Chinese Life in the Tibetan Foothills/Book 6/New Year
New Year (過年), kuo nien.
As soon as the last moon comes people begin to be anxious as to how they are to collect and pay off their debts; much scheming and quarrelling and even suicide is the outcome.
Tao ya (倒牙). The last meat day of the year. Workmen and apprentices are expected to receive pork twice each month; and an apprentice after he has eaten 72 of these pork feasts is supposed to be a full fledged workman. This is the last of these tao ya for that year and it falls on the 16th of the last moon.
On the 20th of the last moon the official seals up his official seals, Fêng yin. The seal is put on a table and incense and candles burned in its honour; the official then bows down and worships it. Afterwards it is taken and put into its own case; this case is then enclosed in two others which are locked and sealed, after which it is again worshipped and put away for the New Year holidays. During this period no important official business is transacted, except for cases of preserving peace and life.
K‘ang (炕) la jou; smoking the New Year bacon has to be done after midwinter; if done before, the meat will not keep good. The poor buy a piece of pork and make their bacon; but the rich kill their own pigs. This is an important affair in the country districts; before the pig is brought forth for the slaughter the master of the house puts cash paper on the ground where the pig will be killed; three sticks of incense and two candles are stuck in the ground round about the spot. When the pig is brought forth the master of the house kneels and worships it, saying, "We are going to kill you for use at the New Year season, but in the next life may you become a man." After killing the animal the bucket containing the blood is taken and offered to the family gods, the cash paper on which some blood has dropped is placed on the family altar. This is called hsien hsüeh ch‘ien, offering blood cash. The pig's blood, after being offered to the idol, is taken and made into black puddings.
After the 20th of the 12th moon the evil influences which have been governing the year are removed, and any and every part of the house may be turned topsy-turvy; so the housewives take advantage of this liberty and have a house cleaning. After the dust is swept down, the windows are papered with fresh paper for the New Year season.
The kitchen god is sent off to make his yearly report to the Pearly Emperor. Before he goes sugar candy and tea are offered to him and some even make a written petition regarding the affairs of the family. This petition, called a tsao shu, kitchen god petition, is burned at his shrine. He is supposed to leave on the 23rd and come back on the 24th of the last moon, but in some places it is the last night of the New Year before the returning ceremony is observed; when he does come back there is much idolatry with a great deal of importance attached to the event.
Owing to business being largely suspended for some days, and the general need of money by everybody, great quantities of idolatrous and eatable supplies are laid in during the last week of the year. Among the rich plenty of sweetmeats are prepared in the home by a specially engaged cook.
Gratuities are given to servants and assistants at the close of the year.
About the 24th there is a feast to wind up the year, t‘uan (團) nien, when the whole household is expected to be present. Before eating, the ancestral tablet is worshipped and the food is offered to the ancestors. It is implied that the spirits of the ancestors return to the home at this season; for this reason no outsider is permitted to partake of this meal, but friends and acquaintances are sometimes invited by the less superstitious.
Spring scrolls, ch‘un tui-tzŭ, are put up on either side of the door and on the lintel. A good business is done during the last few weeks by the scholars, who write scrolls for the small sum of from 12 to 30 cash per set.
Fresh door gods are pasted up by nearly every family.
Five sheets of lucky paper or tin foil, hua ch‘ien or hsi ch‘ien, are hung up over the door; these remain till business is about to be begun when they are taken down and burned.
The barbers are busy at this season, but after the 16th of the last moon many of the formalities of barbering are dispensed with and only that which is necessary to make a person clean is done in the barber's shop.
Paper clothing and money for the ancestors are burned on the last day of the old year.
In the hill districts the people go to the graves and invite the spirits of their ancestors to return on this last night of the year, when a fire is lighted for their comfort in the chief room of the house and offerings of food prepared for them; but even when the spirits are not invited their presence in the house is implied by every act.
To fire off crackers, fang huo pao, is part of almost every act of the New Year season.
On the last night of the year, the younger generations make obeisance to the elder, while the elders make the juveniles presents of money to pass the New Year season.
The rich also make presents to the poor, the gentry to officials; the officials to gentry, etc. The presents are carried in an open tray with a card accompanying. Official presents generally consist of pears, scented rice, oranges, tea and sea dainties. At this season such men as the keepers of the city gates, the night watchmen, street police, come with a present which is only for show and, in return, they expect their annual gratuities.
A card is taken round late on the last night of the year and pasted on the doors of friends and acquaintances; taking leave of the old year, tz‘ŭ nien t‘ieh tzŭ (辭年帖子), or mên chien (門箋). In the morning some doors are pretty well covered with them.
Very early on the first morning of the year the head of each household goes outside his dwelling and offers paper and incense, tea and wine, to the New Year.
There is a custom of going out for a walk before dawn, ch‘u hsing (出行), or ch‘u t‘ien fang (出天方). If any one is met, no words pass, and what one hears is an indication of what his year will bring of good or bad luck, peace or quarrelling. This custom is also spoken of as chieh hsi shên, to welcome the pleased spirit. The almanac tells the direction in which the spirit may be met.
Picture gods of wealth are taken round from door to door and sold for a few cash, the vendor using lucky words and good wishes for the year.
People mutually pay calls, pai ta nien, on the 2nd of the moon, and receive and give cakes and sweetmeats.
On the 5th, newly married people go to visit their relatives, pai hsin nien. The 5th of the first moon is also known as p‘o wu (破五), breaking the fifth, after which a good many people begin work and business.
At the New Year season everyone wears his best, and everyone tries to have something new for fear of otherwise becoming a beggar during the year. Flour balls or t‘ang yüan (湯元) are eaten so that worldly affairs may be good "all round." Dough strips are eaten by almost everyone and are a favourite kind of present, because it "eats long," which may mean long life or abundance of wealth. In the same way stale rice is often eaten at this time, as it is a good omen of plenty in the barns for the coming year. Beggars are often given money on their first asking, as an omen that money will be easy during the year. See under Superstitious Dread.
Gambling, tu po (賭博), is one of the many curses that come to an idle Chinese population. Up to the 5th, no one pretends to try to stop it. After that date an official proclamation forbids it, but everyone knows this is merely for official self-protection in case of trouble; nearly everyone gambles at this season from the highest officials down to the poorest of the people, and many youths are ruined by it.
The season is an opportunity for visiting, tsou jên hu (走人戶), much taken advantage of by the women and girls, who are largely confined to the house at other times of the year; no one goes empty-handed as that would be very unlucky; but presents of cakes, sweets, bacon, etc., are often handed round several times during this visiting season.
After the 5th some shops begin business, but very often only half the shutters are taken down. No credit is given and no past debts will be asked for. The first customer will be allowed to have the goods at his own price, as it would be unlucky to turn away the first comer without doing business.
A lamp is lighted at the door of each house. In some places the residents are fined if they neglect this custom; the idea is that if the streets are lighted no demon will come to do damage.
The Dragon Lantern festival is held on the 15th. A lantern in several lengths is made, with a head after the likeness of a dragon's. Each length is supported by a light pole and carried by a young, lusty fellow. The different lengths are joined together by red calico, and are swung round and round so as to appear somewhat like a worm writhing. The dragon is the king of the scaly tribe and hence is feared by all the demons. First it is carried to a temple and the idols are worshipped; afterwards it is paraded through the streets and carried into any courtyard that will receive it. The streets are lighted with many-coloured lanterns, and the dragon lantern, lighted up, is paraded round the streets with two men carrying a pao or precious thing in front. Huge crowds collect, and a rowdy evening is the result with much stealing, hustling and jolting. This is a very ancient custom, and the chief idea is that the dragon drives away pestilence.
The lion lantern, shih têng, is made up by two men walking with bent backs; one manages the head and the other the tail. A huge cloth with a lion's head painted on the front and a tail sewn to the other end makes the lion. After having visited the temples, the procession parades the streets with a priest in front leading the lion. The priest carries a brush in his hand. If invited, they enter any house to drive away pestilence. On the streets high platforms are made of square tables piled one on top of the other, and on these the lion-actors perform acrobatic feats of jumping, rolling over to the ground, standing on the head, etc.
The ox lantern is an ox-head painted on a bamboo sieve, with a cloth body and tail. It is used in country towns with the idea that it will bring a full harvest for that year.
A rabbit lantern is pulled along the street by two persons; one, dressed like a Tibetan, leads the rabbit, and another, dressed like a Tibetan woman, drives it. This is connected with the idea that the Tibetan is not only wealthy, but also brings in wealth.
There are also fish, turtle, tortoise, prawn and crab lanterns; the ao shan (鰲山) lantern has camphor mixed with the oil and sheds a pretty green light.
There are displays, which are both elaborate and expensive, of yen ho chia (烟火架), fireworks. In many of these fireworks much medicine is mixed with the oil; the idea seems to be the driving away of pestilence from the home or community.
The ch‘ing ch‘un chiu (請春酒) is a feast generally given by a landlord to his tenant farmers from the 5th to the 10th of the first moon. Sometimes it is held later and may even be in the second month.
Riddles are written and hung up over the door of the house, and in the light of the lantern festival, people guess the meaning and then, if right, jump up and pull them down; rewards of fruit and sweetmeats are often given to those who make a right guess.
At this time the people eat flour balls with treacle inside; these balls are now called yüan hsiao (元肖). There seems to be a kind of concert held in the home, and young men and maidens sing and trip in the form of the figure eight both on the street and in the home. The ballads they sing are called nung an ko, farmers' peaceful ballads; but they have now lost that ideal and have degenerated into mere yin ko (淫歌) sensual songs.
Opening accounts, k‘ai chang, is not done till after the hsi ch‘ien (禧錢) has been burned. When this takes place much idolatry is observed, crackers fired off and all to get what is spoken of as k‘ai chi (吉) chang, a lucky start in business for the New Year.
Official seals are released k‘ai yin generally on the 19th of the first moon. A similar ceremony is observed as at the sealing up time.
To visit the graves of ancestors before the 15th of the first moon is called shang nien fên; this is done by those who for any reason were hindered from doing so during the last moon of the year. Those graves not attended to before the 15th are known as yeh kuei fên (野鬼墳). The reason graves are mostly repaired in the last moon is because the influences controlling the year are in abeyance during the last days of the old year.
To steal some person's vegetables, t‘ou ch‘ing (偸青) on the 15th of the first moon, is lucky.
Children return to school, shang hsüeh, any time after the 8th of the first moon; they have to pay their respects to the master by bowing and knocking their heads, and giving a small present of money. In the case of a gentleman inviting a private tutor for his home he has to make a written agreement the year before as to what salary he will give and when and in what currency; and what present he will give at the feasts. This is called hsia p‘in (下聘). A common salary for a master of the old school is anything from 40 to 80 strings of cash with board and lodging, with few holidays except at the 5th and 7th moon feasts. When the time arrives to welcome a new tutor, the gentleman sends a chair and servant to escort him. On his arrival a feast is spread, the tablet to Confucius is worshipped by the head of the house with the three-fold k‘o t‘ou. The scholars must also bend and worship the tablet to the sage of learning and wisdom on beginning their studies.
Then (大人做生意，娃娃撿狗屎) adults go to business and the children to gather dog manure. That is, every one must get to work.