The Origin, Culture and Festival Customs of the Autumn Equinox

The origin culture and festival customs of the autumnal equinox are as follows:

Origin of the autumnal equinox: Every year around September 23rd, when the sun reaches longitude 180 degrees, it enters the "autumnal equinox" solar term. "fen" means "half", and the autumnal equinox lives in the ninety days of autumn, which is equally divided. After the autumnal equinox, the length of day and night is equal, gradually changing from long days to short nights, and the climate changes from hot to cold.

The autumnal equinox is the16th solar term among the 24 solar terms in a year, the fourth solar term in autumn and one of the oldest solar terms in China.

Since the autumnal equinox, the climate has three main characteristics: the position of direct sunlight continues to move from the equator to the southern hemisphere, and the phenomenon that the day is shorter than the night in the northern hemisphere will become more and more obvious (until the winter solstice reaches the longest night and the shortest day); The temperature difference between day and night will gradually increase, and the amplitude will be higher than 10℃. The temperature drops day by day, getting colder every day, and gradually entering the late autumn season. The situation in the southern hemisphere is just the opposite.

The traditional custom of autumnal equinox

Sacrifice the Moon

According to historical records, as early as the Zhou Dynasty, ancient emperors had the custom of offering sacrifices to the sun at the vernal equinox, to the earth at the summer solstice, to the moon at the autumnal equinox, and to heaven at the winter solstice.

Vertical egg

When the autumnal equinox arrives, the eggs will look good. Like the vernal equinox, when the annual autumnal equinox comes, many places in our country will hold interesting "vertical egg" games or competitions on this day. Its play is simple: choose a smooth and symmetrical fresh egg that has just been born for four or five days, and gently stand it up on the table. The activity of "laying eggs vertically" embodies people's awe and reverence for life and fertility. "

Eat autumn vegetables

Autumn vegetable is a kind of wild amaranth, which villagers call "autumn Artemisia". On the autumnal equinox, the whole village went to pick autumn vegetables. Picked autumn vegetables are generally cooked with fish fillets at home, which is called "autumn soup". Since autumn, people still pray for peace and health at home.

Sticking sparrow's mouth

On the day of the autumnal equinox, farmers have a holiday according to custom, and every family eats glutinous rice balls. Moreover, a dozen or twenty or thirty dumplings are cooked without wrapping, and placed in outdoor fields with thin bamboo forks, which is called sticking the mouth of birds to prevent birds from harming crops.

Send autumn cattle

The solar terms of the lunar calendar throughout the year are printed on red paper or yellow paper, and farmers' farming patterns are also printed, which is called "Autumn Cattle Map". The pictures are all folk singers, mainly talking about good luck in autumn ploughing that does not violate the farming season. Every time they go to a house, they say whatever they see until the owner is happy to give money. Although the words spoken are casual, every sentence rhymes beautifully. Commonly known as "Autumn", Qiu Ren is called "Qiu Guan".