最忆胶东“辞灶”

Memory of“Sending off the Kitchen God”in Jiaodong

今天是农历腊月二十三,在我的故乡胶东半岛,这一天是送灶王爷“上天言好事”的日子,故称“辞灶”。关于灶王爷的故事,版本很多,在我童年印象中最初的版本是这样的:听母亲讲,灶王爷名叫张郎,娶了两个媳妇:一个叫郭丁香,为人忠厚善良;一个叫李海棠,为人不怎么样。后来,张郎听信了李海棠的谗言,休了郭丁香。不想一场大火,不仅烧掉了张郎的所有家产,还熏瞎了张郎两只眼睛。李海棠见张郎又穷又瞎,于是弃张郎而去。

The common portrait of the Kitchen God in rural areas in Jiaodongwas a wooden new year picture in bright colors reflecting an atmosphere of happiness.On the top of the picture was a white strip titled “Kitchen Garden Riding on the Horse,”commonly called the“kitchen horse.”On the day when people made farewell to the Kitchen God,they shouldcut down the“kitchen horse”and place it in the pile of beans or corns harvested,called“feeding the horse”to ensure the horse of Kitchen God will not be hungry on the way.By the evening when they sent off the Kitchen God to the heaven,they would burn it along with paper made to resemble money and burned as an offering to the dead.