Slaughtering the New Year Pig

Slaughtering the New Year Pig

　　As the Heqing Basin enters the depths of winter in the tenth lunar month, the climate turns unusually cold under the influence of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Added to this is the sight of snowmelt gurgling cheerfully down from the mountain, the water crystal clear and sparkling as if it were freshly polished stainless steelware just out of a store, gleaming with new light. This is the perfect time for every Bai household to slaughter the New Year pig, as well as to cure ham, blowfish liver, and pork tendon vinegar... The pig-slaughtering begins—family, friends, colleagues, and classmates are called together to the modest courtyard of a home, where everyone pitches in. The warm atmosphere transcends the mere act of butchering a pig. These gatherings are brief yet joyful, and in this competitive age, they feel all the more precious and rare. Everyone merrily exchanges stories, sharing the ups and downs of life since they last met. At the break of dawn, some boil water, others tie up the pig, then comes the hair removal, the cutting off of the pig’s head, the disembowelment... Then the ham is sliced off, and the whole pig is neatly divided into small, storable pieces. Meanwhile, the women busy themselves at the stove, preparing the Bai people’s “Eight Great Dishes.” As the sun shines warmly over the land of HeYang, after the meal, it’s time to cure the ham, blowfish liver, and pork tendon vinegar.