The origin of folk custom of solar terms in autumn equinox

The autumn equinox is an astronomical solar term. Divide the score equally, the midpoint of 90 days in autumn, and divide it equally in

The origin of folk custom of solar terms in autumn equinox

The autumn equinox is an astronomical solar term. Divide the score equally, the midpoint of 90 days in autumn, and divide it equally in autumn. After the autumnal equinox, hibernating animals begin to prepare. At this time, human beings have many folk activities to give this solar term more meaning.

The Mid-Autumn Festival comes from this.

In ancient times, there was a saying that "the sun is sacrificed in spring and the moon is sacrificed in autumn", and the autumnal equinox was once a traditional "moon festival". Now Mid-Autumn Festival comes from the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival.

According to textual research, the original Mid-Autumn Festival was set on the day of the autumnal equinox, but because the day of August in the lunar calendar is different every year, there may not be a full moon. Without it, it would be disappointing to sacrifice the moon, so people changed the "Festival of Sacrificing the Moon" from the autumnal equinox to the Mid-Autumn Festival.

As early as the Zhou Dynasty, the 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. Sacrificial places are called altars, altars, moon altars and the Temple of Heaven, which are located in the southeast and northwest respectively. So far, there are many remains of Yue Bai Altar, Moon Pavilion and Moon Tower all over China. The folk custom of offering sacrifices to the moon varies from region to region.

The Moon Altar in Beijing was built for the Royal Mid-Autumn Festival during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. "The Year of China in Beijing" records the custom of offering sacrifices to the moon in Beijing, saying: "On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, people set up the symbol of the Moon Palace, and rabbits stood on it like people; Chen Guaguo was in court; The cake surface is painted with the moon palace toad rabbit; Men and women worship incense and burn it. "

There is also a special custom of offering sacrifices to the moon in Beijing, that is, "Men don't offer sacrifices to the moon, but worship more", that is, as the folk proverb says, "Men don't Yue Bai".

Coincidentally, there is an old saying in Nanchang called "Men don't Yue Bai, women don't offer sacrifices to stoves", which means that in Yue Bai, men can't take part, because there is an ancient concept that men are superior to women, and men can't kneel down to women: Chang 'e in the Moon Palace is a woman, and she represents femininity, so men can't take part in Yue Bai.

People in Hangzhou call it "Ramadan Palace". Lu in Qing Dynasty said: "Every household has a bottle of orchids, lights incense sticks and looks up at the sky. Young children play in Yue Bai before the lights, which is called Ramadan Palace."

When offering sacrifices to the moon in Guangdong, people usually offer a woodcarving rockhopper and the moon in Bi Xia. In addition, in some places in the south, there is a custom of offering taro.

Oviposition: Success is exquisite.

When the autumnal equinox comes, eggs are beautiful. Every year at the vernal equinox or autumnal equinox, many people in many parts of our country are doing "laying eggs" experiments. Choose a well-proportioned fresh egg and gently put it on the table. Although there are many losers, there are also many winners.

Why do eggs stand easily at the vernal equinox or autumn equinox? Some people think that the vernal equinox and the autumnal equinox are equal days in the northern and southern hemispheres, and the earth axis and the orbital plane are in a relatively balanced state, making it easier for eggs to stand. It is also said that the sunny weather in the spring and autumn equinox makes people feel comfortable, think quickly and act neatly, which is conducive to the success of spawning.

Some experts say that eggs can really stand up, and they are not limited to the vernal equinox and autumn equinox. The key to successful spawning lies in the eggshell. The surface of the egg is uneven, with many protruding "hills". According to the principle that three points form a triangle and three points define a plane, as long as three "hills" and the triangle formed by these three "hills" are found, the egg will stand easily. In addition, it is best to lay eggs for four or five days, because at this time, the yolk of the egg sinks and the center of gravity of the egg drops, which is most conducive to laying eggs.

Eating Autumn Vegetables: Autumn Tang Youyi is healthy.

In Lingnan area, autumn vegetables are popular before the autumnal equinox. 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. When searching in the wild, it is often green and thin, about the length of a palm. Picked autumn dishes are generally made of fish fillets, which are called "autumn soup". There is a jingle: "autumn soup is dirty, wash the liver and intestines." The whole family is safe and healthy. "

Amaranth contains a variety of nutrients, rich in carotene and vitamin C, which is helpful to enhance human immune function and improve human anti-cancer effect. Fried amaranth has the effects of detoxification, diuresis, pain relief and eyesight improvement. Eating it can enhance the ability of disease resistance and prevention, make it healthy and less sick, and care for skin and beauty. It is suitable for dysentery, conjunctival congestion, sparrow blindness, breast abscess, hemorrhoids and other diseases.

In fact, the so-called "autumn soup" in Lingnan customs is consistent with the autumn tonic advocated by Chinese medicine, but Lingnan customs are typical and have a little local flavor, which has not risen to the theoretical level.

It is popular to eat "osmanthus duck" in Nanjing, and season it with ordinary salted duck and osmanthus brine. "Sweet-scented osmanthus duck" went on sale when cinnamon was fragrant. It is fat but not greasy and delicious.

Sticking Bird's Mouth: Put some jiaozi to ensure the harvest.

On the day of the autumnal equinox, farmers traditionally eat jiaozi in every family, and make more than 65438 +00 or 20 or 30 jiaozi. They put them in outdoor fields with thin bamboo forks, which means they hope to avoid birds harming crops.

Sticking the sparrow's mouth with glutinous rice balls is of course only the imagination and good wishes of farmers, but it also illustrates a truth, that is, glutinous rice balls are sticky, difficult to digest and should not be eaten more.

Tangyuan is mainly made of glutinous rice and other ingredients. Glutinous rice is warm and sweet, and the added ingredients are often high in sugar and calories. Eating a small amount in spring and cold season is helpful to replenish body heat energy, tonify deficiency, regulate blood, strengthen yang and strengthen spleen. But glutinous rice is sticky and difficult to digest, and it is easy to accumulate food if you eat too much. Paired with spicy food such as onion and garlic, it can balance the flagging effect of glutinous rice balls.

At the autumnal equinox, there is a custom of sending pictures of autumn cows door to door in some places. The so-called autumn cow map is to print the annual lunar solar terms on red paper or yellow paper, and also print the farmer's farming pattern. The pictures are all folk singers, who mainly say things like good luck in autumn ploughing that do 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 come out casually, every sentence is melodious, commonly known as "autumn", and Qiu Ren people call it "Qiu Guan".