【节日文化介绍】家乡的传统婚俗与节日礼仪——感受民俗文化的魅力

迎亲习俗：家乡婚礼的第一幕

我的家乡坐落在江南水乡，那里的人们依旧保留着颇具仪式感的婚礼传统。迎亲，是整个婚礼仪式的第一幕，承载着对新人、两家人乃至整个村落的祝福和期待。

清晨，新娘在家中梳妆打扮，红盖头下，静待迎亲队伍的到来。迎亲车队往往用红绸缎装饰，锣鼓声响起，亲朋好友簇拥而至。新郎和伴郎哼唱着乡间小调，走过熟悉的巷道来到新娘家门前。

敲门礼是迎亲过程中的关键一环。新郎站在新娘家门外，手中往往捧着一篮象征吉祥的小礼物——如糖果、红枣、栗子。女方亲友会提出“考题”：例如“请说出新郎新娘相识的时间”“请唱一段乡歌”。这是为了调动气氛，也象征男方对女方家庭的尊重与诚意。

敲门成功后，新郎进入屋内迎接新娘。此刻，新娘家长微笑致意，亲友齐声祝福。随后进入敬茶环节：新人分别向双方父母奉上一杯热茶，茶杯装饰红色，寓意吉庆。父母喝茶后回份为红包，抑或鼓励新人结婚后的责任与担当。这一礼仪，既是对长辈的敬意，也是新人承诺家庭的宣言。

茶礼结束后，别具一格的“闹新房”环节应运而生。亲友团会在新房门前设置小游戏：捉迷藏、问答谜题、新郎要通过“考验”才能进入。新娘则坐在被祝福满布的花轿中。此时的闹房虽带着调皮与笑声，却也满载着祝福，希望新人在生活中如游戏般配合默契、快乐无忧。

看到迎亲这一整个流程，我仿佛看见古老而温柔的礼仪正在与我们同在。从最初的敲门到最后的新房闹剧，每一个细节都刻录着人与人之间的情感、人与家乡之间的纽带。这不只是两个家庭合并的仪式，更是家乡人情味的集中体现。

在现代社会，迎亲仪式也发生了变化：有的家庭简化流程、提高效率，有的新郎自驾、迎亲车换成旅游车。但无论形式如何改变，那份“新郎进女家”“敬茶”“众人闹新房”所代表的情感意涵，都在持续被继承。家乡婚礼的迎亲习俗，是我们对故乡文化的热爱，也是我们对亲情与友情的珍视。

这第一幕，承载了礼仪与温度，传统与当下，以及我们对文化的记忆与敬意。

The Bridal Procession: First Act of Hometown Wedding Traditions

My hometown lies in the water-bound region of Jiangnan, where people still preserve wedding traditions full of ritual and warmth. The bridal procession marks the first act of the wedding, carrying blessings and expectations for the couple, their families, and even the whole village.

At dawn, the bride is escorted in her home, adorned with a red veil, waiting quietly for the arrival of the procession. The bridal cortege is often decorated with red ribbons, the sound of gongs and drums fills the air, and relatives and friends gather. The groom and his groomsmen hum local folk songs as they walk down familiar lanes toward the bride’s house.

The door-knocking ritual is a key part of the procession. The groom stands outside the bride’s door, holding a basket of auspicious small gifts—like candies, red dates, and chestnuts. The bride’s friends and family pose “tests”: for example “When did the bride and groom meet?” or “Sing a verse of a village song.” It’s meant to enliven the atmosphere and symbolize the groom’s respect and sincerity toward the bride’s family.

When the door-knocking is successful, the groom enters and greets the bride. At that moment, the bride’s parents smile and the guests offer blessings. Then comes the tea ceremony: the couple each offer a cup of hot tea to their parents. The teacups are decorated in red, symbolizing happiness. After drinking the tea, the parents respond with red envelopes, or with words encouraging the couple’s responsibilities and commitment after marriage. This ritual is both a sign of respect to elders and a declaration of the couple’s promise to build a family.

After the tea ritual, a playful “new-room teasing” takes place. Friends and relatives set games in front of the bridal chamber: hide-and-seek, quiz riddles, the groom undergoing “tests” to enter. The bride sits in the wedding sedan chair decorated with well-wishes. Although the teasing is full of laughs, it is loaded with blessings—hoping the new couple will cooperate like a game, joyful and carefree in life.

Watching the entire procession, I seem to see an ancient and tender ritual living alongside us. From the door-knock to the final new-room jests, every detail records the feelings between people, the bond with our hometown. It is not merely a union of two families, but the concentrated expression of hometown warmth.

In modern society, the bridal procession has changed too: some families simplify the process for efficiency, some grooms drive themselves, the wedding car becomes a tourist van. But no matter how the form changes, the emotional meaning represented by “the groom enters the bride’s house,” “tea ceremony,” “teasing the bridal room” continues to be passed on. The procession in a hometown wedding is our love for our native culture, and our regard for kinship and friendship.

This first act carries ritual and warmth, tradition and the present, and our memory and reverence for culture.

节日庆典：贴春联到元宵灯谜的年味记忆

每逢春节，我的家乡便进入一种热闹而期待的状态。从腊月二十三的小年开始，街巷里挂起了红灯笼，门楣贴上了春联，空气中弥漫着甜香的年味。

贴春联是一项传统却被每个人珍视的仪式。大年三十前，家家户户在门外贴上红色对联。上联通常写“迎春纳福”，下联写“富贵安康”；横批则是“福满人间”或“喜迎八方”。贴春联并不是一句简单的文字游戏，而是将对新一年美好生活的期盼贴在家门口，一家人一起参与，表达对幸福生活的共同祝愿。

除夕夜，家人围坐餐桌前，品味年夜饭——一道道传统佳肴从厨房搬上桌：红烧鱼象征年年有余，饺子象征团圆。饭后，全家一同守岁，聊天、看春晚、偶尔出门放鞭炮。漫天的烟火为夜色增色，也象征新的开始。

到了正月十五，便是元宵节。傍晚时分，村里的广场会点起花灯，彩绸绕灯杆，灯谜卡片挂满灯笼。大家挑灯笼、提灯笼，孩子们奔跑嬉闹，长辈们微笑聊天。一边猜谜一边喝元宵——那种甜糯的口感配上清冷的夜风，带来一种温润的乡情。

灯谜有趣又富含文化：谜底往往与历史典故、诗词歌赋、乡音俚语相关。有时候是“天上七星一条龙”，有时是“前山后水两相望”。解开谜底的人获得一小红包，喜悦在灯光中散开。灯谜其实是文化传承的一种形式，它让年轻一代在游戏中接触传统，在欢笑中理解意义。

另外值得一提的还有清明扫墓习俗。虽说不属于春节庆典，却是我们家乡在节日序列中不可或缺的一环。到清明那日，家人一同前往祖坟，修整墓碑、献上鲜花、焚香并朗读先人的名字。这个简单的仪式，承载的是对根与源的敬意，也是家乡人对时间流逝和生命延续的深思。

在城市化、现代化的背景下，这些节日礼仪当然也有改变：贴春联也许变成打印好的电子对联；元宵猜灯谜可能在社区活动室开幕。但核心不变：贴起红联、点起花灯、围坐元宵、扫墓祭祖，这些仪式让我们记住自己来自何处，也提醒我们要珍视传统与亲情。

节日是家乡文化的一面镜子，让人折射出乡愁与温暖。在那个贴春联、猜灯谜的夜晚，我似乎又回到了儿时的身影，听见爷爷的话语，看见炉边的暖光。那份年味，正是在这些传统礼仪中缓缓燃起，照亮我们对家乡的热爱与思考。

Festival Celebrations: From Spring Couplets to Lantern Riddles, the Memories of the New Year

Whenever the Spring Festival approaches, my hometown enters a state of bustle and expectation. From Xiaonian on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, red lanterns hang in the alleys, couplets are pasted on door frames, and the air fills with the sweet fragrance of the new year.

Putting up spring couplets is a tradition cherished by everyone. Before Lunar New Year's Eve, every household pastes red couplets outside the door. The upper couplet often reads “Welcoming Spring and Receiving Good Fortune,” the lower reads “Wealth and Health,” and the horizontal inscription may say “Fortune fills the world” or “Joy welcomes all directions.” Pasting the couplets isn’t merely about words—it places our hope for a better year at the threshold of the house, a family-wide act of shared blessing.

On New Year’s Eve, the family gathers round the table for the reunion dinner—dishes laden with symbolism: braised fish stands for “surplus every year,” dumplings stand for reunion. After dinner, the family may stay up together: chatting, watching the Spring Festival Gala, perhaps stepping out to set off firecrackers. The fireworks across the sky brighten the night and symbolize a fresh start.

When the fifteenth of the first lunar month arrives, it’s the Lantern Festival. At dusk, the village plaza lights up with lanterns, ribbons swirling around lamp poles, cards with riddles hung from lanterns. People pick lanterns, hold lanterns, children run and laugh, elders chat with gentle smiles. While guessing riddles, everyone basks in the warm glow—and eats yuanxiao sweet dumplings. The chewy sweetness and the cool night breeze bring a gentle hometown feeling.

The riddle-games are fun yet cultural: the answers often link to historical tales, classical poetry, or local dialect phrases. Sometimes a riddle says “Seven stars in heaven draw a dragon,” other times “Front hill and back water gaze at each other.” If you solve a riddle, you might get a small red envelope; that moment of joy spreads in the lantern-glow. The riddles are a form of cultural inheritance—they let the young engage tradition through play, laugh while learning meaning.

Another ceremony worth mentioning is the Qingming tomb-sweeping. Though it doesn’t belong to the Spring Festival cycle, in our hometown it’s still an indispensable ritual. On Qingming Day, family members jointly visit ancestral graves: clean the tombstone, offer fresh flowers, burn incense, and recite names of ancestors. The simple act carries respect for roots and origins, and reflects our contemplations on time passing and lives continuing.

In the backdrop of urbanization and modernization, of course these festival rituals have changed: spring couplets may be printed electronically; lantern riddle clubs may happen in community centers. But the core remains: affixing red couplets, lighting lanterns, gathering for yuanxiao, sweeping the tombs—these rituals help us remember where we come from and remind us to cherish tradition and family.

Festivals are like a mirror of hometown culture, reflecting homesickness and warmth. On those nights when we pasted couplets and guessed lantern riddles, I seemed to re-visit my childhood figure, heard my grandfather’s voice, saw the glow by the stove. That flavor of the year—rising gently in those traditional ceremonies—lights up our love and reflection for our hometown.