Israeli customs from ancient times to the present day

Since we are talking about Chinese folk festivals, of course they are all on the lunar calendar. In chronological order, the main ones are the Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Qingming Festival, Tanabata Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Chongyang Festival, Winter Solstice Festival, and eight others.

Customs:

1, the Spring Festival (the first day of the first month):

Customs are as follows:

Sweeping dust: "Lunar New Year's Eve, dust sweeping the house," according to the "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals" records, our country in the Yao and Shun era, there is a Spring Festival sweeping the dust of the custom. According to folklore: because of "dust" and "Chen" homophonic, the New Year dust sweeping "in addition to the meaning of Chen Bu Xin", the intention is to all the poor luck, bad luck are swept out the door. This custom is a symbol of people's desire to break away from the old and bring in the new and their prayers for the old and the new. Whenever the Spring Festival comes, every household has to clean up the environment, wash all kinds of appliances, dismantle the bedding curtains, sprinkle clean the courtyard, dust dust cobwebs, dredge the nullahs and ditches. Everywhere overflowing with joyful health, clean and welcome the new year's happy atmosphere.

Spring Festival couplets

Spring Festival couplets, also known as door-to-door, spring stickers, couplets, couplets, peach symbols, etc., it is neat, couplets, concise, sophisticated text depicting the background of the times, expressing the best wishes, is China's unique form of literature. Every Spring Festival, whether urban or rural, every family has to select a large red Spring Festival couplets pasted on the door, for the festival to increase the festive atmosphere. This custom began in the Song Dynasty, began to prevail in the Ming Dynasty, to the Qing Dynasty, the Spring Festival couplets of ideology and artistry have been greatly improved, Liang Zhangzhu prepared the Spring Festival couplets monograph "Threshold Lian series of words" on the origins of the couplets and various types of works of the characteristics of the discourse.

There are many types of spring couplets, which, according to their place of use, can be divided into door centers, frame pairs, horizontal phi, spring strips, doufang, etc. "Door centers" are the most common type of couplets. "Door" in the upper center of the door panel; "frame" on the left and right door frame; "Phi" on the horizontal wood of the door winks; "Chunzhi "according to different contents, posted in the corresponding place;" bucket catty "also called" door leaf "for the square diamond, more in the furniture, shadow wall.

Pasted window and upside down "Fu" word

In the folk people also like to put a variety of paper cutouts on the window - window. Window flowers not only set a festive atmosphere, but also decorative, appreciative and practical in one. Paper cutting in China is a very popular folk art, for thousands of years by the people's favorite, because it is mostly affixed to the window, so it is also known as "window flowers". Window flowers with its unique generalization and exaggeration of the auspicious events, good wishes expressed in the best possible way, will be decorated with festivals red hot and rich.

At the same time as the Spring Festival couplets, some people have to put large and small "Fu" characters on the doors, walls and lintels of their houses. The Spring Festival sticker "Fu" character, is China's folk custom from a long time. The character "福" refers to good fortune and good luck, and it expresses people's desire for a happy life and their wish for a better future. In order to more fully reflect this yearning and wishes, some people simply stick the word "Fu" upside down, indicating that "happiness has arrived" and "good fortune has arrived". Folk will also be "lucky" word fine as a variety of patterns, patterns have the star, longevity, carp jump Dragon Gate, the five valleys, the dragon and phoenix, and so on.

New Year's paintings

The Spring Festival hanging stickers New Year's paintings in urban and rural areas is also very common, thick black colorful New Year's paintings to thousands of families added a lot of prosperity and joy of the festive atmosphere. New Year's paintings are an ancient folk art in China, reflecting the people's simple customs and beliefs, and holding their hopes for the future. New Year's paintings, like spring scrolls, originated as "door gods". With the rise of woodblock printing, the content of the New Year's paintings has not only limited to monotonous themes such as the God of the Door, become colorful, in some of the New Year's paintings in the workshop produced the "Three Stars of Fortune and Longevity," "Heavenly Officials Provide Blessings," "Five Grains and a Plentiful Harvest," "Six Animals Prosperity," "Welcoming the Spring to receive the blessings of" and other classic colorful New Year's paintings, in order to satisfy people's joyful prayers for the New Year's good wishes. There are three important production areas of Chinese New Year paintings in China: Taohuayu in Suzhou, Yangliuqing in Tianjin and Weifang in Shandong Province; three major schools of Chinese New Year paintings have been formed, each with its own characteristics.

China's earliest collection of Chinese New Year paintings is the Southern Song Dynasty "with the fairness of the country's face" woodcut New Year paintings, the painting is Wang Zhaojun, Zhao Feiyan, Banji and green beads of the four ancient beauties. The most widely circulated folk painting is the one of "The Mouse Marrying Her Marriage". It depicts an interesting scene of a mouse marrying a bride in accordance with the customs of the earth. In the early years of the Republic of China, Zheng Mantuo of Shanghai combined the lunar calendar and New Year's paintings. This is a new form of New Year's paintings. This combination of two and one of the New Year's paintings, later developed into a wall calendar, and is still popular throughout the country.

Watch the New Year's Eve

Watch the New Year's Eve is one of the most important New Year's activities, and the custom of watching the New Year's Eve has a long history. The earliest record is found in the Western Jin Dynasty Zhou Chu's "Land and Customs": New Year's Eve night, each with the gift, known as "feed the year"; wine and food invited, known as the "other year"; young and old get together to drink, wishing to complete, known as the "share the year"; all night long to keep the New Year's Eve, the most important activity. The first is the "New Year's Eve"; the second is the "New Year's Eve"; the third is the "New Year's Eve".

2, Lantern Festival (the first month of the fifteenth)

Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival, so all over the country, most of the customs of the region is similar, but each place still has its own characteristics.

Eating Lantern Festival

Eating Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, "Lantern Festival" as a food, has a long history in China. Song Dynasty, the folk that is popular a Lantern Festival to eat the novelty of food. This kind of food, the earliest called "floating yuanzi" later called "Lantern", businessmen also beautifully called "Yuanbao". Lantern that is "dumplings" to sugar, rose, sesame, bean paste, yellow cinnamon, walnuts, nuts, jujube paste, etc. for the filling, wrapped in glutinous rice flour into a round shape, can be meat or vegetarian, with a variety of flavors. It can be boiled in soup, deep-fried or steamed, and has the meaning of reunion. Shaanxi dumplings are not wrapped, but in the glutinous rice flour "roll" into, or cook Division or deep-fried, hot, hot, reunion.

Lantern Viewing

During the Yongping years of Emperor Mingdi of the Han Dynasty (58-75 A.D.), when Emperor Mingdi advocated Buddhism and Cai Chuan returned from India, he claimed that on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the country of Magadha, monks would gather to venerate the relics of the Buddha, which was an auspicious time to attend the Buddha's service. Han Mingdi in order to promote Buddhism, ordered the first night of the first month in the palace and the temple "light table Buddha". Since then, the Lantern Lantern custom by the original only held in the palace and spread to the people. That is, every first month of the fifteenth, regardless of the scholarly or common people to hang lights, urban and rural all-night lights.

The custom of releasing lanterns on the first night of the new year developed into an unprecedented lantern market in the Tang Dynasty, when Chang'an, the capital, was already the world's largest metropolis with a population of one million people and an affluent society. Under the personal advocacy of the emperor, the Lantern Festival was held more and more luxurious. After the Middle Tang Dynasty, it became a national carnival. Tang Xuanzong (A.D. 685 - 762), the beginning of the heyday, Chang'an lamp market is very large, burning lamps 50,000, lanterns, lanterns, the emperor ordered to do giant lamp building, as wide as 20 rooms, 150 feet high, bright gold, extremely spectacular.

Song Dynasty, Lantern Festival Lantern Festival both in scale and the fantasy of the lights are better than the Tang Dynasty, and the activities of the more folkloric, stronger national characteristics. Later generations of Lantern Festival continues to develop, the festival of lights is also getting longer and longer,. Tang Dynasty Lantern Festival is "one day before and after the first yuan", the Song Dynasty and in the sixteen days after the addition of two days, the Ming Dynasty was extended to eight to eighteen by the whole ten days.

To the Qing Dynasty, the Manchus dominated the Central Plains, the court no longer run the Lantern Festival, but the folk Lantern Festival is still spectacular. The date was shortened to five days, and continues to this day.

Lanterns have the meaning of light and add a child to the Taiwanese folklore, lighting the lanterns has the meaning of illuminating the future, and the Taiwanese language lamps and ding resonate with the representation of the birth of a boy, so in the past, the Lantern Festival, women will deliberately swim under the lanterns in the hope of "drilling lamp feet to give birth to eggs" (that is, drilling under the lamps, so as to give birth to a boy).

3, Qingming Festival (April 5)

Customs of the Qingming Festival is rich and interesting, in addition to the fire, sweeping the tomb, there are a series of customs and sports activities, such as trekking, swinging, Cuju, polo, willow and so on. Legend has it that this is because the Qingming Festival to cold food and fire ban, in order to prevent cold food and cold food injury, so people come to participate in a number of sports activities, in order to exercise the body. Therefore, this festival is characterized by both the sorrowful tears of sweeping the new graves of life and death, and the laughter of trekking and playing.

Swinging

This is an ancient Qingming Festival custom in China. Swinging, meaning migrating by the leather rope. Its history is very ancient, the earliest called the thousand autumn, and then in order to avoid taboos, changed to swing. Ancient swing with tree branches for the frame, and then bolted on the ribbon made. Later gradually developed into a swing with two ropes and pedals. Playing swing not only can improve health, but also can cultivate the spirit of bravery, and is still loved by people, especially children.

Cuju

Cuju is a kind of leather ball, the ball skin made of leather, the ball with hair stuffed tight. Cuju is to kick the ball with the foot. It is a favorite game during the ancient Qingming Festival. It is said to have been invented by the Yellow Emperor, and its original purpose was to train warriors.

Trekking

And it is also called spring tour. In ancient times, it was called exploring spring, searching for spring and so on. March Qingming, spring back to the earth, the natural world everywhere presents a vibrant scene, it is a great time for excursions. China's folk long maintained the Qingming trekking habit.

Tree planting

Before and after the Qingming, the spring sun shines, the spring sun shines, the spring rain sprinkles, planting saplings with a high survival rate, fast growth. Therefore, since ancient times, China has the Qingming tree planting habit. Some people also call the Qingming Festival "Tree Planting Day". Tree-planting custom has been handed down to the present day. 1979, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress stipulated that every year on March 12 for China's Tree Planting Day. This is to mobilize the people of all nationalities to actively carry out activities to green the motherland, has a very important significance.

Flying kites

is also a favorite activity during the Qingming Festival. Every Qingming Festival, people not only fly during the day, but also at night. At night, a string of small colorful lanterns are hung under the kite or on the wind steady pulling line, like twinkling stars, which is called "God's lantern". In the past, some people put the kite on the blue sky, then cut the line, let the wind send them to the end of the world, it is said that this can get rid of diseases and bring good luck to themselves.

4, Dragon Boat Festival (the fifth day of the fifth month)

China's folk over the Dragon Boat Festival is more solemn, celebrated a variety of activities, the more common activities are:

Dragon Boat Race:

is the Dragon Boat Festival's main custom. Legend has it that it originated in ancient times when the people of Chu could not bear to see the wise minister Qu Yuan throw himself into the river to die, and many people rowed boats to catch up with them to save them. They scrambled and chased him to Dongting Lake when he disappeared. After that, they rowed dragon boats on May 5 every year to commemorate it. The dragon boat was used to disperse the fish in the river, so that the fish would not eat Qu Yuan's body. The practice of racing, prevalent in Wu, Yue, Chu.

In fact, "dragon boat racing" as early as the Warring States period. In the sound of drums, rowing a canoe carved into the shape of a dragon, to do racing games, to entertain the gods and people, is a half-religious, half-entertainment program in the rituals.

Later, in addition to commemorating Qu Yuan, people around the world also put a different symbolism.

Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas of the dragon boat, both to commemorate the local birth of the modern female democratic revolutionaries Qiu Jin meaning. Night on the dragon boat, lights and colors, back and forth, water and underwater, the scene is moving, interesting. Miao people in Guizhou in the lunar calendar May 25-28 held "Dragon Boat Festival" to celebrate the victory of rice-planting and wishing a good harvest. Yunnan Dai compatriots in the Water Festival Dragon Boat Race, to commemorate the ancient hero rock red nest. Different ethnic groups, different regions, paddle dragon boat legend is different. Until today in the south of the many near the rivers, lakes and seas of the region, the annual Dragon Boat Festival will be held in their own characteristics of the Dragon Boat Race activities.

Qing dynasty Qianlong twenty-ninth year (1736), Taiwan began to hold dragon boat racing. At that time, Taiwan's governor, Chiang Yuan-jun, hosted a friendly race at the Half Moon Pond of Fahua Temple in Tainan City. Nowadays, dragon boat races are held in Taiwan every year on May 5th. In Hong Kong, races are also held.

In addition, rowing dragon boat has been introduced to neighboring countries such as Japan, Vietnam and the United Kingdom. 1980, dragon boat racing is included in China's national sports competitions, and held annually, "Qu Yuan Cup" Dragon Boat Race. 1991 June 16 (the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar), in the second hometown of the Qu Yuan in Hunan City, China, Yueyang City, the first international dragon boat festival. International Dragon Boat Festival. Prior to the race, the "Dragon Head Festival" was held, which preserved the traditional rituals and injected new modern elements. The "dragon head" was carried into the Qu Zi Ancestral Hall, where the athletes "reddened" the dragon head (draped with a red sash), the officiating priest read out the sacrificial text, and the dragon head was "opened" (i.e. lighted). Then, participate in the sacrifice of the dragon of all personnel three bows, the dragon is carried to the Buro River, running to the dragon boat race. More than 600,000 people participated in the race, fair and celebration, which was an unprecedented event. After that, Hunan will regularly organize the International Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon boat racing will be prevalent in the world.

Duanwu food dumplings

Duanwu Festival to eat dumplings, which is another traditional custom of the Chinese people. Zongzi, also known as "corn", "tube dumplings". It has a long history, a variety of patterns.

According to records, as early as in the Spring and Autumn period, with Zizania leaves (wild rice leaves) wrapped in millet into a horn-shaped, called "corner of millet"; bamboo tube with rice sealed and baked, called "tube dumplings". The end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, to grass ash water soaked in millet, because the water contains alkali, with Mushroom leaves wrapped in millet into a quadrangular shape, cooked, became the Guangdong alkaline water rice dumplings.

Jin Dynasty, dumplings were officially designated as Dragon Boat Festival food. At this time, the package of raw materials in addition to glutinous rice, but also add the Chinese medicine Yi Zhi Ren, cooked zongzi called "Yi Zhi Zong". Zhou Zhou, "Yueyang customs and local records" recorded: "Commonly wrapped in millet with Aizome leaves, ...... cooked, and rotten, in the fifth of May to the summer solstice to eat, a zong, a millet." North and South Dynasty period, the emergence of mixed rice dumplings. Rice mixed with animal and poultry meat, chestnuts, jujubes, adzuki beans, etc., more varieties. Zongzi also used as a gift for interaction.

The Tang Dynasty, rice dumplings, has been "white as jade", the shape of the cone, diamond-shaped. Japanese literature recorded in the "Tang dumplings". Song Dynasty, there has been "candied rice dumplings", that is, fruit into the dumplings. Poet Su Dongpo has "in the dumplings see prunes" poem. At this time also appeared with zongzi piled up into buildings, pavilions, wooden cars, cows and horses for the advertisement, indicating that the Song Dynasty to eat zongzi has been very fashionable. Yuan, Ming period, zongzi parcel material has changed from zongmu leaf for Ruo leaf, and later appeared with reed leaf package zongzi, additional material has appeared bean paste, pork, pine nuts, jujube, walnuts and so on, varieties are more colorful.

Till today, the beginning of May every year, the Chinese people have to dip the glutinous rice, wash zongzi leaves, package zongzi, its more colorful varieties. From the filling point of view, the north more packages of small jujube Beijing jujube zong; the south has bean paste, fresh meat, ham, egg yolk and other fillings, which is represented by Zhejiang Jiaxing zongzi. Eat zongzi custom, for thousands of years, in China prevailed, and spread to North Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian countries.

Pei scented sacs:

Duanwu Festival children Pei scented sacs, the legend has the meaning of the evil spirits to drive away the plague, is actually used for lapel head embellishment decoration. Inside the bag, there are cinnabar, andrographis, incense, and medicine.

5, Tanabata Festival (the seventh day of the seventh month)

The most common custom of Tanabata Festival is that women in the night of the seventh day of the seventh month of the various begging activities.

Begging for coquettishness is mostly done by girls threading needles to detect coquettishness, making some small articles to race coquettishness, and arranging some melons and fruits to beg for coquettishness, and the way of begging for coquettishness varies in different regions, which is interesting in its own way.

In Shandong Jinan, Huimin, Gaoqing and other places in the begging activities are very simple, just display fruits and melons begging for coquettish, such as a happy spider in the fruits and melons on top of the web, it means that begging for coquettish. And Jancheng, Cao County, plains and other places to eat coquettish rice begging custom is very interesting: seven good girl set food set vegetable dumplings, a coin, a needle and a jujube were wrapped into three dumplings, begging for coquettish activities, they get together to eat dumplings, the legend of eating to the money of the blessing to eat to the needle of the hands of the clever to eat the jujube of the early marriage.

The activities of the Beggar's Day in some places are of a competitive nature, similar to the ancient custom of fighting. In recent times, the threading of the needle, steaming coquettish paradox, branding coquettish fruit, but also some places have the custom of making coquettish bud soup, usually on the first day of July will be soaked in water to germinate grains, Tanabata on this day, cut buds to make soup, the children of the place pay special attention to eating coquettish buds, as well as made in the form of face molding, paper cutting, color embroidery and other forms of decorations, etc. is the evolution of the custom of the fight coquettish. On the other hand, shepherd children would pick wildflowers and hang them on the horns of cows on the eve of the seventh day of the seventh month, which is called "congratulating the birthday of the cow" (legend has it that the seventh day of the seventh month is the birthday of the cow).

Zhucheng, Tengxian, Zouxian area on the eve of the rain is called "Acacia rain" or "Acacia tears", because the cowherd and the weaving maiden meet due. Jiaodong, Southwest Lu and other places in the legend of the day magpies are very few, are to the sky to build a magpie bridge to go.

In today's Zhejiang Province, there are still similar begging customs. Such as Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou and other places, in this day with flour to make a variety of small objects, fried in oil called "Qiaoguo", the evening in the courtyard display Qiaoguo, lotus seed, white lotus root, red rhombus and so on. Girls threaded needles to the moon to pray for the weaving maiden can give skill, or catch a spider, put in a box, the next day to open the box if it has been knotted web is called to get coquettish.

In the Shaoxing countryside, this night there will be many young girls alone secretly hiding in the growth of lush pumpkin shed, in the dead of night when you can hear the Cowherd and Weaving Maiden meet whispering, the girl to be married later will be able to get the millennium of undying love.

In order to express people's hope that the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden can live a good and happy family life every day, in the area of Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, on the seventh day of the seventh month, every family has to kill a chicken, which means that the night the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden will meet each other, and if there is no rooster to announce the daybreak, they will be able to stay together forever.

In western Guangxi, legend has it that on the seventh day of the seventh month morning, the fairies want to come down to take a bath, drink their bath water can be to ward off evil spirits, cure diseases and prolong life. This water is called "double seven water", people in this day when the cock crows, scrambling to go to the river to get water, retrieved with a new urn, to be used later.

The Beggar's Nest in Guangzhou is unique in that before the festival, the girls are prepared to use colored paper, grass, thread and rope, etc., compiled into a variety of small and curious artifacts, but also grain seeds and mung beans into a small box soaked with water to germinate, and to wait for the buds to grow to more than two inches in length, used to worship the gods, known as the "worship of the gods" and "worship of the vegetables". When the buds grow to more than two inches long, they are used to worship the gods, which is called "Worshiping the Immortal Harvest" and "Worshiping the Divine Vegetables. From the sixth night to the seventh night, two nights in a row, the girls put on new clothes, wear new jewelry, everything is arranged, then burning incense and candles, kneeling to the starry sky, known as the "welcome to the immortal", from the third night to the fifth night, to be worshiped seven times in a row.

After worshipping the fairy, the girls hold the colorful threads against the shadow of the lamp and pass the threads through the needle holes, such as a breath of air can wear seven needle holes is called to get cozy, known as coquettish, wear less than seven needle holes is called to lose coquettish. After Tanabata, the girls will make small crafts, toys to give each other, to show friendship.

In Fujian, on the Tanabata Festival, the Weaving Maiden is asked to appreciate and taste the fruits and melons, in order to ask for her blessing for a good harvest in the coming year. Offerings include tea, wine, fresh fruits, five seeds (cinnamon, jujube, hazelnut, peanut and melon seeds), flowers and pollen for women's make-up as well as an upper incense burner. Usually after fasting and bathing, everyone takes turns to burn incense in front of the offering table and pray silently for their wishes. The women not only beg for coquettishness, but also for children, longevity, beauty and love. Afterwards, we eat fruit, drink tea and chat, while playing the begging game, begging game there are two kinds: one is "divination", that is, with the divining tool to ask yourself whether it is tricky or stupid; the other is the race tricky, that is, who threads a needle fast, who will be tricky, the slow one is called "losing tricky", "losing tricky", and "losing tricky". The other is the race, that is, whoever is fast in threading the needle, who gets the trick, and the slow one is called "losing the trick", and the one who "loses the trick" has to give the one who gets the trick a small gift prepared in advance.

Some regions also organize "seven sisters will", each region of the "seven sisters will" gathered in the Zongxiang Hall set down a variety of brightly colored incense, remote sacrifice to the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden, "incense" are papier-maché. "The incense burners are all made of papier-maché and are filled with a wide array of flowers, fruits, rouge powder, small paper clothes, shoes, daily necessities and embroidery. The "Seven Sisters Association" in different regions will work on the incense case and compete to see whose production is exquisite.

6, Mid-Autumn Festival (August 15)

Mid-Autumn Festival, the most important activity is to enjoy the moon and eat moon cakes.

Moon Appreciation

On the Mid-Autumn Festival, China has had the custom of enjoying the moon since ancient times, as recorded in the Book of Rites, which states that "the moon is set in the autumn sunset," i.e., the moon god is worshipped. By the Zhou Dynasty, every Mid-Autumn Festival night is held to welcome the cold and moon sacrifice. A large incense burner was set up and seasonal fruits such as mooncakes, watermelons, apples, plums, grapes, etc. were placed on the table, among which mooncakes and watermelons were absolutely indispensable. The watermelon is also cut into lotus shapes.

During the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Song Dynasty, the mid-autumn moon festival is even more prevalent, according to the "Tokyo Dreaming Records" records: "Mid-autumn night, the noble family decorative platforms and pavilions, the folk compete to occupy the restaurant to play the moon". Every this day, the capital of all the stores, restaurants are to redecorate the facade, the pagoda on the tie silk hanging color, the sale of fresh fruits and refined food, the night market is bustling, the people more than on the platform, some rich families in their own pavilions and pavilions to enjoy the moon, and set up food or arrange a feast, reunion of the children, * * * with the moon and talk about it.

After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Mid-Autumn Festival Moon Festival customs remain the same, many places have formed a burning incense, tree Mid-Autumn Festival, point tower lamps, sky lanterns, walk the moon, dance fire dragon and other special customs.

Eating moon cakes

China's urban and rural masses over the Mid-Autumn Festival have the custom of eating moon cakes, as the saying goes: "August 15, the moon is round, Mid-Autumn Moon Festival mooncakes fragrant and sweet". Mooncake is initially used to worship the moon god's offerings, "mooncake" word, first seen in the Southern Song Dynasty Wu Zimu's "Dream Liang Record", at that time, it is just like the diamond flower cake like cake-shaped food. Later, people gradually combined the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival with mooncakes, a symbol of family reunion.

Mooncakes were initially made at home, and Yuan Mei of the Qing Dynasty recorded the practice of mooncakes in his "Sui Yuan Food List". In modern times, there are workshops specializing in the production of moon cakes, moon cake production more and more fine, the filling is exquisite, beautiful appearance, in the moon cake is also printed on the outside of a variety of exquisite patterns, such as "Chang'e Moon", "Galaxy Night Moon", "Three Pools of the Moon" and so on. To the moon of the round omen people of the reunion, to the cake of the round omen people of the life, with the moon cakes to send thoughts of home, missing the feelings of relatives, praying for a good harvest, happiness, have become the world's people's wish, the moon cakes are also used as gifts to send friends and relatives, liaison feelings.

7, Chongyang Festival (the ninth day of the ninth month)

Golden Autumn, Dan Gui fragrance, the ninth day of the ninth month of the Lunar Calendar of the Chongyang Festival, a wealth of activities, fun, there are climbing, chrysanthemum, drinking chrysanthemum wine, eat cake, dogwood, and so on.

Denggao

In ancient times, folk in the Chung Yeung has the custom of ascending the heights, so the Chung Yeung Festival is also known as the "Festival of ascending the heights". It is rumored that this custom began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, there were many poems written by literati, most of which were about the customs of the Chongyang Festival; Du Fu's seven rhymes, "Ascending to the heights", is a famous piece of writing about ascending to the heights of the Chongyang Festival. There is no standardized rule on the place of ascending to the heights, but it is generally to climb high mountains and towers. There is also the custom of eating "Chrysanthemum Cake".

Eating Chrysanthemum cake

According to historical records, Chrysanthemum cake, also known as flower cake, chrysanthemum cake, five-color cake, the system is not fixed, more random. September 9 when the sky is bright, to piece of cake on the forehead of the children, the mouth read the words, wishing the children all things high, is the ancient people in September for the cake's original intention. The delicate Chongyang cake to be made into nine layers, like a pagoda, the top is also made into two small sheep, in line with the meaning of Chongyang (sheep). Some also inserted a small red paper flag on the Chongyang cake, and light candles and lamps. This is probably the meaning of "light", "eat cake" instead of "high", with a small red paper flag instead of cornelian cherry. Today's Chongyang cake, there is still no fixed varieties, all over the fluffy cakes eaten at the Chongyang Festival are called Chongyang cake.

Appreciating chrysanthemums and drinking chrysanthemum wine

The Chrysanthemum Festival is the time of the year when chrysanthemums are in full bloom, and it is rumored that the appreciation of chrysanthemums and the drinking of chrysanthemum wine originated with Tao Yuanming, a great poet of the Jin Dynasty. Tao Yuanming was famous for living in seclusion, famous for poetry, famous for wine, and famous for his love of chrysanthemums; later generations followed his example, and then there was the custom of enjoying chrysanthemums at the Chrysanthemum Festival. In the old days, the literati combined chrysanthemum-appreciation with banquets and drinks in order to get closer to Tao Yuanming. In Kaifeng, the capital of Northern Song Dynasty, the chrysanthemum-appreciation style was prevalent, and there were many varieties of chrysanthemums with a variety of shapes and sizes. Folk also called the ninth month of the lunar calendar "the month of chrysanthemums", and in the Chrysanthemum Festival where chrysanthemums blossomed in the frost, viewing chrysanthemums became an important part of the festival. After the Qing Dynasty, chrysanthemum appreciation is especially prosperous, and is not limited to the ninth day of the ninth month, but is still the most prosperous before and after the Chrysanthemum Festival.

Inserting Cornus and Hairpin Chrysanthemums

The custom of inserting cornelian cherry at the Chongyang Festival was already common in the Tang Dynasty. Ancient people thought that inserting cornelian cherry on the day of Chung Yeung Festival could protect them from disasters; they wore them on their arms, or put them inside incense bags, or inserted them on their heads. Mostly women, children wear, some places, men also wear. Chrysanthemum Festival to wear cornelian cherry, in the Jin Dynasty Ge Hong "Western Scripture Miscellany" has been recorded. In addition to wearing cornelian cherry, people also wear chrysanthemums on their heads. This was already the case in the Tang Dynasty and has been practiced throughout the ages. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of the Chongyang Festival in Beijing was to put chrysanthemum branches and leaves on doors and windows to "lift up the evils and attract good luck". This is a variation of the head hairpin chrysanthemum. Song dynasty, there will be colored silk cut into cornelian cherry, chrysanthemum to give each other to wear.

8, winter solstice festival (winter solstice, the solar calendar, December 22)

Winter solstice after thousands of years of development, the formation of a unique seasonal food culture. Such as wontons, dumplings, dumplings, red bean congee, corn cakes, etc. can be used as food for the festival. There were more popular "winter solstice feast" also has a lot of names, such as eating winter solstice meat, offer winter solstice plate, for winter solstice group, wonton winter worship.

The more common custom of eating wontons on the winter solstice. As early as the Southern Song Dynasty, Lin'an people ate wontons on the winter solstice, began to worship ancestors, and then gradually spread, folk "winter solstice wontons summer solstice noodles," said. Hundun development so far, more become a variety of names, production of different, fresh and delicious, all over the country, loved by the people's famous snacks. Wonton name a lot of places such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang and most of the places called wontons, while Guangdong is said to be wonton, Hubei, said the bag of noodles, Jiangxi, said the soup, Sichuan, said the copious, Xinjiang, said Qu Qu and so on.

Eating dumplings is also a traditional winter solstice custom, especially prevalent in Jiangnan. "Soup dumplings" is the winter solstice necessary food, is a kind of glutinous rice flour made of round dessert, "round" means "reunion" "complete! "Round" means "reunion" and "complete", and eating soup dumplings on the winter solstice is also called "winter solstice dough". Folk have "eaten dumplings a year older" said. Winter Solstice Dumplings can be used to offer sacrifices to ancestors, and can also be used to give gifts to friends and relatives. In the old days, Shanghainese people paid most attention to eating soup dumplings. There is an old poem that says: "Every family pounded rice to make soup dumplings, knowing that it is the winter solstice day of the Ming Dynasty."

There are many places in the north, in the winter solstice this day have eaten dog meat and mutton custom, because the winter solstice after the weather into the coldest period, Chinese medicine that mutton and dog meat have yang tonic body has the effect of the folk so far there is the winter solstice have the custom of tonic.

In our country Taiwan also preserved the winter solstice with nine layers of cake ancestor tradition, with glutinous rice flour pinched chicken, duck, turtle, pig, cow, sheep and other symbols of good luck in the meaning of Fuk Luk Shou animals, and then steamed with a steamer layer steamed to ancestor, to show that we do not forget the old ancestors. The same family name with the clan on the winter solstice or around the agreed upon date, set to the ancestral shrine in accordance with the order of the eldest and youngest, one by one to pay homage to the ancestors, commonly known as "ancestor worship". After the ceremony, a banquet is organized to entertain the ancestors. We all drink freely, and contact each other's feelings after a long period of separation, which is called "eating ancestors." The winter solstice festival has been passed down from generation to generation in Taiwan to show that one does not forget one's "roots".

The winter solstice is a rich festival, according to legend, the winter solstice in the history of the Zhou Dynasty was the New Year's Day, once a very lively day. In today's Jiangnan area there is still: eat the winter solstice night meal to grow a year, commonly known as "add years".

Chinese folk festivals:

Lu Shen Birthday, Spring Dragon Festival (Dragon Head Raising), Cold Food Festival, Lixia Festival, Tian Kuang Festival, Kuang Festival, Turning the scriptures, Auntie's Day, Torch Festival, Yuanyuan Festival, Mid-Yuan Festival, Festival of Ghosts, Dizi Festival, Ancestor Festival, Cuoshi Festival, the year of Xiao Nian, the Festival of Gurkha (Muslims), the Dragon Boat Festival (Hmong), the Festival of Flowers (Hmong), the Festival of Jumping Flowers (Hmong), the Festival of the eighth month of the year of the Hmong (Hmong), Miao New Year (Miao), eat new festival (Miao), June 6 (Miao), rush autumn festival (Miao), reed-sheng festival (Miao), sister rice festival (Miao), Eid al-Fitr (Hui), Gurbang Festival (Hui), Shengji Festival (Hui), the main festival of Tibetan Tibetan calendar year, etc. (Tibetans)

New Year's Eve to keep the New Year's Eve is in fact a festival -- "New Year's Eve" is a festival.

There is a book called "Wine - Chinese and Foreign Wine Cultures", which has a section devoted to the festivals and customs that have been stereotyped in ancient China since the Han Dynasty, and it's very comprehensive. You can find it online.