What is the legend of killing ducks in Mid-Autumn Festival?

Legend of killing ducks in the Central Plains Festival;

1, legend 1

Legend has it that the deceased ancestors would go home to visit relatives on Mid-Autumn Festival and cross Naihe Bridge, but they could not cross Naihe Bridge without a boat. Therefore, the living should send some ducks down, let them swim and bring them back. With the passage of time, eating ducks on Halloween has become a tradition.

2. Legend 2

Legend has it that going to the "underworld" requires crossing the river. There is only one Naihe Bridge on the river, and there are too many messengers. The bridge is so crowded that ducks can swim to the other side with sacrifices. Therefore, ducks are the main sacrifices on the Mid-Autumn Festival. After the sacrificial ceremony, the remaining ducks were "scattered", so the custom of eating ducks in the Mid-Autumn Festival was handed down.

3. Legend 3

Mid-Autumn Festival is also a festival to worship ancestors. People say that chicken can't be used as a sacrifice to ancestors at this time, because the chicken's claws will dig up all the money and things given to ancestors, and the thoughts of the younger generation will not be transmitted to ancestors. In this way, our descendants will not be guaranteed, so we can't let chickens perform this task, so we will send ducks.

Folklore experts believe that before planting rice in rural areas of Guangxi, every household would buy about ten ducks to raise. After cutting rice, ducks can eat millet and earthworms in the field, thus reducing the cost. When planting rice in the second season, farmers began to kill ducks for the festival in order to reward themselves. As time goes on, people are used to eating ducks on this day.

Extended data:

Besides eating ducks, other customs of Mid-Autumn Festival include:

1 discharge lamp

River lanterns are also called "lotus lanterns". Generally speaking, they put lights or candles on the base, and put them in rivers, lakes and oceans on the Mid-Autumn Festival to let them float. The purpose of the river lantern is to drown ghosts and other ghosts in Purdue water. Setting off river lanterns, especially in the Yellow River, is very spectacular.

Step 2 burn street clothes

This is a folk custom that has been preserved since the opening of Hong Kong. As soon as people enter the seventh month of the lunar calendar, they will take incense sticks, gold and silver paper and some sacrifices, such as tofu and rice, and go to the roadside to worship after dark. The purpose of people "burning street clothes" is to let those helpless souls have clothes to keep out the cold and food to fill their stomachs.

Step 3 make eggplant cakes

People think that eggplant cake can be used as dry food for the late ancestors to attend the Lanpen meeting. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, every household in old Nanjing will make eggplant cakes, which are made by shredding fresh eggplant, adding flour and frying in oil. In fact, eggplant cake is now a common home-cooked dish. If you want to eat it, you can always make a plate to relieve your hunger.

4, burning paper

In Sichuan province, there is a custom of burning paper to worship ancestors in the Central Plains. That is, a stack of banknotes is sealed in a small envelope, and the name and title of the recipient, the number of envelopes received, and the name and time of the person who changed the silk are written on the envelope. It is said that the Gate of Ghost was closed on July 15, and all families should "send their children to Shigu".