What are the festivals of folklore?

On the fifth day of the first month of January, the "God of the Road" is a god of wealth worshipped in the Wu region. It is his birthday, and he is greeted with a spectacular sunrise ceremony.

"Road head" is also known as "five-way god". It is said that at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there is a He Wu Lu, to defend against foreign invaders and died, people therefore worship him as a god, the name "Wu Lu Shen". However, it seems that this "God of the Five Roads" has nothing to do with the "God of the Five Roads", which is the god of wealth. Or to "Five Roads God" is actually "five holy God", or "five passes God", in the Kangxi period after the Tang Bin destroyed the ban on the five passes of the temple on the mountain above, the people do not dare to worship! "Wutong God", so change its name to "Road head" and worship. Generally this "road head" for the ancient five sacrifices in the "line God", the so-called five roads are east and west, south, north and south; wealth and goods are not based on the road and line, so people line God for the God of Wealth, respectfully offer sacrifices, and hope to seek it to attract wealth into the door, or travel to profit. Ancient travelers, sacrificing to the road god for peace, this is the "Zu Dao" custom; Wu common pick up the head of the road, the sacrifice is also the road god, and this road god into the god of wealth, is due to the development of business, the intensification of the circulation of goods. The goods to and from the land and water, people intuitively believe that the road in the underworld dominated the goods.

The common thought to receive the head of the road, the sooner the better, the earliest received is the true God, especially spiritual, so called "grab the head of the road". Some places, really in the first four days of the first day of the "rush to grab the head of the road", and has become a custom. Since the God of the road is no longer the protector of the travelers, people will no longer in the travel to worship it.

As for the people in the first five days of the first month of the road to worship God, and this day for its birthday, is the five road god of the "five" and the first five of the "five" implicated in the reason. In the north on this day to sacrifice "five poor" is the same. In the first month rather than other months, is to take the new year new weather, figure a year of good luck, prosperity, east and west, south and north, wealth, five roads and progress.

Spring Dragon Festival (Dragon Head Raising)

Folklore has it that on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, it is the day when the Dragon King in charge of clouds and rain raises his head in the sky. From then on, there will be more and more rain. Therefore, this day is called "Spring Dragon Festival". In the north of China, there is a widely circulated folk proverb: "February 2, the dragon raises its head; the big barn is full, the small barn flows." The folk proverb.

Whenever the Spring Dragon Festival comes, most areas in the north of China in the morning of this day, every family with a lantern to the well or the river to pick water, and return home to light lamps, burn incense, offerings. In the old days, people called this ceremony "lead field dragon". On this day, families also eat noodles, fried cakes, popcorn, compared to "picking the dragon head", "eat gentian", "golden bean blossom, the Dragon King ascends to the sky, Xingyunbu rain, the five cereal harvests "in order to show auspicious celebrations.

The source of the Spring Dragon Festival, in China's northern folklore circulates this myth: Wu Zetian when the emperor, annoyed the Jade Emperor, Oracle Dragon King of the Four Seas, three years shall not rain on earth. Soon, the Dragon King, who was in charge of the Heavenly River, listened to the cries of the people's families and watched the tragic scene of the starving people, and worried that the way of life on earth would be cut off, he disobeyed the Jade Emperor's will and sent rain to the earth once. The Jade Emperor was informed that the Dragon King was knocked down to the mortal world and pressed under a big mountain to suffer, and a monument was erected on the mountain: "The Dragon King violated the rules of heaven by sending rain, and suffered a thousand sins on the earth; if you want to climb back up to the Spiritual Pavilion, you have to wait until the golden beans blossom".

People were looking for the blossoming golden beans everywhere in order to save the Dragon King. To the second year of February, people are turning corn seeds, think of this corn is like a golden bean, fried a fried flowers, is not a golden bean blossom? On the family popcorn flowers, and set up in the yard burning incense, for the blossom of the "golden beans". Dragon King looked up, know that the people to save it, then shouted to the Jade Emperor: "Golden beans bloom, quickly let me out! The Jade Emperor looked at the earth in the courtyard of the golden bean flower open, had to pass the edict of the Dragon King back to heaven, continue to give the earth to the clouds and rain. From then on, the folk formed a habit, every February 2 this day, people will pop corn flower to eat.

In fact, in the second month of the lunar calendar, after the "rain" festival comes, the end of the winter phenomenon of little rain, rainfall will gradually increase up, which is originally the characteristics of the monsoon climate in northern China.

Cold Food Festival

Every year on April 4, the day before the Qingming Festival. The festival, according to legend, commemorates Jie Zhitui of the Spring and Autumn Period.

Jie Zhi Pui was a wise minister of the state of Jin in those days, serving Duke Chong Er (later Duke Wen of Jin). When the state of Jin was in civil strife, Duke Chong Er was forced to flee abroad, and Jie Zhi Pui followed Chong Er into exile; he once cut off his own leg to make soup, and offered it to Chong Er. After the heavy ear became the king, at first still remember jie zhi push, but time, also forget him. Jie Zhitui was so upset that he and his aged mother returned to their hometown and lived in seclusion in the mountains.

One day, Duke Wen of Jin realized that he was missing Jie Zhi Tui, and remembered that he had forgotten to reward the virtuous minister who had "cut off his share to serve the king", so he felt very guilty and personally ran to the mountain where he lived in seclusion to look for him. But only see the mountains overlap, green and pale trees, is not the shadow of jiezhi push. He thought, "Jie Zhitui is a filial son, if we set fire to the mountain, he will come out with his mother on his back". So, he ordered to set fire to the mountain, and the fire spread dozens of miles, burned for three days, but Jie Zhi Tui did not come out. After the fire went out, everyone went into the mountain to check, only to find that Jie Zhitui and his mother were embracing each other and were burnt to death in the mountain.

The story spread, and everyone honored and missed Jie Zhi Tui. Afterwards, they commemorated him on the day he was burned to death, which was the day before the Qingming Festival in April every year. Because Jie Zhi Tui was burned to death by fire, everyone could not bear to raise the fire on this day, and preferred to eat cold food, so this day was called "Cold Food Festival".

Tian Kuang Festival, Turning the Scriptures Festival, Auntie's Festival

The sixth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar is not only "Auntie's Festival", but also another festival in ancient times called "Auntie's Festival". In ancient times, it was also another festival called "Tian Kuang (meaning gift) Festival".

Tian Kuang Festival originated from Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng. On June 6 of a certain year, he claimed that the heaven gave him the book of heaven, so he set this day as the Tian Kuang Festival, and built a grand Tian Kuang Hall in Dai Temple at the foot of Mount Tai.

The folk activities of Tian Kuang Festival have been gradually forgotten, but there are still remnants in some places. People in Dongtai County, Jiangsu Province, on the morning of this day, the whole family should congratulate each other and eat a kind of cake crumbs made of flour mixed with sugar and oil, and there is a saying of "June 6, eat the cake crumbs and grow meat". There is also "June 6, home sunshine red and green" proverb. "Red and green" refers to colorful clothes. The latter sentence of this proverb, but also for the "family tanning dragon robe", there is an explanation in Yangzhou, said Emperor Qianlong in Yangzhou on the way to the tour of the rain, wet coat, but not good to borrow the people's clothes to replace, had to wait for the rain cleared up, will be the wet clothes dry and then wear, the day happens to be the sixth day of the month of June, and thus there is a "tanning Dragon robe" said. Jiangnan region, after the yellow plum days, hidden in the bottom of the box clothing easy on the mold, take out the sun, can avoid mold. In addition, there is a cat and dog bathing fun, called "June 6, cats and dogs with bath".

June 6 is also a festival of Buddhist temples, called "turning the festival". Legend has it that when the Tang Monk returned from his journey to the West, he accidentally threw all the scriptures into the sea and dried them in the sun before they were preserved. Therefore, the temple collection of scriptures also in this day to check the exposure.

"June 6, please aunt". In the past, on the sixth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, the rural custom is to invite back the married girls, young and old, and then send back a good reception.

Legend has it that during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, there was a prime minister of the State of Jin called Hu Yan. He is to protect and follow the Duke of Wen Gong Chong Er exile to the Lieguo meritorious officials, sealed phase of the logistics management of the government, very smart and capable, Jin state up and down to him are very respect. In this way, the fox Yan slowly proud. As time went by, people were dissatisfied with him. However, the fox Yan's power is so high that people dare not speak out against him.

Fu Yan's daughter's in-laws were Zhao Wei, a minister at the time. He was so disgusted by what he did that he spoke up and urged him to do so. However, XU Yan could not listen to his bitter words and scolded her in-laws in public. Zhao Fai was old and weak, and soon died of anger. His son hated his father-in-law's lack of benevolence and was determined to avenge his father's death.

The next year, the state of Jin summer grain disaster, the fox Yan out of the capital to release grain, said, on the way out of the sixth of June must be rushed back to celebrate his birthday. Fox Yan's son-in-law got this news, decided to make a big fuss on the sixth day of the sixth month of the birthday party, kill Fox Yan, to avenge his father's death. Fox Yan's son-in-law met his wife. Asked her, "Do the people of the world hate people like my father-in-law?" Fox Yan's daughter, who was also angry at her father's behavior, replied smoothly, "Even you and I hate him, what need is there to say about others?" His husband then spelled out the plan. When his wife heard it, her face turned red and white, and she said, "I am a member of your family, and I can't care about my mother's family, so you see to it!"

From then on, the daughter of the fox Yan's heart all day long, she hated her father's arrogance and arrogance, and she was desperate for her in-laws. But on second thought, remembering her father's good, her own daughter could not see death. She finally ran back to her mother's home on the fifth day of June to tell her mother of her husband's plan. Her mother was so shocked that she rushed to send a letter to Fox Yan overnight.

Fox Yan's son-in-law saw his wife escaping and knew that the secret was out, so he stayed home and waited for Xu Yan to come and clean himself up.

June 6 morning, fox Yan personally came to the in-laws house, fox Yan saw his son-in-law like nothing, son-in-law two and horse back to the Xiangfu. That year on the birthday feast, fox Yan said: "I put food this year, personally see the suffering of the people, know that I do things wrong in recent years. Today, my son-in-law designed to harm me, although too vicious, but things did not work, he is for the people to eliminate harm, for the father to take revenge, I will not blame. Daughter to save her father's crisis, do a great filial piety, deserve to receive my worship. And hope that my son-in-law in my face, regardless of hatred, the two make peace!"

From then on, Fox Yan truly changed his ways, and his son-in-law became even closer than before. In order to always remember this lesson, fox Yan every June 6 to invite back to the daughter, son-in-law reunion. This thing is publicized, the people follow the example of each, also in the June 6 to receive back the daughter, should be an elimination of hatred and grievances, free from disasters and difficulties of the auspicious. Over the years, the custom has been passed down to the present day, people called "Auntie Festival".

Torch Festival

The 24th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar is the Yi Torch Festival; the Miao people worship the "land" god on this day; the 25th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar is the Bai Torch Festival.

The Torch Festival is the grandest festival of these two ethnic minorities, where families burn incense, offer sacrifices to their ancestors, drink wine and eat meat, and set up a large torch in the village, some 12 meters high, and depending on the week and the leap year, set up 12 or 13 stalks of wheat, and fill them with incense, sugar, and fruits to signify a good harvest and good luck.

Evening, the big torch burning, men, women and children singing and dancing. Smaller torches are then lit, flashing like stars in the fields, to get rid of pests and eliminate disasters. Teenagers have fun fighting with each other over torches, believing that they can drive away "bad luck" and wish for good fortune. Young men and women have also been in this beautiful festival to say to each other.

Bon Festival, Mid-Yuan Festival, Ghost Festival

On the 15th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar every year is the Bon Festival, also known as the Mid-Yuan Festival, which is commonly known in some places as the Ghost Festival, the Ghost Festival, the Ghost Festival and the Ghost Festival. "

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the Bon Festival is also known as the Mid-Yuan Festival.

The "Ghost Festival" is commonly known as the "Half of July" (13 or 14 in some areas). According to popular legend, the ancestors who died in early July was released by the King of Hell for half a month, so there is the beginning of July to receive the ancestors, July half to send the ancestors custom. Send ancestor, paper money burned a lot of money, so that "ancestors to enjoy". At the same time, written in the enjoyment of the person's name in the paper seal filled with money and paper, burned at the time of sacrifice, called "burning package". The person who passed away within the year burned a new bag, and more organized, the person who passed away more than a year burned an old bag.

Indian Buddhist rituals in order to recommend the ancestors of Buddhists held "Bon", the Buddhist scriptures in the "Bon Sutra" in order to cultivate filial piety to motivate the disciples of the Buddha's purpose, in line with China to memorialize the ancestors of the far away from the customary beliefs, and then more popular. There is a popular story about a monk who saved his mother's life: "There was a monk named Meguren who had great magical power. When his mother fell into the path of the hungry ghosts, the food she ate turned into flames, and she suffered too much from hunger. Unable to save his mother, he sought the Buddha's advice, and he said the Bon Sutra, which teaches that a bon should be made on the 15th day of the 7th month in order to save his mother."

China began to follow this example in the Liang Dynasty, and it became the Zhongyuan Festival. Later, however, in addition to fasting for monks, activities such as worship and fireworks were added.

On this day, the Venerable Master's Seat and the Shi Kuotai are set up in front of the village of Jiekou beforehand. In front of the seat is the Bodhisattva Jizangwang, who is responsible for overcoming the ghosts of hell, and underneath are plates of noodles, peaches, and rice. On the Siguodai, there were three spirit boards and soul-bringing flags. After noon, every family puts a whole pig, a whole sheep, chickens, ducks, geese and various kinds of cakes, fruits, melons and so on onto the Shi Kuotai. The master of each offering were inserted into a blue, red, green and other colors of the triangular paper flag, inscribed with the words "Bon Festival", "Manna door open" and so on. The ceremony begins with solemn temple music. Immediately afterward, the priest rings the bell and leads the monks in chanting various mantras and true sayings. Then food is given, and plates of peaches and rice are scattered in all directions, repeated three times. This ceremony is called the "fireworks".

At night, families also burn incense in front of their homes, incense on the ground, the more the better, to symbolize the abundance of grains, which is called "Butian". In some places, there is the activity of releasing water lanterns.

The so-called water lanterns, is a small wooden board tied a lamp, most of them are made of colored paper in the shape of a lotus flower, called "water and drought lamps". According to tradition, the water lantern is to guide the ghosts of the dead. When the lights go out, the water lanterns have completed their task of leading the ghosts across the Naihe Bridge. On that day, the stores are all closed, giving the streets to the ghosts. In the middle of the street, every hundred paces there is an incense burner on which fresh fruits and vegetables and a kind of "ghost buns" are offered, and behind the table there is a Taoist priest who sings a ghost sacrifice song that people don't understand, and this ritual is called "Shi Ge'er".

Superior Yuan Festival is the Lantern Festival on earth, people celebrate the Lantern Festival with lanterns and colors. It is a festival where people celebrate the Lantern Festival with lanterns and colorful decorations. It is believed that the Mid-Yuan Festival is a festival of ghosts and that lights should also be put up to celebrate the festival for ghosts. However, there is a difference between humans and ghosts, therefore, the lights are not the same on the Middle Yuan as on the Last Yuan. People are yang and ghosts are yin; land is yang and water is yin. The mysterious darkness under the water reminds people of the legendary Underworld, where ghosts sink. Therefore, Shangyuan Zhangliao is on land and Zhongyuan Zhangliao is in water.

Jizo Festival

The 30th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar is a religious festival called "Jizo Festival".

Jizo is a bodhisattva on whom all beings in the world relied to save their suffering after the demise of Shakyamuni and before the birth of Maitreya Buddha. The King of Jizo once vowed to become a Buddha after he had sent all beings to the world, so he often appeared in human beings, the sky, and the hells to help with the suffering. Some Buddhist books say that Jizo King is the embodiment of King Yama, the lord of the underworld who appears with a benevolent face.

In the past, there were temples all over the world dedicated to the King of Earth, and on July 30 every year, good men and women must go to worship. In particular, Nanjing's Qingliang Mountain is rumored to be the Earth Tibetan Bodhisattva practice place, from the beginning of the month to burn incense to worship a steady stream of people, to the twenty-fifth day after the particularly prosperous, Qingliang Mountain up and down a lot of tourists, everywhere with a teepee. The teepee arrangement, a variety of, until the end of the month, before stopping the incense, called "cover the door".

Changzhou, the festival to the eastern suburb of the three official hall for the rally, worship incense people in the road, farmers in this day will be field equipment and wood products displayed on the roadside to buy. Rugao County and Tai County in the evening with a variety of colors paper cut into the shape of lotus petals, paste the bowl a week, the bowl put a wine glass, burning wick, placed in front of the door, so that every family is called "Dizang lamp", also known as "bowl of lights".

Suzhou area, is the evening home in the courtyard corners, several doors and walls under the ground all over the stick incense, lit at the same time, called "burning head incense", commonly known as "burning dog Yixiang". Legend has it that at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Shicheng ruled Suzhou during the more popular, after his death, Suzhou people still miss him, they borrowed the form of Jizang Festival burned incense to send their condolences, called "burn nine four incense", because Zhang Shicheng's nickname is "nine four". The day is long, "burn nine four incense" will be blackmailed as "burn dog Yaxiang".

The Ancestor Festival

On the first day of October, it is called the "October Morning", or "Ancestor Festival".

Since ancient times, China has had the custom of sacrificing to the ancestors at the time of the new harvest to show filial piety and honor and not forgetting one's roots. Therefore, people also in the first day of October with millet sacrifice to ancestors. The first day of October sacrifices to ancestors, there are family sacrifices, there are also grave sacrifices, both in the north and south. Today, in many areas of Jiangnan, there is still the custom of sacrificing new graves on the first day of October.

The first day of October is also the first day of winter, after which the climate grows colder. People are afraid that the souls of the ancestors in the underworld lack clothes, so, in addition to food, incense, paper money and other general offerings, there is also an indispensable offering during the sacrifice - the clothes of the underworld. During the festival, people burn the clothes to their ancestors, which is called "sending cold clothes". Therefore, the first day of October is also known as the "Festival of Burning Clothes".

Later, in some places, the custom of "burning clothes" has changed a little, no longer burning clothes, but "burning baggage". People will be a lot of paper sealed in a paper bag, write the name of the recipient and sender and the corresponding name, which is called "baggage". There is the name of cold clothes, but not the reality of cold clothes. It is believed that in the underworld, as in the realm of the living, one can buy many things with money.

There is another story about the Ancestor Festival:

When Cai Lun first invented paper, his business was very good. Cai Lun's sister-in-law Huiniang asked her husband Cai Mo to learn paper making from Cai Lun. She came back and opened a paper factory, but the paper made by Cai Mo was not of good quality and could not be sold, and the two of them were very anxious. Later, Huiniang thought of a way out of the dilemma.

One day in the middle of the night, Huiniang pretended to die of an acute illness. Cai Mo was heartbroken and grieved in front of her coffin, he cried as he burned the paper, "I learned paper making from my brother, I didn't pay attention to it, and the quality of the paper I made was so bad that I made you sick. I want to burn this paper into ashes to relieve my heart's hatred." After he had burned the paper, he heard Huiniang shouting from the coffin, "Open the door, I'm back." The people were shocked, and when they opened the coffin, Huiniang sang in a pretentious manner, "Money travels the world in the Yang world, but paper does business in the nether world. If my husband doesn't burn the paper, who will let me go home?" Huiniang sang many times and said, "Just now I was a ghost, now I am a human being, don't be afraid. When I came to the netherworld, the king of Hades let me push the mill and suffer; my husband sent me money, and there were many little ghosts to help me, so it is true that money can make the ghost push the mill. Officer San Cao also asked me for money, I sent him all the money, he opened the back door of hell and let me back." Cai Mo pretended to be confused, "I didn't send you any money?" Huiniang said, "The paper you burned is money from the netherworld." With that, Cai Mo held a few more bundles of paper and burned them to his parents.

On hearing this, the people present assumed that burning paper was of great benefit, and all bought paper from Cai Mo. Huiniang generously gave it to the townspeople, and word of this spread, and townspeople from near and far came to buy the Cai family's paper and burn it for their dead relatives. In less than two days, the backlog of paper was snapped up. The day of Huiniang's "return to the sun" was the first day of the tenth month of the lunar calendar, so the descendants of the ancestors on the first day of the tenth month to pay tribute to their ancestors and burn the paper on their graves, to show their memory of their ancestors.

On the first day of October, some places have the custom of sacrificing the bull king. Legend has it that this custom originated in the state of Qin during the Spring and Autumn Period. One day, the Duke of Qin ordered a man to cut down a catalpa tree, which suddenly transformed into a cow. Duke Wen of Qin sent people to chase and kill it. The ox jumped into the water and never came back up. The people erected a "Nute Shrine" to honor the bull. Nu Te is a tall, strong and powerful bull. Such a bull, in people's minds, has the function of driving away epidemics and protecting cattle.

Kosu Festival

The Lisu Festival, equivalent to the Chinese Spring Festival, is a grand traditional festival, usually in the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, the festival period of three to ten days variable. The festival is usually held in the eleventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar and lasts from three to ten days. The festival begins with the cleaning of the courtyard, followed by singing and dancing, and then by eating and drinking and paying tribute to each other.

Small year

Lunar month 23, also known as "small year", is the day of the folk festival stove.

It is said that every year on the 23rd day of the Lunar New Year, Mr. Zaowang goes up to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor on the good and bad deeds of the family, so that the Jade Emperor can reward and punish them. Therefore, when sending the stove, people in front of the Zaowang statue of the table for candy, water, beans, fodder grass, of which the latter three is for the Zaowang ascension of the mount prepared materials. At the time of the Zaosai Festival, the candies are also melted with fire and applied to the mouth of the Zaosai King. In this way, he will not be able to speak ill of the Jade Emperor. There is a custom that "men don't worship the moon, women don't worship Zao", so the worship of Zao Wang is limited to men only.

Additionally, on the night of the 30th day of the Lunar New Year, the king of the kitchen stove has to come to the earth with all the gods to celebrate the New Year, and on that day, there must be the ceremony of "receiving the stove" and "receiving the gods". When every household burns the sedan chair, spills three cups of wine and sends away the god of the stove, then it is the turn to worship the ancestors.

At the end of the month of Lunar New Year, every family prepares for the New Year. The purpose of dust sweeping is to get rid of the old and welcome the new, and to get rid of the bad luck. Every household should be cleaned carefully and thoroughly, so that the windows are clear and clean. In Beijing, the 24th day of the Lunar New Year is usually designated as "Sweeping Day".

Sweeping the dust is mainly a thorough cleaning of the home, the housewife usually first will be in the room of the bed furniture covered up, with a head scarf to wrap the head, and then use the broom will be up and down the walls to sweep clean. After sweeping the house, tables and chairs were scrubbed and floors were rinsed. After sweeping the house, the stores and residents' homes look brand new. The newly-pasted spring couplets are bright and colorful, showing the red-hot Hongfu scenery. The living god of the door, look up to see the happy banner, beautiful window, colorful New Year's paintings, colorful lanterns, and the shrine on the bountiful offerings, all show a joyful, thriving festive scene.