Hezhou Yao ethnic Wu rice how to make, containing what symbolism

On the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar, the Yao and Dong people and the Miao people of Yang, Lan, Li and other surnames have the popular custom of eating black rice, commonly known as the "Black Rice Festival", which has been passed down for thousands of years.

Wu rice that is black glutinous rice, its color is with a kind of tree called the green essence of the leaves dyed and made, there is a special flavor. Green essence tree is commonly known as Wu rice tree, the Department of Rhododendron family of evergreen shrubs, 1 to 3 meters high, multi-branched, its stems and leaves can be used as medicine, beneficial essence, strong bones, eyesight, diarrhea and other functions.

Wu rice system is: first of all, the appropriate amount of young leaves of the green essence of the tree crushed and kneaded to soak in water for two hours (four hours) and then filtered through gauze, and then poured into the green essence of the clean glutinous rice in the leaf juice of the water soaked for three hours (six hours) after the glutinous rice filtered into the steamer to steam into shape. The darkness of the color of the rice lies in the concentration of the juice of the green essence, the thicker the juice of the green essence, the darker and more fragrant the rice. The Tang Dynasty, "ten kinds of herbal medicine gleanings" in the green fine rice "nine immersion nine steam nine exposure, the rice is tight small, black as a glittering pearl" records, indicating that the Tang Dynasty dyeing process is very complex rice.

The origins of the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar to eat rice, folk at least five said:

First, from the Taoist. From the Song Dynasty onwards, the Taoist priests will be the Wu rice as "immortal family food" longevity health food, and later popular among the people.

The second is from Buddhism. April 8 is the founder of Buddhism Shakyamuni's birthday, Buddhist disciples must be steamed rice first for Buddha, after eating their own can be eliminated after the disease, strong body, folk imitation.

Three is derived from the myth "Pauline Lamp - split the mountain to save the mother" legend. Meilian's mother for violating the rules of the sky was pressed under the Jiuhua Mountain, starving, Meilian steamed rice to give his mother to eat, his mother ate rice not only to maintain the life, but also the birth of Zuyu Yuan, the face of the rosy cheeks, Meilian has become a typical filial piety of the mother.

Fourth, from the cow's birthday. Immortal cattle secretly in the eighth day of April for the people plowing, the Jade Emperor was very angry, the penalty immortal cattle stay on earth forever. In order to thank the immortal ox, the people set the day of its descent as the ox's birthday, cooked rice for the ox to eat so that it would be fit and strong, and let the ox rest for a day.

Fifth, it comes from honoring the heroes in the history of the Miao people, which is one of the most widely circulated sayings.