On the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, the whole family woke up early. After a hurried breakfast, they got busy. For after the fifteenth day, the Lunar New Year would be officially over, and everyone would return to their usual routines.
Therefore, on this day, everyone worked together, preparing for the Lantern Festival celebration on the fifteenth.
Chen Lan also woke up early. Today, the adults would be busy. The women would prepare *yuanxiao* for the festival, while the men would write riddle clues on lanterns to be hung for every household. Most of the riddles were conceived by Uncle De and Uncle Fu, with Chen Lan contributing a small number herself.
When Chen Lan carried the twins downstairs, she saw her mother-in-law and Mother Cui already rolling *yuanxiao*. Yes, that’s right, *yuanxiao* are made by rolling!
This method of preparing *yuanxiao* was quite involved. In the Northeast, *yuanxiao* are not made by hand-wrapping fillings. Instead, they are rolled into shape using filling.
First, the fillings such as white sugar, rose, sesame, nuts, and bean paste, purchased by Chen Lan from the system, were cut into small pieces. Glutinous rice flour was placed in a large sieve. The cut filling pieces were then added to the glutinous rice flour, and the sieve was continuously shaken. This allowed the glutinous rice flour to adhere to the filling in layers. As the filling pieces were coated with glutinous rice flour, they grew larger with each shake. In this way, white, round *yuanxiao* were rolled.
The symbolism of *yuanxiao* is family reunion, completeness, happiness, and peace. Eating *yuanxiao* represents togetherness and harmony, wishing for a more prosperous life.
As the saying goes, harmony brings wealth! Family harmony and reunion are extremely important for any household.
Chen Lan settled the twins down to play with a seesaw, watching them entertain themselves. The younger ones were asleep, and her mother-in-law was leisurely sipping tea on the sofa.
Seeing that there was nothing for her to do, Chen Lan went into the kitchen to watch her mother-in-law and Mother Cui roll *yuanxiao*.
As she entered the kitchen, she heard Chun Cao explaining the local customs and traditions of the Lantern Festival in the Northeast to everyone. She was currently describing the custom of "sending lights" to deceased relatives in the ancestral graves on the Lantern Festival night.
This involved sending them a lamp to illuminate their way home, hoping they would find a new path with the light and be reborn as humans soon, leading a happy life.
The lamps sent were bowl-shaped, made from soybean flour. Twelve such lamps were made for the twelve months of the year. On the rim of each bowl, twelve small serrations of varying numbers were pinched. After the dough lamps were steamed and cooled to harden, oil was poured into the bowls, and a wick made of thread was placed inside.
At lantern-lighting time, these lamps were lit on the window sills outside the house, on the doorsteps, and in front of the granary. Sawdust mixed with oil was sprinkled from the house entrance to the gravesite, with a lit lamp placed at intervals. The small, bean-sized lights formed a continuous glow, known as "shared by heaven and earth," called "sending lights."
During "sending lights," people came and went. Families carried lanterns, paper money, and firecrackers to their ancestral graves.
After returning from sending lights, they lit lamps in every possible spot in their own courtyards, illuminating the area. This was to provide light for lonely spirits who had no one to send them lights or burn paper for them, hoping they too would find a new path with the light and be reborn as humans.
Upon hearing this, Chen Lan's hair stood on end. She wondered if her transmigration to the 1950s was somehow related to this "sending lights" custom.
As her mother-in-law and others were present, and it was still the New Year period, Chen Lan dared not indulge her curiosity and ask Chun Cao, "What does it mean to light lamps in front of the granary?" She had to suppress her curiosity and continue listening to her introduce the local customs of the Northeast.
She then heard Chun Cao talking about the custom of "walking a hundred illnesses" on the Lantern Festival. Chen Lan was familiar with this custom. "Walking a hundred illnesses," also known as "wandering a hundred illnesses," "dispelling a hundred illnesses," or "crossing bridges," was a recreational activity to eliminate disaster and pray for peace and health.
When night fell on the Lantern Festival, people of all ages would leave their homes to stroll around. They would go in groups of three to five, enjoying the lanterns displayed by each household while chatting.
There was a tradition of crossing every bridge, especially for those with poor health. It was believed that by crossing multiple bridges and "walking a hundred illnesses," one could dispel ailments, regain health, and prolong life.
Seeing everyone listening with great interest, Chun Cao then told them about the "Zhaoli Gugu" dance performed on the Lantern Festival night.
Chen Lan, her mother-in-law, and Mother Cui became even more intrigued, looking at Chun Cao expectantly.
Chun Cao did not hesitate and immediately began to narrate. "This (Zhaoli Gugu) originates from a legend. It is said that a village maiden, while washing vegetables by the river one day, used a sieve tied with a red string as a small boat to ferry Nurhaci, the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty, who was being pursued by the Ming army. She was venerated as a goddess by the Manchu people. Later, people performed the (Zhaoli Gugu) dance on the Lantern Festival night to commemorate her and express their reverence."
Chen Lan couldn't help but ask curiously, "Sister Chun Cao, what does the (Zhaoli Gugu) look like?"
Chun Cao smiled and explained, "It is a bamboo sieve. White paper is pasted on the convex side, and a girl's face is drawn on the paper. Rouge is applied, a colorful headscarf is tied, and a velvet flower is added, thus becoming Zhaoli Gugu. Then, a clever, intelligent, beautiful, and truthful girl of thirteen or fourteen years old, elaborately dressed, holding the Zhaoli Gugu, would enter the crowd and dance."
Next, Chun Cao introduced the "hiding lights" custom unique to the Northeast during the Lantern Festival.
Chen Lan and her mother-in-law had never heard of this before, and their curiosity was piqued.
Chun Cao explained, "Newlyweds married for less than a year must be taken by their relatives to 'hide lights' before dark. They are not allowed to return to their maternal homes, to prevent any ill effects on the elders of the family."
While listening to Chun Cao describe the customs of the Northeast, everyone continued their work, and soon, the *yuanxiao* were rolled.
At this point, Chun Cao mentioned the custom of drinking "bright eye soup" on the fourteenth day of the first lunar month. Chun Cao looked up and saw everyone watching her, awaiting the continuation. She immediately began, "There is a folk saying that drinking 'bright eye soup' on the fourteenth day of the first lunar month signifies that the year is almost over, and everyone should start to refocus. As the year's plan begins in spring, everyone should muster their spirits and prepare for the new year. Drinking a bowl of bright eye soup will clear one's mind and vision, making children smarter and adults more diligent."
Chen Lan felt she had not heard enough about the customs of the Northeast. These simple and rustic traditions embodied the wisdom of the people and their longing for a better life.