Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - The 24 Solar Terms - What are the taboos of the summer solstice solar terms? What are the customs and pressures from summer solstice?

What are the taboos of the summer solstice solar terms? What are the customs and pressures from summer solstice?

Lead: The solstice of summer is coming in a blink of an eye, which means that the hot summer is coming. Summer solstice is a special solar term among the 24 solar terms. Compared with other solar terms, people will pay more attention to it, so some custom activities and ceremonies will be held on this day. So, do you know what customs and stresses are there on the summer solstice? What are the taboos of the general folk summer solstice solar terms? Let's get to know each other.

What are the customs and pressures from summer solstice?

Sacrifice to gods and ancestors

The solstice in summer is the harvest season of wheat. Since ancient times, there has been the custom of offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors from summer solstice to pray for disaster relief and bumper harvest. From the Zhou Dynasty, every summer to Sunday, the imperial court held a grand sacrifice ceremony in the form of songs and dances and music. Therefore, it is recorded in Historical Records: "On the solstice of summer, music and dance are used to worship the land."

Summer solstice weigher

In ancient times, people were called from summer to sun. In order to test fatness and seek good luck, there was a custom of calling people from summer to sun in ancient times, which expressed the strong desire of the ancients to pray for beauty.

Improve the food of cattle.

On the day of summer solstice, there is an ancient custom of improving food for cattle. The ancients would cook wheat kernel soup to feed cattle on the solstice of summer. They all say that cattle are strong, can work and don't sweat.

Give each other some summer presents.

On the solstice of summer, ancient women had the custom of giving each other folding fans, powder and other things. "Youyang Miscellaneous Gifts and Differences" contains: "On the summer solstice, there were words when I entered the model and wrapped it in powder." Fan, thus generating wind. Powdered fat is used to dispel turbid qi caused by body heat to prevent miliaria. These are things commonly used in ancient times to cool off the heat, and ancient women gave each other gifts to cool off the heat.

Gourmet:

Xiazhi gourmet

Hot noodle soup: Some people like to eat hot noodle soup in hot summer, which is called "picking the pot". It is said to mean "evil". Eating hot noodles is to drive away evil spirits, and sweating more to drive away moisture and summer heat in the human body.

Solstice soup in summer: People in Changsha, Hunan eat dumplings made of glutinous rice flour and mouse grass on the summer solstice, which is called "Solstice soup in summer". There is a folk saying that "when you eat soup in summer, crushed stones will be trampled into pits" and "when you eat a ball in summer (pronounced" Tuo "), you cross the river with one foot", which means that swallows are strong and light.

Cold noodles with lettuce: In the past, there was a saying in old Beijing that "winter solstice wonton, summer solstice noodle". According to the custom of old Beijing, lettuce and cold noodles can be eaten as early as the solstice of summer every year. Eating these raw and cold foods can effectively help reduce fire and stimulate appetite, but it will not damage your health because it is too cold. Therefore, whenever summer solstice comes, cold noodles and other foods begin to be sold.

Summer solstice eggs: Hunan Hengyang, Chenzhou, Yongzhou and Xiangxi eat summer solstice eggs. On the summer solstice, the whole egg is cooked, peeled and cooked with red dates, which is called "eating summer solstice eggs". In Hunan, Jiahe, Lanshan and Guiyang mainly get up in the morning from summer solstice, cook the whole egg, dye the skin of the egg with red paper or red dye, put it in a small net bag and tie it on the chest of children until noon or afternoon, then peel off the eggshell and eat the egg. People think that eating eggs in summer solstice can strengthen the body, strengthen the stomach and keep pace. As the saying goes, "Eat eggs in summer solstice, and the slate is trampled."

Wonton: Wuxi people eat wonton at noon, which means chaos and harmony. There is a folk proverb: "Summer solstice wonton winter solstice group, four seasons Ankang people reunion." Another folk custom is to weigh the children after eating wonton stew, hoping that the children will gain weight and be healthy.

Litchi: Cantonese people in Guangzhou, Qinzhou and Yulin in Guangxi like to eat dog meat and litchi in summer solstice. They are not hot together. Eating a lot of litchi is easy to cause hypoglycemia, that is, "litchi disease", so it must be moderate.

Summer solstice cake: after the summer harvest, new wheat comes into the market, so it is a custom to eat noodles every day. Some people mix noodles with wheat flour and spread them into pancakes to bake cooked food. With vegetables, bean sprouts, tofu and bacon, it is usually called "summer solstice cake" after ancestor worship.

New wheat: In some places in Shandong Province, people have the custom of cooking new wheat from summer to sun. It is both a taste and a game for children to fish for new wheat grains in soup with a small fence made of new wheat straw.

Pea cake: On the solstice of summer, according to the custom of old Nanjing, adults let their children sit on the threshold and eat pea cakes to prevent various diseases. The origin of this custom is because the weather is hot in summer, and people don't think much about diet, so let children eat pea cakes first to appetize. In addition, old Nanjing will eat several bowls of cold noodles and weigh themselves on the solstice in summer.

Summer solstice noodles

Water crossing: on the day of summer solstice, all parts of Shandong should eat cold noodles, that is, water crossing. Weaving a delicate hedge with wheat straw and fishing for noodles in soup again and again is not only a meal for children, but also a fun game.

Cereal porridge: On the solstice of summer, people in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province eat cereal for breakfast. Cereal porridge is not only delicious, invigorating the spleen and nourishing the stomach, but also delicious for all ages in Xian Yi. It can effectively relieve people's loss of appetite during the "bitter summer" period, and at the same time, it can also eliminate dampness and diuresis, which is a rare delicacy from summer to the sun.

Dog meat: In some places, the habit of eating dog meat from summer solstice is still popular. Eating dog meat can strengthen the body. According to historical records, "Qin people used dogs to ward off evil spirits, and it is said that dog meat is suitable for summer." It shows that there are many epidemic diseases in summer, so it is suitable to eat dog meat in summer to strengthen resistance. Therefore, the custom of eating dog meat in summer has been passed down to this day.

Amaranth and gourd: In some areas, underage nieces and nephews will go to their parents' home for dinner on the day of summer solstice, and uncle's home will prepare amaranth and gourd for cooking, which means that eating amaranth will not make you sick, and eating gourd legs will give you strength.

Round paste: "Eating round paste on the summer solstice will make the stone roar." In the past, many farmers used to put bamboo sticks on the cooked paste and put them in the gaps of the paddy fields where the water flowed, burning incense as sacrifices and praying for a bumper harvest. Therefore, Shaoxing, Zhejiang still has the habit of eating round paste until the sun in summer.

Pay attention to taboos:

1, no shaving.

According to Lu, "Summer is the turning point, and the first, second and last three hours of the sun are called' three o'clock', so people are very cautious about their daily lives, and it is forbidden to curse and shave their heads ...". The custom of prohibiting shaving from the solstice originated from the Qing Dynasty. It is said that people's wealth will be affected not only by living on time, but also by having their hair cut on this day.

2. Avoid sitting on the threshold.

In Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other places, people think that sitting on the threshold will cause a fever in summer, and the temperature in summer is relatively high, so it is best to sit in a cool place.

Step 3 avoid thunderstorms

An agricultural proverb says, "It thunders from summer to the sun and droughts in June; The solstice in summer is rainy and hot. " For farmers, the thunderstorm weather from summer to the sun is the most feared, because whether it is drought or hot weather, it will affect the harvest of crops. Therefore, in ancient times, people were afraid of thunder and rain from summer to day.