What festival is Xiaoman? Xiaoman is a solar term. Is this a traditional festival?

Xiaoman is not only a solar term, but also a traditional festival called Silkworm Praying Festival. Silkworm praying festival is an ancient traditional festival, which is the product of China farming culture. As we all know, China's farming culture is characterized by "men ploughing and women weaving". The raw materials for women's knitting are mainly cotton in the north and silk in the south. However, silk can only be obtained by raising silkworms as cocoons and spinning. Therefore, sericulture flourished in rural areas in southern China, especially in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

Silkworms are pampered "pets" and difficult to feed. Temperature, humidity, cold, mature and moist mulberry leaves will all affect the survival of silkworms. Silkworms were regarded as a "godsend" in ancient times because they were difficult to raise. In order to pray for the forgiveness of "natural things" and to have a good cocoon harvest in sericulture, it will be held in April when silkworms are released.

There is generally no fixed date for praying for silkworms, depending on which day each family will "release silkworms". But the difference before and after is no more than two or three days. There are "Silkworm Temple" and "Silkworm Temple" in the south, such as the "Silkworm Temple" in Zhejiang, which is very prosperous. On this day, sericulture families will bow down to the temples of "Mother Silkworm" and "God Silkworm" and offer wine, fruit and rich dishes.

In particular, we should make a cocoon of flour, tie a straw mountain with straw, and cover it with a "cocoon of flour" to symbolize the harvest of silkworm cocoons. In addition, you should light incense sticks in your own "silkworm room" to offer sacrifices and make "cocoons go up the mountain". In addition to the above-mentioned eating methods, there are cocoon mouths, cold fried noodles, sweet cake, mulberry chess and so on.

Why is it called Silkworm Praying Festival?

According to legend, Xiaoman is the birthday of the silkworm god.

Silk reeling with mulberry leaves is very lively.

The solar terms are full, just as the new silk is slowly listed, the silkworm farmers waiting for the harvest pray for the harvest of the silkworm god, and the good days are coming soon!

The south is dominated by silk. Silk needs to be spun from cocoons, so sericulture is extremely prosperous in rural areas in southern China, especially in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

Silk reeling, mulberry planting and sericulture are traditional sideline businesses in rural areas in the south of the Yangtze River. Silkworm is a treasure and a food source for villagers, and people are full of expectation and gratitude for it.

Silkworm rearing requires high temperature, high humidity and mulberry leaves, which is extremely difficult. In addition, the ancients did not understand some scientific factors of silk, so they regarded silkworm as "something in the sky". "This is normal.

"Jia Qinglu" mentioned: "Xiaoman first came here, and the silkworm woman cooked cocoons, treated the reeling of cars and worked day and night."

Holiday food:

Silkworm circle

It is an important food for offering sacrifices and thanking the silkworm god. The first is a solid, unfilled oval powder pill made of glutinous rice flour, which looks like a cocoon. "Cocoon Round Song" cloud:

"Golden platinum pigeons have round eggs, and hot soup is cooked in a small pot. …"。

Now the "silkworm ball" has changed, and it seems unnecessary to do it one by one. Therefore, most of them buy a big basket of "silkworm buns" from restaurants on the day of offering sacrifices to the silkworm god. Sacrifice first, and then share the celebration with the adults and children at home. Therefore, eating steamed stuffed buns with silkworm flowers has become a new poultry custom in Silkworm Town. Silkworm flower steamed stuffed bun is made of flour and can be divided into stuffing and meat stuffing. It's no different from ordinary steamed buns. From building a silkworm room to offering sacrifices to the silkworm god, and then developing steamed bread to celebrate the silkworm harvest, we seem to see the track of ancient sacrificial customs changing with the times.

Cold fried noodles

April wheat is ground into powder, fried until cooked, mixed with sugar, cooled and eaten, which is called cold fried noodles. It tastes fragrant, sweet, tough and soft. Most of them are offerings and food for the Northern Silkworm Blessing Festival.

Incense coil

Also, April wheat is ground into powder, fermented, made into skin, wrapped in ghee, and made into strip-shaped skin blanks with flat-stemmed geese. Then, the outer edge of the leather blank is folded inward, and the outer edge of the leather blank is rubbed into strips with both hands. Paint the cake with caramel water, sprinkle with peeled white sesame seeds, and put it in a pot to dry until it is yellow. You can eat it. Pan Xiang cake is fragrant outside and crisp inside, and the sugar is sweet and oily. If roses, onions, lard, salt and pepper, nuts and other fillings are wrapped in cakes, they also have a special taste.