White-Headed Couplets-Commemorating the Anti-Aggression History in Pingtan

In the traditional Chinese New Year customs, replacing the old couplets with vibrant red ones symbolizes people's heartfelt blessings for a new and prosperous life in the coming year. In Pingtan, alongside the conventional red couplets, there is a custom of pasting White-Headed Couplets during the Lunar New Year.

Nowadays this unique Pingtan tradition is fading as younger generations prefer the visually appealing red couplets with patterns.

Additionally, after building a new house, it is customary for Pingtan locals to return to their ancestral homes during the New Year to paste couplets, symbolizing the importance of remembering one's roots and wishing prosperity for their ancestors.

Why does Pingtan have the tradition of pasting White-Headed Couplets? According to Pingtan folklore expert Lai Min, the practice is related to Pingtan's history of resisting Japanese invasions. It is said that during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, Japanese pirates invaded Pingtan, Fuqing, Putian, and other neighboring areas, causing havoc. On the New Year's Eve of the forty-first year of Jiajing, while the locals were busy preparing for the long-awaited reunion feast, Japanese pirates suddenly attacked. Young men and women fled to the mountains, leaving behind the elderly and children, some of whom fell victim to the invaders. In mourning, people added a strip of white paper to the top of the already pasted couplets to express their sorrow. This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation.

The juxtaposition of the festive red and the solemn white in the couplets, symbolizing joy and caution, creates a particularly warm and precious atmosphere. It is a perpetual reminder for the people of Pingtan of the hardships they endured, passed down to future generations in the form of a cultural tradition—a "blood-stained eternal memory."

Pingtan author Nian Jiasheng recalled that in his youth, he didn't understand the significance of White-Headed Couplets. One year, while pasting regular couplets at home, he discovered a strip of white paper on the red couplet and was about to tear it off when his mother stopped him. She explained that both of his great-grandparents had lost their lives during the anti-Japanese struggle, emphasizing the importance of pasting White-Headed Couplets. Since then, he has held a deep respect for this tradition.

• 上一页
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 下一页
• 全文阅读