Nian Li (in mandarin, “Nin Lai" in Cantonese,) is a unique traditional festival in the west of Guangdong Province, China. "Nian" means a year in Mandarin Chinese, while “Li” means a routine. The combination of these two words means a routine of a year. Thus, people celebrate Nian Li once a year.
Among various traditional festivals in China, Lunar New Year must be the most bustling one. However, in areas of the west of Guangdong province and the south of the Five Ridges, Nian Li seems more important to local people. It is a festival full of folk cultural custom and local color. It is so busy that the road is virtually paralyzed by traffic at about 5 or 6 o’clock, the peak time---even traffic police must show up to conduct the traffic.
Nian Li promote the economic development of the west of Guangdong Province. During Nian Li period, one of the traditional activities, a grand banquet, rises the price of meat, vegetable and fruit apparently. Moreover, for better welcoming Nian Li, villagers also construct the infrastructures, like repairing roads and building bridges; they buy kinds of furniture and electrical appliancesand decorate their houses; troupes perform for the ceremonies of Nian Li;[1] peddlers set temporary stalls in villages.[2] All these well promote the local economy.
Nian Li is also called Lunar New Year Fair in some places, but differing from the traditional festival Lunar New Year Fair in China, it is a local festival celebrated in villages of Wuchuan, Guangdong, Zhanjiang and neighboring Dianbai District, Huazhou, Guangdong, Xinyi, Guangdong, Gaozhou, Guangdong, Maonan District, Mao Guang, Yangchun of Maoming, Guangdong province.
| Nian Li located in | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Hanzi | |||||
| 1 | Maonan District | Chinese: 茂南区 | ||||
| 2 | Dianbai District | Chinese: 电白区 | ||||
| 3 | Huazhou City | Chinese: 化州市 | ||||
| 4 | Xinyi City | Chinese: 信宜市 | ||||
| 5 | Gaozhou City | Chinese: 高州市 | ||||
| 6 | Maogang | Maogang City | Chinese: 茂港 | |||
| 7 | Yangchun | Yangchun City | Chinese: 阳春 | |||
| 8 | Wuchuan, Guangdong | Chinese: 吴川 | ||||
Nian Li is a local way to celebrate Chinese New Year in the west of Guangdong province. Ancient people regarded the growth cycle of grain as a year. From 《说文。禾部》,“a year ends when the grain gets ripe”.[3] Prior to Tang dynasty, aborigines in the western part of what is now Guangdong province did not have the custom of celebrating the Spring Festival. Instead, they had a traditional harvest festival. That is, when the grain got ripe, they feted to celebrate good harvest and pray for good weather for the crops. In the 163rd volume of 《太平寰宇记》in Song dynasty, the custom of Xin Yi was described as, “谷熟时里閈同取，戌日为腊，男女盛服，推髻徒跣，聚会作歌”.[4] It means that the last day of a year is the day when grain gets ripe. On that day, boys and girls dress themselves and have a party, dancing, singing and making poems. This is the earliest description about Nian Li.
In the late Qing dynasty, many counties’ documents recorded this kind of activities as a custom, showing its developing tendency at that time.
Recent years, with its unique local color and tradition, Nian Li has attracted more and more people's attention including people at home and abroad, and even some experts in folklore. It is predictable that the west of Guangdong province would have a bright prospect in characteristic tourism, once the special traditional custom Nian Li combines with its supreme geographic environment.[1]
In general, Nian Li is organized by the village committee with the money mainly collecting money from villages. Every family funds according to the number of their family members.Similar to the Spring Festival, when the Nian Li comes, most people will come back to their villages to hold their Nian Li. Generally, Nian Li has three parts—Worship, Feast, and Parade.
People worship their ancestors and local land Gods in Nian Li, praying for their families' health and a good weather for grain. In that day's morning, people get up early to prepare the sacrificial offerings, including chicken, pork, incense, liquor, some snacks and so no. With these sacrificial offerings, they worship their ancestors and local land gods respectively. Then, in the evening, they unite and worship the local gods again, which are called “摆醮”.[5]
The feast is the highlight of Nian Li. It is usually in afternoon. But some places may differ. On that day, people invite all their friends and relatives to the feast. This is a good way to improve and maintain the relationship among friends and relatives.Every family has its own menu, but one thing is sure. It must be a square meal. There are at least 10 dishes including meats, vegetables, soups and desserts. And from the types of dishes, we can judge whether the host is wealthy or not. Many people choose to go around villages in their Nian Li because they can eat freely in any family on that day. There is a saying that a village in its Nian Li is the heaven of foodies. Choosing one house and entering in, you can get your “free lunch”there. Using this method, they can even support themselves pennilessly for a month through traveling around villages.
After the feast, the parade of gods starts. Villagers and guests stand beside the road to watch the parade. Some young and strong villagers go to the temple and hold a rite to invite the gods. Then, they shoulder the gods' sculptures to parade. Except for the presenting of gods, the parade also includes Lion dance, which is very popular in Guangdong province.[6] After the parade, the gods are sent back to the temple. Then, the “摆醮” starts.
According to the 163rd volume of 《太平寰宇记》, Nian Li originated from Song dynasty and became popular in Ming dynasty. Until Qing dynasty, it reached its peak. Because of its unique custom activities, Nian Li were recorded by various of county documents. Nowadays, these records become important evidence for the study of Nian Li.
Nian Li did not disappear when other fetes, celebrating new year, were forbidden in the early People's Republic of China. It continued to prevail with its own unique customs. After Chinese Civil War, it was stopped once, then recovered gradually until the 1980s. Nowadays, this festival still prevails over the west of Guangdong province
There are many versions of Nian Li's origins, but none of them is exactly certain.