The habit of moving at night originated from the Miao people in Yunnan. There is a saying of "Eighteen Yunnan Monsters" in the Hengshan area, one of which is moving at night. At that time, the Miao people there lived in poverty. In order to find a more suitable living environment for a better life, they often moved their families at night.
Moving in the middle of the night is not a local custom in Lu'an. In Lu'an, moving is done during the day. Among the moving customs, the most common ones are setting off firecrackers and "burning the bottom of the pot." On the one hand, setting off firecrackers is to drive away bad luck with the sound of firecrackers, and on the other hand, it also expresses the joy of moving into a new house. In the past, people lived in single houses and were more cautious about ghosts and gods in folklore. With the development of the times, people no longer believe that setting off firecrackers can drive away bad luck. Folks setting off firecrackers are purely for celebration. The so-called "burning the bottom of the pot" means that the owner's friends gather together to celebrate the owner's move. They usually carry firewood to express their best wishes and hope that the owner will live a prosperous life after moving into the new home. Holding firewood to celebrate someone else's move has been eliminated by the times, but the custom of friends joining together to express blessings is still followed.
Ma Qijun (Associate Professor of Wanxi College)
Setting off firecrackers is a psychological need of citizens. As an important part of traditional culture, setting off firecrackers has many functions. Whether it is a happy event or a funeral, some people set off a firecracker to heighten the atmosphere and vent their emotions. The root cause is the national psychology and traditional habits of the Han nation. The long-term farming life of the Han people has led them to very much hope for stability and long-term, and they attach great importance to seeking blessings and exorcising evil spirits. Setting off firecrackers just satisfies their psychological needs.
In the past, when moving to a new house, we were very particular about Feng Shui and had many taboos. We were afraid of unlucky things. We paid great attention to it almost from the beginning of laying the foundation stone, and every aspect was related to praying for blessings. Now, although people live in residential communities, Feng Shui and the construction process are not within the control of the residents, but they still affect the lives of ordinary people to a greater or lesser extent.
As for setting off firecrackers in the middle of the night after moving to a new house, Professor Ma’s understanding is that 12 o’clock is also midnight the next day, which is the moment when the old and the new change every day. People choose this moment for its symbolic meaning and leave their past life behind. way to enter a better living environment and track. Ultimately this is psychological.
As people’s lives change, things that were once understandable are slowly changing. In the past, people lived in scattered places, and moving happened occasionally. Even setting off firecrackers in the middle of the night would not cause any trouble to others. But now, people live together in urban areas, and every move affects the lives of others. We should face up to whether our personal lifestyle will have adverse effects on others. While seeking happiness for our own families and psychological peace, we should also pay attention to Considering the public and the general environment, other methods can be used, such as posting Spring Festival couplets, to express the pursuit and demand for a better life.
Xu Zhengying (folklore expert)
There is no custom of moving in the middle of the night in Lu'an. In the past, urban residents usually moved during the day, and residents in surrounding rural areas also chose to move at dawn. During the process of moving, the sky gradually became brighter, which means "the more you move, the brighter it gets."