Teochew Traditional Customs (潮州民间禁忌)

潮州民间禁忌 (Teochew Traditional Customs)

 

平时，妇女除年老者外，不能全身穿黑色衣服，更不能穿它做客。除了带孝的妇人，发上不能戴白花、黑花发卡。女人的裤子尤其裤衩不能晾晒在人家常走的路上。

 

For Teochew old grannies, they are not allowed to wear fully-black color clothing.

 

As for those who are not mourning for someone, they are not supposed to put any white-flower or black-flower hair-pins on their head.

 

Ladies’ pants are not allowed to be hung on/along pathways that are frequently-used by people.

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孩子吃饭不能用盘、碟盛饭，这样会使肠肚变浅，长大后气量变小，胸怀狭窄。

While having meals, children are not allowed to use plates for their rice, the Teochews believed that by doing so, the stomachs of these children will turn shallow and when they grow-up, they will become very petty and stingy people.

 

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不能让孩子吃饭时离开饭桌，否则孩子读书会象吃饭一样精神不集中，魂不守舍。吃饭时，桌上的菜必须是双数，不能奇数。潮人忌吃三个菜，那是死囚伏法前吃的。

 

During meals, children are not supposed to leave the table or dining-area, if not, these children will not be able to concentrate during their studies. 

 

On the dining table, for every meal, the number of dishes prepared must in even number, for the Teochew Customs, 3 dishes (odd) are only mend for Prisoners.

 

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在结婚的喜席上，客人不能吃鸡肉盘子里的“四点金”——鸡头、双翅、尾巴。

 

During Wedding Dinner, guests are not allowed to eat the “Four Treasures” – which are, Chicken Head, a pair of Chicken Wings and the Chicken “Buttock”.

 

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主人请喝工夫茶，不能不喝，如果不喝，这叫却之不恭。

 

For Teochew Customs, when Owner of the house served you with Chinese Tea (Kung-fu Tea), you will have to drink it, if not, this will show dis-respect to the owner.

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前屋后、村前村后的古树老木如榕、松、柏等称作“风水树”，有树神，不能咒骂、撒尿，更不能伤笋砍伐。

Trees infront, at the back of houses or villages, are all consider as Deities. No one is to make any comments about the trees, reprimands them, urine on them or hurt them using any objects.

 

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路上不能拾树上掉下来的水果，捡塘里跳上来的鱼，或捉洞里爬出来的穿山甲，更不能拿它们作赠送亲友的礼物。

 

No one is to pick any fruits dropped from the trees, bring back any fishes that “jumped-up” from ponds or catch any ant-eaters that crawl-out from holes. Needless to say, never give them to anyone as gifts.

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庆、节日也有许多禁忌。如：喜庆节日、送亲朋出远门最忌摔坏杯、盘、锅、碗，这会被看作美好的事物被破坏，很难复原。

During Festivals, no-one is to break any items, if this will to happen, the Teochews believed that all the Good-things will be broken and difficult to “put them back” (all good luck will be affected).

 

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再如：正月初仪不能举行婚礼，中元节前后一个月不作夜行，中秋节供品应是斋品，娘家不留已婚的女儿过冬节等。

 

During the 1^st Lunar Month, couples are not allowed to marry, one month before and after the 7^th Lunar Month – people are not allowed to go-out during night, Offerings for Mid-Autumn shall be all vegetarian stuffs and married-off daughters are not allowed to go-back to their parents’ place for Dong-Zhi Festival (Winter).

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礼节上的禁忌也颇多。如：给人送喜礼或喜钱要偶数不可奇数，还须贴上一小方块大红纸。

For giving tokens to Wedding or Happy Occasions, the amount must in Even.

 

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相反，办丧事就得用奇数而不能用偶数。

 

Whereas for Funerals, the amount must be in Odd.

 

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探亲访友看望病人要在上午，不能在下午，只有送葬出殡才在下午进行的事。

 

While visiting a patient, the visiting time shall be in the morning (before 12noon), cos the Teochews believed that after 12noon, such timings are mend for Funeral.

 

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平时用语要避开说“七日”、“百日”，那是办丧事的术语。

 

For daily/normal conversations, try to avoid using sentences like: “7days”, “100days” or anything associate with Funeral.

 

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人在屋外死后，不能再抬回家里，家里死了人，向亲朋报丧时，只能站在门外，不能进入屋里。

 

Anyone will to pass-on outside his/her home, the corpse is not allowed to be carried into the house.

 

While doing informing on someone’s passing-on, the person who went to do the informing can only stand outside the house or main gate.

 

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怀孕的妇女不能抱人家的孩子。

 

Pregnant ladies are not allowed to carry other people’s children.

 

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儿辈不能提长辈的名字，生活中遇到与长辈名字相同或谐音的物、事要绕开，或称别称，儿辈取名更不能取与长辈的名字有相同的字。

 

Younger generations are not allowed to directly say-out any Older generations’ names or titles.

 

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平时通信中禁忌用红色水写信封字、信内正文。因为只有休书，亡人的报丧信件才用红字书写。

 

While writing letters or any other documents, try to avoid Red-color ink, cos Red-ink can only be used in Divorce-letter or letter-of-Condolence.

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祭拜祖先忌用无带皮的肉，去掉鳞的鱼，否则是对祖先不恭、不孝。

While preparing Offerings for Ancestors, never used meats that are without any skins or fishes without any scales, this shows dis-respect to the Ancestors.