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墨書 Inktalez
In our childhood, when a family built a tiled house and reached the roofing stage, there was an extremely important ceremony known as Distributing Celebration Buns. At that time, rural areas were generally poor, and any family that managed to build a tiled house would undoubtedly attract attention from the neighbors. On the day of the roofing ceremony (which we referred to as The tiles are laid; the house is complete., where the first "瓦" is a verb meaning to cover with tiles, and the latter "瓦" is a noun referring to the completed roof), neighbors of all ages would gather early to compete for the celebratory steamed buns.
Once the last tile was laid, the male head of the household would carry a basket covered with red cloth, filled with small white steamed buns dyed with red spots. The total number was usually 72, with two larger buns and the rest smaller. The contractor would solemnly accept the basket and climb up to the roof.
Friends from the south mentioned that in Jiangsu Rugao, they also recite auspicious phrases during the beam-raising ceremony. The master carpenter, known as Da Jiang, would climb up while striking his axe and reciting good wishes: " axe " (axe) strikes with a sound of " happy," as today the host builds Hua Tang, which is constructed on Longkou, and everyone joins together for this beam-raising.
In our region, there was no such practice. With the arrival of the basket of buns, we reached the climax of the ceremony. Once the buns were delivered to the roof, the contractor would announce loudly, "The auspicious time has arrived! Light the firecrackers and start throwing buns!" Then someone would ignite red firecrackers. As the firecrackers crackled loudly, the person responsible for Distributing Celebration Buns would sit on the ridge of the roof, holding the basket with one hand and tossing handfuls of buns into the crowd with the other. Some buns would land on heads, others on shoulders, and some even hit faces...
When the sound of firecrackers ceased and bun throwing ended, the person would turn the basket upside down to prove they had not kept any buns for themselves.
Even though Hu Ruoyun's family built a flat-roofed house, they still followed this ceremony. However, in addition to 72 celebratory buns, they also included a large bag of fruit candies in their basket, marking an innovative change in this tradition.
Another memorable ceremony related to new houses from my childhood was called Burying the Oil Lamp. When a new house was completed but before its floor was hardened, it was customary to bury five Deng Zhan (a sticky mixture made from steamed millet flour shaped like candles) at each corner of the house and in its center.
The entire ritual went like this: pits were dug at each corner inside the new house and at the main door. We would go to a temple to collect some soil and fill it into a measuring tool called Sheng (used for scooping grains). On our way back home, we would sprinkle soil while chanting: " Borrowing Your Land, return this soil; Borrow One Zhang, return Zhang Wu..." Upon returning home, we would light five Deng Zhan and place them in their respective pits. After lighting incense and offering sacrifices, five people would simultaneously bury them with any remaining soil from Sheng.
This entire ritual was called thanks to the earth god. It symbolized gratitude towards the deities governing land for blessing us with a successful completion of our house. The chant " Borrowing Your Land, return this soil; Borrow One Zhang, return Zhang Wu..." indicated that borrowing must be returned—borrowing one zhang but returning one and a half—showing our integrity and sincere gratitude while praying for peace and health in our new home.
Speaking of building houses brings me to another related custom: back then, if a family built a new house but did not move in immediately, they had to place a pair of shoes worn by a man inside the empty house. Elders said that leaving a new house vacant could attract Supernatural Creature (malevolent spirits), so placing shoes inside signified that someone lived there and discouraged disturbances.
There is also a related legend: when Si Ge's family completed their new house but went away for work with his wife while their son stayed with his grandparents, after finishing plastering the walls of their new home it remained empty. In their haste to leave, they forgot to place a pair of men's shoes inside.
At the end of the year, I returned home to celebrate the New Year, bringing my son Huan Huan from my grandparents' house to our new home.
The first night was restless; even though the three of us were asleep in bed, I kept hearing footsteps in the living room and the sound of furniture being moved around. Each time I turned on the light to check, there was nothing there. After several days of this, we were all exhausted, with dark circles under our eyes and a lack of energy.
When I mentioned this to the elders in the family, they were startled: "The house must have been occupied by some spirit or otherworldly being that is now causing disturbances." They suggested inviting a "master" to perform a ritual to reassert our "ownership" of the house and offered incense and paper offerings, pleading with the spirit to find another place to reside.
There are still some traditions that people observe. For instance, it is acceptable to eat in the "front door" area (the spot directly facing the entrance of the living room), but one should not sleep there. During hot summers when we were children, people in the village would often sleep on mats laid out on the ground with their doors wide open for ventilation.
However, sleeping in the "front door" area is believed to disrupt the passage of spirits and deities who cannot be seen by mortals. Those who disregard this rule and sleep there may experience "ghost pressing," where they feel awake but cannot move or speak.
As a result, older family members would warn us every summer: "Don't sleep in the 'front door'!"
Decades have passed, and many no longer adhere to these customs, nor have I heard any recent legends related to spirits.
Back to the topic at hand. Hu Qihua and Zhao Meirong followed traditions meticulously while building their new home, but there was a change during the "raising of the beam" ceremony: traditionally, a red cloth would be tied around a large wooden beam, but how could they do that with a steel and concrete structure?
In the end, Second Master Kuei came up with an idea: use red paper instead! They bought red paper and asked Master Shao to write with a brush:
"Solid as rock is the foundation laid,
Steel beams forged strong in their trade;
With pillars high, may fortune thrive,
Blessings abound as we come alive;
Joy surrounds us in every way,
Spring's light fills our yard each day."
The head of the household, Hu Qihua, properly affixed it to the concrete beam.
There are also some beliefs regarding planting trees in the yard. The most typical saying is: "Do not plant mulberry trees in front; do not plant willows behind; do not plant 'ghost clappers' in your yard!"
The elders say that "mulberry" sounds like "mourning," so planting mulberry trees in front of one's home is considered very unlucky. Willows are associated with darkness and can attract "unclean things." Additionally, willows do not bear seeds, which is thought to be detrimental for future generations. The word for willow sounds like "slip," implying that planting willows will cause wealth to slip away and not accumulate.
"Ghost clappers" refer to poplar trees; their leaves resemble hands and make a rustling sound when blown by the wind. This noise can be particularly eerie on stormy nights, resembling ghostly applause and is quite frightening.
I’m not sure if these taboos hold any truth, but they are still largely observed in my hometown today. Poplar trees grow quickly and are commonly planted in fields or village open spaces but are rarely found in private yards. Willows are generally treated similarly.
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