pot, and it is eaten with dried vegetables and is fat but not greasy.

At first, the soldiers saw the general Zheng Chenggong sitting beside him, and they couldn't let go.

But seeing Zheng Chenggong eating with relish, attracted by the aroma of meat, the soldiers quickly let go of Shuzhi and began to gobble up the meat dishes on the plate.

Seeing the soldiers let go of eating, Zheng Chenggong smiled and filled himself with a second plate of food. At this time, many soldiers had already gobbled up the second plate, and immediately got up and loaded the third plate.

After eating, Zheng Chenggong did not leave immediately, but sat at the dining table and chatted with the soldiers about family life.

After sitting for a while, Zheng Chenggong left the camp on horseback, and hurried to greet his military officials with his own soldiers, give gifts, and chatted a few words, before Zheng Chenggong got up to say goodbye.

Running back and forth, when Zheng Chenggong dragged his tired body back to his home in Jinmen, it was already past nine o'clock in the evening.

Hearing that the subordinates reported that Zheng Chenggong was back, Dong You hurriedly led his son, and Zheng Jing and Zheng Cong were waiting at the door.

Walking into the main hall and looking at the offerings still on the table, Zheng Chenggong knew that his wife and children had not eaten yet, and then waited for his head of the family to come back to preside over the ancestor worship ceremony.

Thinking of Dong You's character, Zheng Chenggong smiled bitterly. Hurriedly touched the head of Zheng Jing, who was pulling his mouth and looked unhappy, and Zheng Cong, who was crying because of hunger.

Zheng Jing, born in 1642, Zheng Chenggong's eldest son, named Jin.

Zheng Cong, born at the end of 1646, is his second son, he was born after possessing Zheng Chenggong's body, and can be regarded as his own son.

Seeing that the head of the family had returned, the people were busy inviting the statues and tablets of the ancestors of the Zheng family to the main hall of the house, placing the offering table, and placing the incense burner and offerings.

Zheng Chenggong took the incense and candles handed over by his subordinates, and offered incense ceremonies, ancestor worship ceremonies, three sacrificial wines, and three sacrifices; After bowing, Zheng Chenggong silently prayed for good fortune in the coming year, and began to burn paper, commonly known as "sending money and grain".

After a complete set of ceremonies was completed, Zheng Chenggong shouted, "Open the meal!" ”

Hearing the family shouting to start the meal, Dong Youcai took his son to sit at the table, and the subordinates were also busy cooking the meat in the offerings, and serving the meals that had already been prepared to the table

As soon as the meal came up, Zheng Jing, who was already hungry and faint, didn't care about the etiquette taught by his mother on weekdays, picked up the dishes and chopsticks and devoured them.

Seeing that the sons ate first without waiting for their father Zheng Chenggong to move the chopsticks, Dong You's face suddenly turned unkind, and he just wanted to open his mouth to scold them.

Before Dong You could speak, he was stopped by Zheng Chenggong with his hand. Seeing his son use the chopsticks as fast as possible, Zheng Chenggong knew that they were hungry, so he hurriedly used the chopsticks to clip the chicken legs and others into their bowls.

When Zheng Chenggong shouted to start the meal, the people outside the gate of Zheng's mansion lit the big red firecrackers that had already been hung, and the crackling firecrackers suddenly came and went.

Listening to the sound of firecrackers and watching his wife and children sitting around, Zheng Chenggong felt relieved in his heart, he was working hard outside, why not to see a family reunion and have a reunion dinner in the New Year.

Zheng Chenggong had already eaten in the barracks, and now he just picked up some vegetarian food at random to eat, and when he saw that his wife and children were full, he stopped his chopsticks.