轉載：年俗夢憶 陳雲

年俗夢憶　陳雲

上月某夜，夢見自己在荒山之巔，主持祭天大典。身穿的不是錦袍繡服，而是日用衣裳。醒來，想了幾日都不解。莫非自己前世是道官、祭司，甚至國君？後來想通了，都不是，應是兒時在除夕夜輔助母親祭天的殘留記憶。平民都可以祭天，主祭者又是婦人？正是。祭天是客家禮俗，俗稱拜天公，無神主無神廟，只在除夕深宵於荒野擺上供桌，樸素得令人深信，此乃中原古禮。

祭祀為首

祭品是未調味的白煮豬肉和生宰雞公，一碗生雞血，蔥、蒜、芫茜和青菜，一碗米酒，一束白茅，新鮮帶葉的桔。點上香燭，火光閃爍，在香薰裊裊與葷腥氣味之中禱告。之後，把祭品略減，到四方地界的社神拜祭（粵語稱社神為「土地公」，客家話稱「伯公」）。茫茫的天，沉沉的地，都祭過了，便是新年。

中國傳統風俗，是天地君親師的感應。當代香港的城市人，天地沒了（你還記得香港曾有過青天、星夜與連綿的禾田麼？），君主不存，師道衰微，親人零落，要維持風俗之首——年俗，真的無從說起。只能仿效宋人《夢粱錄》(1)、明人《陶庵夢憶》(2)，從祭祀、食饌、宜忌與情義，憶述童年在客家山村的過年勝景。

飲食為天

國以民為本，民以食為天，飯食與祭天同等重要。在食物仍是老實耕種出來的年代，飲食既珍貴又滋味。山村家庭辦的年貨，不是成品而是材料，麵粉、糯米粉、粘米粉、地豆（花生）、黃糖（蔗糖）、豬肉等。年二十過後，便造米層（粵語稱米通）、硬餅（炒米餅）、鹹肉（臘肉）、甜粄（年糕）、發粄（茶果）等耐放的食品；不耐放的各類油器，如象徵多子多孫的石榴狀的煎堆，則在年晚時開鑊來炸。炸煎堆油角時，大人訓示小孩安靜觀看，不要胡亂說煎堆裂了、油角散了之類的閑話，壞了新年的彩頭。小孩的語言宜忌，也在新年鍛煉。

耐放之食，也是耐飢之物，年糕、茶果等糯米粉製品，是過年之後開耕，於田間補充體力的食物。今人嫌它濃膩，掌犁耙、耘開田地以便耕種的農家，午飯之後，不久便飢腸轆轆，卻是十分受用。米通與米餅則是童吃。鄉下的年糕材料只是黃糖和糯米粉，不像城裏的，又放椰汁又放紅棗。用溫水溶了黃糖，慢慢放入糯米粉，直至粉漿簌然如淚水自指間滴下，濃淡便適中。媽媽一邊調粉漿，一邊訴說，以前在鄉下，一年到頭，外嫁的女人此刻最惦念娘家親戚。年糕一定要做得又圓又大，否則探望外家哪裏夠分？松源下的阿姑要一塊，觀瀾墟的舅父一塊，平湖的舅公又是一塊……。我父親是入贅女婿，媽媽的父母本就在家，其他的農村婦女思親之情，更為慘戚了。

要飲和食德，就要祭竈_（通灶）。要看見大柴竈，火光明滅，才感覺竈頭真的有神*。粉糰發酵和蒸糕的時候，廚房一陣濕霉暖香，在仍是乾燥寒冷的隆冬，這是歲晚的氣息。臘月二十四用甜膩、黏稠之食（如甜湯糰），酬謝竈神一年護佑，在除夕迎回竈神。年二十八斬竹，用頂端的竹葉灑掃屋瓦，廳堂正中的地主神位，也一年一度抹淨，香爐換上新灰，神牌簪花掛紅，再用柚葉水灑淨。若當年晦氣過甚，也可用柚葉水灑淨屋中四角。農村的器具大都就地取材，但也有新事物，如用舊裝生力大啤酒樽將炒花生研碎做餡，買希爾頓香煙送的大紅塑膠全盒可放蜜餞糖果。

色尚大紅

除夕團年飯之外，還得洗浴白茅、竹葉、柚葉與石菖蒲煮成的香湯，祓除穢氣，好等年初一守齋，這是名副其實的齋戒沐浴。開新年，必要身心清淨，初一守齋，是中國古禮，也有佛教於朔望兩日，戒殺懺悔之意，古稱「布薩食」（見《四分律羯磨疏》）(3)。新春尚紅，門聯是紅，爆竹是紅，小孩與女子的新衣也多是紅。紅色在山村是好看的。門板古舊斑駁，貼上大紅門聯，顯得福澤悠長；乾脆的泥草地，灑落點點紅的爆竹衣，如野花早開；粗糙乾黑的農家女子肌膚披上紅衣就艷麗好看。宵夜守歲，父母派的紅包（壓歲錢），當年用的是寫門聯的大紅紙裁製的，捏久了手掌也染紅。

現今城市五光十色，大紅就變得俗氣，要在樸素老實之地，才是正色。當年鄉下的門聯，也不俗氣，最常見的是「平安是福，富貴由天」、「厚德載福，和氣致祥」、「天增歲月人增壽，春滿乾坤福滿門」之類。揮春多是「龍馬精神」、「身壯力健」，豬欄牛欄貼「六畜平安」(4)。「學業進步」少見，當年兒童崇尚體格壯健，學業次之又次。貼「豬籠入水」、「馬運亨通」之類，是大逆不道，見不得人。

食重厚味

年初一要守靜，不拜年，居室不灑掃，言語要吉祥。年初二開年祈福，到至親之家拜年，年初三是赤口日，不拜年，可入廟參拜等。初二開年飯，往昔也無甚貴重之物。最美的是蒸大鵝，將鵝皮用南乳、蔥蒜、糖鹽豉油等塗抹，風乾半日，開油鑊炸得鵝皮香酥，再入鑊蒸。鵝身內藏金針、木耳、紅棗等，外鋪白菜乾。雜菜吸滿鵝油，嚼之滿嘴油光。其餘是腩肉煮芽菇（粵語叫茨菇或薯菇）(5)，客家鹹菜燜五花腩，炒擘仔（生菜）(6)，臘肉煮芹菜等農家粗食。魚反而是可有可無；「年年有餘」之類，山村的人不懂得祈求。不過，若是村裏有公家魚塘，年終乾塘分魚，開年可食鯉魚。用薑蔥烙煎之後，下水燜之，天然放養的鯉魚甚是滋味。如今街市，鯉魚成了賤物，少人問津。

在耕作為生的山村，老在當年是敬稱，即使是小家庭，也有鄰家父老看顧。父老口傳的風俗宜忌，開口多是客家話的口頭禪「老古言語……」，然後引出一段諺語或者典故。如祭竈，就講蒙正祭竈的故事——哎，那個蒙正，懷才不遇，窮苦不得志，只得半炷香祭竈，唸了首詩：「一炷清香一縷煙，竈君今日上青天，玉皇若問人間事，為道文章不值錢。」呂蒙正以至誠之心，就能感動神靈，多有保佑，結果官拜宰相。那是《論語》「祭如在」與《中庸》「至誠若神」的通俗講法了。

如意吉祥

如今我們物質尚算豐富，當然，食的是品種改造及化學防腐之物，用的是塑膠化纖之具，但生活總比以前寬裕。然而，城市生活禁忌過度，如謹慎財政、預備退休、擔心學業，物業管理處、商場石Q、康文署、房屋署、運輸署，處處用法律、規章和設施管人，比起過去的父老勸教，又講故事感化，殘酷得多了。城市人性格懦弱，心靈萎縮，其來有自也。連帶年節風俗，也是多一事不如少一事，大事化小，小事化無，祭祀廢弛不在話下，連年節飯菜也買現成的盆菜，煮熱就食——在過去，新年食翻熱的現成飯菜，是乞丐貧賤之家所為。收入豐厚，物質繁盛，竟落得個舉家丐餐。富貴之後，竟是貧賤，真是禮教淪落，人間何世。

一元復始，萬象更新。今日是年初一，依照古禮，宜靜居自省，重新做人，是故我可以老氣橫秋，說些重話_{（按：一笑）}，好等大家神清氣爽，迎春接福。

摘自陳雲散文集《農心匠意——香港城鄉風俗憶舊》頁103-109，原刊《明報》2007年2月18日。

作者自注：
(1)宋吳自牧撰，生平不詳。夢粱者，黃梁一夢也。寫於元軍攻陷臨安之後，山河色變，自序謂「時異事殊」，「緬懷往事，殆猶夢也」。
(2)明遺民張岱撰。張岱於明崇禎年間，放懷享樂，少有著述；明亡之後，感懷前朝舊事，回憶詩酒友儕之殞命與江浙風華之傷逝，憤而著作。《陶庵夢憶》首篇〈鍾山〉，記南京鍾山明陵祭天之事，哀悼江山失祭。
(3)印度教於月圓與月虧兩日，齋戒清淨。此兩日即陰曆的朔、望，中國夏曆曆法的初一、十五。佛陀承襲此風，與朔望兩日開講波羅體木叉，即「善法的根本依止說」。參與布薩的僧侶，如犯戒，必先依律懺悔，以保持僧團清淨，免礙修行。
(4)西洋也有豬槽守護神，聖安東尼（Saint Anthony）是也。其為修院派始創人，相傳撒旦化身惡豬來犯，為安東尼擊退，於是成了養豬守護。一九九八年夏，遊覽德國南部巴登——符騰堡州之聖喬治（Saint Georg）鎮，於小教堂目睹牧人向聖安東尼（德文為Saint Anton）聖像獻蠟燭。
(5)茨菇球形，連芽售賣，以南乳、蒜苗同燜，味比馬鈴薯略甜，且較爽脆。茨菇狀如童子陽物，寓意添丁，早生貴子。
(6)生菜可輕易用手擘開而食，故客家話俗稱擘仔。

*錄者按：不禁想起霍桑（Nathaniel Hawthorne）在"Fire Worship"一文裏所談的種種："It is a great revolution in social and domestic life... this almost universal exchange of the open fireplace for the cheerless and ungenial stove... I never shall be reconciled to this enormity... In one way or another... the inventions of mankind are fast blotting the picturesque, the poetic, and the beautiful out of human life. The domestic fire was a type of all these attributes, and seemed to bring might and majesty, and wild nature and a spiritual essence, into our inmost home, and yet to dwell with us in such friendliness that its mysteries and marvels excited no dismay... While a man was true to the fireside, so long would he be true to country and law, to the God whom his fathers worshipped, to the wife of his youth, and to all things else which instinct or religion has taught us to consider sacred.", "And I... to my shame, have put up stoves in kitchen and parlor and chamber. Wander where you will about the house, not a glimpse of the earth-born, heaven-aspiring fiend of Etna,—him that sports in the thunder-storm, the idol of the Ghebers, the devourer of cities, the forest-rioter and prairie-sweeper, the future destroyer of our earth, the old chimney-corner companion who mingled himself so sociably with household joys and sorrows,—not a glimpse of this mighty and kindly one will greet your eyes. He is now an invisible presence. There is his iron cage. Touch it, and he scorches your fingers...", "...the invaluable moral influences which we have lost by our desertion of the open fireplace... The effects will be more perceptible on our children and the generations that shall succeed them than on ourselves, the mechanism of whose life may remain unchanged, though its spirit be far other than it was... But we at least have our youthful recollections tinged with the glow of the hearth... though the sociable friend be forever departed, yet in a degree he will be spiritually present with us; and still more will the empty forms which were once full of his rejoicing presence continue to rule our manners. We shall draw our chairs together as we and our forefathers have been wont for thousands of years back, and sit around some blank and empty corner of the room, babbling with unreal cheerfulness of topics suitable to the homely fireside. A warmth from the past... will sometimes thaw the ice about our hearts; but it must be otherwise with our successors... There will be nothing to attract these poor children to one centre. They will never behold one another through that peculiar medium of vision the ruddy gleam of blazing wood or bituminous瀝青色的 coal—which gives the human spirit so deep an insight into its fellows and melts all humanity into one cordial heart of hearts. Domestic life, if it may still be termed domestic, will seek its separate corners, and never gather itself into groups(i.e. all are now grouped according to their functions). The easy gossip; the merry yet unambitious jest; the life-like, practical discussion of real matters in a casual way; the soul of truth which is so often incarnated in a simple fireside word,—will disappear from earth. Conversation will contract the air of debate, and all mortal intercourse be chilled with a fatal frost.", "In classic times, the exhortation to fight 'pro axis et focis,' for the altars and the hearths(i.e. more idiomatically translated as 'for hearth and home'), was considered the strongest appeal that could be made to patriotism. And it seemed an immortal utterance; for all subsequent ages and people have acknowledged its force and responded to it with the full portion of manhood that nature had assigned to each. Wisely were the altar and the hearth conjoined in one mighty sentence; for the hearth, too, had its kindred sanctity. Religion sat down beside it, not in the priestly robes which decorated and perhaps disguised her at the altar, but arrayed in a simple matron’s garb, and uttering her lessons with the tenderness of a mother’s voice and heart... FIGHT FOR YOUR STOVES! Not I, in faith."