What are the customs in autumn?

Autumn refers to the period from beginning of autumn to beginning of winter. During this period, there are six important solar terms: beginning of autumn, summer, white dew, vernal equinox, cold dew and first frost. There are customs such as putting autumn fertilizer, eating autumn, going out to welcome autumn, putting river lights, white dew tea, eating new things in the autumn equinox, watching red leaves and so on.

1, beginning of autumn: August 8th.

There are also folk customs such as "pasting autumn fertilizer" and "gnawing autumn".

Stick autumn fertilizer

People often judge health only by being fat, which is futile. In the Qing Dynasty, people used hanging scales to call people when they were in beginning of autumn. Compare the weight with that of Chang Xia to test the physical health of that summer. If you lose weight, you should "make up" after beginning of autumn. The way is to "paste autumn fertilizer" and eat delicious food. Generally speaking, meat is the main food, and "meat sticks to fat". On this day, ordinary people eat stewed meat, while cultured people eat boiled meat and braised pork, as well as jiaozi, stewed chicken, stewed duck and braised fish. In Anda, Heilongjiang Province, beginning of autumn eats noodles every day, which is called "grabbing autumn fat" to bless health. In Zunhua, Hebei, eating fruit and meat is called "filling autumn fertilizer".

Chew autumn

In the south of the Yangtze River, beginning of autumn wants to eat watermelon to "bite the autumn". According to legend, one year in the Ming Dynasty, many people in Nanjing suffered from dysentery and sores. Some people followed the example of Cui Xianggong's daughter in Luzhou to eat watermelon to make the dysentery heal itself. The result was really like this. Since then, this custom has gradually formed. In Qiu Lai, every household cuts watermelons every year, which is called "eating autumn". The Records of the Capital published in the Republic of China recorded: "beginning of autumn ate watermelon the day before, which is called gnawing autumn." It means to welcome autumn. Later, people called eating watermelon on the same day in beginning of autumn "eating autumn". People think that eating watermelon in early autumn can keep you from getting sick all autumn and avoid diarrhea in winter and the next spring. Citizens in the city bought a watermelon and went home in beginning of autumn that day, and the whole family would chew around it. This is "gnawing at autumn". Rural people "chew autumn" is much more unrestrained. They sat in groups of three and five on the floor under the melon shed and in the shade, eating watermelons, sweet potatoes and corn cobs.

2. Summer heat: August 24th.

Travel to welcome autumn.

Worshipping ancestors to welcome autumn in summer is mostly related to the folk customs before and after the solar terms. Around the summer vacation, there will be folk activities to celebrate the Central Plains, commonly known as "July 30" or "Central Plains Festival". In the old days, there was a ceremony to open the gate of hell from the beginning of July until the gate of hell closed at the end of the month, and Purdue giving activities were held. It is said that Purdue activities started with the opening of the gate of hell, and then lanterns were erected and river lanterns were set off, causing lonely souls and wild ghosts; The main body is to build Pudu altar, build solitary shed, and intervene in robbing orphans. Finally, it ends with closing the gate of hell. Today, it has become the main activity time for ancestor worship. In addition, after summer, autumn is getting stronger, which is a good time for people to go swimming in the suburbs to meet autumn scenery. After the heat, even the clouds in the sky seem to be evacuated and free, unlike the thick clouds in the heat. There has always been a saying among the people that "seeing a clever cloud in July and August" means "going out to welcome autumn".

Put on a river lantern.

River lanterns, also known as "lotus lanterns", usually put lights or candles on the base, and put them into rivers, lakes and seas during the Mid-Autumn Festival to let them float. River lanterns are for ghosts such as drowning in Purdue water. A passage in Hong Xiao's Biography of Hulan River is the best footnote of this custom: "July 15th is Ghost Festival; You damn fool can't keep alive, and it's hard to wander in hell. They want to support themselves, but they can't find the direction. On this day, the dead fool holds the river lantern and has to support it for a lifetime. "

3. Millennium: September 8th.

Bailucha

Attach great importance to the "coming" and "going" of solar terms, and gradually form the solar terms custom with local characteristics in Nanjing.

Speaking of Bailuyuan, the old Nanjing who loves tea has a special liking for "Bailuyuan Tea". At this time, the tea tree is in the excellent growth period after the summer heat. Bailu tea is neither as fresh and tender as spring tea, nor as dry and bitter as summer tea, but it has a unique sweet and mellow taste, which is especially loved by old tea customers. Moreover, the spring tea stored at home has basically been "consumed", and at this time, Bailu tea is being picked up, so before and after Bailu, a tea customer asked someone to buy some Bailu tea.

4. Equinox: September 24th.

Qiu fen Chu Qiu she

The ancients set up a club to pray for the smooth holding of spring ploughing, and later advocated the practice of "spring praying for autumn newspaper", so they set up an autumn club on the occasion of the autumnal equinox and solar terms, just as the wedge was originally a spring wedge on Shangsi Festival (March 3), such as Lanting Qushui Liu Jin, and later held a game in the spring and autumn, so there was an autumn wedge. Probably people think that spring farming is about to begin, and sacrifices can pray for smooth farming. When the autumn farming is over, we should hold a sacrifice contest to express our gratitude.

Eat new things at the autumnal equinox

During the autumn harvest, farmers cut new rice, which is generally called opening the rice gate. All new rice cooked for the first time should be sacrificed to ancestors and land gods, and then family members should be called to eat together. This is called eating new or offering new. People who pay attention to it will also choose auspicious days and burn incense and buy wine as sacrifices. The same is true of ethnic minorities in some areas. Most ethnic minorities in western Sichuan and eastern Xizang Autonomous Region try new things on June 24, with buckwheat ripening as the day to try new things; In Mianning and Yue Yong, on July 15, rice matured and became a new flavor. In case of leap month, one month in advance. On the day of tasting new food, harvest new buckwheat or new rice to make rice, and use another hen of that year. Wealthy families should sacrifice sheep in front of their ancestors to show their love for rice and repay their gratitude without forgetting their roots.

5. Cold dew: 65438+1October 9.

Autumn carving edge

At this time, if the sun is not strong in summer, it is difficult to cross the deep water, so both fish and crabs are moving to warmer shallow water, which is a good time to go fishing.

Ornamental red leaves

Seeing red leaves in Xiangshan during the cold dew season has long been a traditional habit of Beijing residents and the highlight of autumn travel. Autumn wind is rustling and yellow leaves are red. The continuous cooling after the cold dew made the maple leaves in Beijing red. In autumn, the Xiangshan forest is dyed, and the red leaves on the mountain are as beautiful as Xiajin and picturesque.

6. First frost: 65438+1October 24th.

Grain Man Cang

The first frost is a major solar term for agricultural harvest after autumn every year. Wujin agricultural proverb day: "the first frost comes, suitable for all ages." This means that crops in the field can be harvested together at this time, whether they are mature or not.

Buy persimmons and apples

North of the Yellow River, the first frost at this time also has many auspicious folk customs: for example, ordinary people will buy persimmons and apples, which means that everything is safe, and businessmen will put chestnuts and persimmons together to "benefit the market".