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Lotus was very busy here, but Qi Jintang was not idle either. After returning home, he saw that it was the beginning of spring. He briefly communicated with several officials in the county about repairing the river. Naturally, everyone was very happy. Unexpectedly, Qi Jintang went out to celebrate the New Year and still brought back such good news.
Naturally, Qi Jintang would not say how much effort he had put in, so everyone in the county thought that Hehua's eldest brother had some ability and connections, and their attitude towards him was very different from before.
However, since it is still in the new year, official matters have been put aside for the time being. Ma County Prime Minister and Qi Jintang began to talk about the ceremony of the beginning of spring. The south attaches great importance to the beginning of spring. Every year, the Spring Festival ceremony is held very grandly. Although it is clear that Xi County is not a place dominated by agriculture, but it cannot be careless.
After listening to Ma Xian Cheng's explanation, Qi Jintang understood the purpose of the bluestone-cut stone pool on the east side of the county government hall in Chapter 388: Welcome to Spring. It turns out that the pool is also called Yingchun Pool. . Officials of the Qintian Prison had already decided on the styles and colors of this year's Spring Ox and the God of Light in June last year, and the drawings had been sent to all prefectures and counties. The Spring Festival programs in the county have been selected and arranged long ago, and now only the day before the beginning of spring is left. Rootless water and clay are taken from the Spring Festival Pond to sculpture the Spring Ox and the Goddess of Mang, and the people send them to the county government for placement, and then On the day of the Beginning of Spring, the county abbot presides over the ceremony of beating the spring ox.
On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, officials at all levels in the county wore court uniforms according to their rank, sat in their own sedans, all set up ceremonial guards, and marched all the way to the city gate according to their rank to welcome the God of Light and Spring Niu.
The Mang Shen and Chun Niu were made by local skilled craftsmen the day before. They were shaped into clay bodies and outlined with colorful paint. The hollow insides contained grains and various dried fruits. The body of Mang Shen is three feet six inches long, and the whip in his hand is two feet four inches long. The appearance and color of clothes are determined according to the celestial stems and earthly branches of each year. The spring ox is eight feet long, with a tail one foot and two long, and is painted with various patterns. In addition to the largest Spring Ox in the front, there are many others of different sizes in the back, some woven with bamboo strips and pasted with colored paper. They are all made by the common people to join in the fun.
After Qi Jintang got off the sedan. Lead the officials forward. The government officials held up the ceremonial guard and the sign with the word "spring", led the team to welcome the spring, and carried the God of Light and the Spring Ox to the farm altar in the county to worship the God of Light and the Spring Ox. Go forward and kneel down and unfold the red stickers with the words "Good News for Spring" to announce the spring. After listening to the congratulatory officer reciting the congratulations, he then went to a small specially opened spring field behind the farm altar and plowed two ridges of land with plows to express his plowing on behalf of the emperor. People are encouraged to farm mulberry trees to welcome the spring weather and herald a good harvest. Finally, the Spring Festival team carried the Mang Shen and the Spring Ox to the Spring Festival Pool and placed them there, waiting for the Spring Festival Ceremony the next day.
Although Lotus heard the bustle outside during the day. But he didn't bother to ask what was going on. When he came home in the evening, he saw Qi Jintang looking tired. He hurriedly sent someone to heat some hot water. He reached out to take his court clothes and asked: "What, what are you busy with today? Why are you still wearing it?" Wear court clothes and go out?"
"Tomorrow is the beginning of spring. The south attaches great importance to this solar term and has many rituals. Today I ran to the city gate and went through a lot of trouble before coming back. Then I went to the fields to plow two fields. After they came back, they insisted on going out for a few drinks, but the result was that That's why I came back so late." Qi Jintang took off his muddy shoes as he spoke, stretched out and lay on the couch, and said feebly, "Are you busy tomorrow? If not, take the servants out. Look at the excitement, I heard it’s very lively.”
Hehua sat on the edge of the couch and gently rubbed Qi Jintang's temples. Seeing that he fell asleep quickly, he hurriedly waved his hand to signal Miao'er who came into the house with a basin to lower his voice. As a result, the half-dried handkerchief was twisted and Qi Jintang wiped his face and hands, pulled a piece of silk to cover him, and didn't want to wake him up. He asked someone to add a charcoal cage in the room, and the two of them spent the night together on the couch in the outer room.
On the morning of the beginning of spring, as soon as He Hua got up and fixed her clothes and hair, Ma Yong's family came in and asked for instructions: "Grandma, what are the rules for eating at the beginning of spring in the north? Or should we follow local customs?"
"Tell me what the local customs are?" Hehua asked while wiping hand ointment on her hands.
"Why don't you ask Mrs. Liu to come in and talk to grandma?" Ma Yong's wife rubbed her hands and said, "I don't know as well as she does." Seeing He Hua nodding, she hurriedly called Mrs. Liu who was waiting at the door to come in.
"Going back to grandma, here we make spring pancakes on the first day of spring to give to relatives and friends. The spring pans usually include onions, ginger, radishes, seasonal fruits and pancakes. For more sophisticated ones, various stir-fried vegetables are added. Bacon, sauced meat, etc. Spring pancakes are home-made pancakes. When eating, smear sweet sauce on them, put various dishes into the pancakes according to your own taste, and then roll them up tightly to eat. In addition, every family also makes them. Fried spring rolls, relatives, friends and neighbors will also give some to each other for good luck."
"Then prepare according to the local customs. Since relatives and neighbors have to send gifts to each other, we can't just accept them but not send them away, right?" Hehua ordered the spring dishes and spring cakes to be prepared according to the best materials and given to the officials in the Yamen. If you send it to your home, although people may not eat it, you still have to do it for the sake of face. Then prepare some as normal and give them to neighbors and county government officials, so that everyone can entertain themselves.
After finishing the instructions, Qi Jintang also got up. He Hua ordered someone to serve breakfast. After the two of them had a simple meal, they helped him put on his court clothes, adjusted his headband, and sent him out of the inner house. Then he came back to greet a few people. A girl said: "I said there is a lot of excitement outside today. I have sent someone to book us a private room in a restaurant opposite the county government office. Let me take you to see the excitement."
When the girls heard this, they all burst into joy. They kept saying that it was Master and Grandma who knew they felt sorry for this servant. They said all kinds of nice things as if they were free of charge, and they hurried back to change into the clothes they liked. He Hua asked Miao'er to invite her cousin's family to go with her. Unexpectedly, her cousin and aunt said that they were busy with odd jobs at the back and couldn't leave. Moreover, they had also seen the Spring Welcome ceremony, but they were not farmers. Farmers naturally don't pay much attention to it. When He Hua saw this, she no longer forced herself and led Miao'er, Xiao Zhen and Bai Zhi out of the house.
As soon as the four masters and servants sat down in the elegant room, they heard the noise outside gradually quietened down. Lotus looked out through the bamboo curtain of the elegant room. The ceremonial door of the county government office was wide open, and a bar was set up in front of the lobby. On the incense table, there are incense candles, pigs, sheep, liquor and other sacrifices.
The people in the county gathered around the lobby with colorful flags, beating gongs, drums, and suonas. Qi Jintang knelt down facing north and made a gesture of offering three drinks.
After the salute officer finished reading the congratulations, Ma Xian Cheng and other officials stood solemnly on both sides of the spring ox with colorful sticks in their hands, listening to the salute officer sing loudly: "Sir, beat the drum!"
Qi Jintang stood up and beat the drum three times.
The praise officer then sang: "Spring Whip!"
The officials walked around the ox three times and pretended to be leading the ox to plow the fields. Qi Jintang took the whip from the salute officer and whipped the ox on the body.
The saluting official sang loudly: "One dozen is good weather, two dozen is peace and prosperity for the country, three dozen is good harvest..."
The last whip was exerted with great force, and the clay sculpture of the spring cow broke with the sound. The whole grains, dried fruits, dates, etc. that had been filled in the cow's belly were scattered on the ground. Officials and common people came forward to cheer and grab food, hoping to borrow it. This is a good omen for a bumper harvest and an auspicious year. Several government officials came forward to pick up some pieces of spring cattle and wrapped them in colored paper, which were to be sent to various officials and prominent people in the county as a sign of good luck.
Afterwards, the actors and actresses who had been rehearsed long ago were all dressed up, sitting on the prepared floats, playing various characters, including Zhaojun going out of the fortress, bachelor ascending to Ying, Zhang Xian playing bombs, Xishi picking lotus, etc. In this way, as the floats move forward, they change shapes, and some floats will throw pockmarks, rice, beans, etc. along the way. Many children follow the floats and scramble to pick them up. They also shout loudly: "Spring is coming, and the barns are full. Spring is coming, and the fields are full." Prosperity." Behind the float was a drum group, playing to festive and cheerful tunes, and the whole street was filled with a jubilant atmosphere.
Hehua only paid attention to the ceremony performed by Abbot Qi Jintang at the front, and was not interested when the performance started later. However, seeing Bai Zhi and Xiao Zhen watching happily, he sat aside and drank tea and ate some fruits. When the parade of floats was almost out of sight, he said to the two girls who were looking out eagerly: "Don't lean over to look, otherwise you will fall downstairs."
Bai Zhi blushed at what He Hua said, and quickly stood up straight and moved behind He Hua. Xiao Zhen stuck out her tongue playfully: "Grandma will make fun of me. This is the first time I have seen this. Please look at it more!" "
"I said the float is going to go around the city, why don't you chase it and watch it for a while?" He Hua joked with a smile.
"How can I catch up with the float..." Xiaozhen shrank her neck and said, "I want to go home and learn how to make spring rolls from Sister-in-law Liu!"
"Then let's go back and take a look. We in the north also enjoy spring at the beginning of spring, but we don't have as many dishes as here in the south at the beginning of spring." Hehua stood up and asked the waiter to pay.
Xiao Zhen became more energetic when he talked about cooking. He clapped his fingers and said, "I went to the kitchen to take a look before I came out. Sister-in-law Liu has prepared a lot of dishes today, including bean sprouts, leeks, mushrooms, and potatoes. There are so many." .”
Seeing that there were many people outside, Hehua put on her curtain hat before getting up and going out. When she turned to go downstairs, she was bumped into by a person who ran up. Miaoer quickly stretched out her hand to support Hehua. Xiaozhen put her hands on her hips and said fiercely: "So Why are you running on narrow stairs? If you hurt our wife, can you afford to pay for it?"
"Madam, I'm a reckless young man. I apologize to you." The person who hit me was a young man with a white-faced scholar look. He was wearing an old blue gown. He spoke politely and kept bowing to the lotus to apologize.
"That's all, it's not a big deal." Hehua waved his hand and said, "I just want to advise you not to be so reckless in the future. If you bump into a child or an old man, it would be no joke if something goes wrong. "
He Hua said and went downstairs. Xiao Zhen glared at the scholar with some annoyance, then lightly lifted his skirt and quickly caught up with He Hua. ! ! !
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