What are the customs of the Mid-Yuan Festival?

Every year on the 15th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar is the Zhongyuan Festival, commonly known as Shi Gu, the half of the 7th month, and in Buddhism as the Bon Festival. It is a traditional Chinese festival of ancestor worship, along with New Year's Eve, Qingming Festival and Chongyang Festival, and is also a traditional cultural festival popular in the countries of the Chinese character cultural circle. It is also a traditional cultural festival that is popular in the countries of the Chinese cultural circle. The Chinese New Year's Day, or Bon Festival as the Buddhists call it, has been at the top of the list for thousands of years in Chinese history.

What are the customs of Chinese New Year?

I. Sacrifice ? Ancestors

The Ancestors Festival is held on the 15th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar, so it is simply called the "half of the 7th month" Ancestors Festival. It is believed that the ancestors will return home to visit their children and grandchildren at this time, so it is necessary to pay tribute to the ancestors. The ceremony is usually held in the evening before the end of July, and is not limited to a specific day. According to the old custom, incense and paper are burned during the day on the Mid-Yuan Festival to honor the spirits of the dead. The old folks at home set up tables, chairs and tea in front of their homes or front rooms, free for people returning to the area to drink and rest, to show their wishes.

Two, put the river lamp

River lamps, also known as the "lotus lamp", river lamps are generally put on the base of the lamp or candle, the night of the New Year's Day on the rivers, lakes and the sea, and let it float. River lanterns on the Mid-Yuan Festival, is said to be the evolution of the custom of Zhang Lantern from the Lantern Festival (Lantern Festival). Folk believe that the first yuan is a human festival, the middle yuan is a ghost festival, people for Yang, ghosts for Yin, land for Yang, water for Yin, so the first yuan lights on land, the middle yuan is in the water. Underwater mysterious dark, make people think of the legend of the underworld hell, ghosts sink there. Therefore, the lanterns of the first yuan are on land, and the lanterns of the middle yuan are in the water.

Three, face molding

July 15 before the festival, folk women prevalent face molding activities, the northern part of the Jinbei most intense. A family steamed buns, four neighbors to help. First of all, according to the actual number of people in the family, to each person first pinch a large flower bun. To give the younger generation of flower buns to pinch into a flat type, known as the face of the sheep, meaning that the lamb ate milk kneeling down, I hope that the younger generation do not forget the parents of the grace of parenthood; to give the old generation of flower buns to pinch into a human type, known as the face of the people, meaning that the children and grandchildren, longevity and prosperity; to the generation of the flower buns to pinch into the type of fish, known as the face of the fish, meaning that even the year has more than one.

Four, do eggplant cake

Folk believe that the eggplant cake can become the dried food of the deceased ancestors. On the day of the Mid-Yuan Festival, every family in old Nanjing makes eggplant cakes, which means that fresh eggplant is shredded, floured, and fried in oil. In fact, eggplant cake is now a very common home cooking, you can make a plate of it anytime you want to eat it to satisfy your cravings.

Fifth, pray for a good harvest

The festival is often associated with praying for a good harvest. The Mid-Yuan Festival is also close to the harvest season, in addition to offering sacrifices to the ghosts, but also to undertake the task of praying for a good harvest, so in the night of the Shi Lone, families should burn incense in front of their homes to pray for a good harvest, and the incense sticks in the ground, which is also known as the "Butian" (rice-planting), inserted the more the better, so as to symbolize the autumn harvest of the rice harvest, to obtain the It is also called "Buta" (rice planting), and the more rice plants you plant, the better.

Sixth, sacrifices to the land and crops

July 15, folk worship of the land and crops is also prevalent. Offerings will be scattered into the field, after burning paper, and then cut into strips of colorful paper, wrapped around the ears of crops. Legend has it that this will prevent hailstones from striking the crops and bring about a good harvest in the fall. In some places, sacrifices are made at the same time at the Houtu Temple.

The Zhongyuan Festival is a manifestation of traditional Chinese culture, which contains filial piety, a traditional Chinese virtue for thousands of years. The festival is a cultural and traditional festival to memorialize ancestors, and the core of its culture is to honor ancestors and do filial piety.