The most interesting folklore

Chapter 3 The most interesting festival culture (3)
During the Shangsi Festival, the most important thing is to offer sacrifices to Gao Nu, the god who manages marriage and fertility.High naked, also known as suburban naked, got its name because it was offered in the suburbs.Naked is the same as the media, and naked comes from shame.The original tall nude is a female, and it is an adult female with a pregnancy shape.Some naked women in ancient times had well-developed thighs and breasts, and a protruding belly, which is a symbol of reproduction.

At first, the Shangsi Festival was a shamanistic activity. Through activities such as sacrificing high dishes, exorcising evil spirits and meeting men and women, it was used to eliminate disasters and avoid evil spirits, and pray for fertility.In this sense, Shangsi Festival is also a courtship festival and a fertility festival.After the Han Dynasty, although the Shangsi Festival was still a religious festival for all people to pray for children, and it is said that March [-]rd is the birthday of the Queen Mother of the West, it has become a grand event for nobles to show off their wealth and for people to go out for spring entertainment.This custom has changed a lot later, but it is rare now.

23. How did Qingming Festival come about?

Qingming is one of the 24 solar terms in our country.Since the 24 solar terms objectively reflect changes in temperature, rainfall, and phenology throughout the year, the ancient working people used them to arrange farming activities. "Huainanzi?"Tianwen Xun" says: "Fifteen days after the spring equinox, when the fight points to the second, the Qingming breeze will arrive." As soon as Qingming arrives, the temperature rises and the rainfall increases, which is a very good time for spring plowing and spring planting.

Tomb-sweeping Day is also known as Outing Qing Festival, March Festival, Ancestor Worship Festival, Tomb Sweeping Festival, Grave Sweeping Festival, Tree Planting Day, Ghost Festival, Ming Festival, etc.It is also known as the three famous "ghost festivals" in China, together with the Zhongyuan Festival on July [-]th and the Hanyi Festival on October [-]st (originally known as the Xiayuan Festival on October [-]th).Among the folk festivals in our country, Ching Ming Festival is composed of several different festivals.Because it covers many festivals such as Cold Food Festival, Qingming Festival, Shangsi Festival, Silkworm Flower Festival, etc., it has become a comprehensive and major folk festival second only to the Spring Festival in my country.Tomb-sweeping Day is a traditional festival in my country, and it is also the most important sacrificial festival. It is a day for worshiping ancestors and sweeping graves.Tomb-sweeping, commonly known as visiting the grave, is an activity of offering sacrifices to the dead. Most of the Han people and some ethnic minorities sweep the tombs on Tomb-sweeping Day.

However, as a festival, Qingming is different from pure solar terms.Solar terms are a symbol of phenological changes and seasonal order in our country, while festivals contain certain custom activities and certain commemorative significance.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Jie Zitui cut off the flesh of his own thigh and enshrined Duke Wen of Jin so that he could survive.After Jie Zitui became famous, he lived in seclusion in Mianshan, but Jin Wengong set fire to the mountain, forcing Jie Zitui to come back and become an official.Unexpectedly, Jie Zitui left a posthumous poem, determined to burn himself to death.He wrote in his poem: "Cut the flesh and serve the king with all his loyalty, I hope the lord will always be clear... I have a clear heart in Jiuquan, and I hope the king will be clear again." Jin Wengong was moved by Jie Zitui, and decreed that Jie Zitui should die for the Lord. Fireworks are strictly prohibited on a daily basis, and eating cold food is strictly prohibited, and this is the case every year.Later, because the days of Qingming and Hanshi were close, and Hanshi was the day when people banned fire and sweeping graves, gradually, Hanshi and Qingming merged into one, and Hanshi became another name of Qingming and a custom of Qingming. , No fireworks on Qingming Day, only eat cold food.Since then, it has been called "cold season" on the day of Ching Ming, also known as Ching Ming Festival.

24. What are the customs of Qingming Festival?
The Han people have the custom of wearing willows and inserting willows during the Qingming Festival.There are common proverbs such as "If you don't wear willows during the Qingming Festival, you will turn into a dog when you die", "If you don't wear willows during the Qingming Festival, you will turn into a yellow dog after death".Tomb-sweeping day is the ghost festival, and inserting willows and wearing willows actually have the witchcraft function of exorcising evil spirits and avoiding evil spirits, eliminating disasters and disasters.

In Jimo, Shandong, there is a custom for young women to hide during the Qingming Festival.It is said that on this day, a fierce god will descend to earth to catch the pretty girl.On this day, women are forbidden to do needlework, and they must go out for outings and swings.This is really an excellent excuse for young women to go out for outings and play, so there is a local saying "the year of Qingming for women".The new daughter-in-law who has just been married for a year will also return to her natal home on Qingming Festival, which is commonly known as "exchanging cold food".It is said that if you don't go back to your mother's house, your mother-in-law will die.

The customs of Qingming Festival are rich and interesting. In addition to cold food, fire ban, and tomb sweeping, there are also a series of custom sports activities such as outing, Cuju, cockfighting, tug-of-war, playing polo, kite flying, and swinging.According to legend, this is because cold food and fire are forbidden on Qingming Festival. In order to prevent cold food and cold food from hurting the body, people take part in some sports activities to exercise their bodies.Therefore, in this festival, there are not only tears of mourning and parting, but also laughter of outings and outings. It is a festival full of characteristics.

Swinging is a custom of Qingming Festival in ancient my country.Swinging was already a very common game in the Tang Dynasty, and became an important part of the custom of Qingming Festival.During the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, Qingming Festival was designated as the Swing Festival.

25. Who is eating rice dumplings on the Dragon Boat Festival to pay homage to?

The fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar is a traditional Chinese folk festival - the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as "Duanyang", "Pu Festival", "Tianzhong Festival", "Great Long Festival", "Mulan Festival", "Daughter's Day", "Children's Day".It is one of the traditional festivals of the Han nationality.

The Dragon Boat Festival is also called the Dragon Boat Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival.In addition, there are many other names for the Dragon Boat Festival, such as: Midday Festival, Chongwu Festival, May Festival, Yulan Festival, Girl's Day, Tianzhong Festival, Dila, Poet's Day, Dragon Day, Ai Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Summer Festival. section etc.Although the names are different, generally speaking, the festival customs of people from all over the world are more similar than different.

There is a traditional custom on the Dragon Boat Festival-making zongzi.Regarding the origin of making zongzi, the more popular saying is to commemorate Qu Yuan, a great patriotic poet in ancient my country.

According to legend, on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar in 278 BC, after Qu Yuan was martyred in the Miluo River, the people of Chu State every year on the fifth day of the fifth day of the fifth month of the fifth month of the lunar calendar would drive boats, put rice into bamboo tubes, and throw rice into the river to pay homage to Qu Yuan.During the reign of Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a man named Ou Hui in Changsha who said that he saw a man who claimed to be Qu Yuan, a doctor in Sanlv, and said to him: "The rice in bamboo tubes that you offer to me every year are swallowed by mosquito dragons." From now on, you can use bamboo leaves to plug the mouth of the bamboo tube, and then tie it with five-color silk thread, because the mosquito dragon is most afraid of these two things." After finishing speaking, the man disappeared.Later, Ou Hui told everyone about it, and everyone followed suit.It is said that
People began to make zongzi from this time.

26. What are the taboos of the Dragon Boat Festival?

The Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on May [-]th in the lunar calendar, is the most important traditional festival in summer in my country.May is the time when the scorching heat is approaching, and it is also the time when epidemics and pestilence are about to break out. From the perspective of modern medicine, the incidence of Japanese encephalitis and encephalomyelitis is the highest at this time. Therefore, the ancients believed that this It is a bad month.

Since it is a bad month, there will naturally be many taboos. It is not suitable to build a house. "Building a house in May will make people bald." If you don’t fall asleep, you’ll die if you add a mile; if you add a face, you’ll die a man; if you add a bed, your mother will die.” Do not shave your child’s head, otherwise, the child will be leprous and sick.Avoid too much rain, otherwise, the Lord will fail the harvest.As the saying goes: "Money can't buy drought in May, and full food in June when it's cloudy. May is cloudy and rainy, and the Jade Emperor sells his children."

There are many stories about the dead in May in ancient times, and even children born in May, especially on the fifth day of this month, are unlucky.Folks believe that when a child is born in May, all kinds of poisonous gases, diseases, and ghosts will invade the baby's body. If it is born, even if it is not killed, it must be sent to the grandmother's house or the riverside pool to avoid hitting the family.This kind of taboo is probably affected by induction witchcraft. May is a poisonous month with five poisons. Marriage, handover, and childbirth in this month must be affected by induction, although there are many high-ranking officials among those born on this day in this month. , Even the emperor, people are still unwilling to abandon this taboo, and they always have lingering fears.

In the Jianghuai area, during the Dragon Boat Festival, every family hangs a statue of Zhongkui to drive away evil spirits from the town house.It is said that Zhong Kui was born in the Tang Dynasty. Tang Minghuang Kaiyuan came back to the palace from Lishan to teach martial arts. He suffered from malaria. He dreamed of two ghosts, one big and one small. Run around the temple.The big ghost wears a blue robe and a hat, catches the little ghost, gouges out its eyes, and swallows it.

The Emperor Ming yelled and asked, and the big ghost played and said: My minister Zhong Kui, who went to Chang'an to take the exam and won the first prize, was dismissed because of his poor appearance, and died when he touched the palace steps in anger.Now I wish to rid the world of demons for His Majesty.After the Ming emperor woke up, the malaria was cured, so he asked the great painter Wu Daoyu to paint "Zhong Kui Catching Ghosts" according to what he saw in his dream, and hung the painting to drive away demons and suppress evil spirits, so that the palace that was haunted by ghosts and evil spirits was peaceful. .So Tang Minghuang named Zhong Kui the "Great God of Exorcism", and ordered all the people in the world to post it on Dragon Boat Festival to drive away evil spirits.According to later myths and legends, Zhong Kui was named the "Emperor of Exorcism" by the Jade Emperor.

Later, people hang the statue of Zhong Kui on the Dragon Boat Festival to suppress ghosts and ward off evil spirits, and it has become a custom to wish for family safety.

27. What are the customs of Lixia in ancient times?
Lixia falls on the 15th day after Grain Rain, when the sun reaches 45 degrees of the celestial longitude, around May [-]th in the Gregorian calendar. According to folk customs, this is the end of spring and the beginning of summer.According to the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty", when this day comes, the emperor will lead all the officials to the southern suburbs of the capital to welcome the summer.All the emperors and ministers wear scarlet clothes, wear red jade ornaments, ride red horses, and the chariots and flags are also red.This is because according to the concept of yin and yang and five elements, summer belongs to fire in the south, and its color is red.Therefore, when following the weather and going to the suburbs to welcome the arrival of summer, they should be decorated with red.This custom began in the pre-Qin period.

Later, Lixia also had festival activities such as trying new things.For example, there is a proverb in Suzhou that "Lixia sees three new things". The three new things are cherries, green plums, and swaddling wheat, which are used to worship ancestors.In Nantong, they eat boiled chicken and duck eggs. It is said that eating them will not prevent summer fever (Chinese medicine refers to a disease with long-term fever in summer, and most of the patients are children), so children must eat eggs on this day.Nanchang, Jiangxi eats rice noodles and meat on this day, which is called "supporting summer", which also means to prevent summer weight loss.It can be seen that there are many customs of trying new things in Lixia.

In addition, there is also the custom of weighing people's weight in Lixia.In the past, it was weighed with a pole, and the rope was hung from a tree: hang bamboo baskets or bamboo chairs to sit on, and the whole family sat on it to weigh themselves and recorded them. It also means paying attention to physical health in summer.

28. What are the main customs of the summer solstice?
Summer Solstice, also known as Summer Festival in ancient times.Cold food and cold food for heatstroke prevention are very popular in the summer solstice.As early as the Zhou Dynasty, there was a "Lingren" who specially managed ice politics for the royal family. Volume [-] of "Zhou Li": "The ice in the palm of the hand is the first year, and there are two months in ten, and the order to cut the ice is the third." Only enough ice is needed in summer (because the ice needs to melt by two-thirds).In summer, put the ice cubes in the bronze ice mirror and wait for it to melt to cool down.Later dynasties also had the custom of hiding ice in winter.The second volume of "Scenery of the Imperial Capital" in the Ming Dynasty also included the ice harvesting of the royal family in winter at that time.In summer, ice is taken out for cooling, and it is given to ministers in summer.Of course, the needs of the royal family must be met first.

"Yanjing Years Records": "From the hot summer day to the autumn day in the city, each yamen in the capital will give ice as a rule. At that time, the Ministry of Industry will issue ice tickets, and you can collect them yourself. The number is different, and each has a difference. "The folks don't give ice, so they mainly rely on purchases.Merchants store ice in winter, and sell it in seafood shops in midsummer as ice fish products, or sell it to hawkers in the cold drink business to freeze things, as recorded in "Qing Jia Lu".It is naturally cooler and more pleasant with frozen cold drinks.

During the summer solstice, there are also customs such as praying for rain or sunshine, and offering sacrifices to Tian Gong and Tian Po. In short, it is an activity related to agriculture to pray for a good harvest.Ancient emperors offered sacrifices to the gods of the earth on this day.

29. How to say the Nine Songs of the Summer Solstice

The summer solstice is 15 days after Eargrass, the sun reaches 90 degrees of the yellow longitude, and it begins around June 6 in the Gregorian calendar, which means that the heat has arrived.The temperature is gradually rising, and the summer crops are growing vigorously.A farming proverb says: "Grass in a cotton field at the summer solstice is better than a poisonous snake." The sun shines directly on the Tropic of Cancer, which is the longest day and the shortest night in the northern hemisphere. From then on, the days get longer and the nights get shorter.There is a folk song of counting nine in summer, which uses several pills to illustrate the process from the high temperature of the summer solstice to the gradual cooling. From the day of the summer solstice, every nine days is a stage, called 22, and so on. The ninth is ninety-nine and eighty-one.

From [-]th to [-]th, the fan is always in hand.

Three nine twenty-seven, ice water is as sweet as honey.

Four nine thirty-six, clothes soaked in sweat.

Five nine 45, tree head breeze dance.

Six nine 54, it's not too late to enjoy the cool.

Seventy-nine 63, night sleep Mo Gaidan.

Hachimaru 72, don't catch cold when Jc.

Ninety-nine 81, every family is looking for cotton clothes.

Shujiuge accurately reflects the process of temperature gradually changing from high to low, and also reflects the impact of climate on people's lives during this process.After the summer solstice is the busy season of farming, folk proverbs: "If you don't hoe the land in summer, you will be hungry in winter." "When it comes to the summer solstice, we can't stop hoeing."

30. What is the holiday on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month?

The sixth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar is Tiankuang Festival. Tiankuang means gift. It is also called Tianji Festival, June [-]th, Aunt’s Day, Insect King’s Day, Scripture Turning Festival, and the day of returning to one’s mother’s home. National joyful song festival.Tian Kuang Festival can be considered to be due to number worship.In ancient times, the folks listed the "sevenfolds" of January [-]st, February [-]nd, March [-]rd, May [-]th, June [-]th, July [-]th, and September [-]th as auspicious festivals.

Tiankuang Festival originated from Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng.On June [-] of a certain year, he claimed that God had given him a book from heaven, so he designated June [-] as Tiankuang Festival, and built a grand Tiankuang Hall in Dai Temple at the foot of Mount Tai.After this custom spread all over the country, a folk festival was formed.

Although the folk activities of Tiankuang Festival have been gradually forgotten by people, there are still some places left.People from Dongtai, Jiangsu, on this morning, the whole family should congratulate each other, and also eat a kind of cake crumbs made of flour mixed with sugar oil. There is a saying that "on June [-]th, meat will grow after eating cake crumbs".

In addition, the sixth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar is also called the Clothes Drying Festival. This time is between the minor heat and the major heat, which is the hottest dog day of the year.The sun irradiates the earth fiercely, and people have to rummage through the boxes and cabinets, and take out all the clothes to dry in the sun.

In some places, it is called "Insect Drying Festival". It is said that if the clothes are dried thoroughly on this day, there will be no mold and insects will not come to eat.Legend has it that the Dragon Lord, who specializes in cloud and rain, will also come out on this day to dry the dragon scales.Even temples are "not exempt from vulgarity", and the Tibetan scriptures must be turned over on this day.The monks encouraged the old women in the village to turn over the pages of scriptures, and said, "If you turn over the scriptures ten times, you will be transformed into a man in the next life."

There is another saying: "On June [-]th, cats and dogs take a bath together." At this time, it is midsummer and the sun is shining brightly. In order to prevent livestock from infesting lice, people bathe cats and dogs on this day, and farmers take cats and dogs to bathe. The dog drove to the river to take a bath.Cats and dogs play in the water on this day and have fun with children, so folks also call this day the birthday of cats and dogs.

31. Is the Bug King's Day on June [-]th?
June [-]th is also the Folk King of Insects Festival.Sacrificing to the insect king, such as Qingmiao God, General Liu Meng, Taiwei Locust Locust, etc., are all the insect king gods enshrined in various places.In order to pray for the safety of people and animals and a good harvest, there are many sacrificial activities on June [-]th.For example, there is a wax temple fair in Gaizhou, Liaoning, which is an activity to repel insects and pray for rain.There are countless arhat activities in Shanguo Temple in Beijing to account for good and bad luck.Shandong folks hold sacrifices to the God of Dongyue on June [-]th and hold Dongyue temple fairs.In some places, wheat kings are also worshipped, thinking that this day is the birthday of wheat kings.In some places, folks also believe that June [-]th is the birthday of jellyfish, and if it rains on that day, there will be a good harvest of jellyfish.The Torch Festival is widely celebrated in minority areas in Southwest China. According to tradition, it originated from the struggle for royal power within Nanzhao, and popular belief is related to the use of fire to prevent disasters.To this day, when the local people celebrate the Torch Festival, people still hold torches and parade in the fields and fields in order to expel insects.

32. Is Kuixing's birthday on the seventh day of July?

The seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is commonly known as "Kuixing's birthday". "Kuixing" is the name of the Big Dipper.The folks call it "Kuixing masters literary affairs".Scholars in eastern Fujian worship Kuixing, second only to Confucius, and there is a custom of "worshiping Kuixing" on "Qixi".

The ancient ceremony of "worshiping Kuixing" was also held under the moonlight. "Worshiping Kuixing" needs to paste a paper man (Kuixing) in advance: about two feet high, five or six inches wide, blue face around eyes, brocade robe and soap boots, left hand slanting the floating chest and red beard, right hand holding a vermilion pen, and put it on the case.The indispensable part of the sacrificial offering is the sheep's head (ram, with beard and horns), boiled, the two horns tied with red paper, placed on a plate, and placed in front of the "Kuixing" statue.Other offerings such as tea and wine are optional.

Those who participate in worshiping Kuixing will do it in the midst of candles and moonlight. After firing cannons and burning incense to worship, they will have a meal around the table in front of the incense table.After the show ended, the cannons were fired to burn the paper pots, and the statue of "Kuixing" was also burned together with the paper pots.What are the other names of Qiqiao Festival? The seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar is commonly known as Qiqiao Festival, and some people call it "Qixi Festival" and "Daughter's Day".It also has many other names:.double seven.On this day, the month and the day are all seven, so it is called this, and it is also weighed seven.

Fragrant Day: It is said that the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl will meet on this day, and the Weaver Girl will dress up, apply makeup and powder, so that the sky is full of fragrance, so it is called Fragrant Day.

Week: The location of the two stars of Cowherd and Vega is especially the week.

Qiaoxi: Because of the custom of begging for cleverness on Qixi Festival, it is called Qiaoxi.

Qixi Festival: Cowherd and Weaver Girl can only meet once every seven years, so this day is called Qixi Festival.

Women's Festival: The Qixi Festival is called Women's Day, also known as Girl's Day and Maiden's Day.

Lan Ye: The seventh month of the lunar calendar was called "Lan Yue" in ancient times, so Qixi Festival is also called "Lan Ye".

Children's Day: Because the customs of begging for cleverness and writing are mostly performed by girls and boys, it is called Children's Day.

Needle-threading Festival: Because there is a custom of needle-threading exhibition on this day, it is called the needle-threading festival.

33. What are the customs of Qiqiao Festival
Qiqiao Festival is the most romantic festival among traditional Chinese festivals, and it is also a day that girls and women value and love.The custom of begging for cleverness has been around since the Han Dynasty, and it was combined with the stories of Cowherd and Weaver Girl later.The needles used by Qiqiao have as many as double holes, five holes, seven holes, and nine holes.

On the night of Qixi Festival, girls hold silk threads and thread needles against the moonlight, and whoever passes through first will have a "coincident".Another skillful way to throw needles is to put a basin of water in the sun and expose it to the sun at noon on Qixi Festival. After a period of time, the dust in the air will form a film on the surface of the water.At this time, throw the needle in the water, and with the support of the film, the needle will float on the water.Look at the shadows of needles in the water. If they take the shape of clouds, flowers, birds and beasts, it is a coincidence.On the contrary, if there is a shadow as thin as a line and as thick as a mallet, it is not a coincidence.Some women collect all kinds of flowers, put them in copper basins filled with water, put them in the yard, and take them to rub on their faces the next day, which is said to make the skin soft and fair.Some women smash the wind fairy flower, take the juice, and dye the ring finger and little finger, which is called "red nail".Some women also sang the "Song of Begging for Skills": "Begging for skillful hands, begging for appearance, begging for understanding, begging for face, begging for my parents' thousand years, begging for my sisters for thousands of years."

The seventh night of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is commonly known as "Qixi".Among the folks in eastern Fujian, girls "worship the Weaver Girl" on Qixi Festival. The ceremony is very grand and interesting. Some young women who are married and have not given birth, hoping to have a son, go back to their natal homes to participate in the "Worship Weaver Girl" on this day.This is undoubtedly based on the psychology of ancient Chinese people worshiping nature. It is said that the "Qixi" Cowherd and Weaver Girl meet and other stories spread, which symbolizes the life of men and women in the agricultural economy and society. The custom.

(End of this chapter)