Lotus is the symbol and messenger of friendship. What are the traditions of lotus in ancient China?

(1) Lotus

Lotus is a well-known favorite flower, a perennial herb, and likes to grow in shallow water such as ponds and lakes. It relies on the roots of lotus root remaining in underwater soil last year, which takes root and sprouts every spring, spreads its leaves and blooms in summer, and expands its roots in autumn to form lotus root.

At first, the roots of lotus were as thin as human fingers. Its white part in the mud is called lotus root, commonly known as lotus whip. The lotus whip has nodes, and the nodes regenerate new lotus whips and interweave them to form its underwater world. Each node produces fibrous roots downward and takes root in underwater mud; At the end of the growth of lotus in summer and autumn every year, the buried part of lotus root will swell into lotus root, which can be used to sprout and grow new plants in the next spring.

Lotus stretches its stem upward, pulls out leaves and buds, and forms its water world. Lotus stems have thin and dense hairs, green leaves are oval, flowers are red and white, and petals are single or compound. After the flower withers, it forms a lotus flower and gives birth to many nuts, commonly known as lotus seeds.

Lotus is beneficial to human beings: lotus root is edible, lotus seed has nourishing effect, and flowers and leaves can be seen by people. Its lotus root festival, lotus seeds and lotus leaves are all good medicinal materials for Chinese medicine treatment. Where lotus grows, it also has the functions of purifying water quality, optimizing environment and beautifying scenery.

Lotus, green leaves and safflower form a colorful and elegant style. It is a popular ornamental flower, and has been praised as "the beauty of green cover" by scholars of past dynasties. Different from the beauty in the world, the beauty of lotus is natural beauty, natural beauty, without any artificial modification. Li Bai's poem "Clear water produces hibiscus, natural carving" vividly summarizes this feature of lotus. Not only that, lotus is called "the gentleman in the flower" by many writers because of its character of "getting out of the mud without being stained", and it is often used as a metaphor to praise those who refuse to go along with the secular, have high morality and are upright and upright.

(2) the legend of March 3rd (Lotus Legend)

Once upon a time, there was a mountain with a temple and a buddhist nun. A monk in the temple fell in love with a nun in buddhist nun. As the days passed, their love became deeper and deeper. But as monks, they can't form a husband and wife, so they can only meet secretly from time to time.

One year on March 3rd, they met by a lake and were found by a beggar. The beggar passed by unintentionally, but the image of the beggar in the dark was quite similar to that of her abbot in buddhist nun. The nun panicked and jumped into the lake to commit suicide. When the monk saw that the nun had jumped into the lake, he didn't know the depth of the lake. He just tried to save the nun, but he drowned. After bumping into a monk and a nun, the beggar left in an awkward hurry. But then I heard two crackles, and I heard the monk calling a nun in the water. Unexpectedly, the nun was ashamed to commit suicide, thinking that it was all her own fault, and quickly turned around and jumped into the lake to save people. However, they didn't understand water, and they all drowned in the lake. No one in the world knows this tragicomedy, only the land bodhisattva can see it clearly. He sympathized with their suffering, but he couldn't save them, because the monk and the nun broke the Buddhist precepts after all!

The bodies of monks and nuns were quickly eaten by the big fish in the lake, and the bones floated together and gradually sank into the mud at the bottom of the lake. The fish suspected that the beggar smelled bad and didn't eat his body, so the beggar's body floated to the surface. Both monks and nuns felt that they had died unjustly, and complained to the Land Bodhisattva, saying, "We can't be husband and wife in this world. Can you let our bones sink into the mud and give us some life? " "Because you have violated Buddhism, you can only be accompanied by mud after death," said the Land Bodhisattva. But thinking that you are all human beings, there is nothing wrong with men and women falling in love in the world. Let your's bones be connected in the mud and rejuvenate. "

When the spiritual bodies of monks and nuns saw that the Land Master and Bodhisattva agreed, they pushed their luck and asked to come out and see the world every year. The land bodhisattva was soft-hearted and agreed, but it was stipulated that no sludge should be left. It is not until the third day of March, the anniversary of their death, that they can get out of the water and explore the world.

Seeing that both monks and nuns were allowed to come back to life, the beggar's soul also came to the Bodhisattva Dizang and said, "Although I caused the death of monks and nuns, I didn't mean to. Can I resurrect and play in the world for a while every year? "

The Land Bodhisattva thought the beggar was right and said, "Well, on the third day of March every year, you can become a water snake and see the world."

Later, the bones of monks and nuns grew into lotus roots that people liked to eat, and they were connected with each other, and each node had holes to show their connection. Even if they are broken, they can be connected. Monks let themselves grow into lotus leaves and nuns let themselves grow into lotus flowers. On the third day of March every year, lotus leaves roll into sharp corners and drill out of the water, and then slowly spread out. Lian Shu was originally out of the water on the third day of March, but she was embarrassed about the past. It was not until the lotus leaf grew up and grew much longer that she was ashamed to get out of the gap.

Of course, water snakes are not shy. Every year on the third day of March, he can't wait to get out of the hole.

Therefore, there is a proverb that "every year, on March 3rd, a snake comes out of the hole to make a hairpin".

(3) Ice lotus

Legend has it that a long time ago there was a lotus pond in a village, and the pond was full of beautiful lotus flowers. There is a member named Hong now. His family is rich, but he is over forty and has no children. This year, Mr. W's wife was pregnant, and Mr. Hong burned incense and worshipped Buddha day and night, asking the Bodhisattva to bless his son.

But a girl was born. Mr. Hong is unhappy. In order to comfort Mr. W, the wife discussed with Mr. W to raise the girl as a son, and told outsiders that she had given birth to a boy and named the child Sailang. Later, Shiro grew up and dressed like a boy. At the age of twelve, Mr. Hong built a library in front of the lotus pond and hired a skilled teacher to teach Sai Lang to read. Everyone outside thinks Sai Lang is a boy.

In addition, there is a family named Bai who lives in Tangxi. Apart from having no son, the old couple have a good life. His wife once gave birth to three sons. He died before he was one year old. For this matter, Lao Bai found several people to calculate their lives, saying that they are "children of life." This year, his wife is pregnant again. Lao Bai thought, "I can still live if I have a daughter." If I have a boy, I will be afraid and will keep it. His wife thought of a way: "If you have a son, just take him as your daughter and you won't die again. "Later, I really gave birth to a son. The couple put earrings on the child and named it Zhenniang. Zhen Niang grew up to thirteen years old and dressed more beautifully than a girl. The old couple loved their son and tried their best to provide education for Zhenniang. They heard that Mr. Hong in Dongcun had set up a library, so they begged for help and offered Mr. Hong two buckets of rice every month to send Zhen Niang to study. People outside think Zhen Niang is a girl. When Zhen Niang arrived at school, she hit it off with a dozen children, especially Sai Lang. Every day, she goes to school and sits at her desk to study. After school, they had to play in the lotus pond for a while before breaking up and going home. The students saw them so close. One day, while the teacher was away, they teased and asked Sai Lang and Zhen Niang to go to the flower hall. No one knows that Sai Lang is a woman and Zhen Niang is a man. Sailang also thinks that Zhen Niang is really a girl, and Zhen Niang also thinks that Sailang is really a boy.

In a flash, several years passed. Sai Lang is fifteen, Zhen Niang is sixteen. When they first entered school, they often thought of the flower worship hall. Sailang thought: Zhenniang is smart and kind, and good at learning. Who will marry her in the future is really happy. Zhen Niang thinks so, too: If she is really a woman, she must marry Sai Lang.

Seeing that two years have passed, the students are going to break up. Sai Lang said to Zhen Niang, "I'm afraid that you and I won't be able to see each other often after I finish my studies." She shed tears. Zhen Niang said, "Brother Sai Lang, don't be sad. My home is not far from you, but we can often come and go. " But Sailang knew in his heart that he was old and would be locked in the boudoir by his parents from now on. Besides, you and Zhen Niang are getting married. Who knows where to get married? She said to Zhenniang, "Let's become sisters!" Zhen Niang thought: Isn't it a joke that two men worship their sisters? Shake hands again and again: "no, no, no, let's become sworn brothers!" " "After a long struggle, they finally said," Forget it, just become friends! " "In this way, two people became sworn at the edge of the lotus pond.

Sailang changed her women's clothes after returning home, stayed in the boudoir all day, and often missed Zhen Niang. Zhen Niang is at home and has always wanted to see Sai Lang. When Zhen Niang's father, Lao Bai, died of illness, his mother asked Zhen Niang to take off her earrings, put on men's clothes and send him to the grave for Lao Bai Dai Xiao. Only then did the whole village know that Zhen Niang turned out to be a man. When the news reached Mr. Hong's house, Sai Lang was overjoyed. Surprisingly, my father didn't know he was a man for many years; It's nice to meet such an amiable person as Zhen Niang. However, when Mr. Hong heard the news, he lost his temper and called Zhenniang's mother to scold her face to face: "You have a son at home, who will rob you?" Why do you dress up as a woman and send me to the library to study, and spend all day with Sailang, ruining my family style! " Zhen Niang's mother was puzzled: "My Zhen Niang is with Sai Lang. What's wrong with ruining the family style? " W's wife was around, only to know that Sai Lang was a woman was taken aback. On second thought, the Hong family was really unreasonable and said angrily, "You girls can study as men, so why can't my boys study as men?" Mr. Hong was speechless and ordered Zhenniang's mother to be driven out of the city gate.

Zhen Niang was so happy when she heard from her mother that Sai Lang was a woman that she was determined to marry her. Mother knew that the Hong family would not agree and refused to find a matchmaker, so Zhen Niang was unhappy all day.

A few days later, suddenly a letter came from Hong Jia Ya Huan. Open it and see, it's from Sailang. The letter said that she was locked in the boudoir by her parents and how much she missed Zhen Niang; She also said how happy she was to know that Zhen Niang was a man. Zhen Niang read the letter and was very happy to know that Sai Lang was interested in him. She wrote a reply and asked the maid to take it back. From then on, two people come and go and communicate with each other.

One night, Zhenniang proposed to her mother. The mother felt sorry for her son and promised to try. I didn't expect the matchmaker to be driven back before he entered the gate of Hong's house. The matchmaker said to Zhenniang, "Die! Mr. W said, on the one hand, you are too poor to support his daughter, on the other hand, you two used to be classmates. It is' selfless and harmful' to marry you now, which insults people's good manners. " Zhen Niang sees that things can't be done, and sorrow becomes a disease; His mother cried day and night. Besides, Sailang was anxious to get sick when he heard that the White House proposal was rejected by his parents. In order to let her daughter die, the baker secretly found someone to drive the White Family and their mother out of the village. Sailang was so angry when he heard the news that he didn't even eat. The condition is getting worse.

Besides, Zhen Niang was driven out of the village by the Hong family and moved to the city forty miles away. Not long after, Zhen Niang's condition improved slightly, but his mother was ill again, and her health was getting worse every day. Zhenniang can only make a living by doing a little business every day. After a few months, his mother died, Zhen Niang buried her mother and decided to go back to the village to find Sai Lang. He sold his family's things, bought some goods such as flowers, tied them up, dressed as a peddler, returned to the village and lived in a ruined temple.

One day, he shook his rattle and sneaked to Hong's back garden. The maid in the surf race heard the drums and came out to buy flowers. When she saw that it was Zhen Niang, she was very surprised and rushed in to tell Sai Lang. Sailang immediately wrote a letter and asked the maid to give it to Zhen Niang, telling him to leave here quickly. Zhenniang ran back to the temple and opened it. It turns out that Sai Lang asked him to meet him in the lotus pond at midnight tonight. Zhen Niang is happy, looking forward to dark.

At midnight, by the lotus pond, Sailang and Zhenniang began to cry as soon as they met. Crying and crying, Sai Lang said to Zhen Niang; "Dad shameless, we are born husband and wife. I hope you take care of yourself and stop thinking about me. " Then jump into the water. Zhenniang came forward to hug her and cried, "We can't live together, but we would rather die together." Say that finish, two people embrace, jump into the water together.

The maid waited until the cock crowed, and Sai Lang didn't come back. She knew something was wrong and dared not say anything. The next day, the Hong family searched everywhere and found a lotus pond. When they saw an embroidered shoe of Sailang, they knew they had jumped into the water. Mr. Hong hurriedly ordered someone to salvage it, only to see Zhen Niang and Sai Lang hugging each other tightly, and several people couldn't pull it away. Mr. Hong ordered them to be buried next to the lotus pond.

There was only lightning and storm that night. Until dawn, I saw the water in the lotus pond rise to the graves of Zhenniang and Sailang, and surrounded the graves: the stems of the lotus growing in front of the graves are thicker than people's thumbs. There are two flowers on the top, one red and one white, which are very close, so people call it "Lian Tie Lian" and later "Bing Didi".

(4) arrange flowers side by side

During the Taihe period of Jin Dynasty (1201-1208), there were two lovers who resisted arranged marriage and both devoted themselves to the lotus pond. Maybe their real feeling is in heaven, when the lotus pond is full of ice …

Lotus and orange lotus root trees change houses.

According to legend, the lotus used to grow on land, while the orange lotus root tree was born in water. They often visit each other, talk to each other, become close bosom friends, and get married in the same year.

One day, when they talked about their place of residence, the orange lotus root tree thought that it was often submerged in the water. It was very sad, so it came up with the idea of changing homes with the lotus flower, so it said to the lotus flower, "In the same year, no matter how dry it is, my place of residence will not be affected." I'm really sorry that you are dry every day. Let's get started. Let's go somewhere else. !

At that time, Lian reluctantly said, "Although the drought in your place can be avoided, I am afraid that it will blister when it rains."

The orange lotus root tree was afraid that the lotus would not want to, and quickly said, "No, you have big leaves on your head, which can be completely resisted."

Hearing this, I even hesitated. He thought for a moment and said, "Let's change it for the time being. If I feel uncomfortable living here, we still have to change it back, okay? "

The orange lotus tree wants to exchange lotus for a house as soon as possible. It was still unwilling to see the lotus, so it swore to the lotus: "Good, good! That's for sure. If you feel uncomfortable after staying with me, we can totally exchange it. If I don't go back to my original place, I will let the wind blow off my leaves in the future. "

Seeing that the orange lotus root tree spoke so seriously, Lotus took an oath and moved to the water, and the orange lotus root tree moved to land.

After living in the water, Lian always felt very sad about being flooded, so he asked the orange lotus root tree to return to its original place. At this time, the orange lotus root tree insisted on not changing, turned against others and said maliciously, "What a shame! If you don't like change, you can't change it long ago. Now that it has changed, why regret it? No way! No! "

Even after listening to it, I knew I had been taken in by the orange lotus root tree, but there was nothing I could do, because the orange lotus root tree just stayed on land and refused to move away, so I had to live in the water. Because the water is too flooded, there is no other way, so we have to try our best to get into the mud to escape, so the lotus root is now hidden in the mud.

Because the orange lotus root tree broke its promise after swearing, it will lose its leaves as long as the wind blows.