拜大年

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作者

在莱州一带,每逢过年,家家户户都有悬挂影谱祭拜祖宗的风俗,同时传承下来过年拜年的习俗。

大年三十晚上,自古有「一夜连双岁,五更分二年」的说法。传统习俗,时钟响过午夜 12 点后,就是新的一年了,老人会把沉睡中的孩子们叫起床来,开始下饺子「抓元宝」了。这个时候,整个村子里就热闹起来,到处响起噼里啪啦的鞭炮声。

三十晚上的饺子叫「元宝」,吃饺子叫抓「元宝」。饺子出锅后,开吃之前要做的第一件事是给祖宗上香,换添新酒,在众多的祭品中再供上三碗饺子。然后,一家之主跪下磕头,代表全家先拜祖宗,随后父母亲磕头给祖父母拜年,我们依次磕头给爷爷奶奶拜年,给父亲母亲拜年。磕头后,老人们都会分给我们红包,就是压岁钱。

三十晚上的饺子与平日不同的是要用白菜做馅(谐音「百财」)。除此,还有栗子(利子)、年糕(高升)、红糖(甜蜜)。更让孩子们垂涎欲滴的是,一部分饺子里包进了钢镚,故名元宝。饺子出锅后,大家都会敞开肚皮吃,争先恐后地看谁抓的元宝多。

吃完饺子,大人们开始为我们拿出早上出门拜年要穿的新衣服了。

天刚放亮,老人会提前把门敞开,准备好香烟、瓜子、花生、糖果之类,迎接早早来拜年的客人。

正月初一这天,从早上开始,人们会陆陆续续地走在大街上,三五成队,七八成群,甚至还有几十个人组成的队伍,相约在一起,走家串户地拜年。

正月初一中午是相聚的好时光。来自四面八方的同事、同学、战友、平日关系不错的兄弟哥们儿欢聚一堂。客人能来家里坐坐,老人们都很高兴,觉得很有面子,脸上有光。

正月初二拜姑姑,这也是一辈一辈传下来的习俗。为什么会把拜姑姑放在大年初二这一天?在众多的亲戚中,姑姑显得特别重要。究其原因,可能与「嫁出的闺女不踏娘家尘(陈)」这一风俗有关。

按照习俗,在大年三十这天,家家户户要用去壳的高粱穗子铺在天井和明间的地上,故名撒尘(陈)。所以在撒陈之前,嫁出的闺女就不能再待在娘家了。闺女一年回不了几次娘家,不知道在婆家过得好不好。初一不走亲戚,初二一定要让自己的子孙去看望一下,回来报个平安。

正月初三是闺女回娘家的日子。这一天,我们会早早地起床,先把撒的尘(陈)起了,用扫帚把院子里里外外通通打扫一遍。有一个说法,从三十晚上开始不能动扫帚。初三大扫除,把燃放鞭炮的纸屑烟灰里里外外扫干净,这样做也是为了迎接出门的闺女回娘家。

每年初三回家时,外甥们先给姥姥拜年,然后要给老舅拜。在我们老家有「老舅为大」的说法。

初三之后,三天的祭拜祖宗就过去了。上午起尘(陈)之后,下午焚香烧纸,把祖宗送走,供桌撤去,影谱请下来,收藏好,拜年也就结束了。

但年仍然在延续,正月里大家结伴去看走街串巷的农家乐、打秋千、玩转盘、打扑克……所以流传下来「耍正月,闹二月,稀里煳涂过三月」的顺口熘。

Every household in Laizhou observes the custom of hanging its lineage map to worship ancestors and hands down the convention of making a ceremonial call in the Spring Festival.

As an ancient saying goes, the night of the Spring Festival Eve connecting two years at the fifth watch (3:00-5:00 am) . According to the traditional custom, when a new year arrives as the clock strikes twelve in the midnight, the elders would awaken the slumbering children and boil dumplings as a token of seeking gold ingots. Then the whole village becomes jovial with the cracklings of firecrackers here and there.

Dumplings for the night of the Spring Festival Eve are called gold ingots and eating dumplings is called seeking gold ingots. When dumplings are boiled, the incense is burned, new wine is added in place, and three bowls of dumplings are laid among various offerings to worship ancestors as a priority before they are served. Then the host of the family would kneel down and kowtow to worship ancestors on behalf of the whole family, parents would kowtow to grandparents as a festive ceremony, and we would kowtow to our grandparents and parents to pay our festive regards. Afterwards, the elders would present us with red envelops with pocket money in it.


作者 孙吉庆