THE ClTY OF FLOWERS

Text by Ma Yanling Photos by Zheng Jijun

THE ClTY OF FLOWERS

Text by Ma Yanling Photos by Zheng Jijun

The Cantonese get themselves in the festive mood by shopping for flowers and gifts at the flower fairs, which are usually open and ready for business at least three days before the Spring Festival.

At this time of the year, the streets are decorated with flowers and potted tangerines. Florists from different villages set up stalls to sell flowers and tangerines.

The origin of flower fairs dates back at least 500 years ago to the Ming Dynasty. As the earliest trade port in China to be opened on the Silk Road, Guangzhou soon became one of the most blooming cities in China, both in terms of economy and plants, as various kinds of exotic flowers were first imported to Guangzhou at the time.

Ever since then, it has become a major custom for the Cantonese to shop for flowers, potted plants and bouquets as New Year gifts for their family and friends.

For decades, the Flower Fair has been a hot subject for poets and singers. Chinese playwright Du Xuan once described the Flower market as such: “It is the time when the southern early spring sends the fragrance around." Back to the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Xintai wrote in his Shallow Knowledge and Experience in Guangdong, "At the end of each year, the flower market is full of bellflower and daffodil which makes the market as beautiful as the rosy clouds. All the merchants, no matter big or small, provide small tables and seats to welcome the citizens and the blooming year".

Thus, Canton is also called the “city of flowers”, which also originates from the Flower markets themselves. Following the Northern Wei Dynasty (368-534), ikebana - the Japanese art of flower arrangement - was on the rise in China. During this period of time, the country provided a rather peaceful political background for scholars and aristocrats to fully develop their interests in aesthetics, including ikebana.

Nowadays, people buy flowers to wish of good luck. The “year flowers” sold in the flower markets each hold a different significance. For instance, the tangerine represents fortune and luck, since the word tangerine in Chinese is homophonous with the word “good luck”, whilst bamboo stands for "a better career". Lilies are linked with "a harmonious union lasting a hundred years". H

ere is a tip for those who wish to buy flowers at a good price: go by midnight! It is when the prices of the flowers drop dramatically.

For the Cantonese, the sweet perfume of fresh flowers is the perfect reminder of this important custom - “the Flower Fair”, whose importance is emphasized with the saying: “No flower fairs, no Spring Festival.”

百年除夕花市 花開燦爛娛歲華

“年卅晚，行花街，迎春花放滿街排，朵朵紅花鮮，朵朵黃花大，千朵萬朵睇唔哂。阿媽笑，阿爸喜，人歡花靚樂開懷……”這首老廣們耳熟能詳的兒歌，描寫的是一年一度廣州人“行花街”賞花買花的風俗。

“行花街”是廣州的方言，意指“逛花市”，一般于春節前三四天開始，廣州的大街小巷都會擺滿鮮花、盆桔，各大公園都舉辦迎春花展。各區的主題街道上搭起彩樓，搭起花架，四鄉花農紛紛涌來，擺開陣勢，售花賣桔，所謂“十里長街，繁花似錦”。特別是除夕夜，幾乎家家全員出動賞花買花共團圓，摩肩擦踵，好不熱鬧！

廣州有一句古話，“行過花街才是過年”，這項沿襲了百余年的習俗，形成于光緒年間，是廣州人過年時不可代替的重要活動！歷史上也曾有不少文人學士為迎春花市揮過筆墨，如著名劇作家杜宣就曾這樣描述除夕花市：“重裘脫下換春裝，南國初春處處香。踏過長街花似錦，人人都為看花忙。”而早在光緒年間，張心泰所寫《粵游小識》中說：“每屆年暮，廣州城內賣吊鐘與水仙花成市，如云如霞，大家小戶，售供坐幾，以娛歲華。”可見廣州迎春花市不僅歷史悠久，其中的趣味也值得把玩。

實際上，廣州的另一雅稱“花城”正是源于這迎春花市。而鮮花處處有，為何唯獨這南粵省城形成了獨特的逛花街風俗呢？

早在北魏之后，花道在中國慢慢興起，直到宋代，達到了它的鼎盛巔峰。當時國家政局穩定，百姓生活安康，文人雅士們多了很多生活情趣，而插花便是其中之一。據聞當時上至達官貴人，下至普通老百姓，家里都能見到一兩瓶花！形態各異的鮮花結合花型、花器和人們豐富的想象力，成了一個個藝術品。愛花歷史自古皆有，而廣州人天生對“好意頭”的追求，為求新年“花開富貴”，能平安富足，以花寓意，因而行花街，也成了一種“沾好運”的象征，故而流傳了下來。

買花賞花，不外乎追求的是人們賦予花兒的含義，也就是我們所說的“花語”和“花意”。宋人有“梅蘭竹菊”四君子，寓意素雅清凈，高潔謙虛的品格；而今有粵人追求“竹報平安”“百年好合”的吉祥花意，連紅掌、豬籠草等也順時應變被命名為“抓錢手”或是“鴻運當頭”。尤其是本地的生意人，更不能錯過逛花市！買上一兩盆好花放在店里，寓意來年生意紅紅火火，猶如這鮮花般充滿活力，所謂“花開燦爛，今年必好生意”！

但如果你只是想買上一兩盆便宜的漂亮花，在除夕夜12點左右來逛花市就最合適不過了！到了午夜12時，迎春爆竹聲響起后，如果花多客少，花價馬上暴跌，這時買花幾乎是“半買半送”，所謂“想便就夜來”。

花花世界，繁多盛大！百年除夕花市，綿綿不斷的迎春花潮，寓意著人們對美好生活的孜孜追求和期盼，也寓意著人們無論在順境逆境中，都對未來保持希望和熱情，如同這鮮花般，年年歲歲照常開！