蒸个“花馍”求吉祥

蒸个“花馍”求吉祥 蒸个“花馍”求吉祥 在山东省莒县至今还流传着这么一种风俗:每年春节前后或夏日麦收之后，家家就开 始蒸花馍、祭祖先、祈平安、求吉祥。 至于蒸花馍的来由已无从考证，但从现代人蒸“花馍”的风俗看，已不再是为了祭祖求 神的目的了。据莒县小店镇公家庄的黄庆雪大嫂介绍，老辈人蒸花馍，可能是因为那时物品 稀缺，钱粮困窘，所以只能用仅有的“面粉细粮”做成“花馍”来寄托对幸福日子的向往。现在 做“花馍”，则完全是种“闲情雅趣”了。 黄嫂还讲，现在蒸花馍也不只限于逢年过节了，平时也做，就是为了图个乐。 其实原先蒸的“花馍”品种很多、很杂，时令不同蒸出的“花儿”也不一样。 每年的大年三十下午，要蒸“鱼型”的花馍，百姓叫“压锅”。寓示来年家有余粮、生活 富足、年年有余。正月初一吃第一顿饭时，要有家里的长者先把“鱼花馍”的“鱼头”吃掉，图 个开头吉祥。 农历腊月二十三，民间说法叫“小年”，是春节这个“大年”的前奏。从这天开始就要进 入春节的“节前准备”，其中百姓蒸“枣馍”就是准备工作的主要事项。这种“枣馍”俗称“枣山”。 “枣山”是用一小条揉好的面将红枣的小部分裹住，然后再将这些裹好的枣由多到少一层一层 的排成小山一样的“花馍”,表示下一年里不仅有饭吃，而且日子一天会比一天红火，就像登 山一样步步高。 夏天收割麦子时，要蒸小鸟、小刺猬等小动物的“花馍”。因为夏天是各种小动物最欢 快的季节。庄稼丰收了，用“百鸟呈祥”来欢庆丰收的喜悦心情。不过，蒸熟的“小鸟”要先祭 拜天神、祈求年年丰收。 儿女结婚时蒸一对“鱼”花馍，不仅预祝小两口日子过得宽绰，而且还有恩爱的祝福。 今年春节前后，黄嫂也和其他人家一样，蒸了很多“花馍”，今后的日子当然会越来越 好的。 In Juxian County of Shandong Province, until now, a folk custom is very popular. Every year, before and after the Spring Festival as well as after wheat harvest in the summer, every family steams “Huamo,” a kind of bun with special patterns, to offer sacrifices to ancestors, pray for safety and luck in the next year. Nobody can tell when the custom started though nowadays the local people don’t steam “Huamo” for offering sacrifices to ancestors and praying for luck any more. According to analysis of Huang Qingxue, a lady of Gongjia Village, Xiaodian Town, previously, since people were poor, and wheat flour was scare, people steamed “Huamo” with the rare flower to express their wish of happy life. Now, people steam “Huamo,” different from the previous decades, just for fun. Lady Huang also tells that with the improvement of life, people don’t steam “Huamo” on occasion of festivals any more. For fun, “Huamo” is steamed at any time. Usually, the patterns of “Huamo” vary a lot. In according to festivals and seasons, the patterns of “Huamo” are changed. In the afternoon of the last day of the lunar year, people steam fish-shaped “Huamo” to imply bumper harvests and rich living in the next year. During the first dinner of the first day of the lunar year, the eldest person in the family will eat the “fish head” on the “Huomo” to be after a propitious beginning. According to Chinese lunar year calendars, the 23rd of the twelfth month of the lunar year is the Preliminary Eve before eve of the lunar year. From this day, Chinese people are used to making preparation for the Spring Festival. In Junxian, steaming “Zaomo” (Date Bun) takes important position in the preparation. People call the bun “Zaoshan” (Date Mountain) instead of “Zaomo.” When making “Zaoshan,” people wrap a small part of a date with dough, then laying a mountain-like bun with the wrapped dates to imply that in the next year people will not only have enough food but also will make their lives improved as a mountain towering higher and higher. In summer time, when harvest wheat, people steam animal-shaped “Huamo,” such as bird- and hedgehog-shaped. Since summer is the most joyful time for various animals. On occasion a bumper harvest, people celebrate their happy emotion with the bird-shaped “Huamo.” Of course, people first offer the steamed “birds” to the heavenly god as sacrifices to pray for bumper harvests every year.