中国春节习俗
祭 灶
我国春节，一般是从祭灶揭开序幕的。民谣中"二十三，糖瓜粘"指的即是每年腊月二十三或二十四日的祭灶，有所谓"官三民四船家五"的说法，也就是官府在腊月二十三日，一般民家在二十四日，水上人家则为二十五日举行祭灶。
祭灶，是一项在我国民间影响很大、流传极广的习俗。旧时，差不多家家灶间都设有"灶王爷"神位。人们称这尊神为"司命菩萨"或"灶君司命"，传说他是玉皇大帝封的"九天东厨司命灶王府君"，负责管理各家的灶火，被作为一家的保护神而受到崇拜。灶王龛大都设在灶房的北面或东面，中间供上灶王爷的神像。没有灶王龛的人家，也有将神像直接贴在墙上的。有的神像只画灶王爷一人，有的则有男女两人，女神被称为"灶王奶奶"。这大概是模仿人间夫妇的形象。灶王爷像上大都还印有这一年的日历，上书"东厨司命主"、"人间监察神"、"一家之主"等文字，以表明灶神的地位。两旁贴上"上天言好事，下界保平安"的对联，以保佑全家老小的平安。
灶王爷自上一年的除夕以来就一直留在家中，以保护和监察一家；到了腊月二十三日灶王爷便要上天，去向天上的玉皇大帝汇报这一家人的善行或恶行，送灶神的仪式称为"送灶"或"辞灶"。玉皇大帝根据灶王爷的汇报，再将这一家在新的一年中应该得到的吉凶祸福的命运交于灶王爷之手。因此，对一家人来说，灶王爷的汇报实在具有重大利害关系。
送灶，多在黄昏入夜之时举行。一家人先到灶房，摆上桌子，向设在灶壁神龛中的灶王爷敬香，并供上用饴糖和面做成的糖瓜等。然后将竹篾扎成的纸马和喂牲口的草料。用饴糖供奉灶王爷，是让他老人家甜甜嘴。有的地方，还将糖涂在灶王爷嘴的四周，边涂边说："好话多说，不好话别说。"这是用糖塞住灶王爷的嘴，让他别说坏话。在唐代著作《辇下岁时记》中，间有"以酒糟涂于灶上使司命(灶王爷)醉酒"的记载。人们用糖涂完灶王爷的嘴后，便将神像揭下，和纸与烟一起上天了。有的地方则是晚上在院子里堆上芝麻秸和松树枝，再将供了一年的灶君像请出神龛，连同纸马和草料，点火焚烧。院子被火照得通明，此时一家人围着火叩头，边烧边祷告： 今年又到二十三， 敬送灶君上西天。 有壮马，有草料， 一路顺风平安到。 供的糖瓜甜又甜， 请对玉皇进好言。
送灶君时，有的地方尚有乞丐数名，乔装打扮，挨家唱送灶君歌，跳送灶君舞，名为"送灶神"，以此换取食物。
送灶习俗在我国南北各地极为普遍，鲁迅先生曾写有《庚子送灶即事》诗： 只鸡胶牙糖，典衣供瓣香。 家中无长物，岂独少黄羊。
他在《送灶日漫笔》一文中说："灶君上天的那日，街上还卖着一种糖，有柑子那么大小，在我们那里也有这东西，然而扁的，像一个厚厚的小烙饼。那就是所谓'胶牙饧'了。本意是在请灶君吃了，粘住他的牙，使他不能调嘴学舌，对玉帝说坏话。"鲁迅诗中提到"黄羊"的典故，出于《后汉书·阴识传》："宣帝时，阴子方者至孝有仁恩。腊日晨炊，而灶神形见，子方再拜受庆；家有黄羊，因以祀之。自是巳后，暴至巨富。至识三世，而遂繁昌，故后常以腊日祀灶而荐黄羊焉。"阴子方看见灶神，杀黄羊祭祀，后来交了好运。从此，杀黄羊祭灶的风俗就流传下来了。
唐宋时祭灶的供品是相当丰富的。宋代诗人范成大的《祭灶词》对当时民间祭灶作了极其生动的描写： 古传腊月二十四，灶君朝天欲言事。 云车风马小留连，家有杯盘丰典祀。 猪头烂熟双鱼鲜，豆沙甘松米饵圆。 男儿酌献女儿避，酹酒烧钱灶君喜。 婢子斗争君莫闻，猫犬触秽君莫嗔。 送君醉饱登天门，勺长勺短勿复云， 乞取利市归来分。
腊月二十三日的祭灶与过年有着密切的关系。因为，在一周后的大年三十晚上，灶王爷便带着一家人应该得到的吉凶祸福，与其他诸神一同来到人间。灶王爷被认为是为天上诸神引路的。 其他诸神在过完年后再度上天，只有灶王爷会长久地留在人家的厨房内。迎接诸神的仪式称为"接神"，对灶王爷来说叫做"接灶"。接灶一般在除夕，仪式要简单得多，到时只要换上新灶灯，在灶龛前燃香就算完事了。
俗语有"男不拜月，女不祭灶"的说法 。有的地方，女人是不祭灶的，据说，灶王爷长得像个小白脸，怕女的祭灶，有"男女之嫌"。对于灶王爷的来历，说起来源远流长。在中国的民间诸神中，灶神的资格算是很老的。早在夏代，他已经是民间所尊奉的一位大神了。据古籍《礼记·礼器》孔颖达疏："颛顼氏有子日黎，为祝融，祀为灶神。"《庄子.达生》记载："灶有髻。"司马彪注释说："髻，灶神，着赤衣，状如美女。"《抱朴子.微旨》中又记载："月晦之夜，灶神亦上天白人罪状。"这些记载，大概是祭灶神的来源吧。还有，或说灶神是钻木取火的"燧人氏"；或说是神农氏的"火官"；或说是"黄帝作灶"的"苏吉利"；或说灶神姓张，名单，字子郭；众说不一。民间则流传着一个颇为有趣的故事。
据说，古代有一户姓张的人家，兄弟俩，哥是泥水匠，弟弟是画师。哥哥拿手的活是盘锅台，东街请，西坊邀，都夸奖他垒灶手艺高。年长月久出了名，方圆千里都尊称他为"张灶王"。说来张灶王也怪，不管到谁家垒灶，如遇别人家有纠纷，他爱管闲事。遇上吵闹的媳妇他要劝，遇上凶婆婆他也要说，好像是个老长辈。以后，左邻右舍有了事都要找他，大家都很尊敬他。张灶王整整活了七十岁，寿终正寝时正好是腊月二十三日深夜。张灶王一去世，张家可乱了套，原来张灶王是一家之主，家里事都听他吩咐，现在大哥离开人间，弟弟只会诗书绘画，虽已花甲，但从未管过家务。几房儿媳妇都吵着要分家，画师被搅得无可奈何，整日愁眉苦脸。有天，他终于想出个好点子。就在腊月二十三日张灶王亡故一周年的祭日，深夜，画师忽然呼叫着把全家人喊醒，说是大哥显灵了。他将儿子媳妇全家老小引到厨房，只见黑漆漆的灶壁上，飘动着的烛光若隐若现显出张灶王和他已故的妻子的容貌，家人都惊呆了。画师说："我寝时梦见大哥和大嫂已成了仙，玉帝封他为'九天东厨司命灶王府君'。你们平素好吃懒做，妯娌不和，不敬不孝，闹得家神不安。大哥知道你们在闹分家，很气恼，准备上天禀告玉帝，年三十晚下界来惩罚你们。"儿女侄媳们听了这番话，惊恐不已，立即跪地连连磕头，忙取来张灶王平日爱吃的甜食供在灶上，恳求灶王爷饶恕。从此后，经常吵闹的叔伯兄弟和媳妇们再也不敢撒泼，全家平安相处，老少安宁度日。这事给街坊邻友知道后，一传十，十传百，都赶来张家打探虚实。其实，腊月二十三日夜灶壁上的灶王，是画师预先绘制的。他是假借大哥显灵来镇吓儿女侄媳，不料此法果真灵验。所以当乡邻来找画师探听情况时，他只得假戏真做，把画好的灶王像分送给邻舍。如些一来，沿乡流传，家家户户的灶房都贴上了灶王像。岁月流逝就形成了腊月二十三给灶王爷上供、祈求合家平安的习俗。祭灶风俗流传后，自周朝开始，皇宫也将它列入祭典，在全国立下祭灶的规矩，成为固定的仪式了。
Chinese convention the Spring Festival Worship the kitchen god Our country is to raise the curtain on from worshiping the kitchen god like the Spring Festival. That folk rhyme is hit by "twenty three , candy melon glues being "referring to is the twelfth month of the lunar year every year twenty three or worshiping the kitchen god on 24th, have four so-called "official San Min boatmen five's statement, is just that the feudal official is in the twelfth month of the lunar year that the be in 24th , aquatic general people family household is held then for 25th on 23th, worshiping the kitchen god. Worship the kitchen god , be one to affect the convention very much, big , circulating to expand extremely among the people in our country. The kitchen all sets up the old times , the about the same every family having the "cooking stove His Royal Highness "spirit tablet. People says this honors god as "department fate Bodhisattva or "cooking stove monarch department fate"legend he is "the Ninth Heaven that the Jade Emperor seals off east kitchen department fate cooking stove king mansion monarch, the cooking stove fire "being responsible for managing every family's , the protection being one magical but accept worship. The cooking stove king shrine is set up in cooking stove house north part or east mostly , centre has confessed the picture or statue of a god or Buddha of cooking stove His Royal Highness. Without cooking stove king shrine household,also have sticking the picture or statue of a god or Buddha to directly in on the wall. Some pictures or statues of a god or Buddha draw cooking stove His Royal Highness one people only , some have men and women two people then, the goddess is called the "cooking stove king grandma ". This is probably to copy image of the world husband and wife's example. Seal has this calendar for 1 year mostly on cooking stove His Royal Highness image , submits a written statement to "east kitchen department ordering the host "", the world to supervise "characters such as god "", master of the house, to indicate kitchen god position. Both sides has stuck "God word good deed, the lower bound guarantees pair of scrolls containing a poetic couplet safe and sound, to bless and protect whole family grown-ups and children's safety. China-Israel, protect and one supervise cooking stove His Royal Highness being asked to stay to be at home right away always since New Year's Eve last year; Have arrived at the twelfth month of the lunar year cooking stove His Royal Highness on 23th just needing to go up to the sky, location the Jade Emperor of heavens good conduct or evil conduct reporting this one family's, the ceremony giving a kitchen god is called "giving cooking stove or "diction a cooking stove ". The Jade Emperor reporting according to cooking stove His Royal Highness, will this one be in new middle for 1 year again ought to good or bad luck misfortune good fortune destiny intersects at hand of cooking stove His Royal Highness. Reporting of cooking stove His Royal Highness has the significant stake therefore , to one family, in fact. Give a cooking stove , hold much at nightfall in the dusk time that. First, one family arrives at the cooking stove house , having swayed a table, offer an incense politely to cooking stove His Royal Highness in being set up in cooking stove wall baldachine, and use cerealose to knead dough on confessing succeed in making up candy melon waits. And then, with the bamboo, the thin bamboo strip pricks the able paper horse and the forage feeding stocks. Use cerealose to enshrine and worship cooking stove His Royal Highness , be a mouth make his grand old man sweet. Some places, spread candy on cooking stove His Royal Highness mouth scribble as well as saying all around": Much doctrine of word of praise , block of wood word of praise are let alone ". This is to use candy to stopper mouth of cooking stove His Royal Highness , lets him let alone malicious remarks. "Write down middle when Tang Dynasty was book imperial carriage under" years old , have spreading recording making the department fate (cooking stove His Royal Highness) be drunk on cooking stove "with distillers' grain. After people uses candy to spread the mouth completing cooking stove His Royal Highness, under just the picture or statue of a god or Buddha being lifted up, and, paper has gone up to the sky together with the cigarette. Some places are to have piled up sesame seed straw and the loose branch in the evening within the courtyard then , will have be for the cooking stove for 1 year monarch image's inviting out baldachine again, the paper horse and forage, light the fire together with burning. The courtyard is cast light on brightly lit by fire , one family is kowtowed around blowing now , is had a temperature as well as praying that: Send the cooking stove monarch to die respectfully to twenty three this year. Have the strong horse , have forage , speed the parting guest to arrive at safely. The candy melon confessing is very sweet, offer good advice to Jade Emperor please. Some places still have a beggar several to deck oneself out when giving a cooking stove a monarch, being sung by giving a cooking stove monarch song , spring to send cooking stove monarch dance, Ming Wei to "give a kitchen god ", get food in return on this account. Send cooking stove convention to be in our country north and south everywhere Mr. Lu Xun once wrote extremely commonly, having "Geng Zi year to send a cooking stove to be a thing " poem: Chicken glue tooth candy, canon clothes provide piece of incense. There be no the long thing at home, alone few Mongolian gazelle. He "says in one culture give a cooking stove day informal essay "": That Japan of cooking stove monarch God, is selling one kind of candy on the street , is as big or small as tangerine, there is also have this thing, but flat in us, such as a thick small Flapjack. That has been so-called'glue tooth sugar. Original idea be to have eaten , adhere to his tooth in inviting the cooking stove monarch , make him can not carry tales , say malicious remarks to the Jade Emperor". Lu Xun mentions the "Mongolian gazelle literary quotation in the poem, out of "the sinister queen Han Shu · knowledge conducts " ": Call emperor time , sinister son in method of person has benevolence grace till filial piety. The Lari morning cooks a meal, but the kitchen god shape sees, you method is paid a visit to again by celebration; The family has the Mongolian gazelle , the reason to offer sacrifices to the gods or the spirits of the dead that. Stand out of course Si till the millionaire the day afer tomorrow. Till knowing three generation, but satisfying Fan Chang county, therefore the queen often offers sacrifices to the gods or the spirits of the dead with Lari cooking stove but recommend a Mongolian gazelle then ". Sinister son just sees a kitchen god , kills a Mongolian gazelle offering sacrifices to, be in luck now afterwards. The custom herefrom, killing a Mongolian gazelle worshiping the kitchen god has been handed down down. Tang Song Shi the offering worshiping the kitchen god is pretty rich. Big "worshiping the kitchen god of Song acting poet Fan Cheng the word " has done extremely vivid depicting to worshiped the kitchen god among the people at that time: Acient biography twelfth month of the lunar year twenty four, cooking stove monarch Chao Tian desire word thing. Say that vehicle air-dried horse lingers around for a short time, the family has a cup to check the abundant canon offering sacrifices to the gods or the spirits of the dead. The pig's head is thoroughly cooked pair of seafoods , bean paste nard meter of bait circle. The man presents a daughter at self's discretion avoid meeting, libate the liquor burns the money cooking stove monarch happy event. Servant-girl son fight with you do not hear , the cat dog touches the dirty monarch not being annoyed. See a monarch off drunk reach the sky fully spoon not complex short ancient place in Shandong Province cloud, beg for take profit coming-back mark. The twelfth month of the lunar year worshiping the kitchen god on 23th and next year have close relation. Because of the good year after a week, thirty cooking stove His Royal Highness just ought to with one family in the evening, good or bad luck misfortune good fortune, arrives in the world together with other all god. Cooking stove His Royal Highness is considered being that all gods lead the way for heavens. Other all god goes up to the sky once again after after the year, only when cooking stove His Royal Highness may stay for a long while within the household kitchen. The ceremony welcoming all god is called "meeting a god, come doctrine to be called "pair of cooking stoves "receiving a cooking stove His Royal Highness". Be in New Year's Eve like receiving a cooking stove, ceremony is much simpler , arrive at time as long as being changed for new cooking stove light , burn an incense before cooking stove shrine even if having finished the job. The common saying there is "male not paying a visit to a month , the daughter does not worship the kitchen god statement. Some place, the woman is not to worship the kitchen god , it is said that, cooking stove His Royal Highness grows handsome , fair-complexioned , small and not muscular young man like , is afraid of female worshiping the kitchen god, suspicion of having "men and women". To origin of cooking stove His Royal Highness,go back to ancient times in fact. In Chinese among the people all god, kitchen god qualification becomes old at last very much. Xia Dynasty , he have already been among the people what be received one Great Spirit as far back as. "Kong Ying Da is sparse on the grounds of ancient book Book of Rites · sacrificial vessel "": Zhuanxu Mrs. there is son more numerous with each passing day , being Zhurong , offers sacrifices to the gods or the spirits of the dead for the kitchen god ". "Village. Reach a life " record that ": There is a hair worn in a bun or coil in the cooking stove". Si Ma Biao annotation says ": The hair worn in a bun or coil , the kitchen god, wear the red clothes , shape if beautiful woman ". "Carry Piao son in breast. Record that in tiny decree "": Night of month night , the kitchen god also go up to the sky the white race charges in an indictment ". Magical source these being recorded , being probably to worship the kitchen god. Still having, or the cooking stove god said is a people Mrs. "; Or criticize the "fire government official who is a magical agriculture Mrs."; Or criticize "Su Ji Li " who is that "Yellow Emperor does a cooking stove; Or say kitchen god family name Zhang , the name list , be styled you Guo; There are many different versions of a story. Be a quite amusing story among the people be circulating. It is said that had the household , two brothers , elder brother that one family family name takes a look to be a bricklayer , a younger brother in the ancient times is a painter. Adept work of elder brother is to check the top of a kitchen range , the east street asks , the west workshop invites, praise he builds cooking stove workmanship height. The moon older in age is long have become famous, circumference long distance address him respectfully as being " 张灶王"。说来张灶王也怪，不管到谁家垒灶，如遇别人家有纠纷，他爱管闲事。遇上吵闹的媳妇他要劝，遇上凶婆婆他也要说，好像是个老长辈。以后，左邻右舍有了事都要找他，大家都很尊敬他。张灶王整整活了七十岁，寿终正寝时正好是腊月二十三日深夜。张灶王一去世，张家可乱了套，原来张灶王是一家之主，家里事都听他吩咐，现在大哥离开人间，弟弟只会诗书绘画，虽已花甲，但从未管过家务。几房儿媳妇都吵着要分家，画师被搅得无可奈何，整日愁眉苦脸。有天，他终于想出个好点子。就在腊月二十三日张灶王亡故一周年的祭日，深夜，画师忽然呼叫着把全家人喊醒，说是大哥显灵了。他将儿子媳妇全家老小引到厨房，只见黑漆漆的灶壁上，飘动着的烛光若隐若现显出张灶王和他已故的妻子的容貌，家人都惊呆了。画师说："我寝时梦见大哥和大嫂已成了仙，玉帝封他为'九天东厨司命灶王府君'。你们平素好吃懒做，妯娌不和，不敬不孝，闹得家神不安。大哥知道你们在闹分家，很气恼，准备上天禀告玉帝，年三十晚下界来惩罚你们。"儿女侄媳们听了这番话，惊恐不已，立即跪地连连磕头，忙取来张灶王平日爱吃的甜食供在灶上，恳求灶王爷饶恕。从此后，经常吵闹的叔伯兄弟和媳妇们再也不敢撒泼，全家平安相处，老少安宁度日。这事给街坊邻友知道后，一传十，十传百，都赶来张家打探虚实。其实，腊月二十三日夜灶壁上的灶王，是画师预先绘制的。他是假借大哥显灵来镇吓儿女侄媳，不料此法果真灵验。所以当乡邻来找画师探听情况时，他只得假戏真做，把画好的灶王像分送给邻舍。如些一来，沿乡流传，家家户户的灶房都贴上了灶王像。岁月流逝就形成了腊月二十三给灶王爷上供、祈求合家平安的习俗。祭灶风俗流传后，自周朝开始，皇宫也将它列入祭典，在全国立下祭灶的规矩，成为固定的仪式了。
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