Is shadow theater a traditional festival

The Spring Festival and the concept of the year, the original meaning from the agricultural, the ancient people of the growth cycle of the grain is called "year", "Shuowen. Wo Department": "year, the grain is ripe also:. In the Xia and Shang dynasties produced the summer calendar, the cycle of the moon for the month, a year divided into twelve months, each month to not see the moon for the day for the first day of the first month of the first day of the month of the son of the time known as the first of the year, that is, the beginning of the year, also known as the year, the year of the name is from the Zhou Dynasty, to the Western Han Dynasty to formally fixed, and has been continued until today. But the first day of the first month in ancient times was known as "New Year's Day", until after the victory of the Xinhai Revolution in modern China, the Nanjing Provisional Government in order to comply with the lunar calendar and facilitate the statistics, the provisions of the civilian use of the summer calendar, the implementation of the Gregorian calendar in the government agencies, factories, mines, schools and organizations to the Gregorian calendar of the first day of the new year for the New Year's Day, the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, the Chinese New Year.

The birthday of the god of the road (the fifth day of the first month):

The fifth day of the first month, "the god of the road" is a god of wealth worshiped in Wu. It is his birthday, and he is greeted with a spectacular sunrise festival.

"Road head" is also known as "five-way god". It is said that at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there is a He Wu Lu, to defend against foreign invaders and died, people therefore worship him as a god, the name "Wu Lu Shen". However, this "Five Roads God" does not seem to have anything to do with the "Five Roads God" as the god of wealth. Or to "Five Roads God" is actually "five holy God", or "five passes God", in the Kangxi period after the destruction of Tang Bin banned above the mountain five passes Temple, folk dare not worship! "Wutong God", so change its name to "road head" and worship. Generally this "road head" for the ancient five sacrifices in the "line God", the so-called five road is east and west, south, north and south; wealth and goods are not based on the road and line, so people line God for the God of Wealth, respectfully offer sacrifices, and hope to seek it to attract wealth into the door, or travel to profit. Ancient people traveled outside, sacrificing to the God of the road for peace, this is the "Zu Dao" custom; Wu common pick up the head of the road, the sacrifice is also the God of the road, and the God of the road into the God of Wealth, is due to the development of business, the intensification of the circulation of goods. The goods to and from the land and water, people intuitively believe that the road in the darkness of the master of the goods.

The common thought to receive the head of the road, the sooner the better, the earliest received is the true God, especially effective, so called "grab the head of the road. Some places, really in the first four days of the first day of the "rush to grab the head of the road", and has become a custom. Since the God of the road is no longer the protector of the travelers, people will no longer in the travel to worship it.

As for the people in the first five days of the first month of the road to worship God, and this day for its birthday, is the five road god of the "five" and the first five of the "five" implicated in the reason. In the north on this day to sacrifice "five poor" is the same. In the first month rather than other months, is to take the new year new weather, figure a year of good luck, prosperity, east and west, south and north, wealth, five roads and progress.

◎ Lantern Festival (the first month of the fifteenth):

Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival, as early as 2000 years ago in the Western Han Dynasty, Lantern Festival began in the Eastern Han Dynasty Ming Di period, the Ming Di advocate of Buddhism, heard that the Buddhist monks on the fifteenth day of the first month of the view of the Buddha's relics, lamps and honor the Buddha's practice, the order of the day and night in the palace and temples lamps and honor the Buddha, so that the common people of the clan to hang the lamps. Later, this Buddhist ceremonial festival gradually formed a grand folk festival. The festival has gone through the development process from the palace to the folk, from the Central Plains to the whole country.

During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the 15th day of the first month was designated as the Lantern Festival. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the festival of "Taiyi God" was held on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar. (Taiyi: the god who dominates everything in the universe). When Sima Qian created the "Taichu Calendar", the Lantern Festival was already recognized as a major festival.

Another theory is that the custom of burning lanterns at the Lantern Festival originated from the Taoist "Three Elements"; the 15th day of the first month is the Upper Elements Festival, the 15th day of the 7th month is the Middle Elements Festival, and the 15th day of the 10th month is the Lower Elements Festival. In charge of the upper, middle and lower three yuan respectively for the sky, earth, human three officials, the heavenly officials happy, so on the first yuan festival to light.

The Lantern Festival festival period and festival activities, is with the development of history and extend, expand. In terms of the length of the festival, the Han Dynasty only one day, to the Tang Dynasty has been three days, the Song Dynasty is up to five days, the Ming Dynasty is from the eighth light, until the night of the seventeenth day of the first month of the light, the whole ten days. With the Spring Festival, the day for the city, bustling, night lights, spectacular. Especially the delicate, colorful lights, more so during the Spring Festival has become the climax of the entertainment activities. To the Qing Dynasty, and added a dragon dance, lion dance, running boats, stilt walkers, twisting rice-planting songs and other "hundreds of theater" content, just shortened the festival period of four to five days.

◎Fill Cang Festival (the twenty-fifth of the first month):

The twenty-fifth of the first month, commonly known as Fill Cang Festival, which is a Han Chinese folk festival to symbolize the New Year's grain abundance.

"Fill the Cang Festival" because "fill" and "day" homophonic also known as the "day warehouse festival", folk have The old days warehouse and small days warehouse points. The twentieth day of the first month of the lunar calendar for the small day warehouse, the twenty-fifth day of the first month for the old day warehouse, is a traditional folk festival. Some say Tiancang Festival is the day of sacrifice to the star, some say it is for the sacrifice of the land or sacrifice mill god.

The so-called filling of the barn means filling the barn. At dawn on this day, every family in their own yard or threshing floor, with sifted cooking ash, withdraw a grain hoard shape of varying sizes, and put some grains inside, symbolizing the abundance of grains. According to folklore, the twenty-fifth day of the first month to fill the warehouse, is to commemorate a kindly John Doe warehouse officer.

The first month of Hi:

The last day of the month in the lunar calendar is known as the Hi Day, this day is not the moon, the Hi Day of the first month of the first month of the first people to pay extra attention to, was treated as a festival, known as the "Hi Festival" or "the first month of Hi". Tang Dynasty, the first month of Hi Day was also March 3, September 9 and called "three orders of the Festival", become a grand festival. During the festival, ladies and gentlemen would go boating and have a grand banquet on the waterfront, and the emperor would reward his ministers and have fun with all the officials.

The first month of the year is also closely related to the custom of "sending the poor". The custom of sending the poor originated from the legend about the "poor god" (i.e. poor ghost). The Four Seasons Treasure Guide records: "The son of the Gao Yang clan, who was well-dressed and fed on mincemeat, died in the alley at the end of the first lunar month. The world made rice, abandoned the tattered clothes, is the day to wish in the alley, said in addition to the poor also." Zhuan Xu, the legendary leader of the Yan Huang Alliance, was the Gao Yang Clan. The Wenzong Beiqian (《文宗备问》) said, "In the past, when Zhuan Di, the palace gave birth to a son, who did not wear a full coat, and made a new coat with him. He made a new coat and gave it to him, which was then torn and burned with fire, and was called Poor Son in the palace. After the death of the first day of the first month, the palace people buried. They said 'today to send the poor son also'."

◎China and the Festival (the first day of February):

The first day of February for the Festival of China and the Festival, this is a precise record of the Tang Dynasty to establish the festival, and later ceased to exist. However, the folk still take the first day of February as the festival, that is, the birthday of the sun. Folk believe that the first day of the second month of the lunar calendar is the birth of the Sun Star King, the Sun Star King is the Sun God, and the Moon God Taiyin Star King, also known as the Emperor of the fire. Out of the worship of the Sun God and the need for agricultural production, people worship the Sun Star God. This custom originates from the ancient times, when there were national ceremonies of sacrificing the sun at the spring equinox and the moon at the autumn equinox. Sun cakes, also called "sun chicken cakes", were usually used to worship the Sun God, because it was rumored that there was a rooster (or crow) in the sun. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of sacrificing to the sun was especially prevalent, and the sun cake also became a festival item.

Spring Society Day:

Spring day to worship the land god. There is no fixed date, pre-Qin, Han, Wei and Jin dynasties to choose a different day. Since the Song Dynasty, the fifth e day after the first spring for the social day.

Spring social day on the first day of the second month of the lunar calendar, sacrifices to the gods of the earth, praying for a good harvest, there is a drink in the wine, the custom of Yichun wine, said to be able to cure ear disease, and therefore people also called "cure deaf wine". Li of the Song Dynasty wrote in his poem: "The social master is not in the mood today, for the lack of a bottle of wine to cure deafness. I am annoyed that the jade hall will want to pass, vaguely patrol to three halls, etc.".

Spring Dragon Festival (the second day of February):

Folklore has it that on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, it is the day when the Dragon King in charge of clouds and rain in the sky raises his head. From then on, rain will gradually increase. Therefore, this day is called "Spring Dragon Festival". In the north of China, there is a widely circulated folk proverb: "February 2, the dragon raises its head; the big barn is full, the small barn flows." The folk proverb.

Flower Morning Festival:

Flower Morning Festival is also known as the "Pick Vegetable Festival". The traditional Han Chinese festival. Popular in the northeast, north, east and south central China. Held on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, there are also October 12, October 15 Lantern Festival. During the festival, people go to the countryside in groups to visit the flowers, known as "trekking", the girls cut five-color paper glued to the flower branches, known as "red". There are also customs such as "mounting the lion flower" and "releasing the lantern of the God of Flowers" in various places.

Cold Food Festival:

One hundred and five days after the winter solstice, one or two days before the Qingming Festival. Legend has it that this festival, commemorates Jie Zhi Tui of the Spring and Autumn Period.

Chingming:

The traditional Qingming Festival in China began around the Zhou Dynasty, and has a history of more than 2,500 years. Qingming is a very important festival in the beginning, Qingming, the temperature rises, it is a good time for spring plowing and planting, so there is a "Qingming before and after, planting melons and beans". "Planting trees and forests, not over the Qingming" of the proverbs. Later, due to the Qingming and cold food days close, and cold food is the folk ban on fire sweeping day, gradually, cold food and Qingming will be one, and cold food has become the alias of the Qingming, but also become a custom of the Qingming Festival, Qingming day, do not move the fireworks, only to eat cold food.

◎Shang Si Festival (March 3):

Shang Si Festival is an ancient Chinese traditional festival, commonly known as the third of March, the festival in the Han Dynasty before the first half of March Si Day, and later fixed in the summer calendar on the third day of March. "On the Si" first appeared in the early Han literature. Zhou Li" Zheng Xuan note: "years of purification, now March on the Si such as water and so on". According to records, the Spring and Autumn period on the Festival has been in vogue. On the Si Festival is held in ancient times "purification bath" activities in the most important festival. The Analects of Confucius: "Twilight spring, spring clothes have become, the crown of five or six people, children six or seven people, bathing in seven Yi, wind and summer dance, singing and return." The first is to write about the situation at that time.

Activities of the ancient Shangsi Festival:

The purification of the bath, the ceremony of purification.

Goblets of water, is the literati water feast, poetry and fugue festival, the most famous is Wang Xizhi Lanting will.

Sacrifices were offered to the God of Marriage and Fertility, the High-requesting Sacrifice.

Spring tour trekking, is a great opportunity for young men and women to talk about love, at this time the wild, some are not prohibited. In recent times, it is still not extinct, and it is recorded in the "Rule of Shanhua County".

After the Song Dynasty, the custom of the festival gradually declined.

◎Summer Festival:

Summer Festival on the day of summer. In ancient times, there was "the day of summer, welcome summer in the southern suburbs, sacrificing the Red Emperor Zhu Rong" ceremony. Modern folk, there is a taste of new and weigh people's habits, this day people will be cooked wheat, barley ears roasted on the fire to eat to enjoy the freshness of the new wheat; or use the scale to weigh the weight of people to pray for blessings. Summer Festival folk strictly prohibit family members to sit on the threshold. Many people are also used to the summer of the day of the measurement of the year's failure, that the summer of the rain is the best, otherwise it will be "not in the summer, the drought to the wheat strike", "not rain in the summer, the plow and harrow high hanging up.

Duanwu (the fifth day of the fifth month):

The fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar is a traditional Chinese folk festival - the Dragon Boat Festival, which is one of the ancient traditional festivals of the Chinese people. It is one of the ancient traditional festivals of the Chinese people. In addition, the Dragon Boat Festival has many aliases, such as: Wuzhi Festival, the Festival, May Festival, Bath Orchid Festival, Daughter Festival, Day in the Festival, the ground wax, Poet's Day, Dragon Day and so on. Although the name is different, but on the whole, people around the custom of the festival or more than different.

Over the Dragon Boat Festival, is the Chinese people more than two thousand years of traditional habits, due to the vast area, many ethnic groups, coupled with many stories and legends, so not only produced a number of different names of the festival, but also has a different custom around. Its content is mainly: the daughter back to his mother's home, hanging Zhong Kui statue, welcome the ghost ship, avoiding Wu, posting Wu leaf charm, hanging calamus, wormwood, swim in the hundred diseases, Pei Xiangbao, ready to sweet, dragon boat racing, martial arts, batting, swinging, to the children painted with xiong huang, drinking xiong huang wine, calamus wine, eat five poisonous cakes, salted eggs, zongzi and seasonal fruits, etc., in addition to superstitious color of the activities have gradually disappeared, the rest of the so far spread throughout China and neighboring countries. Some activities, such as dragon boat races, have been newly developed, breaking through the boundaries of time and place to become international sporting events.

◎Summer Solstice:

In the lunar calendar, fifteen days after the Mangshao for the summer solstice, the longest sunshine to the end of the day, the northern hemisphere day from then on gradually shorter. Lunar summer solstice is the longest day. Summer solstice in henan folk to eat cold noodles for celebration, commonly known as "winter solstice dumplings, summer solstice noodles". Summer solstice festival in the Han Dynasty, the Song Dynasty, officials also took a three-day vacation.

Rain Festival (May 13):

May 13 for the rain festival, also known as the rain festival, bamboo drunken day, the legend is the birth of the Yellow Emperor. Shandong folklore is also said to be the day of the Master Guan grinding knives. Jancheng legend, this day or Guan Gong single knife to the day, before going to the meeting to sharpen the knife. Liangshan legend has it that on this day, "Guan Gong sharpened his sword to behead a small demon". Linyi legend, this day there is generally thunder, is Guan Laojiao Huohuo sharpening sound. Zichuan legend, "May 13, Master Guan grinding knife to kill Xu San." Sharpening knives requires water, so it rains. It often rains on this day, so the ballad sings, "The drought but May 13."

The folk thought that if it did not rain on the thirteenth day of May, and the sun was blazing, indicating that the year must be a great drought. In the old days, some areas tend to hold a rain ceremony to Yuncheng most grand. Yuncheng on to the county governor, down to the people, all to participate in the rain ceremony. County records, since the Ming Dynasty, dozens of counties have prayed for rain. Folk pray for rain in a variety of forms, mainly to ask the king, Buddha and Guan Laojiao manifestation. Folk in the Song Dynasty because of dissatisfaction with Jia Sidao's rule and threw himself into the water and died Xiexu honored as the king. It is said that he cared about the people's suffering during his life, and after his death, the people responded to their requests. The ceremony of inviting the Great King to manifest his spirit is very chic. People put a small snake on a plate covered with yellow table paper and offer it to the god in the shed, then burn incense and paper and bow down to pray. The ceremony of inviting Guan Laozi to manifest his spirit is more complicated and common, in which the statue of Guan Di is moved to the hot sun for a period of time, and then water is poured over the statue to wet it. If the statue is too big to be moved easily, activities such as "sweeping the Buddha" are used instead.

Split Dragon Festival (May 20):

The 20th day of the 5th lunar month is the Split Dragon Festival. Now the usual view is that this is the festival of the Maonan and She ethnic groups, in fact, the Chinese people's day is the source of the split dragon. According to evidence, the festival first originated from the ancient way of praying for rain - summer dance. Zhou Li? If the country is in a great drought, the wizards will dance for rain." The Analects of Confucius Advanced": "Wind and summer dance". Ancient people believed that the jade bird could foretell the rain. Wearing a feather crown made of jade bird feathers on the head is a witchcraft way to call on the dragon composed of the seven eastern constellations to call for the arrival of thunderstorms.

"Zuo Zhuan" cloud: "the dragon see and rain". Here the "dragon", that is, the eastern seven hosts composed of the "dragon". Zuo Zhuan ":" Jian Si month, the body of the Canglong hosts, faint see the East, everything began to sheng, to be rain and big, so the sacrifice of the sky, far for the hundred grain prayers anointed rain." Dragon Star from the emergence to disappear, at least three months of time, this period of time is the sowing of seeds before and after the ground is in urgent need of rain season, the Dragon Festival is likely to be with the ancient "dragon" star appeared before and after the "Summer Dance" custom. Folk believe that on this day, the original five dragons living together should be separated, each side of the main rain or shine. If it does not rain on this day, people will consider whether they need to pray for rain. Song Dynasty has been this festival, folk believe that the day after the day of the dragon, such as rain, then more water. Proverbs, twenty minutes dragon 21 rain, stone cracks are rice. Jiangnan region has this day to practice the custom of fire-fighting.

Splitting the Dragon Festival revival, the most meaningful is the summer dance and other witchy folk dance finishing and preservation. "Five or six crowned men, six or seven children, bathing in yi, wind and summer dances, singing and returning." This account in the Analects of Confucius demonstrates the prosperity and colorfulness of Chinese witchcraft folklore in the past, suggesting that the government actively for the people to discover and organize the summer dance, Shang Yang dance and other classic Chinese exorcism dance, as a folkloric demonstration of the sub-dragon festival activities.

◎Tian Kuang Festival (June 6):

Tian Kuang Festival originated from Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng. On the sixth day of the sixth month of a certain year, he claimed that the heaven gave him the book of heaven, so he set this day as the Tian Kuang Festival, and he also built a grand Tian Kuang Hall in Dai Temple at the foot of Mount Tai.

The folk activities of Tian Kuang Festival have been gradually forgotten, but there are still remnants in some places. People in Dongtai County, Jiangsu Province, in the morning of this day, the whole family should congratulate each other and eat a kind of cake crumbs made of flour and sugar and oil, and there is the saying of "June 6, eat the cake crumbs and grow meat". There is also "June 6, home sunshine red and green" proverb. "Red and green" refers to colorful clothes. The latter sentence of this proverb, also known as the "family tanning dragon robe", there is an explanation in Yangzhou, said Emperor Qianlong in Yangzhou on the way to the tour of the heavy rain, wet coat, but not good to borrow the people's clothes to replace, had to wait until the rain cleared up, will be the wet clothes dried and then wear, which happened to be the sixth of June, so there is a "tanning dragon robe" said. Robe" said. Jiangnan region, after the yellow plum days, hidden in the bottom of the box clothing easy on the mold, take out the sun, can avoid mold. In addition, there is a cat and dog bathing fun, called "June 6, cats and dogs with bath".

June 6 is also a festival of Buddhist temples, called "turning the festival". Legend has it that when the Tang Monk returned from his journey to the West, he accidentally threw all the scriptures into the sea and dried them in the sun before they were preserved. Therefore, the temple collection of scriptures also in this day to check the exposure.

"June 6, please aunt". In the past, on the sixth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, the rural custom is to invite back the married girls, young and old, and then send back a good reception, so this day is also "Auntie's Day".

◎Guanyin Festival (June 24):

The summer calendar every year on June 24 is the Guanyin Festival (2006.07.19), the folk of this day for the Lotus, that is, the birthday of the lotus. Water country of the Jiangnan area, this day is the family lotus viewing grand folk festival, boat lotus, sheng song like boiling, passed down for generations, dyeing the lotus fragrance, become one of the most beautiful and romantic festival of the Han nationality.

◎ Tanabata (the seventh day of the seventh month):

The Tanabata Begging, this festival originated in the Han Dynasty, the Eastern Jin Dynasty Ge Hong's "Xijing Miscellany", "Han color women often wear seven holes on the seventh day of the seventh month in the seven-hole needle in the Kaixiao building, people are practicing the" record, which is the earliest record of begging for money that we have seen in the ancient literature. Later, in the poems of the Tang and Song dynasties, women's begging for coquettish objects was also mentioned repeatedly. In the Tang Dynasty, Wang Jian wrote a poem saying, "The appendant stars and buckets are decorated with pearl light, and the eagles are busy begging for coquettish objects on the seventh day of the seventh month". According to "Kaiyuan Tianbao remains": Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty and his consort every Tanabata night banquet in the Qing Palace, the palace ladies beg for money, this custom in the folklore also endures, 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 things. Since July 1, cars and horses angry throat, to three days before Tanabata, cars and horses do not pass, one after another congestion, no longer come out, to the night square dispersal." Here, we can infer the bustling scene of the Tanabata Beggar's Nest from the pomp and circumstance of buying beguiling objects in the Beggar's Nest. 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 approach of the 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.

◎ Zhongyuan Festival (July 15):

The 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar every year for the "Zhongyuan Festival", commonly known in some places as the "Ghost Festival", "Shi Gu".

The "Ghost Festival" is commonly known as the "Half of July" (13 or 14 in some areas). According to popular legend, the ancestors who died at the beginning of July was released by the King of Hell for half a month, so there is the beginning of July to receive their ancestors, July half to send their ancestors custom. Sending ancestors, paper money burned a lot of money, so that "the ancestors enjoy". At the same time, written in the enjoyment of the person's name in the paper seal filled with money and paper, burned during the sacrifice, called "burning package. Those who passed away during the year burned a new bag, and more big maneuvers, and those who passed away more than a year burned an old bag.

Jizo Festival (July 30):

The 30th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar is a religious festival called "Jizo Festival".

Jizo is a bodhisattva that all beings in the world rely on to save them from suffering after the demise of Shakyamuni and before the birth of Maitreya Buddha. The King of Jizo once vowed to become a buddha only after he had sent all beings to the world, and therefore often appeared in human beings, the sky, and the hells to help with the sufferings. Some Buddhist books say that Jizo King is the embodiment of King Yama, the lord of the underworld who appears with a benevolent face.

In the past, there were temples all over the world dedicated to the King of Earth, and on July 30 every year, good men and women must go to worship. In particular, Nanjing's Qingliang Mountain is rumored to be the Earth's Bodhisattva practice place, from the beginning of the month to burn incense to worship the people, to the twenty-fifth day after the particularly prosperous, up and down the Qingliang Mountain tourists a lot of people, everywhere with a teepee. The teepee arrangement, a variety of, until the end of the month, before stopping the incense, called "cover the door".

The day doctor festival (August first):

August first, the Song Dynasty thought the day doctor festival, the sacrifice of the Yellow Emperor, Qibo. Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor consults with Qibo, and there is a medical book on earth, and then it is thought to be a god. As early as in the North and South Dynasties period, the folk that there is a collection of dew to do the eyes of the capsule and the day of the custom, the day doctor's day when so come. This day Shandong folk also have the custom of day hot, early with dew and cinnabar, and later with dew ink, point children's forehead or chest and abdomen, mostly in the north of Lu and Jiaodong area. Some old women go to the fields before dawn to take the dew on the tip of the grass, at noon with a good ink grinding into juice, and then make chopsticks dipped in ink point children's heart and all around, so-called "point a hundred diseases". Linqu area, the first day of August to pick beans on the tree dew stored, it is said that this is the sweat of the dragon, used to cook can cure all diseases. The local also use this dew and old peach leaves for peach leaf paste custom, early in the morning (before sunrise), with a clean cloth, to the bean field to pick dew, dew and old peach leaves together into the pot to the rag soles of shoes as fuel, will be boiled into juice, fish out the slag, and then the peach leaves boiled into a thick paste, which is the peach leaf paste. Peach leaf paste is very effective in treating abdominal depression. Yinan has the custom of picking amaranth, it is said that the amaranth picked on this day, can cure dysentery.

Jinan area in the countryside on this day to eat millet, called "to Feng cake rice", northwestern Lu called "to Feng cake", Yangxin area also offer cake festival field, in order to pray for a good year. Tianmed Festival avoid rain like sunshine, agricultural proverbs say: "the beginning of August a burst,

drought in the coming year to the end of the May." This means that if it rains on this day, there will be a spring drought in the coming year.

Mid-Autumn Festival (August 15):

Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history, and other traditional festivals, is also the slow development of the formation of the ancient emperors had a spring festival of the sun, the fall festival of the moon ritual system, as early as in the book of the "Zhou Rites", the word "Mid-Autumn Festival" has been recorded. Later, the nobles and scholars also followed suit, in the Mid-Autumn Festival, to the sky and bright and round a round of white moon, ornamental worship, to send feelings, this custom is so spread to the people, forming a traditional activity, until the Tang Dynasty, this moon festival custom more people attach importance to, the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival, "the Book of the Tang Dynasty? Taizong record" recorded in the "August 15 Mid-Autumn Festival", the festival prevailed in the Song Dynasty, to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, has been on a par with the New Year's Day, become one of the major festivals in China.

The legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival is very rich, Chang'e runs to the moon, Wu Gang fells the cinnamon, the jade rabbit pounding medicine and other myths are widely spread. In Qu Yuan's "Faraway Journey", he wrote: "Setting up the Chongyang into the emperor's palace, creating the beginning of the year and watching the Qingdu". The word "Chongyang" here refers to the day, not the festival. Cao Pi, the Emperor of Wei in the Three Kingdoms period, wrote in his "Book of Nine Days and Zhong Yao" about the Chongyang feast: "The years go by and the months come and go, and suddenly it is the 9th day of the 9th month of the 9th year of the 9th year of the 9th lunar month. Nine is the number of yang, and the sun and the moon should be the same, so the common people honored its name and thought that it was suitable for a long time, so they used it to enjoy the banquet."

Tao Yuanming, a literati of the Jin Dynasty, said in the preface to the poem "Nine Days of Idleness": "I live in idleness, love the name of the ninth. Autumn chrysanthemums fill the garden, while holding the mash by and by, empty clothing nine Chinese, sends the mind to the words." Here both chrysanthemum and wine are mentioned. Probably in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Chongyang Day has been the practice of drinking wine, chrysanthemum appreciation. By the Tang Dynasty Chongyang was officially designated as a folk festival.

By the Ming Dynasty, on the 9th day of the 9th month, the whole palace had to eat flower cakes together to celebrate, and the emperor himself had to climb to Mount Banzai to enjoy the autumn spirit, a custom that was passed down until the Qing Dynasty.

The Ancestor Festival (October 1st):

The first day of October, called "October Dynasty", also known as "Ancestor Festival".

Since ancient times, China has had the custom of sacrificing to the ancestors at the time of the new harvest to show filial piety and honor and not forgetting one's roots. Therefore, people also in the first day of October with millet sacrifice to ancestors. The first day of October sacrifices to ancestors, there are family sacrifices, there are also grave sacrifices, both in the north and south are so. Today, in many areas of Jiangnan, there is still the custom of sacrificing new graves on the first day of October.

The first day of October is also the first day of winter, after which the climate grows colder. People are afraid that the souls of the ancestors in the underworld lack clothes, so, in addition to food, incense, paper money and other general offerings, there is also an indispensable offering during the sacrifice - the clothes of the underworld. During the festival, people burn the clothes to their ancestors, which is called "sending cold clothes". Therefore, the first day of October is also known as the "Festival of Burning Clothes".

Later, in some places, the custom of "burning clothes" has changed a little, no longer burning clothes, but "burning baggage". People will be a lot of paper sealed in a paper bag, write the name of the recipient and sender and the corresponding name, which is called "baggage". There is the name of cold clothes, but not the reality of cold clothes. It is believed that in the underworld, as in the world of the living, one can buy many things with money.

Haoyuan Festival (October 15):

October 15 of the lunar calendar, the traditional Chinese folk festival, Haoyuan Festival, also known as "Haoyuan Day", "Haoyuan". The origin of the festival is related to Taoism. Taoism has three officials, the heavenly official, the earthly official, the water official, said the heavenly official blessing, the earth tube to forgive sins, the water official to solve the problem. The birthdays of the three officials are the fifteenth day of the first month, the fifteenth day of the seventh month and the fifteenth day of the tenth month of the lunar calendar, and these three days are known as the "Festival of the Upper Yuan", "Festival of the Middle Yuan" and "Festival of the Lower Yuan". The Lower Yuan Festival is the day when the water official, Yanggu Emperor, solves the problems, and it is said to be the day when the water official, based on his investigation, records and reports to the Heavenly Court to solve the problems for the people. It is also recorded in the Chinese Customs Journal: "The next Yuan Festival is held on October 10th, and it is said to be the day when the Water Palace is relieved of its problems, and there are also those who hold fasts and recite sutras." On this day, the Taoist temple to do Taoist sites, folk worship of the dead, and pray for the next yuan water official to solve the problem. In ancient times, the court is the day to ban slaughter and delay the date of execution of the provisions. Song Wu Zimu "Dream sorghum record": "(October) 15, the day of the water official to solve the problem, the Palace Guan common people, set up fasts and build jiao-festival, or to solve the problem, or recommend the death." And Hebei "Xuanhua County, the new record": "the popular rumor of the water officer to solve the problem of the eve, people also have a fast." In addition, in the folk, the next Yuan Festival this day, there are folk craftsmen sacrificed furnace God's custom, the furnace God is Taishang Laojun, probably from the Taoist use of the furnace alchemy.

La Ba Festival (Lunar New Year's Day):

The most important festival in the month of Lunar New Year is the eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, which was known as the "Lunar New Year's Day" in ancient times, and is commonly known as the "Lunar New Year's Day".

From the pre-Qin period, the Laha Festival was used to worship ancestors and gods, and to pray for a good harvest and good fortune. It is said that Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, became a Buddhist on the eighth day of the twelfth month, so Laha is also a Buddhist festival called "Buddha's Birthday".

The day of Lapa congee custom, Lapa congee is also called "seven treasures and five flavors of congee". China's history of drinking Laha congee, has been more than a thousand years. The earliest began in the Song Dynasty. On every Laha day, no matter it is the court, government, temple or the people's house, they all have to make Laha porridge. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of drinking Laha congee was even more prevalent. In the court, the emperor, the empress and the prince gave Laha congee to the civil and military ministers and court ladies, and distributed rice and fruits to the monasteries for the monks to eat. In the civil society, families also do Laha congee, ancestor worship; at the same time, the family reunion together to eat, gifts to friends and relatives.

Winter Solstice: Winter Solstice Festival originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties, and continues to this day. Qing Jiaru" and even "winter solstice is as big as the year" said. This shows that the ancients attached great importance to the winter solstice. People believe that the winter solstice is the natural transformation of yin and yang, is a blessing from heaven,. The Han Dynasty took the winter solstice as the "Winter Festival", the government should hold a congratulatory ceremony called "He Dong", routine vacation. The Book of the Later Han Dynasty has this record: "Before and after the winter solstice, the gentleman is in peace and quiet, the officials are not listening to the government, choose the lucky day and then save the day." So this day the court up and down to rest, the army on standby, the border closed, business travel stops, friends and relatives to food gifts, visit each other, happy to have a "quiet body" holiday.

Tang, Song period, the winter solstice is the day of sacrifice to the ancestors, the emperor on this day to the outskirts of the ceremony held in heaven, the people on this day to the parents of the elders of worship, and now there are still some places in the winter solstice this day to celebrate the festival.

◎Tail Teeth Festival (Lunar New Year 16):

Every year, the first and fifteenth or second and sixteenth of the month, is the day of worship to the God of the land in some areas of the southeastern coast of the merchants, known as the "do teeth". February 2 for the initial do teeth, called the "first teeth"; Lunar New Year's Day 16 do teeth is the last do teeth, so called "tail teeth". The last tooth is the "end" of the year's activities of merchants, but also the "prelude" to the activities of the Spring Festival of ordinary people. On this day, the people's houses burn the gold of the Duke of the Earth to sacrifice to the God of Fude, and also set up benches in front of the door, offer bowls of five flavors, and burn the scripture clothes and silver paper to worship the Lord of the Earth's foundation (worship of the foundation of the house). Businesses and firms also hold banquets for their employees to reward them for their hard work over the past year. In the past, if a boss did not intend to rehire an employee for the coming year, he or she would point a chicken head at the employee during the feast, implying termination of the employee's employment. However, this custom has gradually disappeared. In addition to the tailgate dinners, which have become increasingly popular in recent years, it is traditional for the whole family to gather together to "eat tailgate". The main foods are mochi and karibao. Rummy cakes are wrapped with bean sprouts, shredded bamboo shoots, bean yu, garlic, dried egg, tiger moss, peanut powder, aioli, and other ingredients. The food wrapped in Karibao is delicious local food such as three layers of meat, pickles, dried bamboo shoots, coriander, and peanut powder.

The Zao Festival (Lunar New Year's Day):

Lunar New Year's Day (Lunar New Year's Day) is also known as the "Little New Year", and it is a day for people to offer sacrifices to the Zao Festival.

It is said that every year, on the 23rd day of the Lunar New Year, Zao Wang Wang has to go up to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor on the good and bad deeds of the family, so that the Jade Emperor can reward and punish them. Therefore, when sending the stove, people in front of the Zaowang statue of the table for the candy, water, beans, fodder grass, of which the latter three is for the Zaowang ascension of the mount prepared materials. At the time of Zaosai, the candies are melted with fire and put on the mouth of the Zaosai King. In this way, he will not be able to speak ill of the Jade Emperor. There is a custom that "men don't worship the moon, women don't worship Zao", so the worship of Zao Wang is limited to men only.

Additionally, on the night of the 30th day of the Lunar New Year, King Zaobao will come to the earth to celebrate the Lunar New Year with all the gods, and on that day, there must be the ceremony of "receiving the stove" and "receiving the gods". When every household burns a sedan chair, spills three cups of wine and sends away the god of the stove, then it is the turn to worship the ancestors.

◎New Year's Eve (Lunar New Year's Eve):

The evening of the last day of the Lunar New Year, that is, the evening before the Spring Festival, is often in the summer Lunar New Year's Eve, so it is also known as the day for the New Year's Eve. In addition to the old and new. The last day of the year is called "year in addition", that night is called "New Year's Eve". People often stay up all night on New Year's Eve, called the New Year's Eve. Su Shi wrote a poem called "Keeping the New Year's Eve", which reads, "Children are strong and do not sleep, and they keep vigil all night long."

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