Ajiu Festival handbook information

Awajiu Festival

Awajiu Festival is a local festival in the Shiyi area of Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China, on the 29th day of the first month of the lunar calendar. On this day, every family cooks Aojiu congee to offer to their ancestors or give it to their friends and relatives; women who have already gotten married also send Aojiu congee back to their mother's house to honor their parents.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1 Legend I

1 Legend II

1 Legend III

1 Legend IV

Traditional Customs

"Filial Piety"

Methods of Making the Congee

Traditional Customs

"Filial Piety"

Methods of Making Congee

Traditional Customs

Methods of Making Congee

Introduction

1 Legend 1

1 Legend 2

1 Legend 3

1 Legend 4

Traditional Customs

"Filial Piety"

Method of Making Congee

Introduction

The 29th day of the first month of the lunar year is the most important day of the year. The 29th day of the first month of the lunar calendar is a traditional folk festival unique to Fuzhou. "It is also known as the "Back Nine Festival" and the "Festival of Filial Piety". Early in the morning on this day, every family uses glutinous rice, brown sugar, plus peanuts, jujubes, water chestnuts, sesame seeds, cinnamon and other raw materials, to cook

Au Jiu congee

into a sweet porridge called "Au Jiu congee", which is used to offer sacrifices to the ancestors or give gifts to relatives and friends. Married daughters, must also send a bowl of "au jiu congee", some also add too plane, eggs, pig's feet, etc., sent back to her mother's home, filial piety and honor their parents. In addition, anyone who is nine years old, such as nine years old, nineteen years old, twenty-nine years old ...... (called "bright nine"), or a multiple of nine, such as eighteen years old, twenty-seven years old, thirty-six years old ...... ( Called "dark nine"), should also be like a birthday, eat a bowl of "too flat", in order to peace, health. [1]

Origin

About "au jiu" there are the following four legends:

Legend I

According to legend, in ancient times, there was a man named Meilian, his mother was born tough and evil, and after his death, was locked up in the netherworld cell, he visited the prison, often send food to his mother to eat, but all were guarded by the jailers! but they were all eaten by the guards. Later, he thought of a way, with water chestnuts, peanuts, red dates, cinnamon, brown sugar and other ingredients mixed with glutinous rice, boiled into a sweet porridge, served in a bowl, and then sprinkled with a handful of black sesame seeds to send to his mother, the guards jailer saw this rice black, asked: "What is this?" The guards saw the rice was black and asked: "What is this?" Meilian answered casually: "This is the argot

Meilian saved his mother from the Underworld

Scalp". (Fuzhou language "nine" and "dirt" harmonized) guards believe that this porridge is very dirty, do not dare to eat. Therefore, the "nine congee" to be able to send to the hands of the mother of Meilian. This day is exactly the twenty-ninth day of the first month, Meilian's mother this year is exactly twenty-nine years old, Min custom, the first month is divided into "three nine", the first nine of the first month is called "on the nine", nineteen is called "in the nine", twenty-nine is called "after nine", twenty-nine is called "after nine", twenty-nine is called "after nine", twenty-nine is called "after nine". Twenty-nine is called "after nine", so this porridge is called "after nine porridge". Later, the color of the congee is black, called the "congee of the nine", and the filial piety to the mother of Megilian, also called "filial piety nine congee". Whether it is the first month of the twenty-ninth, or twenty-nine years, are the years of Meilian's mother's fall, so Fuzhou people on the nine taboos, that "nine" is the years of trouble, so, all the people who meet the "nine" years of age to eat too flat, married daughters, but also to give their parents to send! "Nine", in order to seek peace and health of parents.

Legend II

Another source of sending poor, Ming Dynasty scholars Xie Zhaozhi said: "Gao Yang's son, clothing and food mince, the first day of the month of the death of the obscure, the world as a mince, abandoned broken and the mouth of the streets and alleys, in addition to the poor ghosts." Scholars in the Qing Dynasty were mostly in favor of this theory, Lin Zu-tao (Minzhong yearly singing) poem: "According to legend, the nine Fangchen, each cooking syrup and rice mixed with dates and hazelnuts. Sweep away all the dust and cast all the filth, send him poor ghosts to receive the God of money."

Legend III

According to legend, the ancient Indian monk Meilian's father was always in business, and his family had many mules and horses and countless treasures. His mother, Ching-Ti, hated monks. Meilian heart yearning for Buddha, Dharma, monks. After growing up, once he went out to do business, said to his mother on the way out: "Children go out to seek wealth, mother at home to accumulate virtues and good deeds, to the monks should be as to the children." His mother agreed. Who expected that after the departure of Meilian, his mother is still the same, ferociously to the door of all the monks and nuns to turn away, stingy to the point of a meal will not even give alms. After half a year, when Meilian returned home, he heard that his mother had been very unfriendly to the monks, so he asked his mother about the reason, and she was furious and rebuked him, "How can you not believe your mother? If I don't treat monks well, I won't be allowed to die within seven days, and I will fall into the hell of Abi after death!" Seven days later, his mother died violently. After burying his mother in great mourning, Meilian abandoned his wealth and honor and returned to Sakyamuni, becoming an arahant and one of the ten great disciples of the Buddha. After inquiring about his mother's death, Meglian found out that she had really fallen into the hell of Abi. He found his mother in hell, who had been turned into a hungry ghost and was being tortured, and was so sad that he immediately fed her with a bowl of rice. But the rice turned into coals of fire before he could eat it. Meilian cried and wept. When the Buddha saw how filial he was, he said to him, "Although you have become a luohan, you can't save your mother by your own strength; you must create a bon festival so that all the hungry ghosts in the world will be fed, and then your mother will be saved." So Meilian asked the monks in all directions to set up a bon festival to help all the hungry ghosts, so that his mother could be saved from hell.

Legend 4

Meilian's mother, Mrs. Ching-Ti, was a very rich woman, but she was mean and greedy, while her son was very moral and filial. When her son was away from home, she slaughtered animals and cooked them every day, without thinking of her son, and never practicing good deeds. After her death, she was sent to the netherworld to be punished with bitter tortures. In order to save his mother, Meilian became a monk and gained divine powers, and went to the hell to see his suffering mother. Meglian could not bear it in his heart, but with his mother's sins in her life, she could not get out of the hungry ghosts' path, and the food she was given was turned into coals of fire before it reached her mouth. There was nothing he could do, but he was so sad that he prayed to the Buddha. The Buddha taught Meilian to build a bon festival on July 15 to feed his mother with the power of the monks from all directions. Meilian followed the Buddha's instruction, and thus came the Buddhist legend of setting up a bon on the 15th of July to feed the monks of the ten directions in order to overthrow the dead. The mother of Meilian was able to have enough to eat and passed on to the human world, where she was born as a dog. After seven days and seven nights of praying, Meilian was able to get his mother out of her dog body and into heaven. This Buddhist story has been passed down from the Western Jin Dynasty to the present day and has been passed down by word of mouth. The key lies in the fact that the story urges people to be good and children to be filial, and it also has the metaphor of "there is no such thing as a parent in the world".

Traditional customs

The 29th day of the first month is a traditional folk festival unique to Fuzhou and Xiapu. "The festival is also known as the "Festival of the Back Nine", the "Festival of Filial Piety" and the "Festival of Sending the Poor". Early in the morning on this day, every family uses glutinous rice, brown sugar, plus peanuts, jujubes, water chestnuts, sesame seeds, cinnamon and other raw materials. Cooked into a sweet porridge, known as the "ajiu congee", used to sacrifice ancestors or gifts to friends and relatives. Married daughters, but also be sure to send a bowl of "au jiu congee", some also add too plane, eggs, pig's feet, etc., sent back to her mother's home, filial piety and honor their parents. In addition, all people's age nine, such as nine years old, nineteen years old, twenty-nine years old ...... (called "bright nine"), or multiples of nine, such as eighteen years old, twenty-seven years old, thirty-six years old ...... (called "dark nine"). (called "dark nine"), should also be like a birthday, eat a bowl of "too flat", in order to peace, health. In the traditional concept of Fuzhou people, "nine" is not good.　"Three days after the festival, it is the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, which is also a unique legendary festival in Fuzhou, referred to as "February 2nd". On February 2, Fuzhou people do not eat sugar porridge, but salty porridge. Salted congee is made of glutinous rice, celery, green onion, garlic, shrimp, oyster, shredded meat and other raw materials, cooked into a savory thin rice. February 2 to cook salty rice, mainly because of the ancient Fuzhou, material is not rich, the standard of living of the people is very low, usually difficult to get chicken, duck, fish and meat, only in the Spring Festival, it is necessary and possible to purchase some for the New Year's Eve and the first month of the preparation of the "grain and grass" (because during the first month of the first month, many merchants are also closed down for the rest, it is not easy to buy the market). (since many businesses are closed during the first month, it is not easy to buy the right kind of food in the market). Stored nearly a month of food, can eat has been eaten, eat not finished also came to the time of the imminent decay and deterioration, thrifty housewives on the second of February this day, the first month of the month have not yet eaten all the food mixed together, add some glutinous rice, boiled into a thin rice, the whole family gathered around it to eat it up, so as not to waste. After February 2, and began the usual people's days of light meals. Over time, the custom of cooking salty thin rice on February 2 took shape. Because February 2 from cleaning, cooking the first month of surplus food, so some people have surplus food on the cooking, no surplus food on the cooking. This is the reason why February 2 is not as lively and standardized as the "Argumentative Nine Festival". But, after all, February 2 promotes the Fuzhou people do not waste, thrifty traditional virtues.

"Filial piety" winds of the sheng

In Fuzhou's famous Sanfang Qixiang ancient street area, to operate the flavor of the cuisine, traditional Min dishes known as "An Tai Lou Restaurant", and set up in front of the store "Au Jiu Festival "The restaurant set up a congee delivery point in front of the shop and gave out free congee cooked with red dates, peanuts, cinnamon, lotus seeds, brown sugar and glutinous rice.　"The free distribution of congee on the Day of the Argument of the Ninth has become a traditional activity of the long-established restaurant "An Tai Lou Restaurant". This year, before the "Festival", it also specially invited Fuzhou folklore experts to explain the origin of the "Festival" for diners. Its operators say they hope to pass on this traditional Fuzhou festival.　"Au Jiu Festival" is a unique folk festival in Fuzhou, also known as "filial piety festival", "send poor festival". Early in the morning, Fuzhou people use glutinous rice, brown sugar, plus peanuts, jujubes, water chestnuts, sesame seeds, cinnamon and other raw materials into a sweet porridge, called "au jiu congee", used to worship ancestors or gifts to friends and relatives; especially married daughters, must send a bowl of "au jiu congee" back to her mother's home, filial piety to parents, blessing peace, health and happiness. To honor their parents and bless them with peace and health.　This custom is still prevalent in Fuzhou. An old mother who drank "au jiu congee" said, "au jiu congee" is not only brown sugar, peanuts, jujubes, cinnamon and so on, but also has a filial piety of children, sweet to the heart.　"The festival has become a social trend of respecting the elderly and honoring filial piety, which has been carried forward in Fuzhou. In the "Festival of Nine Arguments", Roulei Village, Chengmen Town, Cangshan District, Fuzhou, set up a grand "filial piety feast" in the Chen Ancestral Hall: the hall was filled with one hundred and ninety-five tables, and nearly 2,000 elderly people over the age of half a hundred were seated on the seats, chatting and eating at leisure while enjoying the food on the stage, and the food on the stage. The nearly two thousand old men and women sit on the tables, chatting and eating leisurely, while enjoying the wonderful performance of Min Opera on the stage; while the young people in the village are busy serving dishes and sending tea. This Aojiu Festival of honoring the elderly feast custom, in the local has been inherited for more than twenty years.

Awajiu congee production method

to water chestnut, peanuts, jujube, cinnamon mainly, can add lotus seed, white fruit, etc., and white rice oozing glutinous rice with brown sugar and cook until cooked or en rotten into congee can be eaten. (Peanuts, lotus seeds can be soaked or boiled to half-cooked before cooking with rice.)