From Lichun to Yuanxiao Dumplings

By Bian Chunyan

The character nian （year）， whose emotional connotations are widely associated with one’s family， country and the whole world， has an unparalleled significance in Chinese culture. Yet even in China， people of different places tend to celebrate the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival differently. Today we are going to introduce the traditional celebrations in Huzhou， a city along the Taihu Lake.

Historically speaking， the Chinese people of certain dynasties varied in deciding what the beginning of a year was. But they generally started to prepare for the new year rituals after the autumn harvest， especially after lichun， the first solar term in the Chinese lunar calendar which usually begins around February 4.

When lichun comes， Huzhou people always eat lichun rice as their festive routine. Lichun rice is made of indigenous ingredients， such as the top-quality lotus roots from the Shuangtang village， Daochang township， the versatile winter bamboo shoots， the Buddha’s hand-shaped Chinese yam， the turnips， and the most important of all — Huzhou rice.

To cook rice well， you always need a good hearth. Therefore， on the day of lichun， there is a sacrifice ceremony for the Kitchen God： with some incense sticks and water ready by the side， the portrait of the Kitchen God would be relined， and the head of the family， usually a male， would utter loudly some blessing words： “It is blessed to respect the elderly， the hearth and the land， so we humbly offer our water to the land and burn incense for the soil.” The son and his wife would cook a new pot of rice with mixed vegetables， which are popular in the Jiangnan （south of the Yangtze River） area.

The spring ox is an important part of rituals on lichun in honor of the farmers’ affection for the ox， their loyal working companion.

In the districts of Wuxing and Nanxun， regions of rivers and lakes， local farmers usually use fake oxen made of soil; in the mountainous areas in Deqing and Anji counties， the locals use real ones. Flipping the whips hard and high in the air， farmers would chant at the same time：

This is for the seasonable weather with timely rain;

This is for the stable country and peaceful people;

This is for a bumper grain harvest;

This is for the thriving of all domestic animals.

The surrounding crowd would cheer at every chant， and sprinkle on the oxen various kinds of grains， which， after falling into the soil， would be associated with harvest wishes. Through this gesture of giving back， the Huzhou farmers are expressing their gratitude for the land. Later， kids would pick up the harvest soil， and run to the paddy field and the bamboo forests to sprinkle the soil there. People believe that any places touched by the harvest soil will be expected to have a harvest for the year ahead.

Late into the night， a more grand folk activity “the Field Lantern” begins. With bonfire and the lanterns on， the folks chant loudly， wishing for better fortunes， health， safety， peace and harmony.

Following lichun is usually the 30th day of the 12th lunar month， the reunion dinner day. In ancient times， the reunion dinner for those living around the Taihu Lake was not as plentiful as it is now， but the cooks back then still managed to skillfully conjure up a feast out of humble ingredients， the core of which is the Huzhou rice. The holes in lotus roots are stuffed not only by sticky rice， but by the festive mood for the new year as well. After properly steamed， the lotus roots stuffed with sweet sticky rice are always syrup glazed and cut into pieces， which will magically disappear — well， into the naughty children’s stomach.

If we combine different kinds of rice， such as glutinous rice and japonica rice， we can make a kind of food that is more festive — the rice cakes. Chanting work songs， men wield a heavy stone hammer and strike hard and repeatedly onto the rice inside a stone mortar， and the rice will be slowly pounded into beautiful rice cakes.

During the Spring Festival， the Huzhou farmers ritually open the first pot of rose vinegar， which has been prepared since last summer. A full year of fermentation gives the Huzhou rose vinegar its signature rosy color and a magical taste， and this vinegar is an indispensable seasoning for all reunion dinners.

After the Chinese New Year’s Eve， the Lantern Festival is an occasion for the rice culture in this area to be on full display. There are seven kinds of plants randomly growing in the field or on the hills， which， however， are important ingredients for spring food. Moreover， the specially grounded rice powder is also significant， for it is indispensable to the making of yuanxiao dumplings.

The most consumed snack for the Lantern Festival is the yuanxiao dumplings. It is not only to be enjoyed in one’s own family， but to be shared within the whole community， which derives from a traditional social habit.

Lantern making is also a part of Huzhou people’s celebration of the Lantern Festival. And when the lanterns are put up on the 13th day of the first lunar month， the locals would wish for the rest of the day to be windless and when the lanterns are taken down on the 18th day of the same month， they would wish for the rest of the day to be rainless， because otherwise the whole year may allegedly suffer from either drought or flood. Besides， riddle guessing is another lantern-related activity which is a perfect occasion to invite relatives and friends over.

On the day of the Lantern Festival， the 15th day of the first lunar month， people will gather in the field after sunset and get ready for lightening the field treasure by burning haystacks and dry grasses： the higher the flame， the more treasure to come. It is followed by roaring drum beats to scare away possible floods in the coming year.

Endowed with good wishes of harmonious co-existence between human and nature， the reunion diner is the start of a new year for Chinese people. It is no small feat for the Huzhou people， who have been working hard on the land， to live peacefully with all the animals and plants and learn from the wisdom of their ancestors for hundreds of years.