Spring comes early in Lingnan.

After Huineng returned south with the mantle of Zen taught by the fifth ancestor Hongren, because he was chased and killed by fame, fortune and gangsters, he had to hide in the deep mountains and old forests in the Lingnan Sihui and Huaiji areas. In the meantime, I miss my mother at home, return to Xinzhou to visit my mother, and the famous gangsters chase me, in a hurry, my mother goes to the sky to live in seclusion, time flies, in a blink of an eye, I don't realize that it is the annual Spring Festival is coming again. Exactly: the flowers are similar every year, and the people are different every year.

The sound of firecrackers for the New Year in the distant villages has prompted the plum blossoms all over the mountains to bloom, and the bunches of good spring are written in the vast mountains and wilderness.

The plum blossoms of Tianlu Mountain in spring bloom charmingly. The clusters of plum blossoms are so heart-warming, so festive, so gorgeous, and so delicate. The snow-white plum blossoms all over the mountains form a unique landscape, just like the unique scenery of "thousands of miles of ice, thousands of miles of snow drifting".

In this folk grand festival, every plum blossom on Tianlu Mountain has raised a warm smile, every wisp of fragrance has bloomed warm feelings, and every petal has extended a sincere invitation, just like the plum blossom fairy with deep affection, standing on the branches early to wait for friends who live in seclusion in the mountains.

Huineng walks in the clouds and mist, like a fairyland-like Tianlu Mountain, looking around, the plum blossoms that bloom all over the mountains and fields to welcome the cold come into view, a piece of white expanse, magnificent. The plum blossoms that bloom on the branches are like beautiful plum fairies, and it is difficult to hide their charming fragrance even in the cold wind and misty deep mountains and forests.

Bursts of dark incense fluttering in the wind, making people's hearts sway, provoking Huineng to think leisurely, climb the ancient post road next to the "Tongtian Avenue" boulder standing between the vast heaven and earth, and the thoughts in the sky are like the dew fairy spring rolling in......

In the floating imagination, Huineng remembered the past when he was a child and spent the New Year with his father and mother.

I remember when he was two years old, Huineng's father taught him to write Spring Festival couplets and paste Spring Festival couplets.

Lu Xingyu first told Huineng about the origin of the couplet: as early as before the Qin and Han dynasties, the folk had the custom of hanging peach charms on the left and right sides of the gate every New Year. The peach talisman is made of peach wood with the names of the legendary gods "Shen Tu" and "Yu Lei" written on them, which are used to drive away ghosts and suppress evil spirits. It was not until the fifth dynasty that people began to inscribe the couplet on the mahogany board instead of the name of the god who subdued the ghosts. After that, every year of the year, people will hang peach charms to ward off evil spirits, welcome joy and receive blessings, which is the germ of couplets. In the fifth generation, the idol on the peach talisman disappeared and was replaced by a couplet. Meng Chang, the queen of Shu, once wrote a pair of "New Year's Yuqing, Jiajie Changchun", which is the earliest couplet in history.

"Paste the Spring Festival couplets during the Spring Festival, don't turn the upper and lower couplets upside down, and paste them in the order of the upper and lower couplets." After Lu Xingyu finished talking about the origin of the couplet, he cut into the topic of how to paste the Spring Festival couplets during the Spring Festival.

"Daddy, how do you divide the upper and lower links?" Huineng asked uncertainly.

Lu Xingyi explained: "First of all, we must distinguish the upper and lower heads of the door. When facing the gate, the right-hand direction is the upper head, and the left-hand direction is the lower head. When pasting couplets, the upper link is pasted at the top, and the lower link is pasted at the bottom. ”

"Then how do you divide the upper and lower heads?" asked Huineng again.

Lu Xingyu said: "First of all, according to the tone. The Spring Festival couplets pay more attention to the tone of the flat voice, the last word of the upper couplet is the sound of the voice, and the last word of the lower couplet is the flat sound. ”

"How do you distinguish between a voice and a flat voice?" Huineng blinked her small bright eyes with interest.

Lu Xingyu looked at Xiao Huineng, who had a strong thirst for knowledge, as if he was a tutor, explaining the difference between the sound of the voice and the sound of the flat voice and giving an example: "The sound of the voice is generally three or four. For example, the ʻ庆ʼ character of the New Year's celebration is a voice. Flat tones are generally one or two tones. For example, the ʻ spring character of Jiajie Changchun is a flat sound. ”

……

Spring Festival, which means that spring is coming, Vientiane is reviving and renewing plants and trees. The long history of Chinese culture has given the Spring Festival too many connotations. Since the Tang Dynasty, in such a special time and space environment as the Spring Festival, it has given many literati and artists space to play their imaginations, leaving a lot of beautiful sentences:

Repeatedly

Vientiane update

Hearing the firecrackers from afar, I know how old I am

Occasionally, plum blossoms are spring

Time has passed, and after many years, Lu Xingyao read these popular Spring Festival couplets and was full of emotion.

……

Spring Festival is an ancient festival and one of the most important festivals of the year.

Huineng celebrated the New Year when he was a child, and the happiest thing was looking forward to the New Year, that kind of pious mood, that kind of urgency, and now he is still full of passion when he thinks about it. Wear new clothes, set off firecrackers, paste Spring Festival couplets, eat dumplings, kowtow to Daddy and Auntie for the New Year, press New Year's money, visit temple fairs, etc.;

On Chinese New Year's Eve, chasing the smell and sound of gunpowder when firecrackers are set off, holding a large bowl full of rice balls and a group of friends, the village runs east and west of the village, and the simplicity, the liveliness, and the childlike fun have been deeply left in the memory.

When I grew up, these childhood dreams, which had been imprinted in my mind, consciously or unconsciously, became a unique and lingering image, deeply rooted in my heart.

Life is impermanent, with ups and downs. The Chinese New Year, looking back at the past and the present, sometimes as colorful as flowers, sometimes as winding as a river; Think about the road you have traveled, there are flowers, applause, thorns, and whirlpools;

After so many years of seclusion in the mountains and wilderness, now, Huineng has reached the age of nearly standing, and the experience of life will inevitably encounter many unforgettable people and things, and it is precisely because of these strange things and unforgettable people that life is more rich and exciting.

The Spring Festival is the most traditional festival for family reunions and good nights together. Home, family affection, and harmonious love constitute the source of the flavor of the year, day after day, year after year, rooted in the heart, endlessly.

Grinding rice noodles, kneading glutinous rice cakes, and deep-fried rice cakes...... The sky of the village is wafting with the fragrant smell of the New Year.

On the night of Chinese New Year's Eve, the land temple and ancestral hall at the head of the village were full of people, in the fragrance and red candles, firecrackers rang out, and pious faces were full of good wishes: smooth sailing, double happiness, Sanyang Kaitai, four seasons of peace, five grains of abundant harvest, six animals prosperous!

The big red couplets are pasted, and the festive New Year's pictures are pasted. The new plaque of the stove god in the kitchen is replaced, and the old is greeted with incense and candles.

stewed chicken, boiled pork knuckles; Lap-mei, the bonus is! The sky boiled on the night of Chinese New Year's Eve in the village: the deafening sound of firecrackers, accompanied by the cheers and blessings of everyone, the new year quietly arrived.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, put on new clothes, bring sincere blessings, and greet the elders. Say a few auspicious blessings, drink a few sips of home-brewed rice wine, taste a few sips of cured meat that has been stored in the sunshine for a winter, and the sincere blessings of the elders are like the clear yellow and transparent rice wine, warming the heart bit by bit.

The door of each house is covered with a thick layer of firecracker paper, reflecting the faces of the guests who come in and out.

At the head and end of the village, children setting off firecrackers can be seen everywhere:

Throw a lit firecracker into the pond, and a few seconds later there will be a burst of spray, accompanied by the cheers of children;

Stuff a firecracker into a glass bottle, light it with a thin incense fire, and with a "poof" sound, a wisp of light smoke slowly emerges from the narrow mouth of the glass bottle;

Or, plant a firecracker into the mud pile and let the dirt splash and bloom like a flower;

Or, throw a firecracker in front of your little friend and listen to his exaggerated screams.

Mountains and rivers laugh. The Spring Festival in the countryside is happy and innocent, like the spring breeze blowing from the fields, fresh, natural and full of hope for the year......

At this moment, Huineng is intoxicated with the happiness of celebrating the New Year in his childhood......

When Huineng was young, although his family was poor, every time the Spring Festival was approaching, his mother would go to the lime kiln a few miles away, pick up some lime fragments and come back, then melt them with water and stir them into a slurry, and then dip them with a millet broom and smear them on the blackened soil walls of the house, so as to decorate the old house whiter.

My mother said that the people in my hometown call this sweeping the house. After that, it is time to make him a new pair of shoes, modify or sew a new dress.

At that time, there was a shortage of materials and a hard life. A few years ago, I could reserve a little more rice, and I would be satisfied if I took it to the rice room to make white rice. On Chinese New Year's Eve, if you can eat a meal of white rice, the year will be okay. However, even if it is so difficult, the family can get together for a reunion, and the anticipation of the New Year, the feeling of the Spring Festival is very profound and even cheerful.

Huineng still remembers that his father once said: Sticking New Year's pictures at home during the Chinese New Year. Twenty-eighth, applique flowers. But the highlight of the decal flower is not twenty-eight. For example, Spring Festival couplets, door gods and blessing characters. All three of these are all bright red colors, and they are all public. Just like the Chinese people are known as the descendants of Yan and Huang, red and yellow have always been the traditional auspicious colors of China. Especially during the New Year, red symbolizes red fire, auspicious, warm and happy, at this time, the Spring Festival couplets, door gods and blessing words, the flamboyant red will ignite the enthusiasm of the New Year to boil.

There are also Qin Qiong, Jingde, or Guan Gong and Zhang Fei painted in the door god, one door and the small one is pasted together, and the two doors are in the door and the door is pasted separately, as the historical figure of the door god, it is often two generals who often meet and do not know each other, and the lines drawn are not symbolic, nor are they stream of consciousness, but the thick lines, bold school, and freehand Spring and Autumn brushwork, painted on the red paper, it looks so direct and festive.

Huineng's father, Lu Xingyao, is one of the most literate people in Xinzhou, and he has a good hand in calligraphy, and is a well-known calligrapher in Chang'an. Therefore, every time the Spring Festival is approaching, the neighbors in Xialu Village and even the villagers in Fangyan for dozens of miles come to visit him, in order to ask him to write Spring Festival couplets as a blessing.

Before Lu Xingyu was demoted to Xialu Village, Xinzhou, most of the Spring Festival couplets, door gods, and blessing characters posted by every household in the village were spent a few patterns of money in the county seat of Xinzhou, and they were bought from the people who set up stalls on the street to write before the Chinese New Year. The words are not from famous artists, and they are all cheesy.

Lu Xingyao is quick to think and has a good character, and he can always create and write Spring Festival couplets that are satisfactory to those who come according to the requirements put forward by the comers, so that the comers come and go away satisfied. Even Li Xueru, the prince of Liang Village after isolation, praised the Spring Festival couplets he made: swaying freely, comfortable, and rare good words and good writing!

On the thirtieth day, when the New Year arrived, Huineng put on new clothes early in the morning, and Li always said: "Put on new clothes in the afternoon, otherwise it will be dirty before the New Year." ”

But how could these words be controlled by Xiao Huineng, who was anxious to wear new clothes, he put on new clothes and ran out to show off.

Generally, on the night of the Chinese New Year's Eve, the children patiently abide by the rules of the family after eating the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, and after eating, they run out happily, and run outside all night, not feeling cold at all.

Huineng still remembers that he didn't sleep all night on the thirtieth day of the lunar month, and kept his eyes open until the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year.

At that time, the observance of adults, especially the elderly, was completely different from that of children.

The adult's observance of the year is because of the thirtieth day of the lunar month, and there are endless things to do.

Busy with New Year's goods, busy cooking, busy changing quilts for the whole family, busy preparing new clothes for the children, busy coaxing the children happy.

Anyway, in Huineng's eyes, in the thirtieth night of the lunar month, adults have busy things that they can't finish, so they are so busy that they simply don't have time to sleep, so they have to keep the New Year.

He is the child's keeper, but he has nothing to do with himself.

I thought that there was going to be candy to eat, there were so many delicious foods, there were so good new clothes to wear, and there were firecrackers to put off, so I went to pick up firecrackers and play with a group of childhood friends such as Shigou and Wenzai, and went door to door to pick up firecrackers and go to play, until dawn, this is his New Year's Eve as a child.

The morning or evening of the thirtieth day of the Chinese New Year's Eve is a good time to paste the Spring Festival, Fu Zi, and Door God. Li Shi made a small pot full of sticky paste, and then Lu Xingyu taught Hui Neng to paste:

First of all, we must tear off the old ones from last year, and if they can't all be cleaned up, we will smear the paste along the old traces of last year and paste them directly. In this way, it is more important to see the New Year's atmosphere of removing the old cloth and making it new.

The door is small and the door is big, and most of the doors are uneven, and the door gods are attached to the door, and the convex and concave vivid three-dimensional sense is seen.

There is also the word blessing, to be far away from the outside, step by step to the home of the blessing and joy.

Fu should be pasted head down, which is called blessing.

The word happiness is going out and you can see it when you look up, which is called going out to see joy.

This is called the layout of the Tang people, the wisdom of the Tang people, from the details of the New Year's life to reveal the carefulness and thoughtfulness.

The red Spring Festival couplets, door gods and blessing characters, plus the red firecrackers that can't be swept all over the ground, are blown up by firecrackers at the door during the New Year.

Spring Festival couplets, door gods, blessing characters, firecrackers, red into a piece, just like the spicy hot pepper in the spicy hot pepper at a glance, red enough hot enough taste, this is the pure New Year's flavor.

The red fire is the Spring Festival couplets, door gods, blessing characters written on the big red paper, and the red paper is wrapped, and the powder is not afraid of broken bones, and it is necessary to leave a festive firecracker in the world.

Huineng listened to his father: firecrackers, also known as firecrackers, commonly known as "firecrackers". In the Chinese New Year, firecrackers play a pivotal and indispensable role in bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. To welcome the New Year on Chinese New Year's Eve, people light bamboo with fire to make a loud crackling sound. This is the origin of the firecrackers made of gunpowder that later generations called firecrackers.

During the New Year, firecrackers are suitable for all ages, but there are differences between men and women. Firecrackers have always been a game for the brave, a patent for men.

When the boys were happily setting off firecrackers, the girls over there couldn't help but cover their ears, and ran out quickly and quickly in fright, only to turn around and look at them with a look of adoration.

At that time, Huineng was just a two-year-old boy, and he had a soft spot for the New Year's firecrackers, and he was very fascinated by the New Year's firecrackers. He saw the young man smoking, taking a puff and lighting the cannon, while Huineng lit it with incense.

While he was pouting and trembling and shivering from afar, he lit the cannon with incense, and the lads held the cigarette in their left hand and the big thunder cannon in their right hand and lit it for a few seconds before throwing it, to show their courage not to be ashamed of the company of the little boys.

Due to the firecrackers set off during the Chinese New Year, it is common to see a big hole in the new clothes if you don't notice it, and it is common for your fingers to be blown up accidentally.

Or, how to say, firecrackers are the sport of brave men?

Otherwise, why do you say, "The sound of firecrackers is the sound of the old year?"

On the night of the thirtieth day of the lunar month, in the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the sound of firecrackers comes and goes, and the sky continues to resound day and night, which is deafening.

The loud and loud sound of firecrackers is the enthusiasm and unrestrainedness of the New Year. The strong smoke emitted by the firecrackers is the lingering smell of the New Year.

……

Huineng lost his father at the age of three, and during the Spring Festival when he was four years old, Shigou, Wenzai, and Zihui in the village, who were about the same age as him, came to invite him to play.

Huineng's mother went to the village on this day (local customs, after the second day of the Lunar New Year, the married girl wants to go back to her parents' house to visit relatives and pay New Year's greetings), he is alone at home, is a little stuffy, it is rare to have such a few good partners to play with him, so he readily agreed.

Huineng closed the door and asked, "Where can you go and have fun?" ”

Wen Tsai said: "The village hall is now dancing lions, how about we go to see the lion dance first?" ”

"Okay."

A few of them jumped up and down, giggling and walking towards the village hall.

Near the ground hall, a noisy sound of gongs and drums came, as if urging them to hurry up.

They quickened their pace and walked to the front of the village hall, only to see the black crowd surrounding the large hall.

They squeambled into the crowd like hedgehogs and came to the front of the hall. I saw that in the center of the vast underground hall, there were three people performing a lion dance performance: one person danced the lion's head, one danced the lion's tail, the head and tail cooperated, and the other person wore a mask (commonly known as the big head or the big head Buddha), wearing a big cardigan, holding a sunflower fan, dancing with his hands and feet, leading the lion forward.

On the side of the hall, there are three people playing drums, gongs, and cymbals, accompanied by the sound of a lion's roar and wind and thunder. The lion dances with the strength, speed, rapidity, and softness of the sound of gongs, drums, and cymbals. Sometimes dancing to the beat of the drums, sometimes looking left and right, sometimes leading the neck to stand alone, sometimes pitching and jumping. "The lion comes out of the hole", "peeps in the direction", "drinks water from the high platform", ...... Huineng and they thought it was very interesting and fun, and they couldn't help but applaud and cheer with the adults at the scene!

……

After watching the "Lion Dance", they were not finished with the fun, and walked around the village to play. Unconsciously wandered to Cangxia Village near the county seat of Xinzhou.

As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the village, I only heard the noisy sound of gongs and drums. When I entered the village, I saw that the people in the village were surging, the voices of people were boiling, and the fire dragon dance was being held in the village. It's really a coincidence, later, Huineng was a little older and went up the mountain to collect firewood, which was to pick up the nearby market to sell, but at a poor young age, he had already picked up the burden of collecting firewood and adoptive mother's life (this is a later story).

The weather of the New Year is changing, just now the sun is still shining, the sky is clear, suddenly, there is a dark cloud floating in the sky, and after a while, it is sprinkled with a drizzle. But it did not reduce the enthusiasm of the people at the scene to watch the fire dragon dance.

I saw two "golden dragons", which were danced by 18 men and 18 women, and one was responsible for dancing the dragon balls. As the gongs and drums sounded, the "Dragon Ball" led the way, and the two "Golden Dragons" immediately chased after the "Dragon Ball". Against the backdrop of fish, shrimp, crab and other animal dances, the two "golden dragons" march around the village.

Huineng and they were very happy to see it, and the stone dog was so happy that he danced with his hands, and suddenly touched his head and asked Huineng: "Why do those two 'golden dragons' march around the village?" ”

Huineng turned to the stone dog: "When we arrive at someone else's village, it's best to just watch and don't ask, and don't cause trouble." ”

"This kid is so sensible." An elder who was watching the fire dragon dance on the side saw that Huineng said the words of an adult at a young age, and while praising Huineng, he said to the stone dog: "The golden dragon marching around the village means good luck, keeping peace, and wishing a good harvest." ”

Huineng bowed forward and thanked him repeatedly.

"You're welcome. The old man's surname is He, his name is Zong, you can call me Zongbo. As he spoke, the elder took out a stack of red envelopes from his bag, gave one to each person, and then asked, "Look at your face, which one is the one who fights the village?" ”

Huineng respectfully: "We are from Xialu Village. My surname is Lu, and my name is Huineng. His names are Shi Gou, Wenzi, and Zihui. After Huineng's introduction, they said in unison: Thank you Zongbo for the red envelope! I wish you a happy new year, good health, a happy family, and all the best!

Uncle Zong turned to Huineng: "You are really natural and sensible. ”

Hedang Huineng and Zongbo had a fate, only to hear Zongbo say again: "Your Xialu Village is close to the mountains, we are here in the county seat, and we need a lot of firewood in daily life. By the way, Uncle Zong's unintentional remark turned out to be Huineng's job of going up the mountain to fetch firewood and sell it here in the future.

After Zongbo finished speaking, he touched the head of the stone dog, and then his words said, "According to legend, in ancient times, the river of Xinjiang swelled in May and June every year, rushing through the moat, causing disasters in the county every year, and the people suffered even more. Therefore, at the corner of the Xinjiang River, build a flood control embankment, build the "Dragon Temple" in the embankment, and then call it "Hongsheng Temple", people come to worship on the first and fifteenth days of the new year, pray for the Dragon God to protect the wind and rain, live and work in peace and contentment, and have a good harvest. ”

Then, when Zong Bo described the golden dragon dance, the people who danced the golden dragon should not only have solid martial arts, but also meticulously express the bravery, strength, dexterity and emotions of the golden dragon through the golden dragon's soaring clouds and mist, golden dragon disc beads, dragon soaring four seas, two dragons competing for pearls, double dragons going to sea, golden dragons playing with pearls, flying over peaks, and golden dragons playing in the water.

To show the vividness of the golden dragon, when dancing, with the dragon head hand as the conductor, the dragon dancer determines the number of dragon dancers according to the length of the dragon body, 1 person beats the gong, 1 person beats the drum, 1 person holds the flag, and 1 person carries the lantern. Other fish, shrimp, etc.

Each dragon dancer wears a uniform yellow shirt and trousers, a belt, a yellow scarf on his head, and cloth shoes on his feet. The teams are arranged in the order of the front flag team, the head card, the water cluster lamp (fish, shrimp, crab, crab), dragon fan, gong and drum team, and dragon dance team;

The full set of dragon dance movements is divided into small dragons, big dragons, dragons raising their heads, dragons turning over, drilling dragon tails, coiling dragon nests, and rolling salons.

When rolling a dragon, people must be close to each other in order for the dragon to roll round and high. Begin to appear gongs and drums for the command, the dragon ball leads the way, the golden dragon chases like chasing the dragon ball, all the actions are carried out in the dragon swimming, in the sound of firecrackers and fish, shrimp and other animals dance against the backdrop, around the village or street and dance, one is to ward off evil spirits, two is to carry out great luck, and three is to celebrate.

As soon as the golden dragon moves, wherever it goes, it is a blessing, so the local people and people have the money to contribute money, and they look forward to the arrival of the golden dragon to ensure the safety of the family and the village.

Zongbo's vivid description of the golden dragon dance on the scene was heard by Huineng, and they applauded continuously.

"Huineng, look, these two golden dragons seem to be real, how are they made?" Shi Gou looked at the two lifelike golden dragons that were dancing, and was so happy that he forgot what Huineng had just said to him.

Huineng glanced at the stone dog, but was unexpectedly seen by Zongbo.

Zong Bo introduced it understandingly:

The production of the golden dragon is very exquisite, the length of the dragon is fifty or sixty meters, and thirty-six people need to dance at a time. In addition, a dragon ball, the dragon head, the dragon body (segment), and the dragon ball are all made of bamboo silk, pasted with other decorations, pasted with golden silk cloth; Cloth dyeing and coloring scales, the production process of the golden dragon is light and sturdy, especially the dragon head part, a dragon head weighing more than ten catties can withstand the pressure of 120 catties. The golden dragon is lifelike in terms of paperwork, very vivid, and the workmanship is exquisite, and the lines are smooth. The shape of the golden dragon is delicate and atmospheric, the outer outline is dexterous and generalized, and the main color is golden yellow with green as decoration, especially the dragon whisker of the golden dragon is fine and smooth.

In the past, the holy dragon had to be tied once a year, and it had to be tied before the 29th of each year, and at the same time, a "consecration" ceremony was held.

Kill chickens on the beach to "dot the eye" (hang colors), dance, from the first day of the Spring Festival to the Lantern Festival, to the villages and villages in the county to pay New Year's greetings, and perform the golden dragon.

After the Lantern Festival, the golden dragon is cremated at the Hongsheng Temple, the ashes of the golden dragon are sprinkled into the river, those dragon skirt cloths, everyone is vying to make clothes and hats for children, it is said that children can grow up quickly when they wear clothes and hats made of dragon cloth, and there is no disaster or difficulty.

Usually, every major festival or celebration, the Golden Dragon Team will be dispatched to dance the dragon to celebrate.