团圆饭，一年又一年

文／王雪芃

团圆饭，一年又一年

Lunar New Year's Reunion Dinner——Year by Year

文／王雪芃

○ —家人围坐在一起，吃团圆饭，喝团圆酒。The whole family get together and enjoy the reunion dinner on Lunar New Year's Eve.

过年讲究的是一种“年味儿”，也许越来越快的生活节奏冲淡了鞭炮声，但年夜饭的餐桌永远是“年味儿”的最强阵地。不论“春晚”是否好看，鞭炮声是否响亮，年夜饭总是最有滋味儿的念想。在一年中最重要的节日里，不论有多忙碌，不论相隔多远，紧握的车票总会带回最亲的人，在除夕之夜围坐在一起，吃一顿最丰盛的年夜饭。

据《荆楚岁时记》的记载，至少在南北朝时就已有吃年夜饭的习俗。农耕时代，农户人家全年省吃俭用喂猪养膘，只为了“三十儿”的年夜饭足够丰盛，寓意来年都“不断肉吃”。

如今，丰富的食材任人挑选，更多年轻人为图热闹方便选择去饭店“消费一顿好的”，而孩子们则已见惯了各种美食，围着饭桌玩比吃的有吸引力。看看桌前兴高采烈的孙辈，家里的老人乐得开怀也无限感慨：“你们啊赶上好时候啦，以前过年哪有这么幸福咯。”

在上世纪70年代，物资匮乏使得人们只得“囤白菜分带鱼”过年。过年作为解馋的大好时机，想吃一顿好点儿的年夜饭要半夜起床排好几个队，凭票购买食材。人口多的家庭要想办法去集市上将白面兑换成数量多的粗粮，最好的就是弄一个猪头，连皮一起煮成肉冻。对那时的孩子们来说，想吃年夜饭既要有力气还得机灵，除了帮大人扛白菜，还要在乱哄哄的买菜队伍中灵活地挤到前面，争取分得肥一点的肉。在忙活的空当还要有足够的智慧与耐心，在好吃的上桌之前，盯着冻梨、话梅、果脯的“馋猫儿”们会想尽各种办法趁父母不备偷偷“弄点出来解解馋”。

○ 紧握的车票总会带回最亲的人，在除夕这一天与家人团聚。The ticket will bring the closet relative back home to reunion.

1980年，随着生活条件的改善，集贸市场逐渐恢复，鸡肉猪肉扩大了供应量，从“难见荤腥”中解放出来的人们终于可以“放开了吃”。因此那个年代从初一到十五的饭桌上天天有肉，孩子们最幸福的就是年夜饭吃到一只大鸡腿。值得一提的是，1983年“春节晚会”登上了历史舞台，从此“看着春晚吃年夜饭”成了一种习俗，《难忘今宵》的歌声伴随着人们度过了一个又一个春节。

但不论哪个年代，除夕当天的年夜饭都讲究全家人参与，带着满满的幸福感投入到“年夜饭总动员”中，一整天都里外忙碌。“年夜饭我们家每年都是自己做，全家人一起忙活，会做酥锅、春卷、豆腐箱、水饺等各种传统淄博菜，总觉得自己做的才有年味。在家里一边看春晚，一边吃年夜饭，这感觉才是过年”，曾有人随机采访淄博市民对年夜饭的看法，绝大部分人仍然坚持着“年夜饭要团圆”的传统。

推开家门，妈妈奶奶系着围裙，灶台上炖着“硬菜”，一闻便知是最正宗的家乡味。脱下冒着寒气的大衣，捋起袖子搀和到洗菜淘米中，仿佛在腾腾的热气里，才终于卸下了一年的辛苦，真正回到了自在踏实的家。在一片甜蜜的嘈杂忙碌中，电视节目里的主持人声声道贺，喜气洋洋地问“年夜饭的饺子下锅了吗？”满桌丰盛的家乡菜，加之“饺子就酒，越喝越有”风俗，年夜饭的幸福味道让人大快朵颐。

当日子越过越快，过年的习俗也被冲刷着淡忘了许多，但人们对“吃”的讲究从未被撼动分毫。美味的饭食和对家人的思念在过年这个当口发生着更加奇妙的化学反应，在吃吃闹闹中，一年一度的大餐让家人之间的关系更为紧密。

山东人重礼重情，年夜饭在这两方面都有着重要的寓意。有人吃的是来年的好兆头，有人奔的是围坐在一起的阖家团圆，皮薄大馅儿的饺子已包不住这顿饭里蕴含的情谊。满桌的鱼肉海味代表着中国人对过去一年的感怀，对来年事事顺遂的祈盼。放下生活的烦劳与艰辛，专心致志地与家人投入过年的状态，在口腹和心理上都让人“鼓腹含哺”，才是年夜饭真正的意义所在。

(本文图片由山东图片库提供）

○ 不论哪个年代，过年最开心的总是孩子们。Children are the most cheerful group during the Spring Festival.

Celebrating Chinese New Year lays stress on a kind of "f lavor". Perhaps the increasingly fast pace of life dilutes the sound of firecrackers, but the New Year's Eve dinner has always taken up the strongest position for embodying the flavor of Chinese New Year. Whether the "Spring Festival Gala" is wonderful or not, whether the sound of firecrackers is loud enough or not, New Year's Eve dinner is always the most enjoyably thing existing at the bottom of people's hearts. In this most important festival of a year, no mat ter how busy they are, no matter how far away they are, the most pro-people will come back home with their tickets in their hands, sitting together with the family on the New Year's Eve day and enjoying the most sumptuous dinner.

In Rongcheng, New Year's Eve dinner is particular about the sumptuousness of food and drink. Whether the family is rich or poor, its table for the New Year's Eve dinner must be full of plates and bowls. It seems that people are anxious to exhaustively ref lect the whole year's income at the dinner table. They share the sumptuous dinner with the family, at the same time, praying for a good omen for the coming year. When life is getting faster and faster, people don't pay much attention to some New Year's custom, but people's stress on “eating” has never been reduced.

Shandong People emphasis on rites and friendship, and New Year's Eve dinner has impor tant meanings in both these two aspects. Some are for the good fortune of the coming year, while others are for the reunion of the whole family. Dumpling with thin wrapper and much filing is not big enough to cover the friendship of this meal. Laying aside the troubles and hardships of life and being dedicated to the New Year with the family make people “full” both in the diet and in psychology, which is the real significance of the New Year's Eve dinner.