The seventh and eighth nines, the hands still hug the clothes.
Nine-nines are eighty-one, the farmer ploughs his land.
Hsiao han and ta (大) han, small cold and great cold. These two periods cover part of the eighty-one days of cold. This period has also a saying—小寒大寒凍死老蠻, small and great cold freeze the old aboriginal to death.
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
