What are the taboos of the traditional Six Ghost Bridge Festival in Chaoshan in early June?

There are many ancient folk festivals, and all ethnic groups are strange. If there are Chaoshan people, you should have heard of the Six Ghosts Bridge Festival on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month. On that day, the traditional folk customs in Chaoshan area included activities such as drying books, uncovering things, crossing bridges by ghosts and asking ghosts. In this issue of national culture, let me show you the taboos of crossing the bridge rice noodles.

Ghost bridge festival

The sixth day of June every year is the traditional "Bridge Festival" in Chaoshan. Every family member has died, and the sixth day of June, the hundredth day will pass, so we have to worship and cross the bridge.

Crossing the bridge, also known as Naihe Bridge, originated from an absurd story in The Journey to the West's tenth and eleventh chapters: Emperor Taizong was accused by King Jinghe and was invited by Yan Luowang to confront him in the underworld. The Prime Minister sent a letter to Judge Cui Jue, requesting that his life span be extended by 20 years. Li Shimin promised to repay Yan Luowang with fruits, while Yan Luowang said that he had eaten melons and pumpkins, but he had never eaten watermelons. Emperor Taizong promised to send someone to deliver watermelons as soon as he got back. After Emperor Taizong came back from the dead, he recruited a man named Liu Quan and gave his life to send watermelons to the underworld so that he could see his wife who died in the underworld. After receiving the watermelon, Yan Luowang was very happy and asked his wife to return to Sun Zaiquan and Liu. However, Liu's wife died many years ago and her body was gone. The prince also arranged a "rebirthing" to make the girl who just died in the neighboring village become the soul of Liu's wife.

Since then, the story that Yin Si and Rebecca like watermelons has been passed down from generation to generation. When Chaoshan people arranged a bridge crossing ceremony for their deceased relatives, watermelon became the protagonist. But according to folklore, some lazy children don't want to pick watermelons themselves, but they want to pick watermelons on the way that night. So Chaoshan people have the habit of not going out these days in early June. Besides, there are many taboos.

It is forbidden to buy watermelons. From the first day of June, the purchase of watermelon belongs to the patent of bereaved families. In addition to watermelons, the "five fruits" when crossing the bridge to worship: peaches, plums, lychees, grapes and wampee are also forbidden to buy.

Marrying a daughter is forbidden to go back to her mother's house. From the first day of June to the sixth day of June, going back to her parents' home means a funeral, so it is very unlucky for unmarried women to go back to their parents' home.

It is forbidden to visit relatives and friends at home. Similarly, if there is no worship task at home during this period, there will be no relatives and friends coming to the door.

Don't go out at night. A few nights before liberation, the street was empty. After liberation, superstition was broken and gradually became lively. However, some people insist on not going out at least on the fifth night, especially the children with shallow foundation.

No cooking, no eating. Those who have the mission of worship should do bridge and "five banquets and five banquets", that is, long banquets, round banquets, bean-shaped banquets, turrets and group banquets, which are used for worship before the coffin. Among them, the deck is very beautiful. It is necessary to use three catties of rice, and divide six taels of rice into seven parts, making them into the shape of soles, and folding them into dominoes when worshipping. After the worship, you must eat or feed the pigs before noon in the sixth grade, otherwise it will delay the dead from crossing the bridge.

There used to be a silly woman in Chaoshan countryside who forgot to make trouble on the fifth day of May. At the beginning of June, she saw a funeral home make a scene, thinking it was another holiday, and left with her without asking why. The neighbor asked her, no one died in your family. What is she doing? The silly woman replied: I can't catch up with the fifth day of May, but I will definitely catch up with the sixth day of June. Later, this sentence became a folk saying in Chaoshan.