There are many variables in a person's life, and the biggest one is thought. Childhood is always spent in imitation; what about adolescence? It is full of fantasy; when entering youth, the mind is full of confidence, and is determined to realize ideals and ambitions; middle age is the most practical period, and thoughts fall from the sky to the ground, and the idea is to be down-to-earth and do everything well; in old age, it seems that life has come full circle, and knowing that it is about to be sealed, so all thoughts are lost, and the mind is full of memories. Do you see how big this change is? But there are also things in life that do not change, such as some interests and hobbies, and some complexes in the mind. Some are small changes but remain unchanged, some seem to have changed but actually have not changed, and some even remain unchanged from childhood to old age. For example, the complex of the New Year generally does not change. Although when I was a child, my main wish for the Chinese New Year was to eat good food, wear new clothes, and get lucky money; when I grew up and left home, I looked forward to going home to visit my elders and reunite with my family; now that I am well-off, food and clothing are no longer a problem, and it doesn't matter whether I celebrate the Chinese New Year or not, so my expectation for the Chinese New Year has shifted to being able to relax and rest for a few days. However, the atmosphere and feeling of the Chinese New Year always exist in my heart. So I always think of the Chinese New Year in my hometown of Xiushui and the customs of Xiushui. The Chinese New Year is like other aspects, each place has its own customs. The customs of the Chinese New Year in Xiushui have distinct characteristics. Thinking about it carefully, I found that one thing is particularly prominent, that is, the emphasis on family affection. The customs of the Chinese New Year in Xiushui usually start from the beginning of the twelfth lunar month to kill the New Year pig. Xiushui people have passed down a saying, "Whether you have money or not, you kill the pig for the New Year." Under normal circumstances, every family raises a big fat pig every year and keeps it for slaughter during the Chinese New Year. Some people have criticized Xiushui people for being greedy for this reason, but later I thought that this is very unfair. The real reason is that in the deep mountains, there is not much commodity economy, and it is difficult to buy pork all year round. The only meat to support the family's nutrition is a New Year pig. The bacon accumulated from the slaughter of the New Year pig must be kept until the busy farming season of spring planting and double harvest. At that time, the farmers held a bowl of potato rice. If there was no bacon dripping with fat, their calves would not have enough strength to cope with the heavy pressure on their shoulders. Although the bacon at that time was not fresh, it tasted a bit astringent. So at the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, all kinds of sounds of slaughtering New Year pigs would be heard in the village every day, including pig calls, firecrackers, children's laughter, and adults' cheerful laughter. At this time, the New Year atmosphere of the village has been set off. There are etiquettes for slaughtering New Year pigs. When slaughtering pigs, fire paper should be splashed with pig blood and burned in front of the ancestral tablets to first honor the ancestors' spirits in heaven. After the pig is killed, a large pot of soup is first cooked, mainly with pig blood, pork, pig offal, etc. It is called "Caotou Soup" or "Wangzi Soup". It is served in bowls and distributed to each household in the village so that everyone in the village can share the delicious food. At that time, the villagers will automatically line up and slaughter one or two New Year pigs every day. This will last until the middle of the twelfth lunar month. There is Caotou Soup to eat almost every day. How can the children not be happy? This is the family affection for the same village. For relatives in your family, gifts must be given after the New Year pig is killed. Generally, two or three pounds are given to each family, one by one. This matter is a bit troublesome. It is okay if the relatives are not far away. If they are scattered, you have to run over mountains and ridges for several days. If the adults are not free, they will ask the children to help. I remember that I had taken on the task of delivering New Year gifts when I was twelve or thirteen years old. It was actually a good job. No matter which relative I sent it to, I would be warmly entertained. They would either cook a bowl of delicious food or put a plate of "fruits", which were peanuts, beans, potato chips, etc., plus a sesame pancake or a boiled salted duck egg. This harvest was enough to make the children happy. After doing all this, the remaining pork had to be chopped into pieces, warmed in a pot with salt, and then put into a large vat. After being marinated for seven or eight days, it was strung with a rope and hung on the wall above the stove, and smoked with the smoke from the firewood used for cooking and boiling water. It was smoked until it was yellow and bright, fragrant and very tempting, and it was almost the New Year. The New Year's dinner in Xiushui is at lunch. On the New Year's Day, the children are happy, wearing new clothes made by the tailor, new shoes made by their mothers, and delicious fruits in their pockets. The boys also have a bunch of disassembled firecrackers and a lit incense stick, which they put here and there, making crackling sounds. The adults are busy, getting up early in the morning, having a quick breakfast, and then washing a big pot of rice to prepare lunch. Lunch must be steamed in a steamer. No matter how many people there are, a lot of steam must be made, which will be eaten after the New Year, and usually for three or four days. There is also a saying that it is called "eating old rice", which emphasizes having surplus every year. At the same time, taro must be taken out of the cellar and hung under the eaves in a bamboo basket to crack the skin so that it can be cooked in time to make a big whistle. It is also necessary to take the bacon from the fire wall, take the fried tofu from the beam, and catch the offering chicken (a kind of castrated rooster, which looks shiny and fat, and its meat is extremely delicious) from the chicken coop and slaughter it under the altar, etc. In short, you have to prepare a lot of food and cook it all. After it is cooked, it is not time to eat it yet. Instead, you have to go out to worship the gods, first worship the ancestral tablets in the ancestral hall, and then worship the ancestral tombs buried in the mountain nest behind the house. Men are usually responsible for worshiping the gods. No matter where they worship, they have to put out a few dishes, burn a pile of fire paper, and then set off a string of firecrackers. The younger generations will respectfully bow to the ancestors and pray for blessings. It often takes several hours to run around like this, and you will be exhausted. After doing all this, you can start eating the New Year's Eve dinner. The family gathers together happily, putting aside a year of hard work and worries, and tasting the harvest and joy they have earned. If there are people working away from home, when they hope to come back but fail, the family will celebrate the New Year with a little regret. During the years when I was a soldier, my mother always put an extra set of bowls and chopsticks and a wine glass on the New Year's Eve dinner table, symbolizing my reunion at home. At this time, the mother would always raise her arm and wipe away the endless tears of missing her son. The father had to comfort her and said, "Don't feel sorry for him, he eats better than you outside." The mother sighed and said, "It's the New Year. The child is thousands of miles away and can't eat the food I cook. How can I not be sad!" It's really sad to think about it. After lunch, the afternoon is the time to prepare the tree stumps, because the big fire will be lit at night. As the saying goes, "The fire on the 30th night and the lights on the 15th night", the fire must be burned brightly to point a good sign for the harvest and prosperity in the coming year. Above the fire, an iron stove pot must be hung, which contains the most delicious food, including chicken or duck, cured pork belly, cured pork feet, dried fish, etc., to prepare for midnight snacks. Only the children are the happiest at this time. They gather together to set off firecrackers, run to someone's fire to play, roast the blazing fire, and listen to the adults talk about the past and the present. On this night, no matter which house the children go to, they will receive delicious fruits. No matter how naughty they are, they will not be scolded. This is a custom left by our ancestors. No matter how rude you are to children, you have to hold back at this time. This is called "Zai Xiang", which means to accumulate good words, which will benefit your descendants. Xiushui people are very respectful of the New Year. On the first day of the first lunar month, everything must be auspicious, especially not to collect debts. Therefore, the night of New Year's Eve is the last time to collect debts. Those craftsmen, doctors, and those who have economic dealings with them throughout the year will seize this last time to collect debts. The night of the 30th is an auspicious day. Generally, as long as you can pay, the debtor will pay off the debt or pay part of it. There are also those who refuse to pay, or those who really can't pay and the debt collectors hold on to it, and then they will quarrel. In short, the roads in the countryside are full of people coming and going that night. Strangely enough, just one night later, on the first day of the first lunar month, no matter who owes you a debt, you can't collect it. If someone is ignorant at this time, he will be cursed by everyone. That's why some old debtors have made up a rhyme: "If you don't go into the house on the night of the 30th, the debt collectors can't catch you. On the first day of the new year, you will run all over the streets. Who dares to collect my debts!" After staying up all night on New Year's Eve, it's the first day of the new year. The first few days of the new year are the busiest days. During the day, people visit relatives. Adults and children first go to their grandmother's house to pay New Year's greetings, and then visit other relatives. During those days, there were groups of pedestrians on the road, and they were also continuous like a saw. Everyone was in high spirits, bowing and saying a lot of auspicious words when they met. There were people receiving guests and worshipping their ancestors. The sound of firecrackers in the village was heard one after another; the smoke of oil, salt, vegetables and fruits drifted from the roofs of the green tiles. It was really a peaceful world, a bright and peaceful scene. At night, people watched the lanterns. Every year, there would always be a few groups of lanterns that would come out on the night of the first day of the new year, visiting villages and villages, bringing joy and blessings to people. The villagers will also give a warm reception, especially the older children. When the lantern dancers are having fun, they will wrap up firecrackers, light them and throw them on the backs of the lantern dancers. At this time, the gongs and drums will also be played jubilantly, making a lot of noise. Sometimes, clothes will be damaged or even people will be injured! The atmosphere of the New Year depends on the good or bad harvest. In normal years, the New Year will last for three to five days. In good years, it will last until the Lantern Festival. The New Year customs in Xiushui are really full of flavor. The ubiquitous family atmosphere is really missed. Information source: Xiushui County Tourism Bureau Information source: Xiushui County Tourism Bureau