Shanghai is located in the south of
the lowest reaches of the Yangtze River, and its customs
have much in common with those of other places in that area.
Ever since Shanghai was opened as a port for foreign trade,
its water communication gradually became busy. Shanghai
has become a densely-populated city in which people from
many other provinces and countries live in harmony. The
customs there have been enriched and Shanghai has developed
its own characteristics.
Lunar New Year's Eve
Lunar New Year's Eve, or "the 30th of December,"
means the last day or night of the lunar year, and that
night is also called the Great New Year's Eve. The character
in (lunar New Year's Eve) means "to eliminate,"
therefore that night also means "to eliminate a year."
The 23rd of December of lunar calendar is the Kitchen Day,
and people offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God. 24th is
the "Minor New Year's Day," and from that day
through the lunar New Year's Eve, every household has a
general cleaning. They will also do Spring Festival shopping.
Pigs and sheep are butchered in the countryside, and people
will thresh and polish glutinous rice, make all kinds of
dim sum and cured meat. New Year pictures are also put up
in and out of the houses. People in town often buy some
flowers like narcissus, wintersweet or nandina, and put
them in vases so as to add to the atmosphere of the festival.
When night falls, all family members gather together and
eat New Year's Dinner, or the "Family Reunion Dinner,"
in which a big variety of dishes are served.
Staying up all night, citizens usually watch TV at home
and wait "to see the Old Year out and the New Year
in."
When the bell tolls for the New Year, firecrackers are
let off to welcome the new spring. For security's sake,
firecrackers are banned in town.
The Spring Festival is the most important
traditional festival for Chinese people. January 1st of
the lunar calendar is the Chinese New Year. Early that day,
people are well dressed and the whole family pays a visit
to the elder generation. Peers send New Year greetings to
each other. The senior members of a family will give money
in a red envelope to the children as New Year gifts to congratulate
on their growth. In the afternoon of the New Year's Day
and the following two days, people will visit their relatives
and friends, and many people have made use of modern technologies:
they send regards to each other through videophones and
the Internet. Nowadays, videophones have entered people's
lives. When sending greetings to your acquaintances, you
will see them smile and hear them talk on the line, as if
you are chatting face-to-face with them.
On the 4th day of the New Year, many people buy fresh
carp to welcome the God of Wealth, since the character 扇(carp)
sounds similar to 旋(wealth), and a red carp with its head
and tail lifted up look just like a gold ingot. All streets
are busy during the first five days of the New Year, and
people go on pilgrimage to the temples in an endless stream.
Stores are closed in the first three days of the New Year,
and some are even closed till the fifth day, the only day
for relaxation in a year for the staff. The God of Wealth
is received on the fifth day, and people have a big meal
that night.
The Lantern Festival
January 15th is the Lantern Festival. People eat wontons
in the day and rice dumplings in the evening. During the
festival, large awnings are set up in old districts of Shanghai,
and all kinds of lanterns together make a splendid view.
Sailing boats with lanterns float in great numbers in the
Huangpu River. Lanterns are also put up in the fields to
anticipate a golden harvest. "Lantern Dragon Show"
is a wonderful performance for the festival in western suburbs
and Jiading Nanxiang. The performance is accompanied by
gongs and drums, and sometimes there are dozens of lantern
dragons pursuing a dragon ball.
During the Lantern Festival, women were supposed to cross
three bridges. It is said that the family would get rid
of all diseases if the women go across three big bridges
at a night with bright moonlight. This could be easily done
since there were quite a few bridges in old Shanghai, among
which the Lu Stone Bridge usually drew more attention.
Tomb-Sweeping Day
On the Tomb-Sweeping Day in March, people will go for
a walk in the countryside and commemorate the dead by sweeping
their tombs.
People often go to offer incense in Longhua Temple on March
15th, a big fair will be held in Longhua Town. Many people
go to watch peach blossoms and the traffic becomes very
busy-----as described by Li Xingnan in his A Bamboo Poem
written in Qing Dynasty: "A beautiful spring day on
March 15th, and travelers gather in an ancient pass; The
waves carry away the ringing of bells, and the boats go
past the eighteen coves of Longhua." The "Evening
Bell in Longhua" used to be one of the eight scenery
spots in Shanghai.
On March 23rd, people celebrate the birthday of the Queen
of Heaven. Merchants from Fujian province offer sacrifices
to the Queen of Heaven and pray for their safety and wealth.
At that time, devotees would also invite theatrical troupes
to give performances.
Beginning of Summer
The day marking the beginning of summer is in April, and
peasants living in the countryside make cakes with sugar
and wheat flour, which is said to be able to prevent heatstroke.
They also make fried pancakes with fresh grass and rice,
a very popular food in Shanghai and Pudong. "The Three
Freshenings," namely sweet plums, rice wine, and salted
duck's eggs, are also the food in season.
The Buddha Washing Day
On April 8th, the birthday of Sakyamuni, people will sweep
the dust on the Buddha and chant prayers. Big temple fairs
will be held in some temples such as Jing An Temple and
Guang Fu Temple, and all kinds of local specialties are
traded and exchanged.
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