The origin and customs of Lapa Festival

Lapa Festival, commonly known as "Lapa", the old name of Lapa Festival, Lapa Sacrifice, Wanghou Lapa, and the ancient Chinese rituals.

The traditional Han Chinese festival, folk traditionally eat "Lahai congee", bubble Lahai garlic (some places is "Lahai rice") custom, Lahai is an ancient celebration of the harvest, thanks to the ancestors and the gods (including the god of the door, the god of the house, the god of the stove, the god of the well, the god of the house, the god of the house, the god of the house, the god of the house, the god of the house, the god of the house, the god of the house, the god of the house, the god of the well, The summer dynasty called the day of wax "Jia Ping", the Shang dynasty for the "clear sacrifice", the Zhou dynasty for the "big wax".

Because it was held in December, it is called the month of Lunar New Year, and the day of the Lunar New Year festival is called Lunar New Year. In the pre-Qin Dynasty, the Lapa Festival was held on the third day of the eleventh month after the winter solstice. Lapa Festival is used to worship ancestors and gods, praying for a good harvest and good luck festival, and then the Eastern Han Dynasty Buddhism was introduced, in order to expand the influence of the local gradually attached to the traditional culture of the Lapa Festival as the day of the Buddha's path to enlightenment.

Traditional customs of Lahat Festival: Lahat congee, Lahat garlic, Lahat tofu.

1, Lahai congee

Lahai this day there is the custom of drinking Lahai congee, Lahai congee, also known as the "seven treasures and five flavors of congee". The history of drinking Laha congee in China has been more than 1,000 years. The earliest began in the Song Dynasty, every Lahai this day, whether it is the court, the government, the temple or the people's home to do Lahai congee. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of drinking Laha congee was even more prevalent.

At the court, the emperor, empress and prince gave Laha congee to civil and military ministers and courtesans, and distributed rice and fruits to monasteries for monks to eat.

After the Laha congee is boiled, it should be honored to the gods and ancestors first. After that, it can be given to friends and relatives, and must be delivered before noon. Finally, it is eaten by the whole family. Leftover Laha congee, save a few days to eat there are left over, but it is a very good omen, take its "year after year" meaning. If you give the porridge to the poor people to eat, it is more for their own virtue.

2, Lahai garlic

Most areas in northern China on the eighth day of the first month of the traditional custom of soaking garlic with vinegar, called "Lahai garlic". Soaking garlic is a custom in North China. Ten days after the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, it is the time of the Spring Festival, due to the vinegar soaking, the garlic overall green, very beautiful, and the vinegar also has the spicy flavor of garlic. On New Year's Eve, around the time of the Spring Festival, eating dumplings and mixing cold dishes with Laha garlic and vinegar will taste very wonderful.

3, Lahai tofu

"Lahai tofu" is an Lahai tofu emblem Qianxian folk flavor specialties, in the Lahai on the eve of the Spring Festival, that is, around the eighth day of the twelfth month of the Lunar Calendar, Qianxian households have to sun tanning tofu, the folk will be this natural sun tanning of tofu called "Lahai tofu". The folk will call this natural sun-dried tofu "Laha tofu".

The significance and value of the Lahai Festival

(1) expresses the wish for a good harvest

The Lahai Festival borrows the name of the "Lahai Festival" to express a good wish for the coming year for the people who have been working in agriculture for a year. The next year, a good wish. From the surface, people are harvested with a variety of crops to pay homage to the gods, sacrifices to ancestors, thanks to the gods to give them the fruits of agriculture, thanks to the blessing of their ancestors on their production and life, and at the same time, praying for the next year of wind and rain, grains and cereals, the six animals thrive, and the cause of development.

(2) Demonstrate the joy of celebrating the agricultural harvest

The iconic custom of Lapa congee on the Lapa Festival is, in fact, a great demonstration of the fruits of the agricultural harvest. As Lao She said in the article "Beijing Spring Festival": "On the day of Lahai, people's homes, temples and monasteries, all boiled Lahai congee.

This special congee is a sacrifice to the gods, but when you think about it, it is an expression of pride in the agricultural society - this congee is a variety of rice, a variety of beans, and a variety of dried fruits (almonds, walnuts, melon seeds, lychee meat, lotus seeds, peanut rice, raisins, diamond-shaped rice) boiled. This is not porridge but a small agricultural fair."

This kind of Lapa congee, which concentrates on reflecting the abundance of food and everything in the farmhouse, can really reflect the joyful scene of a bumper agricultural harvest, the fullness of joy of people creating a better life, and the special interest in enjoying a happy life.