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Hakka Traditions in Spring Festival People revered the Hakkas for paying great attention to their traditional ways of celebrating the Lunar New Year. On the first day of the New Year, unpropitious words are prohibited. Sweeping the floor and cooking are not allowed. Even those often-irascible adults will also calm down their temper and speak softly. To the kids it is a day for an all-out to enjoy themselves and have fun. On the first day of the New Year the Hakkas are very particular about unpropitious words. The adults will keep reminding the kids not to joke about doggerels or speak without thinking by using words that are regarded as unlucky. In the case that unlucky words were spoken out subconsciously by the kids, the adults will quickly say "Tong Yan Wu Ji", meaning taking no offence at child's babble. Hakkas believe in the concept of money coming in through the waste. No sweeping the floor on the first day of the New Year has become a Hakka custom. Whatever needed to be swept has been swept away on the New Year Eve. Usually they put away the brooms and dustpans to an obscure place where it cannot be seen by anyone especially the guests. This is to avoid money being swept away. However, it is unavoidable that there is rubbish like peeled-off fruit skins, papers etceteras. In order to keep the house clean they use the tiny bamboo strips and tie them together in a buddle with which they broom the rubbish to the corner of the lounge. They do not wash clothes either. All the sweeping, washing and tidying the house are waiting to be done on the third day of the New Year which is called "Qiong Gui Ri", literally the Hungry Ghost Day. The purpose of not cooking on the first day of the New Year actually is considered more as the day of rest for the housewives than a custom. The food for that day was prepared the previous day. All they have to do is to warm them up when they want to eat. It is to be remembered that some of the families turn vegetarians on that particular day only, but most of them do eat meat. The vegetarian dishes are oyster and white radish soup, oysters fry with dried lotus buds or wood mushroom and green bean noodle. Nian gao or New Year cakes made of glutinous rice and rice cake with imprints of flower or the character "Shou" (longevity) are being served to the guests who come to bainian, or pay a New Year call. It is advisable to choose the auspicious time to open the front door to welcome the God of Wealth in the morning on the first day of New Year. Adults wary but kids are merry when the front doors are first opened for the New Year. Immediately, the children are letting off firecrackers in front of the house in order to chase away evil spirits. After breakfast many people, especially women will go to the temples to burn joss sticks usually praying for a successful New Year wish. On the second day of the New Year the married daughters will go back to their parents house for the reunion dinners. Bringing along with them are the presents of waxed ducks, sausage meat, chickens ducks, fruit, confectionary and the most important thing is the Hongbao or red packets, containing money. After lunch or dinner the married daughters will return home with presents given by the parents. In the olden time when it was a great distance to walk to the parents' place the married daughters might stay for a few days there. On the third day of the New Year or the Hungry Ghost Day the rubbish in the house is being disposed off and clothes have to be washed. Together, old and young, they kick the Hungry Ghost out off the house by sending off more firecrackers so that wealth can come in easily into the house without any obstruction. Many elder married women, if their parents are still alive, choose to visit their parents on the fourth day of the New Year. Children love to follow their mothers to go there as they are hoping to collect red packets from their matrilineal grandparents, uncles and aunties who are working. From the fifth day of the New Year onwards the festive atmosphere has
diminished and the rustic Hakka people are preparing for the spring ploughing.
Every one knows that it is the beginning of another year of spring ploughing,
summer weeding, autumn harvesting and winter storing. To the rural Hakka farmers
this is the way of life. |
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