At around seven o'clock in the evening, the sky was already dark in the twelfth lunar month, and Ruirui finally had dinner with difficulty.
Chen Ling's family took a group of children and set off towards the Tutu Temple.
There are also a group of dogs running in the wheat field with great enthusiasm, chasing the pheasants and hares that stay in the wheat field.
“Oh, rich and noble, you are finally out of the house, I’ll wait for your family to come.”
At this time, the entrance to the village and around the Tutu Temple were full of people and torches. .
And there were sporadic salutes exploding in the sky from time to time.
It was the young people in the village who couldn't sit still. They brought firecrackers from home and lit them in the wheat fields.
At any other time, the elders would probably scold them for being ignorant and not doing their job right.
But on this day.
The more cannons are fired, the more atmosphere there becomes.
"Uncle, uncle, why do they have so many torches?"
After the little fat man was picked up by Chen Ling, he was able to let himself go.
I was jumping up and down along the way, so happy that I never stopped talking.
He directly took Xiaolizi’s previous position and transformed into a hundred thousand whys.
“Because there are no electric lights!”
Chen Ling replied with a smile: "If there is no electric light, everyone can only light torches..."
"No, I mean these torches are so beautiful, like a long dragon, so fun, I I really want the students in our class to see this scene.”
The little fat man looked shocked and regretful.
"And uncle, don't we need to light a torch?"
"Yes, uncle, why don't we have a torch?"
Xiao Lizi also reacted, ran over, chased Chen Ling and asked.
Chen Ling didn't know what they were thinking, so he shook the flashlight in his hand: "Because we have this."
After he finished speaking, the adults also laughed softly.
"Oh, no, we also want a torch. Uncle, please make us a torch too, okay."
Xiao Lizi raised his head and grabbed Chen Ling's hand began to perform the coquettish technique.
Before Chen Ling could say anything, Wang Laishun and the village accountant came over and snatched Chen Ling away from her.
"Babys, your uncle has something important to do today. He has to stand in front and can't play with you here tonight."
"Huh? Why?"
The children were stunned for a moment and opened their mouths in astonishment.
Ruirui also called out daddy in a daze, and then rushed over like a strong little bear cub.
"Because your uncle is so powerful, he will preside over the sending of the old earth god to heaven today, and the new earth god to the temple."
Qin Rongxian explained to the children.
The meaning is not difficult to understand. According to some old customs, Chen Ling will be the 'officiant'.
This was originally done by a respected old man in the village.
But who made Chen Ling's position in the village become more special in the past two years.
Moreover, their clans and ancestral halls are gone, and the Chen and Wang families are in disarray.
No one misses anyone’s old love.
Basically, they just care about the snow in front of their own door and don’t care about the frost on other people’s tiles.
In fact, Chen Ling himself is the same. The people closest to him in the village now are two people named Wang.
“Wow, uncle is so awesome.”
Little Fatty and Little Lizi suddenly had stars in their eyes. When they heard Chen Ling wanted to send off and greet the gods, they felt that their uncle was amazing.
Rui Rui was confused and shouted incoherently: "Daddy is tired."
Liu Nier had already regarded Chen Ling as the most powerful in her heart. At this time Waving his little hand: "Let's go to Er Er Uncle Fugui, I will make torches for you.
When we make the torches, Uncle Fugui and the others will be finished.”
Then he led this large group of boy scouts. Killed towards Wang Lishan's house.
Chen Ling was invited to the front.
The original statue of the God of Earth was a clay sculpture, which was made of straw, yellow mud and clay to make a human shape as mentioned earlier.
Use a trowel to scrape and carve the image.
Last painting.
It's roughly like this.
At this time, all the men, women, and children in the village came out.
They stood in three rows in an orderly manner, all holding torches.
The queue started from the Tutu Temple and continued to the edge of the big pond next to the village primary school.
As for why no one is rushing forward.
First, this ceremony is rather sacred.
Second, it will continue to circle later, and everyone will have the opportunity to come forward and worship the Lord of the Land. There is no need to make a fuss over it.
Of course, everyone is not standing neatly now, and there are still young people in twos and threes walking to the distance to shoot off cannons.
Until Wang Laishun started beating the gong.
"Return to the team! Everyone is standing neatly!"
They are all Han Chinese, but maybe they have lived in the mountains for a long time, and this ceremony of sending off the gods and welcoming them feels a bit like dancing with the gods. .
Just like now, right in front of the Earth Temple, there is a hexagon built with bricks.
It is hollow inside.
Later, I will smash the old idols, throw them in, and burn them.
Smashing it is not an offense, only after it is smashed can God ascend to heaven.
Fire is a ritual.
"Fugui, let's go into the temple and recite the prayer."
Fourth Grandpa said after wrapping a red cloth around his waist.
Chen Ling nodded, and when he looked back, the team had become extremely neat with torches held high.
Now it really looks like three long dragons.
Chen Ling walked into the Earth Temple filled with candles, knelt down on the futon and recited words silently.
Recite one paragraph and kowtow once or three times.
After reading the words, Chen Ling stood up and directed five young people to carry out the old statue of the Earth God.
These five young men are either tied with ears of wheat or stuck with sorghum... symbolizing grains.
He could not use his hands during this process. After carrying it out, he placed it in the hexagon made of bricks.
At this time, he can smash the old Earth God statue into pieces.
We also pay attention to the things we use, including axes, sickles, hoes, and rake heads.
How to put it, the ax symbolizes the mountains and forests, and the land master here is in charge of things in the mountains.
Needless to say, other types of farm tools are just like the five young men symbolizing grains.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Chen Ling picked up the ax and struck three ax heads in succession, splitting the descendants of the old statue.
Then the sickle, hoe, and rake heads were hit on various parts of the body of the statue.
There is no need to smash it too much. There are pine branches laid down below, which will be lit directly.
“Send off to the gods!”
Chen Ling lit it with a torch and shouted.
This gift is not only the old statue of the Tutu God from the Tutu Temple, but also the statues of the Tutu God from each villager's house, whether they are paintings or wood carvings, all are invited to come and go to heaven together.
According to the original process, for example, those painted on paper are replaced every year, while those carved on wood will last longer, but they also need to be replaced every three years.
The replacement date is set on New Year’s Eve, which is the last day of the year anyway.
But this year we have to send off the old Tutu Grandpa of the Tutu Temple, so it will be early. Those who are invited home from each family will also go to heaven with them.
Then replace it with a new one.
After Chen Ling finished shouting "Send God off", these villagers holding torches. Either a wooden statue of an earth god in his arms, or a torn paper portrait taken out of a red cloth strip, they came forward one after another and threw them into the fire together.
Then the whole family knelt down and bowed down, praying for blessings.
Send the land you brought back to heaven together with the statue of the Earth Temple.
The flames were blazing, and the faces of the people it illuminated were red.
During this period, Chen Ling and the village stewards kept firing salutes nearby.
The procession went to the end and the Earth God was sent to the Queen of Heaven.
It’s time to welcome a new god.
At this time, Chen Ling stepped forward and pulled off the red cloth from the stone statue.
"From now on, everyone in the village will send their own Earth God to heaven, and they will burn it in front of the statue of the Earth Temple every year. We don't need to move this stone statue, just let the Earth God go to heaven by himself."
Chen Ling pulled it off. Hong Bu said.
Stone idols are used for a long time. After being used, there is no need to replace them if there is no special condition.
Then naturally we have to put it another way.
After he said this, the villagers began to wave torches and roar from time to time.
“Roar!”
“Drink!”
It travels far at night.
Welcoming the new god is indeed different from sending off the old god.
When the old gods were sent away, they were sent away with incense and candles.
When the new god is welcomed, he is greeted with various tributes and enthusiastic calls from the villagers.
I hope that when the new land grandfather comes, he will see their piety and vision and bless them with good weather and good harvests every year.
The stone statue is still carried up by the five stick boys symbolizing grains.
Chen Ling directed the tributes, mainly various pastries and pancakes, but also fruits and meat.
Let the team take turns to light new incense, insert it into the incense burner and kneel down.
It’s quite tedious, after going back and forth one more time.
Chen Ling then went to fire the cannon.
Ruirui followed Liu Nier and the others, a group of children, big and small, holding small torches and watching carefully.
Eyes never blinked.
Children, when they are young, always show great interest in such lively and mysterious things.
Ruirui is too young to remember things.
But also curious.
And the most curious.
When Wang Susu and the others came forward, he couldn't help but stepped forward and handed the torch to Chen Ling.
And pulled Chen Ling over there, then held the hands of his parents with two small hands, and worshiped God together with the big team.
After experiencing this special ceremony, he patted his knees and rushed into the temple to get the tribute.
“Hey, come back!”
With quick eyes and quick hands, Chen Ling grabbed the collar of his back and let the brat kick his legs in mid-air.
Catch him directly and put him in the pile of dolls outside.
"You wait, wait for me to give it to you! If you try to grab it again! Don't be dishonest!"
The cakes and pastries in the tribute are best eaten by the children, adults. In fact, they are dispensable. It is a good thing to grab it, but it doesn't matter if you can't grab it.
After all, there are so many people in the village, how can everyone have a share?
Usually we just share the food with the children.
It means just eat something.
"Uncle Fugui, hurry up, we can't wait any longer."
I don't know who shouted, but it wasn't the little boy.
It sounds like a male duck's voice. During the voice change period, I don't know whose voice it belongs to.
"How old are you, not ashamed?"
Chen Ling smiled and cursed: "I can tell you are over there, I will walk around you later."
Everyone burst into laughter, at this time After worshiping the new land god, it is the most exciting time to relax.
Just wait for Chen Ling to start spreading the cakes and pastries.
Chen Ling did not delay deliberately and walked out of the temple with a basket in his arms.
The whole basket of cakes was thrown into the air.
"Ah, Uncle Fugui, you are so kind, let the wedding cake hit me to death..."
The little kids took off their cotton-padded jackets excitedly, and rushed to pick them up while screaming.
"Uncle, grandpa, this way, throw it this way!"
"Uncle, I am Xiao Ming, I want to eat rice cakes..."
"Uncle, I'm Xiaolizi, I also want to eat rice cakes!"
There were too many people, and every doll was thinking that Uncle Fugui was the closest to them, so they all reported their names, but Chen Ling couldn't tell anyone. Can't hear it.
Hold the basket and start throwing it around. Whoever picks it up gets it.
All of a sudden, everyone went crazy.
The adults, especially the young men, jumped up or jumped out to help their children grab it.
My child is so close to Chen Ling. When something happens, he only thinks of Uncle Fugui, not his biological father.
Today they have to prove themselves.
As a result, after a while, someone fell and got bruised and swollen. There were too many people. The whole village was here. You squeezed me and I squeezed you. How could you not fall down?
Fortunately, there were a lot of cakes and pastries, so they fought for a while and then dispersed.
Otherwise Chen Ling would still have to worry about them causing a stampede.
After grabbing the wedding cakes and cakes, the dolls held torches and ate happily.
Some people throw wedding cakes into the earth temple and burn them in the ashes until they are charred and crispy, then break them open and eat them deliciously.
"Dad, Mom..."
Ruirui ran over with two big dogs, crying and holding up a piece of rice cake.
"You, if you don't eat well at home, why are you in such a hurry to eat it outside? You can't eat this now. You have to heat it up at home before you can eat it."
Chen Ling took the rice cake from his hand: "The rice cake will be hard when it is cold. It needs to be heated. Can you ask my brothers and sisters if they can eat it?"
He looked at Yaya, the little fat man and the little one who were running over. Li Zi, the three children also pouted and shook their heads unhappily: "You can't eat it. If I had known it, we would have grabbed the wedding cake."
Everyone smiled.
Liang Hongyu joked about her eldest grandson: "Xiao Ming, you are the greediest and most stupid. You have no experience at all. How can Liu Nier and the others be so smart."
This is true for city children. No experience in this area.
"Grandma, why do you always say I'm stupid?" the little fat man said angrily.
"Okay, don't be unhappy."
Chen Ling waved, picked up Ruirui, and said: "Let's go, I'll bake two wedding cakes for you with the remaining charcoal, I know who I just grabbed a lot more.”
Speaking, he walked up to the boy from Chen Yongsheng's family: "Come on, don't be shy. Do you think I won't know it's you just because you call me uncle with the kids? Bring out the wedding cake!"
This The boy is already fifteen years old, and he was grabbing the most fiercely just now.
"Brother, I'm still a little baby." The boy with thick eyebrows, big face, and an appearance like a big cricket looked aggrieved.
"I said you're not ashamed, but you're really not ashamed."
Chen Ling gave him a headache, and he chuckled and handed over the two pancakes.
"Let's go and make some pancakes. Isn't this ready?"
Chen Ling greeted the children and walked to the Tutu Temple. As expected, the children became happy again.
With a smile on his face, he held a small torch and started to circle around the fire pit, jumping and cheering.
"Here are the scones, here are the scones!" (End of this chapter)