Legends of Chinese Traditional Festivals

1, the legend of the year

Legend, the Chinese ancient times, there is a monster called "year", head long tentacles, ferocious and abnormal. The "year" lives deep under the sea for many years, and only climbs ashore on New Year's Eve to devour livestock and hurt people. Therefore, every New Year's Eve, the people of villages and hamlets, old and young, fled to the mountains to avoid the harm of the "year" beast. Since then, people every year to the end of the first year, every family will stick red paper, wear red robes, hanging red lanterns, banging gongs and drums, firecrackers, so that the beasts will not dare to come back.

The year-end vigil, that is, the last night of the old year does not sleep, stay up to meet the new year's arrival of the custom, also known as the "New Year's Eve vigil", commonly known as "boiled year". The custom of observing the New Year's Eve rose in the North and South Dynasties, and many literati in the Liang Dynasty had poems about observing the New Year's Eve. "One night is a double year, and the fifth night is the second year." People light candles or oil lamps, and this custom has been passed down by people to this day. The origin of this custom is not known.

There is an interesting fairy tale in the folklore: in the ancient times, there was a fierce monster, scattered in the deep mountains and dense forests, people called them "year". It is hideous, ferocious, specializing in eating birds and beasts, scales and insects, a day to change a flavor, from knocking insects have been eaten to the living, so that people talk about the "year" color change.

Later, people slowly mastered the "year" of the activities of the law, it is every three hundred and sixty-five days scurrying to the crowd of people living in the place to taste a mouthful of food, and the time of the infestation are in the dark, until the cock crows at dawn, they will return to the mountains and forests to go.

Calculating the date of the "New Year" rampage, the people will be this terrible night as a pass to brake, called "New Year's Pass", and came up with a whole set of New Year's Pass approach: every night, every family is ahead of time to do a good job of dinner, extinguish the fire! The net stove, and then the chicken coop cattle pen all tied up, the front and back doors of the mansion are sealed, hiding in the house to eat "New Year's Eve dinner".

Because this dinner has the meaning of the uncertainty of the fate, so organized very sumptuous, in addition to the whole family to dine together to express the harmony and reunion, but also must be in the meal before the sacrifice to the ancestors, praying for the blessing of the ancestors of the gods, and peacefully through the night, after dinner, who do not dare to go to bed, sitting together in crowded chatting gallantry. Gradually formed the habit of New Year's Eve to stay up to keep the New Year's Eve.

2, the Lantern Festival legend

Legend in a long, long time ago, a lot of fierce birds and beasts, around to hurt people and livestock, people organized to fight them, there is a god bird because of the lost and landed on earth, but accidentally by the unknowing hunters to shoot.

The emperor was so angry that he immediately sent a decree ordering the heavenly soldiers to come to earth on the fifteenth day of the first month to set fire to all human and animal property on earth. When the people heard the news, it was as if a thunderbolt had rung over their heads, and they were so frightened that they did not know what to do.

It was only after a long time that an old man came up with a method, saying, "On the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth days of the first month, every family will put up lanterns, light firecrackers, and set off fireworks at home. In this way, the Heavenly Emperor will think that people are burned to death."

All of them nodded their heads in agreement and went off in separate directions to get ready. On the night of the fifteenth day of the first month, the Heavenly Emperor looked down and found the earth red and loud, for three nights in a row, and assumed that it was the flames of a great burning fire, and was greatly pleased. The people thus preserved their lives and property. In honor of this success, from then on, every first month of the fifteenth, every household hung lanterns and set off fireworks to commemorate this day.

3, the legend of the Qingming Festival

The legend goes that during the Spring and Autumn Period, the Prince of Jin, Chong Er, in order to escape persecution and exile, in exile, in a deserted place, tired and hungry, no longer able to stand up. The ministers searched for half a day and could not find anything to eat, when everyone was very anxious, the ministers jiezi push to a secluded place, cut off a piece of meat from his own thigh, and boiled a bowl of broth for the duke to drink, and Chong Er gradually regained his spirit, and when Chong Er realized that the meat was cut off by jiezi push his own leg, he shed tears.

Nineteen years later, Chong Er became the king of the country, the historical Duke Wen of Jin. He rewarded all the ministers who had accompanied him into exile, but forgot about Jie Zi push. Many people were angry with Jie Zi Tui and urged him to face the king to ask for rewards, but Jie Zi Tui despised those who competed for rewards. He packed his clothes and went to Mianshan Mountain with his mother to live in seclusion. When Duke Wen of Jin heard about this, he was so ashamed that he went to invite Jie Zi push in person, but Jie Zi push had already left his home and went to Mian Mountain.

Mianshan Mountain is high and dangerous, dense trees, it is not easy to find two people, some people have a plan, from three sides of the fire Mianshan, forcing out the jiezi push. The fire burned all over the Mianshan Mountain, but did not see the figure of介子推, the fire went out, people realized that the back of his mother介子推 has been sitting under an old willow tree died. Jin Wendong see, mournful. When the coffin, from the hole in the tree found a bloody book, written on it: "cut meat to serve the king's danxin heart, but I wish the Lord is always clear."

In honor of Jie Zi Tui, Duke Wen of Jin ordered that this day be designated as the "Cold Food Festival". The next year, Duke Wen of Jin led his ministers to climb the mountain to pay homage to him, and found that the old willow tree had risen from the dead, so he gave it the name of "Qingming Willow", and announced to the world that the day after the Cold Food Festival would be designated as the "Qingming Festival".

The origin of Qingming is not related to Jie Zi Tui, but was established as a festival well before the Zhou Dynasty. [11]? Most traditional festivals are accompanied by a legend as the "origin", but the actual examination, these claims are far later than the birth of the festival, is the result of the construction of future generations into the results.

4, the Dragon Boat Festival legend

According to the Records of the Grand Historian (史记), "The Biography of Qu Yuan and Jia Sheng", Qu Yuan (about 339 BC - about 278 BC), a native of Danyang (present-day Zigui, Yichang, Hubei Province) in the late Warring States Period (战国末期), was a minister of King Huai of Chu (楚怀王) during the Spring and Autumn Period (春秋期).

According to legend, Qu Yuan advocated the promotion of the virtuous, the rich, the strong, and the strong, and strongly advocated the alliance of Qi against Qin, which was strongly opposed by the aristocrat Zi Lan and others, Qu Yuan was gluttonously dismissed from his post, driven out of the capital, and was exiled to the Yuan and Xiang basins. During his exile, he wrote the poems "Li Sao", "Heavenly Question" and "Nine Songs", which were written with concern for the country and the people.

In 278 B.C., when the Qin army broke through the capital of Chu, Qu Yuan saw his country being invaded, and his heart was cut by a knife, but he could not bear to give up his country. On May 5, after writing his final work "Huai Sha", he threw himself into the Miluo River with a stone in his arms and killed himself, composing a magnificent movement of patriotism with his own life. Qu Yuan threw himself into the river, the local people heard immediately rowing boats to rescue .......

In order to send condolences, people swinging boat above the river, and then gradually developed into a dragon boat race. The people are afraid of the river fish eat his body, they have to go home to bring the rice ball into the river, so as to avoid fish and shrimp spoiled Qu Yuan's body, and later became the custom of eating rice dumplings.

From the documentary point of view, the earliest Qu Yuan and the Dragon Boat Festival linked to the North and South Dynasties, South Liang Wu Jun's novel "continued Qi Harmonious Records", at this time Qu Yuan has been dead for more than 750 years, from the Tang Ouyang Xun copied the "customs" (the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty should be Shao by the anonymous text can be seen, perhaps the Eastern Han Dynasty Lingdi Dragon Boat Festival folklore has been the shadow of the Qu Yuan, but this is Qu Yuan behind the more than 400 years of the matter.

While many of the Dragon Boat Festival customs have nothing to do with Qu Yuan, over the centuries, Qu Yuan's patriotic spirit and touching poetry has been widely popular, so people "regret and mourn, the world on its words, to pass on", so that, in honor of Qu Yuan's words, the widest and deepest influence, occupying the mainstream position. In the field of folk culture, the Chinese people to the Dragon Boat Festival Dragon Boat Race and eat zongzi, etc., are associated with the commemoration of Qu Yuan.

5, the legend of Tanabata

The Tanabata festival of begging for money began in the Han Dynasty. East Jin Ge Hong's "Xijing Miscellany" has "Han color women often to the seventh day of the seventh month to wear seven-hole needle in the Kaixiao building, people are practicing" record, which is in the ancient literature on the earliest records of begging for coincidence. [15]? Therefore, the seventh day of the seventh month is also known as the Beggar's Day.

In the clear summer and fall night, the sky stars shine, a Milky Way across the north and south, the east and west banks of the Milky Way, each with a shining star, looking across the river, far away from each other, that is, Altair and Vega. The night of Tanabata to sit and watch the Altair and Vega stars, is a traditional folk custom.

Folk legend has it that on the night of Tanabata every year, it is the time when the heavenly Weaving Maiden and the Cowherd meet at the Magpie Bridge, and the Weaving Maiden is a beautiful, clever and dexterous fairy. Girls in this night to the sky's bright moon, seasonal fruits and vegetables, worship towards the sky, begging the goddess in the sky to give them a clever mind and dexterous hands, so that their knitting red skillful, but also begging for love and marriage of marriage coincidental match. Countless men and women in the world will be in this night, the night is quiet and deep moment, praying to the starry sky for their marriage.

6, the Mid-Autumn Festival legend

Anciently, there are ten days in the sky at the same time, sunburned crops withered, the people do not want to live, a hero named Houyi, great strength, he sympathized with the suffering people, pull open the bow, shot down more than nine suns in one breath, and strictly order the last sun rise and fall on time for the people's well-being. Hou Yi's wife's name was Chang'e. Hou Yi spent his days with his wife, except when he was hunting. A lot of people came to learn from Hou Yi, and Peng Meng, who had a bad heart, also came in.

One day, Hou Yi went to the Kunlun Mountains to visit his friends, and asked the Queen Mother for a packet of immortality medicine. It was said that by taking this medicine, one could instantly ascend to heaven and become immortal. However, Hou Yi could not leave his wife behind, and temporarily gave the medicine to Chang'e to treasure. Chang'e hid the medicine in a treasure box on her dresser.

Three days later, Hou Yi led a group of people on a hunting trip, and Peng Meng pretended to be sick and didn't go out. Shortly after Hou Yi left, Peng Meng broke into the backyard of the mansion with a sword in his hand and forced Chang E to hand over the immortality pill.

Chang E knew she was no match for Peng Meng, so she turned around, opened the treasure box, took out the immortality pill and swallowed it. Chang'e swallowed the medicine, the body immediately floated off the ground, rushed out of the window, flying toward the sky. As Chang'e was attached to her husband, she flew down to the closest to the earth on the moon and became immortal.

In the evening, Hou Yi returned home and his maids cried about what happened during the day. Houyi both shocked and angry, drew the sword to kill the villains, Peng Meng has long escaped, Houyi angry chest thumping, grief, looking up at the night sky calling Chang'e, then he found that today's moon is exceptionally bright and bright, and there is a swaying figure like Chang'e.

Hou Yi misses his wife, he sent people to Chang'e's favorite garden, set up incense, put Chang'e usually love to eat the honey fresh fruit, remote sacrifice in the Moon Palace Chang'e. The people heard that Chang'e had gone to the moon, and the people were very happy to see her. When the people heard the news that Chang'e had run to the moon and become immortal, they set up incense under the moon and prayed to the kind Chang'e for good luck and peace. From then on, the custom of moon worship on the Mid-Autumn Festival spread among the people.

7. Legend of Chongyang Festival

Like most traditional festivals, Chongyang Festival is also attached to a myth as the "origin" of the custom of ascending. The legend is found in the Liang Dynasty Wu Jun's mythological novel "Continued Qi Harmony": Ru Nan Huan Jing with Fei Changfang traveled for many years, Changfang said: "September 9, your home when there is a disaster. It is advisable to go quickly, so that the family members to make Jiang bag, holding cornelian cherry, to tie the arm, climbed high and drank chrysanthemum wine, this disaster can be eliminated." Jing as said, the family climbed the mountain. Evening still, see the chickens, dogs, cows and goats die a violent death. Changfang heard: "This can be replaced." Today, the world nine days to drink wine, women with cornelian cherry bladder, cover began here.

Folk evolution version: According to legend, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, there is a plague in the River Ru, as long as it appeared, family will be sick, every day, people lost their lives, the people in the area suffered from the plague of the ravages of the devil. A plague claimed the parents of a young man, Huanjing, who himself nearly died of the disease.

After recovering from his illness, he left his beloved wife and his parents, and resolved to go out to visit the immortals and learn the art of ridding the people of the plague. Huanjing traveled around to see the famous masters from all over the world, and finally found out that there is the oldest mountain in the east, where there is an immortal chief with infinite power. Undeterred by the difficulties and dangers, Huanjing was guided by a crane and finally found the mountain and the immortal chief.

This day, the immortal chief called Huanjing to him and said: "Tomorrow is the ninth day of the ninth month, the plague demon will come out to do evil again, you have learned your skill, you should go back to get rid of harm for the people". He gave him a packet of cornelian cherry leaves and a cup of chrysanthemum wine, and taught him how to ward off evil spirits, so that he could ride a crane and hurry back to his home. Huanjing returned to his hometown, and on the morning of the ninth day of the ninth month, he led the townspeople to a nearby mountain according to the immortal chief's instructions, and gave each of them a piece of cornelian cherry leaf and a cup of chrysanthemum wine, and made preparations to subdue the evil spirits.

Noon time, with a few screams, the plague of the devil rushed out of the Ru River, but the plague of the devil just jumped to the bottom of the mountain, suddenly smelled a burst of cornelian cherry and chrysanthemum wine gas, they stopped, face suddenly changed, then Huanjing holding a demon sword chased down the mountain, a few rounds on the Wen demon stabbed to death under the sword, and later people will be the Chung Yeung Festival ascending to the heights of the event is seen as a disaster avoidance activities. Obviously, this story is "purely fictional", just a ridiculous legend attached to it.

8, the legend of the winter solstice

According to the existing literature, people as early as 2,500 years ago in the Spring and Autumn Period began to pass the winter solstice. Legend has it that as early as 3,000 years ago, the Duke of Zhou began to use the earth-gui method of shadow measurement, measured the location of the middle of the world in Luoyi, and set this as the middle of the earth, which had political significance at the time of the move, but it became one of the festivals that influenced future generations for thousands of years.

The Duke of Zhou went to Luoyang and used the earth-guillotine method to measure the location of Luoyang as the "center of the world," and then began to divine the auspicious location of the country. According to the Shangshu-Luogu, Zhou Gong "arrived at Luoshi," examined several places around Luoyang, and finally determined that the east of the Jianshui River, the west of the Chanshui River, and the east of the Chanshui River were all "the only places to eat in Luoshi" (good places to build temples and ancestral lands).

The historical fact that the Duke of Zhou chose the site of Luoyi by "measuring the landscape with an earth-guillotine" was recorded in the ancient canonical books, and it was also regarded by the later generations as the established law for the establishment of a state. The purpose of the "earth-guillotine survey" was to find the "center of the earth" (the center of the state). The essence of this method is to "set up a table of eight feet, and on the summer solstice, the view is five inches long; on the winter solstice, the view is one zhang three feet and five inches long" (i.e., set up a pole of eight feet in height, and observe it on the summer solstice, the sun's shadow at noon is 1.5 feet, and the sun's shadow on the winter solstice at noon is 13.5 feet), and to "measure the depth of the earth and the sun's shadow, to find out the center of the earth, and to check the four seasons. Seek the center of the earth and check the four seasons". What is measured in this way is the theoretical location of the "earth center" of Luoyang and Luoyi.

Relying on the Zhou Gong shadow measurement set in the world, the Zhou people detailed planning for the first national capital after the destruction of the Shang Dynasty, "Yi Zhou Shu - as Luo Luo", "was made into a large euphony Zhou in the soil, ...... south of the system in the Luoshui, north of Mang Mountain, as the world's large compact. "

According to records, the Zhou-Qin era was to winter November as the first month, and the winter solstice as the head of the year. In other words, people celebrated the New Year on this day. The Book of Han" said: "winter solstice Yang Qi, Jun Dao long, so He ......" Another cloud: the ancients believed that since the winter solstice, heaven and earth Yang Qi began to rise gradually strong, that is, the next cycle began, for the "day of great good fortune! ".

There is also a saying that the winter solstice as a holiday originated in the Han Dynasty. The winter solstice is a "winter festival", so it was regarded as a big festival, and there is a saying that "the winter solstice is as big as a year".

Anciently, there was a saying that "winter solstice is the birth of yang", which means that from the day of winter solstice, yang qi slowly begins to rise. As the modern poem says, "When winter comes, will spring be far away? In ancient times, people who drifted abroad had to go home for the winter festival at this time of the year, so-called "the end of the year has a home".

The Book of the Later Han Dynasty records: "Before and after the winter solstice, the gentleman is quiet and quiet body, the hundred officials are absolutely nothing, do not listen to the government, choose the auspicious moment and then save the matter." In folklore, people then family and friends visit each other, and with food...?

The winter solstice is also a traditional day of worship. It is said that after the Song Dynasty, the winter solstice gradually became a festival to honor ancestors and gods.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, the winter solstice was a day for sacrificing to heaven and ancestors, with the emperor going to the outskirts of the countryside to hold ceremonies to offer sacrifices to heaven, and the people paying homage to their parents and honored elders.

Ming and Qing Dynasties, the winter solstice, the emperor to hold a ceremony, said "winter solstice suburb days". Folk in this period also have ancestor worship, family dinners and other customs. Therefore, the winter solstice is known as the "small year".

The winter solstice as a holiday to pass from the Han Dynasty, the prevalence of the Tang and Song dynasties, and continue to this day. The first month of the weekly calendar is the eleventh month of the summer calendar, so the first month of the Zhou dynasty is equal to the eleventh month of today's calendar, so there is no difference between paying respect to the year and celebrating the winter. It was not until Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted the summer calendar that the first month and the winter solstice were separated. It can also be said that the winter solstice festival is only since the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties, and continues to this day.

The winter solstice in the Han Dynasty was known as the "Winter Festival", and the government held a congratulatory ceremony known as the "He Dong", which was a routine holiday for the officials, and a popular ritual of "worshiping winter" for the officials to congratulate each other.

The Book of the Later Han Dynasty has this record: "Before and after the winter solstice, the gentleman is quiet and quiet, all officials are not listening to the government, choose the auspicious moment and then save." So on this day the whole court to take a holiday, the army on standby, the border closed, business travel stops, friends and relatives with food gifts, visit each other, happy to have a "quiet body" holiday.

Wei-Jin Six Dynasties, the winter solstice is called the "sub year", the people to parents and elders to pay tribute to the festival; after the Song Dynasty, the winter solstice has gradually become a festival to worship the ancestors and the gods.

The Tang and Song dynasties, the winter solstice is the day of sacrifice to the ancestors, the emperor on this day to the outskirts of the sky ceremony, the people on this day to the parents to worship. Ming and Qing dynasties, the emperor has a ceremony, called the "winter solstice suburb days". Palace officials to the emperor to present the ceremony of congratulatory table, but also to throw each other congratulations, like New Year's Day. And now only Chaoshan, Zhejiang part of the region still continue the old custom of ancestor worship.

9, Zhongyuan Festival

Zhongyuan Festival originated in the early "half of July," the harvest of agriculture in the fall tasted ancestor worship, "half of July" can be traced back to the ancient agricultural harvest festival, as well as the worship of ancestral spirits associated with it.

Anciently, people used to rely on the blessing of the gods for a good agricultural harvest. Dong Zhongshu in the Han Dynasty in the "Spring and Autumn Fandanglu - four sacrifices" in the cloud: "the ancient age of the four sacrifices. Four sacrifices, because of the four times of the birth of which, and sacrifices to their forefathers and grandparents. Therefore, spring is said to ancestral temple, summer is said to stop, autumn is said to taste, winter is said to steam." Sacrifice ancestors in spring, summer, fall and winter, but "autumn taste" is very important. Autumn is the harvest season, people held to the ancestral spirits of the ceremony, the seasonal good first for the gods to enjoy, and then taste the fruit of these labors, and pray for the next year's good harvest.

From the historical documents, the activities of the ancestors of the autumn taste, pre-Qin era; at first, the date of the "autumn taste" is not certain, and then gradually fixed around the 15th of July, is generally the first full moon after the beginning of the autumn hope day, autumn new yin sheng time.

And the "half of the seventh month" is known as the "Festival of the Middle Ages", which originated from the Taoist saying after the Eastern Han Dynasty. Among the Taoist gods, there are the Heavenly God, the Earthly God, and the Water God, collectively known as the "Three Gods", who are the representatives of the Heavenly God on earth, and are respectively responsible for reviewing the merits and sins of the earth for the Heavenly God on the "Three Dollar Day" in order to determine the rewards and punishments: the Heavenly God grants blessings on the first day of the first month of the lunar year, the Earthly God pardons the sins on the fifteenth day of the middle month of the seventh month The Heavenly Judge grants blessings on the first day of the first month, while the Earthly Judge pardons sins on the middle day of the 15th day of the 7th month. The earth official is in charge of the earth's mansion, and the focus of his inspection is naturally on all the ghosts. Therefore, on the day of the Mid-Yuan, all the ghosts have to leave the underworld to be examined, and those who have masters go home, while those who don't have masters roam the earth, wandering around looking for something to eat.

During the Tang Dynasty, when rulers revered Taoism, the Taoist festival of the Middle Ages began to flourish, and gradually fixed the name "Zhongyuan" as the name of the festival. According to legend, the Earth's palace is in charge of the gates of hell, and on this day, the Earth's palace opens the gates of hell, which is also the day when hell opens its doors so that deceased ancestors can go home and be reunited.

On this day, ancestors are worshipped, graves are visited, and lotus lamps are lit to illuminate the way home for the souls of the dead. Taoist temple held a grand ceremony to pray for blessings and good luck dojo, the content is for the souls of the dead souls. It is a traditional Chinese folk custom for the ancients to release river lanterns on the Mid-Yuan Festival and for Taoist priests to build jiao-festivals for prayers. Buddhism and Taoism have different interpretations of the festival's meaning, with Taoism emphasizing filial piety and Buddhism focusing on the "universal passage" of those orphaned souls released from the underworld.

Ancient people have attached great importance to rituals since ancient times, and the "half of the seventh month" originated from three cultures: folk secularism (Confucianism after the Han Dynasty), Taoism, and Buddhism, and its ritual culture has been passed down for a long time, with a wide range of influences.

The custom of "half of July" can be said to be a fusion of secularism, Taoism and Buddhism. According to the Record of Cultivation: "On the day of the seventh lunar month, the earthly officials descended to determine the good and evil on earth, and the Taoist priests recited sutras on that night, and the prisoners of the Hunger Festival were also freed." Using the term "Zhongyuan Festival" to refer to the 15th day of the 7th month, in fact, is the "Earth Palace Day of Forgiveness", and folk beliefs, this day of sacrifice to the ghosts are not exclusively ancestor relatives, but also includes the ghosts of the lonely wild spirits.

Before the formation of the Chinese New Year Festival, the 15th day of the 7th month has long been expropriated by Buddhism. In Buddhism, the month of July was originally a month of joy for the Buddha, not a "ghost festival. But why did the Bon Festival in July become a "ghost festival"? Obon is the translation of the Sanskrit word Ulambana, which originally meant "to save the souls of those who are suffering in hell".

The Buddhist scripture "Bon" was translated and introduced to China during the Western Jin Dynasty, and the story of "Meilian rescuing his mother" in the scripture coincided with the concept of filial piety that still existed at that time, and was later promoted by Xiao Yan, the Emperor of the Liang Wu Di, who advocated the "three religions" as a folk festival, which was then mainly celebrated as a festival of the people. It was advocated by Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty, who respected the "Three Religions" and made it a folk festival, and its main function at that time was to worship the Buddha. It was only in the Song Dynasty that the festival changed and developed into a festival for the dead and ghosts.

I don't know whether it was a coincidence or whether Taoism attached itself to the Buddhist Bon Festival, but both the Mid-Yuan Festival and the Bon Festival were set on the 15th day of the 7th month. So much so that later generations thought that these two were two names for one festival. At the same time, also because of its meaning and customs have long been difficult to distinguish between the two festivals, the customs of the two festivals began to be mixed.

It is generally believed that the Mid-Yuan Festival, also known as the "Bon Festival" and the "Ghost Festival"; in fact, there is a great misunderstanding of this understanding. Correctly speaking, the Ghost Festival, the Mid-Yuan Festival and the Bon Festival are folk beliefs, Taoist and Buddhist sayings, and the three are juxtaposed, rather than a festival of three different names.

Folk beliefs in the "Ghost Festival", the entire seventh month of the lunar calendar should be the "Ghost Festival", the King of Hell in the first day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar every year to open the ghost door to release the ghosts to come to the world of the sun to feed, enjoy the people's offerings, the last day of the month of July, to reclosure of the door of the ghosts, the ghosts and On the last day of July, the ghost gate is closed again and the ghosts have to return to the netherworld. The word "Zhongyuan" in the festival originated from the Taoist theory of the three elements, and the name of the festival was not officially fixed until the middle to late Tang Dynasty.

10, Lapa Festival legend

Legend a

Lapa Festival is the lunar calendar Lunar New Year (December) the eighth, originated in the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasty, it is said that Zhu Yuanzhang fell in prison suffering, when the cold days, cold and hungry Zhu Yuanzhang even from the prison of the rat hole planing to find out some of the red beans, rice, jujubes and other seven or eight kinds of grains and cereals. Zhu Yuanzhang these things into a porridge, because that day is the eighth day of the eighth month of the waxing moon, Zhu Yuanzhang will be beautifully named this pot of miscellaneous grain porridge for the waxing gruel. Enjoyed a beautiful meal.

Later Zhu Yuanzhang pacified the world, sitting in the north towards the south as the emperor, in order to commemorate that special day in prison, he then set the day as Lahai Festival, the day he ate mixed grain porridge officially named Lahai congee.

Legend II

Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, was the son of King Jinyi of Gavilavi country in northern India (now in Nepal), who saw all beings suffering from old age, sickness and death, and was dissatisfied with the theocratic rule of the Brahmins at that time, gave up his throne, and went out to cultivate his family. After six years of asceticism, he attained enlightenment and became a Buddha under the Bodhi tree on the eighth day of the waxing moon.

During these six years of asceticism, he ate only one hemp and one rice a day. The descendants did not forget his suffering and ate porridge on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year to commemorate him. "Lapa" has become the "anniversary of the Buddha". "Lapa" is a grand festival of Buddhism. Before the liberation of all over the Buddhist temple for the Buddha bath, held chanting, and follow the example of Siddhartha Gautama before he became a Taoist, the shepherdess offered the legendary story of milk, with fragrant grain, fruit and other congee for the Buddha, called "Lahai congee". And Laha congee will be given to the disciples and the good men and women, and then in the folk custom.

It is said that in some monasteries, before the eighth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, monks holding a bowl, along the streets, will collect rice, chestnuts, jujube, nuts, and other materials into Laha congee distributed to the poor. Legend has it that if you eat it, you will be blessed by Buddha, so the poor people call it "Buddha porridge".

Legend Three

The Laha Festival comes from the custom of "beating ghosts with red beans". Legend has it that Zhuan Xu, one of the five ancient emperors, had three sons who became evil spirits after their deaths, specializing in scaring children. In ancient times, people generally believed in superstition and were afraid of ghosts and gods, believing that adults and children who suffered from strokes and illnesses and were in poor health were all due to epidemics and ghosts. These evil spirits are not afraid of the world, single afraid of red) beans, so there is a "red beans to beat the ghosts," said. Therefore, on the eighth day of the waxing moon to red small beans, red small beans porridge, in order to get rid of the disease to welcome the good luck.

Legend four

La Bao Festival out of people's nostalgia for the loyal minister Yue Fei. That year, Yue Fei led the Department of Jin in Zhuxianzhen, when the harsh winter, Yue's army, food and clothing, starvation and freezing, the people have sent porridge, Yue's army full of a meal sent by the people of the "thousands of porridge", the results of the great victory and return. This day is the eighth day of the twelfth month. After the death of Yue Fei, the people in order to commemorate him, every Lunar New Year's Eve, they will be mixed grains, beans and fruits porridge, and finally become a custom.

Legend V

Qin Shi Huang built the Great Wall, the world's workers were ordered to come, can not go home for many years, food by the family to send. Some of the workers were separated from their families by thousands of mountains, and the food could not be sent to them, which caused many of them to starve to death at the Great Wall site.

One year on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, no food to eat, the workers have accumulated a few handfuls of grains and cereals, put in a pot of porridge, each person drank a bowl of porridge, and finally died of starvation under the Great Wall. In order to commemorate the death of starvation in the Great Wall site workers, people eat every year on the eighth day of the eighth month of Lunar New Year "Lahai congee", in order to commemorate.

Legend VI

Legend has it that the old couple of life, hard-working, thrifty, save a large property, but the baby son is not good, marry a daughter-in-law is not virtuous, soon lost the family business, to the eighth of the lunar month this day, the two are freezing and starvation, but fortunately there are the village, the neighbors to help, cooking a pot of rice, noodles, beans, vegetables, etc., mixed with the "miscellaneous porridge".

Meaning: "Eat a meal of mixed porridge, lessons remembered." This porridge so that the young couple changed their vices, on the right path, rely on hard work to hold the family, day by day better. The popular custom of eating porridge on the 8th day of the 12th lunar month is a lesson for people to warn their descendants.

Extended information:

Formation

The origin of ancient traditional festivals is related to the ancient primitive beliefs, the sense of virtue rituals and astronomical calendars, and so on, most of the festivals are formed in the ancient people to choose the auspicious day of the festival, in order to thank the heaven and earth, gods, and the ancestors of the grace of the activities. Many traditional festivals have been included in the national "Rituals". In the historical evolution of some festivals in the date has been adjusted (such as the Dragon Boat Festival date from "Wu Yue Wu Day" in the Han Dynasty to "the fifth day of the fifth month"). Chinese traditional festivals in various forms, rich in content, is an important component of the long history and culture of the Chinese nation, is the basic framework of civilized countries. The origin and development of festivals is a "gradual cultural process of formation and refinement" of human society and a product of the evolutionary development of human civilization.

The traditional festivals of the Chinese people carry humanistic and natural cultural contents such as beliefs, sacrifices, astronomy, geography, physical phenomena, mathematics, and calendars. Most of the traditional festivals have been formed in the ancient times, the early festival culture, reflecting the ancient society of ancient nature worship, the human spirit of the unity of heaven and man; a series of sacrificial activities, containing the rites and music civilization of the profound cultural connotations. In the historical development, after the Qin and Han Dynasties, some traditional festivals were attached to the "plague and disaster" or "historical figures" and other legends instead of their true origins, but the actual investigation, these "legends" are much later than the birth of the festival. But in reality, these "legends" are much later than the birth of the festival, and are constructed by future generations. The vast majority of folk festivals come from the ancient people's primitive beliefs, rituals and astronomical calendars, and the relationship with heroes and figures is often the result of man-made constructed substitution.

Traditional festivals with existing documentary records can be traced back to at least "Xia Xiaozheng", "Shangshu", in the pre-Qin period, the year is divided into twenty-four festivals, has been completed, and then some traditional festivals, but also closely related to these festivals, festivals for the production of festivals to provide the prerequisites. Each traditional Chinese festival has its own origin and the necessary conditions for its formation.

Development

Most of the festivals have been in existence since ancient times, but the richness and popularity of their customs have taken a long time to develop. Folk festivals come from primitive beliefs and the needs of daily life, and the earliest customary activities are related to primitive worship and sacrifices. Some festivals are rumored to be the birthdays of ancient figures, which should be attached to the ancient not to celebrate the birth of the fear of being disgusted with the victory, the real birth of the situation will never be disclosed.

After the Qin development attached to some of the "legend" into the origin of the festival, these legends for the festival added a few points of romantic color; and religious impact on the impact of folk festivals and influence. Such as the folk Dragon Boat Festival Dragon ancestor attached to Qu Yuan Memorial, "July 30" Harvest Autumn Tasting Ancestor Sacrifice was absorbed by the Church evolved into the "Festival of the Middle Ages". These festivals carry a rich culture and connotation in the historical development. All of these are integrated into the content of the festival, making Chinese festivals have a deep sense of history.

By the Han Dynasty, the major traditional Chinese festivals had spread to all parts of the country, and it is often said that these festivals were popularized during the Han Dynasty, which was the first period of great development after the unification of China, and which provided good social conditions for the popularization and spread of the festivals.

The development of festivals to the Tang Dynasty, has been from the primitive worship serious atmosphere into entertainment ceremonial type. The Tang Dynasty was an important period in the stereotyping of traditional Chinese festival customs. From then on, the festival became colorful, many sports, enjoyment activities content appeared, and soon became a fashion popular, these customs have continued to develop, enduring.

Baidu Encyclopedia: Traditional Chinese Festivals