Introduction to Local Customs of Yulin
Yulin boasts time-honored and simple folk traditions. When farmers in mountainous areas build cave dwellings, they first invite a geomancer to inspect the terrain, determine the orientation and pick an auspicious date. Cave dwellings come in diverse elaborate styles. Their facades are chiseled with fine craftsmanship, with covered corridors and rain basins in front. Window lattices feature crisscross lines of varying lengths, forming exquisite decorative patterns.
Wealthy families in urban areas reside in large tile-roofed houses with high ridges. The traditional courtyard houses have a two-section layout with sheltered corridors and grand gate structures adorned with carved patterns and colorful paintings. For prominent clans, stone flagpoles and stone lions stand in front of the main gate. The gate tower is paved with polished bricks, accompanied by a screen wall. A moon gate separates the front and rear yards: the front yard houses studies and reception rooms, while the rear yard serves as living quarters for family members.
Yulin experiences four distinct seasons. Spring and autumn see sharp temperature fluctuations and frequent sandstorms. Local proverbs vividly depict the local climate: "Wear cotton-padded clothes and gloves in the morning, light shirts and straw hats at noon, and goggles and masks at night"; and "Fur coats in the morning, gauze garments at noon; sitting by the stove and eating watermelons even in warm hours".
Local Cuisine
Dining habits vary across different regions of Yulin. People living on the northern grasslands favor fried millet, milk tea, cheese cakes, ghee, yellow rice and pork stewed with pickled vegetables. Residents in the western Sanbian area prefer buckwheat noodles in various styles, lamb and other buckwheat-based foods, such as chopped noodles, thick paste, cold jelly and noodle bowls. People in the southeast enjoy cowpea congee and hand-torn noodles.
The region abounds in distinctive snacks: fruit-filled pastries from Zizhou, pork intestines from Mizhi, fried twisted buns with dark starch noodles from Suide, dry crispy buns from Zhenchuan, horseshoe pastries from Jiaxian, fried soybean milk curd from Yulin, sheet jelly from Shenmu, pancakes from Qingjian and hawthorn rolls from Fugu, each with a unique flavor. Other local delicacies rarely found elsewhere include lamb offal soup, fermented grain congee, assorted meat stew, rice wine and thick soup.
Local people attach great importance to traditional festivals with a host of age-old customs. Though some carry superstitious elements, they embody people’s blessings for the future and yearnings for a better life.
- On the 1st day of the first lunar month, people pay New Year calls to relatives and friends.
- On the 5th day, they perform rituals to send away misfortune and welcome the God of Wealth.
- The 6th day is regarded as a minor New Year celebration, and the 7th day is for social visits.
- The 12th day features the folk tale of the Mouse’s Wedding.
- The 15th day marks the Lantern Festival, the peak of festive celebrations. People perform yangge dances, walk through winding maze formations, admire lanterns, build fire towers and set off fireworks. The whole city is filled with lights, music, firecrackers and cheerful laughter.
On the 16th day of the first lunar month, people hold the Illness-Burning Ritual. Every household lights bonfires in the yard. People jump over the flames and hold their clothes over the fire, praying for good health and fortune.
On the Dragon Raising its Head Day (2nd day of the second lunar month), families eat longan-shaped buns in the morning, and sharing steamed buns is called "biting the dragon head".
For the Qingming Festival, people eat yellow pancakes. In northern counties, locals knead dough into figurines of frogs, snakes, fish and birds, symbolizing the revival of all living things.
During the Dragon Boat Festival (5th day of the fifth lunar month), people eat zongzi, and hang mugwort and calamus at doorways to ward off evil spirits.
On the 6th day of the sixth lunar month, new wheat is harvested, and farmers taste the newly-grown grain.
On the Ghost Festival (15th day of the seventh lunar month), villagers visit ancestral tombs with fruits and melons. Before dawn, they hang yellow and white paper streamers over the best-growing crops in the fields, praying for a bumper harvest.
On the Mid-Autumn Festival (15th day of the eighth lunar month), families gather to admire the full moon and enjoy mooncakes and seasonal fruits.
On the Double Ninth Festival (9th day of the ninth lunar month), people climb mountains, appreciate chrysanthemums and drink wine.
On the Winter Solstice, families stew pork and lamb bones, a custom known as "enduring the winter".
On the 8th day of the twelfth lunar month, people eat mixed grain congee, or Laba porridge.
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, people bid farewell to the Kitchen God. In old times, people stuck sugar on the Kitchen God’s shrine, hoping he would "speak good words in heaven and bring blessings back to the household". After this day, families start purchasing New Year goods and preparing for the Spring Festival.
On New Year’s Eve, after breakfast, people pay homage to ancestors at tombs. Back home, they paste Spring Festival couplets, hang red lanterns and build fire towers. Lamps stay lit all night. The whole family enjoys the New Year’s Eve dinner and stays up late to welcome the new year. Elders put New Year money under children’s pillows as a blessing.
Wedding Customs
Weddings and the Closing the Dragon’s Mouth house-completion ritual are two most distinctive local traditions. Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, early marriage was common in Yulin. When arranging marriages, families emphasized matching social status, good conduct and compatible birth horoscopes. There were strict taboos: a maternal aunt was not allowed to be a matchmaker for the bride; people within five generations of the same clan were forbidden to marry. Old sayings warned that if a paternal or maternal aunt acted as matchmaker, the couple would live in constant conflict.
Traditional wedding rituals retain ancient customs. After the bride and groom take their seats in the bridal chamber, fine hair on their faces is plucked, a ritual called "beautifying the face". The couple then combs their hair together, symbolizing a lifelong bond as husband and wife. Finally, they exchange goblets and drink nuptial wine.
Architectural Customs
The Closing the Dragon’s Mouth ceremony is held when building cave dwellings or houses. When installing the main beam of a house or finishing the top of a cave dwelling, a geomancer selects an auspicious time. People paste festive couplets, set off firecrackers and play traditional music. A craftsman scatters a mixture of five cereals and broken cakes while singing folk chants. The chief builder holds a red cloth, and places five cereals, colored silk threads, cloth strips, pebbles, writing brushes, ink slabs and books into the gap (the Dragon’s Mouth). The gap is then quickly sealed with bricks or stones, completing the ritual.
When the family moves into the new residence, neighbors and friends come to congratulate them, a custom called "warming the cave dwelling". A feast is usually held in the evening. Guests bring gifts, and the host welcomes them at the gate amid firecrackers. Everyone feasts, chats and sings drinking songs until late at night.
Yulin’s simple and ancient folk customs reflect the virtues of diligence, frugality, honesty and kindness of people in northern Shaanxi. The rich folk culture fully expresses local people’s sincere yearning and prayers for a happy life.
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