Seven dishes of huilai's unique customs

In Huilai, people cook seven vegetables in a pot on the seventh day of the first lunar month. The result is called seven dishes. This is a long-standing huilai custom, which can be traced back to the Jin Dynasty, Jin Yilang Dong Xun's "Answering questions and Customs" contains: "The first day of the first lunar month is chicken, the second day is dog, the third day is pig, the fourth day is sheep, the fifth day is ox, the sixth day is horse, and the seventh day is man". The day of people is also called "Rensheng Festival".

There is no clear stipulation about the seven dishes. Most of them are big dishes, spring vegetables, Chinese kale and thick lotus produced in Chaoshan, and there is no limit on how many dishes to put in each dish. In fact, people eat seven dishes on the seventh day of the first month, there is a certain scientific basis, at this time, spring, cold gradually warm, vegetables gradually up. Eat mixed vegetables, can make the stomach adapt to the seasonal change.

There is a legend that the seventh day of the first lunar month is the birthday of human beings. This origin comes from when Nuwa created the earth and heaven. When she made the first day, she made the chicken, the second day the dog, the third day the pig, the fourth day the sheep, the fifth day the ox, the sixth day the horse, and the seventh day the human, so the seventh day is called the human day. One must eat a cake made of seven vegetables every day, and then eat seven vegetables directly instead of making those cakes. Chaoshan place seven dishes cooked in the pot at noon, known as "seven soup". The seven dishes generally take radish, thick vegetables, Onions, garlic, leeks, celery, spring vegetables. Because radish take "innocent"; Leek commonly known as long vegetables, and spring vegetables take the same "perennial spring"; Onion take "smart"; Celery take diligence; Garlic, thick take "everything is worth it". Before eating the elders always say: the family is clear, spring returns to the New Year, smart and hardworking, everything is profitable, Pepsi no bogey.

The traditional "man-day" dishes are called "seven dishes". "Seven dishes", as the name suggests, refers to seven vegetables, five of which are usually fixed: celery, garlic, scallion, coriander (cilantro) and leek. Celery "qin" homonym "diligent"; Garlic homophonic "calculate"; Green onion homophonic "cong"; Coriander "Coriander" homonym "yuan"; Of leek "leek" homophonic "long", these 5 kinds of vegetables cooperate together, taste how or next, basically for Chinese New Year diagram auspicious. The other two are adapted to local customs and tastes. In some places, fish and meat are used as substitutes. Fish means "surplus every year", while meat means a rich life. Even fruit is used as substitutes. It is said that if you eat the "seven dishes", you can make a fortune by picking up gold and silver.

Therefore, the ancient custom of eating "seven dishes" on the seventh day of the first lunar month can be preserved in Chaoshan because of the good intention of the seven dishes, it makes people eat out of a good mood, but also sustains people's good wishes for prosperity, prosperity and good luck.