What are the monthly festivals in the lunar calendar?

The Spring Festival

On the first day of the first month of the Lunar Calendar, commonly known as "New Year's Day", is the grandest festival of the year, with three days' vacation for public officials and half a month of joy for the people.

Strictly speaking, the Spring Festival begins at 00:00 on the first day of the month, but in the days leading up to it, the joyous atmosphere of the festival has enveloped thousands of households. People are busy doing steamed buns, steamed rice cakes, meaning "high year after year"; add new dishes, implying an increase in the population; clean the courtyard, new clothes, to show the old and welcome the new; buy fish and meat, symbolizing the annual surplus; more farmers have grinded bean curd to make the harmonics of "Fu", wishing for the well-being of the family. to make tofu in farming families, using the harmonic sound "Du Fu", in the hope that the family will be happy. But in the old days, the poor people more than at this time to go out to avoid debt, commonly known as "hiding the year", "New Year's Day, such as crossing the border," said.

This day in the early morning that firecrackers, as far as possible, every family with three dishes (chicken, fish and meat) sacrifices to the gods of heaven and earth, to meet the God of Fortune, the God of Happiness, in order to take the meaning of the "birth of wealth". Before dawn, the whole family eats dumplings, which are mostly filled with vegetarian ingredients. Dumplings must be cooked in large quantities and must have a surplus, meaning that there is a surplus of head. When eating dumplings, the dumplings are wrapped with sugar, peanuts, copper coins, red dates, chestnuts, etc., which implies that the eater is blessed. After dawn, the younger generation began to the elders to pay New Year's blessings, the old to kneel, now generally only greetings, the elders to prepare candies to give, and pay the young children "pressure money", hope that the young children in the new year, safe and sound. At the same time, neighbors also want to visit each other to pay tribute to the New Year, the hosts are to smoke tea, candy, melon seeds, peanuts, hospitality. In recent years, institutions and organizations began to prevalent "group worship". The New Year's activities have been long-lasting.

There are a lot of taboos on the first day of the day, a day without sweeping, do not hit the water, do not move the needle and thread scissors, meals are not burned, not branded, avoid eating meat, intended to take the good luck.

The string of relatives is an important activity of the Spring Festival, are to bring some gifts, the order is generally "the second mother-in-law of the first three aunts, the first four or five to see a friend," which lasts until the first month of the fifteenth, friends and relatives feast with each other, congratulations on the new happiness.

Five end of the day

Fifth day of the first month, also known as the "five horse day", this day is not burned, not branded, it is common that the midday meal is more dumplings. This day is also called "break five", from this day onwards, people began to various livelihoods, stores more open for business on this day, for the opening of the market auspicious.

People Day

The seventh day of the first month. In the old days, the residents of the territory to eat a variety of wild vegetables made of small tofu. Zichuan on this day to eat small tofu, while eating with chopsticks or fine kozo stick? (pounded) in the corners and recesses of the walls, while reading "kozo stick? I'm going to eat it with chopsticks or a thin kozo stick, while chanting "kozo stick? Nine out of ten rats are blind, and their brains are turned into tofu dregs. The brain is turned into tofu dregs. It is said that eating small tofu symbolizes eating rat brains, and this custom reflects people's strong desire to get rid of rat pests. Now people have been more than this festival.

The Lantern Festival

The 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, also known as the "festival of the first yuan". The main activity of the Lantern Festival is to see the lights, so it is also known as the "Festival of Lights". Generally from the 14th to the 16th day of the first month, the city and district main street lights for three nights. Folklore, Lantern Festival lights are auspicious light, can drive away demons and evil spirits, cure all diseases, so people tend to end up with the light each other's faces, but also shine a light on all corners of the house outside the house. Lantern Festival during the nightfall, full of lights all over the city put on colorful. At that time, the city was mobilized, people watching the lanterns like a sea of people. Accompanied by the lanterns, there are different forms of juggling: twisting rice-planting songs, dancing dragon lanterns, running lions, stilt walkers, rowing dry boats, pretending to be a core ......, walking the streets and alleys, the folk is called "pretending to play", also known as "haunted lantern! The folk call it "dress up play", also called "haunted Lantern Festival". In recent years, the Lantern Festival unprecedented, in addition to displaying the traditional lanterns, paper lanterns, tied a variety of mechanized, automated lanterns are lifelike, striking, for the past less than.

Lantern Festival day, urban and rural people have eaten "Lantern" habit, that is, with glutinous rice noodles as clothing, sugar, red silk and other fillings made of, shaped like a ball, meaning that the family reunion.

February 2

Also known as the "Spring Dragon Festival", there is "February 2, the dragon carries the head" of the proverb. In the old days, many rural households to play "grain hoard" custom, generally in the morning of the day, by the family to play, that is, with grass ash in the courtyard into a circle, called hoard, and then put a little grain in the middle of it, in order to pray for a good year. This day the coal miners do not go down the well, invited to drink in the mountains. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, this custom has been abolished, is now more prevalent is fried scorpion beans, it is said to eat the scorpion beans, a year without being stung by scorpions. Scorpion beans are generally fried with soybeans, some scorpion beans are also sticky sugar noodles, some soaked in salt water, crispy and delicious. Some of them are soaked in salt water, making them crispy and delicious. There is also a way to stir-fry the beanstalks and scorpion beans together. In addition, now added melon seeds, popcorn, etc., which is a new development of the custom of fried scorpion beans.

Cold Food, Qingming

One hundred and five days after the winter solstice is called cold food, and fifteen days after the spring equinox is Qingming. Fire and cold food are forbidden on the day of cold food. History records that in order to commemorate the Spring and Autumn Period, Jie Zi Tui was burned in the fire in Mianshan, Jin Wendong ordered to repair the fire ban. At this time the weather is clear, wind and sunshine, is a good day for excursions, the old custom of trekking, kite flying, swinging, now rare. After the founding of new China, tomb-sweeping is the main activities of the festival of Qingming, folk more on the ancestral graves, to the ancestral graves of the custom of adding soil. Institutions, schools and other groups in this day organized to go to the tomb of the martyrs, in order to carry out the revolutionary tradition of education.

People have the habit of eating hard-boiled eggs on this day of Qingming, and it is said that eating eggs on this day of Qingming makes the eyes bright. Boshan farmers in the Qingming this day will also cook a pot of millet dry rice to let the cattle a full meal to reward it for a year of hard work, called "rice cattle", there are "playing a thousand, scolding ten thousand, a bowl of rice on the day of the Qingming" of the proverb, all the cattle on this day do not make the service, and are not allowed to scold.

Duanwu Festival

The fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, for the folk commemoration of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan's day. On this day, every household eats rice dumplings, door inserted ai and peach branches, intended to avoid evil spirits. Children's hands and feet with five-color line, called tethered life line, neck hanging long life locks, meaning "long life", palms, feet, top of the head heart smeared with xionghuang, in order to avoid disease. Women and children with more chest incense purse, is sewn with flower cloth, containing a variety of Chinese herbs, with the body, it is said to be able to drive away the plague and evil spirits. This custom has been gradually abolished, only food dumplings of the wind still exists.

Rain Festival

May 13th of the lunar calendar, folklore is the day of Guan Laojiao knife grinding. Boshan, Zichuan, "May 13, Master Guan grinding knife to kill Xu three," said, grinding the knife to use water, so it should rain. In the old days, this day is generally held to pray for rain ceremony, now more than not this festival.

Over half a year

On the first day of June in the lunar calendar, the countryside more than in the day with the new wheat grinding bread dumplings or rolled "noodle stalks" to honor the sky and ancestors, meant to thank the sky blessed with a good summer harvest. Huantai residents on this day of ancestor worship is intended to let the ancestors see the fruits of the labor of the descendants and "fresh".

Tian Kuang Festival

The sixth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar is also called Sunshine Festival. In the past, people used to take clothes and books out to dry on this day, which was called "Sunning Dragon Robe". It is said that this day sun things do not get worms. This day, the masses also eat "fried noodles" custom, that is, the new wheat fried and ground into flour, water and brown sugar seasoning, commonly known as "eating fried noodles", the legend says that eating a summer can not diarrhea, to summer.

Summer

Summer

One of the twenty-four festivals, this day to eat cold noodles.

Kiliao Festival

The seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, also known as the "Tanabata", legend has it that the evening of the day for the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden will meet. In the old days, there were many young girls late at night set up incense to the weaving maiden begging custom, now basically abolished.

Midwinter Festival

The 15th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar, also known as the "Ghost Festival". In the old days, the local "please home before" custom, mostly in the evening at home ancestor worship, while pulling five grains (sorghum, grain, soybeans, sesame seeds, millet) each a tie for a bunch in front of the hall, after the sacrifice will be "home before" sent away, set the five valleys in the front door, meaning to pray for a good year. Zichuan is a moral to grain for the horse, so that the ancestors rode back. Nowadays, "pulling five valleys" of the wind has been abolished, but ancestor worship still exists.

Tianmedian Festival

The first day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, the sacrifice of Huangdi, Qibo. In the old days, there was a custom of collecting dew to make eye-brightening pouches and sky moxibustion. Some old women went to the fields before dawn to take the dew on the tip of the grass, at noon with the best ink grinding into juice, and then make the chopsticks dipped in ink point children's heart and around the so-called "point of a hundred diseases". Republic of China in 26 years, the renewal of the "Boshan County Records," as follows: "August solstice out of the flowers on the dew to wash the eyes, said to remove the wind and heat, benefit from the clear. And, moisten ink point children's abdominal, that can go to the abdominal disease". Now this custom has been abolished.

Mid-Autumn Festival

The 15th day of the 8th lunar month. On this day, every family hopes that the human moon is round, the women must go back to their in-laws for the festival, so it is also known as the "reunion festival", is a major festival celebrated by the people in general. Before the festival, friends and relatives give each other moon cakes, fruits and other gifts, is the evolution of the old "chase festival" (refers to since the fixed marriage after the male section gifts and women) custom. Republic of China "Zichuan County" has "August hope day Mid-Autumn Festival, ...... marriage family feed melon cake for the time of things" records. Now with the improvement of people's standard of living, the gifts sent between friends and relatives are increasingly abundant, more varieties. In the old days, the night of mid-autumn, people have to worship the moon, the custom of the moon, in the courtyard of the moon set up incense, set offerings, said "sacrifice to the moon", worship after the sharing of food, the family feast to enjoy the moon, known as the "full moon" to show that the whole family reunion. Nowadays, families are more likely to prepare a banquet to celebrate the occasion.

The Chongyang Festival

The ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar, because the ancients regarded nine as the number of Yang, so it is called Chongyang. In the old days, the literati more than in this day, drinking or chrysanthemum poetry, folk more temple fair, this day there are folk "after the festival," the custom of giving cake. Republic of China "Zichuan County" in the "Chongyang day, climbed high drinking wine, as a date cake to feed. In recent years, the field to ascend to the heights, catch the temple fair is gradually emerging.

October 1

The first day of October in the lunar calendar, is the traditional day of the people on the graves of their ancestors, more than for the fall harvest of goods, intended to report on the ancestors of the full harvest is complete. This day on the grave in addition to burning paper, but also with colored paper cut to make clothes and hats, burned in front of the tomb, there is "October 1, on the grave to burn cold clothes," said, meaning that the ancestors to take the winter clothes. Huantai residents are mostly with "fried stuffed food" ancestor worship. Zichuan in addition to the ancestors on the grave, but also in the evening to the field intersection, for the dead without descendants of the sacrifice, add "cold clothes".

Winter

One of the twenty-four solar terms, this day the masses of food dumplings, "winter solstice dumplings summer solstice noodles," said that eating dumplings is said to be afraid of freezing off the ears, take "dumplings" harmonic "rubber ear! "

These dumplings are said to be eaten for fear of freezing off the ears.

Lapa Day

The eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, is the day of the folk with rice, beans, dates, peanuts, "Lapa congee" food, it is said to eat can increase the blessing. In recent years, the rise of pickling "Laha garlic", that is, the garlic dipped in vinegar pickling, is the Spring Festival to eat dumplings of the condiments, this time the garlic flavor is slightly sour, vinegar flavor slightly spicy, very tasty.

Qi Zao

December 23rd of the lunar calendar, folk commonly known as "over the small year", rumored to be the day to send Zaojun to the sky to say things, so it is also known as "resignation of the stove". Farmers more cereal grass, soybean in front of the stove, said to feed Zaojun horse, so that Zaojun horse riding to heaven, all the way to the wind. In front of the Zaosun statue for mixed noodles, sugar melons (sugar melons are meant to stick to the mouth of Zaosun, so as not to let him go to heaven to say bad things), and chanting "good things to say in the sky, back to the Palace of Good Luck, say less right and wrong things, and bring more grains and cereals". Offerings will be torn off the Zaojun image, and paper money, grain grass together to burn, means to send Zaojun to heaven. To the Spring Festival party re-posted Zaojun like. Zichuan in the resignation of the stove after the custom of divination stove, that is, quietly go out and listen to people talk to think of the blame, this is the ancient mirror to listen to the legacy of the "Liaozhai Zhiyi" has detailed records. Now this wind has stopped, only eat mixed noodles, sugar melon custom still exists, while families began to prepare for the New Year's goods. The people who go out mostly go home on this day.

New Year's Eve

December 30 of the lunar calendar, also known as the "year in addition to", there is the meaning of the old and the new. In the old days, this day there is the door sticker "God of the door", in the middle of the hall hanging "God of Fortune" custom, is now more of a family sticker Spring Festival couplets, households hanging New Year's paintings, cut and paste the red windowpane. In the evening, each family held an ancestor ceremony, please "home before" home for the New Year, and then send "home before" burning incense and paper outside the door, return to the door must be placed in front of the door stick, intended to prevent ghosts from returning to the Chong. At night, the household cloth lamp in the courtyard, sleepless all night, known as the "New Year's Eve". Nowadays, most of the lanterns are electric. The whole family wraps dumplings together and eats a reunion dinner, which means that the family will be harmonious and happy in the coming year. At zero o'clock on New Year's Eve, firecrackers are fired in every house to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year. In recent years, New Year's Eve is even more lively, firecrackers, resonating through the sky, CCTV's Spring Festival Cultural Evening brings laughter to the family, the whole family sits down, pouring pots of wine, and welcome the New Year.