600 word essay on the folklore of Tanabata!!!! Help me answer it!

Evening Festival folklore essay, recommended reference:

1,

In our country, the night of the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the weather is warm, the grass and trees, which is commonly known as the Tanabata Festival, also known as "Begging for a coincidence" or "Daughter's Day", which is one of the most romantic of the traditional Chinese festivals, and is also the most important day for girls in the past. "

This is one of the most romantic of all traditional Chinese festivals, and one that girls used to attach the greatest importance to.

On a clear summer and fall night, the stars in the sky shine brightly, and a white Milky Way runs across the north and south, and the east and west banks of the river are each covered with a shining star, looking across the river, facing each other from afar, that is Altair and Vega.

Sitting on the eve of Tanabata to see the Altair and Vega stars, is a folk custom, according to legend, in this night every year, is the heavenly Weaving Maiden and the Cowherd in the magpie bridge meeting time. The Weaving Maiden is a beautiful, clever, dexterous nymphs, the mortal women will be begging for her wisdom and skill on this night, but also to her to ask for the gift of marriage, so the seventh day of the seventh month is also known as the Begging for coincidence festival.

People say that on the night of the seventh day of the seventh month, they can look up and see the Milky Way where the cowherd and the weaving maiden meet, or they can overhear the pulsating words of love of the two men meeting in the sky under the shelf of melons and fruits.

Girls in this night full of romance, the sky's bright moon, seasonal fruits and melons, towards the sky to worship, begging the goddess in the sky to give them a clever mind and dexterous hands, so that their knitting skills skill, but also begging for love and marriage marriage coincidental match. In the past, marriage was a lifelong event for women to decide whether they would be happy or not, so countless men and women in love would pray for a happy marriage on this night, when the night is quiet and people are deep in the night, to the starry sky. Tanabata Begging for Handicrafts, this festival originated in the Han Dynasty, Eastern Jin Ge Hong's "Xijing Miscellany" has "Han color women often to the seventh day of the seventh month to wear seven-hole needle in the Kaixiao building, people are practicing" records, this is the earliest we have seen in ancient literature on the begging for handicrafts records. Later in the Tang and Song poems, women's begging was also mentioned repeatedly, Tang dynasty Wang Jian poem said "appendant stars and buckets decorated with pearl light, Tanabata palace e begging busy". According to "Kaiyuan Tianbao remains": Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty and his consort every Tanabata in the Qing Palace night feast, the palace ladies beg, this custom in the folklore is also enduring, and continue from generation to generation.

Song and Yuan times, Tanabata begging is quite grand, the capital also has a market specializing in the sale of begging items, the world known as begging city. Song Luo Ye, Jin Ying Zhi collection of Drunken Weng said: "Tanabata, Pan Lou before the sale of begging objects. Since July 1, car and horse anger throat, to three days before Tanabata, car and horse do not pass, one after another congestion, no longer come out, to the night square dispersal." Here, from the begging city to buy begging objects, we can infer the lively scene of the Tanabata Begging Festival at that time. People from the first day of July began to set up begging objects, begging city on the traffic, the flow of people like tide, to the approaching eve of the time, begging city simply into a sea of people, cars and horses difficult to travel, to see its style, seems to be no less than the grandest festival - the Spring Festival, indicating that begging for the festival is the ancients are one of the most favorite festivals.

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The Tanabata Festival, also known as the needle begging

This is the earliest way of begging for coquettish, began in Han, flowed in later generations. Xijing Miscellany" said: "Han color women often wear seven holes in the seventh day of the seventh month needle in the Kaixiao building, people with the practice." Southern Liang Zongmou "Jing Chu chronicles" said: "July 7, is the evening of the women of the family color building to wear seven holes outside, or to gold, silver, stone for the needle." Yiyizi Zhi" said: "Qi Wudi up layer of the city view, July 7, the palace more than boarding the needle. The world called the needle piercing building." Fifth Wang Renyu "Kaiyuan Tianbao remains" said: "Tanabata, the palace to brocade knot building hall, 100 feet high, on the can win dozens of people, Chen to fruits and wine sizzling, set up seating, to sacrifice the cow female two stars, concubines to nine-hole needle five-color line to the moon to wear, over the person who has been clever of the marquis. Move the song of the Qing Shang, feast music up to the end of the day. The soil people's homes all follow the example." Yuan Tao Zongyi "Yuan's Yatei Records" said: "nine cited Taiwan, Tanabata begging for coquettish place. To the evening, the courtesans on stage to colorful silk wearing nine-tailed needle, the first to finish for the coquettish, late finishers called the loss of coquettish, each funded to give the coquettish."

The Tanabata Festival is also known as the Hi-Spider should be coquettish

This is also an earlier way of begging for coquettish, and its custom is slightly later than that of threading needles to beg for coquettish, which is roughly in the time of the North and South Dynasties. In the Southern Dynasty, Liang Zong懔《荆楚岁時記》said: "It is the evening, Chen melon fruit in the court to beg for coincidences. The net on the melon is thought to be a charm."

Wang Renyu of the Fifth Generation, "Kaiyuan Tianbao Legacy" said: "July 7, each capture the spider in a small box, to the dawn of the open; depending on the spider web sparse and dense to get the coincidence of the Hou. The dense say coquettish more, sparse say coquettish less. Folk are also effective" Song Dynasty Meng Yuan Lao "Tokyo Meng Hua Records" said, July 7 Eve "to small spiders in the Hap Zi, the next day to see, if the web is round is said to get coquettish." Song Zhou Mi "Qian Chun years and times" said; "to a small spider stored in the Hop, to wait for the sparseness of the web for how long to get coquettish" Ming Tian Rucheng "Xichao music" said, Tanabata "to a small box full of spiders, the next morning to see its web sparseness to get coquettish more or less." From this, the method of inspection of different generations, the North and South Dynasties, depending on the web of the presence or absence of the Tang network of sparse and dense, the Song network of the round, the later generations of the Tang custom.

The Tanabata Festival is also known as the needle inspection

This is a variation of the Tanabata needle begging custom, originating from the needle, but also different from the needle, is the prevalence of the Tanabata Festival in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Ming Liu Dong, Yu Yizheng's "Imperial Capital Scenery" said: "July 7 afternoon throw trick needle. Women's exposure to ounces of water in the sun, a short while, the water film surface, embroidery needle casting is floating, look at the bottom of the water needle shadow. There are into the clouds and things flower head bird and animal shadow, there are into the shoes and scissors water eggplant shadow, said begging to get coquettish; its shadow as thick as a hammer, as thin as silk, straight as a shaft of wax, this is a sign of clumsiness carry on." Zhishu Zhili" also said, Liangxiang County (now southwest of Beijing) "July 7, women begging for coquettish, throwing needles in the water, borrowing the sun shadow to test the work of clumsy, to the night is still begging for coquettish in the weaver," please Yu Minzhong, "under the sun, the old news of the Kaohsiung" quoted in "Miscellany of the Wandering Department," said: "Yandu women to the bowl of water on the seventh day of the seventh month under the stormy sun, and each throw a small needle to float! The surface of the water, Xu see the sun under the water. Or scattered as a flower, moving as a cloud, thin as a line, thick rent as a cone, because of the divining woman's skill."

The Tanabata Festival is also known as the seed of the child

Old custom, a few days before Tanabata, first in a small wooden board on a layer of soil, sowing corn seeds, so that it gives birth to green shoots, and then set up some of the small cottage, flowers and trees in the above, made into the appearance of the field house people's villages, known as the "shell plate", or the mung beans, beans, wheat, etc. immersed in a magnetic bowl, and soaked in a small bowl of water. or mung beans, small beans, wheat, etc. immersed in a magnetic bowl, and so it grows out of the buds, and then tied into a bundle of red and blue silk rope, known as the "seed of life", also known as "five pots of life" or "pots of flowers". In the south, also known as "bubble Qiao", will grow out of the bean sprouts called Qiao buds, and even Qiao buds instead of needles, thrown in the water begging. Also use wax to shape various images, such as the cowherd, the characters in the story of the Weaving Maiden, or bald eagles, mandarin ducks, and other animal forms, placed on the water to float, called "water floating". There are wax baby dolls, so that women buy home floating in the water and soil, and thought it was good luck, known as "Husheng".

The Tanabata Festival is also known as the "mill drink music"

Mill drink music is the old folk Tanabata Festival children's playthings, that is, the small clay doll, the image of its more than half-armed dress passing lotus leaves, holding a lotus leaf. July 7 every year, in Kaifeng, "Pan Lou Street, east of the Song door outside the tile, state West Liang door outside the tile, outside the North Gate, south of the Zhuqueimen outside the street and the street and Ma Hang Street, are selling mill drink music, is a small plastic doll ear. In fact, a little later in the Song Dynasty after the mill drink music, is no longer a small puppet, on the contrary, the more exquisite. Grinding drink music size, posture varies, the largest as high as three feet, and the real children in the next. The production of materials are carved with ivory or carving with Longyan Buddha's hand incense, grinding drinking music dress up, it is the most exquisite thing, there are painted wood carving for the rail seat, or with red sand Bi cage as a cover, the hands of the toys held in the hands of gold, jade and gemstones to decorate, a pair of grinding drinking music cost is often up to thousands of dollars. Woof Tanabata Beggar's Tale Shaft

The Tanabata Festival is also known as the worship of the Weaving Maiden

"Worship of the Weaving Maiden" is purely a matter for young girls and young women. Most of them are in advance and their friends or neighbors about five or six people, as many as ten people, jointly organized. Held a ceremony, is set up a table under the moonlight, the table set tea, wine, fruit, five (cinnamon, jujube, hazelnut, peanut, melon seeds) and other offerings; and a few flowers, bundles of red paper, inserted into the bottle, flowers before a small incense burner. Then, about to participate in the worship of the weaving maiden young women, girls, fasting for a day, bathing, punctually to the host's home, burning incense in front of the case after worship, we sit around the table, one side of the peanuts, melons, one side of the constellation towards the weaving maiden, meditate on their own affairs of the heart. Such as young girls want to look beautiful or marry a man of their choice, young women want to give birth to a child early, etc., can be to the Weaving Maiden star of silent prayer. Play until midnight to be dispersed.

The Tanabata Festival is also known as the worship of Kuixing

Popular legend has it that the seventh day of the seventh month is the birthday of Kuixing. Kui Xing Wen matter, want to seek the success of the scholar especially revered Kui Xing, so must be worshipped on the eve of this day, praying for his blessing of their own examination luck. Kui Xing Master is Kui Dou Star, twenty-eight hosts in the Kuixing, for the first star of the Big Dipper seven stars, also Kui Xing or Kui Shou. In ancient times, when the scholar in the scholar said "big Kui world Shi" or "a lift to win", are because of the Kui Xing master in charge of the examination of the fate of the reason.

According to folklore, the Kui Xing master was ugly, with a face full of spots and a limp. Someone then wrote a limerick to make fun of him: not Yang why decorate the lead, even if the lead is not covered. I've been married to a nun and I've become a beautiful woman, and I've been in a bee room for a long time. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea for me to be a part of it. The wind blows the plum blossoms on my forehead. The jade toe of Xiangjun is the most bizarre, one step higher and one step lower. The body wants to dance when walking in a graceful manner, and it is like a mouth in a floating place. It is only because the world is so dangerous that I am tired of seeing all the wonders on the side of the trail. I don't want to laugh at the half-broken waist, but the temporary swaying is also colorful.

However, the master of this Quixing has high aspirations and is furious with his work, and he has even passed the high school. The emperor's palace examination, asked him why his face is full of spots, he replied: "hemp face full of stars"; asked why his feet limp, he replied: "one-legged jump Dragon Gate". The emperor was satisfied and accepted him.

Another completely different legend says that although the Kuixing master was full of learning in his lifetime, but unfortunately, every test will be defeated, so he was so angry that he threw himself into the river. He was unexpectedly saved by a turtle fish and ascended to heaven to become Kuixing. Because the Kuixing can control the literati's examination luck, so every July 7 his birthday, the readers are solemn worship.

The Tanabata Festival is also known as the sunshine book sunshine clothes

It is reported that Sima Yi year because of the high position of power, quite Cao Cao's suspicion, in view of the darkness of the politics at that time, in order to protect themselves, he pretended to be crazy to hide in the house. Emperor Wu of Wei was still not quite at ease, so he sent a close friend to secretly find out the truth. On July 7, Sima Yi was at home, pretending to be crazy. When the historian went back to report to Emperor Wu, he immediately ordered Sima Yi to return to his post, or else he would be taken into custody. Sima Yi only obediently obeyed the order to return to the court. There is another kind of people who, in the chaotic world, express their depression by being unrestrained. They flouted the laws of propriety and opposed the customs of the times. Liu Yiqing's Shishu Xinyi (New Sayings of the World), Volume 25, says that on July 7, everyone sunbathed in books, but only Hao Long ran into the sun to lie down, and when he was asked why, he replied: "I sunbathe in books". On the one hand, this is contempt for the custom of tanning books, on the other hand, it is also boasting of his own belly of talent. Tanning the belly is also tanning the book. The Han Dynasty custom of sunbathing in the Wei and Jin Dynasties for the rich and powerful create an opportunity to boast about their wealth. Ruan Xian, one of the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove", despised this style. On the 7th of July, when his neighbor was drying his clothes, he saw all the silks and satins on the racks, which were glittering and glamorous. Ruan Xian did not panic with a bamboo pole to pick up a worn-out clothes, someone asked him what he was doing, he said: "not immune to the custom, chatting back to the ear!" From these few short stories, it seems to know how prevalent was the custom of tanning books and clothes on the eve of the seventh day of the seventh month.

The Tanabata Festival is also known as the He Niu Birthday

Children would pick wildflowers and hang them on the horns of the cows on Tanabata, which was called the "He Niu Birthday" (Tanabata is said to be the birthday of the cows).