Review
The ninth day of the first lunar month is also known as the ninth day of the first month, also known as the day of heaven, as the first nine at the beginning of the year, both ancient and modern people attach great importance to it, especially in the ancient times when the feudal color is relatively strong, there are often customs of sacrifice and worship on this day. And generally after the ninth day of the first lunar month, it is necessary to officially go to the field to work in preparation for the cultivation of the next spring.
In addition to some folk activities, it is also mentioned in the legend that the ninth day of the first lunar month is actually the birthday of the Jade Emperor.
As the highest ruler in the Three Realms, the authority and ability of the Jade Emperor cannot be said to be high, so people also attach great importance to this day, often slaughtering chickens and pigs, and laying out all the jade plates and delicacies, praying for the protection of the Jade Emperor. So what are the customs on the ninth day of the first lunar month? Let's take a look.
The first taboo: drying clothes
In our daily life, drying clothes is the most common thing, but in the eyes of the ancients, if you dry clothes on the ninth day of the first month of the first month is disrespectful to the gods, especially drying intimate clothes, it is likely to cause yin and yang to clash, so we must resolutely avoid drying clothes outside, avoid angering the gods, and hindering everything in the coming year.
Second taboo: Things related to filth are seen in the sky
Since the ninth day of the first lunar month is the birthday of the Jade Emperor, it is not allowed to throw filthy things into the sky in order to show respect, including washing your face and washing vegetables or washing sewage.
The ancients believed that if these filthy things were thrown into the sky, it was likely to anger the Jade Emperor, making him think that he had polluted the Celestial Realm, and was likely to be retaliated against by the Jade Emperor, so on this day all the filth must be thrown into the closed room.
In addition, children can not urinate outside at will on this day, otherwise it is also disrespectful to the Jade Emperor, similarly, for adults, on this day, they can not carry out activities such as throwing garbage and picking feces, and they must wait until dawn the next day to do it.
The first is to eat the red turtle tree
The red turtle tree is a common folk pastry that often appears in ceremonies in southern Fujian and other places.
Much in the shape of this pastry, which resembles its name, the glutinous rice is repeatedly pounded into a ball, rolled out into a thin dough cake, and filled with red beans, peanuts, sesame seeds and other fillings, wrapped in fresh banana leaves and cooked in the oven.
The red turtle trees produced in this way are bright in color, ruddy and attractive, and they are even more soft and sticky to eat, so that the elderly and children can't let go. And because the surface of the product is engraved with the symbols such as Fulu Suki during the production process, it also represents a full blessing.
The second point: go to the ninth to do things
In the folk there is such a custom, the so-called seven out, that is, the indispensable chai rice oil salt sauce vinegar tea in life is not arranged in peacetime, not to do a good job of the responsibility that a family needs to bear, if even this little thing can not be done well, it is impossible to support a family, so as the head of the family can not go out on the seventh day of the first year.
The so-called eight non-returns actually refer to filial piety, faithfulness, righteousness, and shame, and if any one thing is not done well, there is no face to go home to see the patriarchs, so it is not allowed to go home on the eighth day of the first month.
And the ninth thing to do is that because the first nine days are the birthday of the Jade Emperor, they will get the blessing of the Jade Emperor, and everything will be very smooth, even if it is a very difficult thing, look at the face of the Jade Emperor and do not dare to embarrass you too much, so the ancients will often seize the time to do everything they should do on this day to avoid leaving a legacy in the future.
The third point: Antai age
In many places, on the ninth day of the first month, sacrifices such as the Antai age are often held, which are mainly held for those whose zodiac signs are in conflict with the Taiyi, often these people need to dress up neatly on the ninth day of the first lunar month, come to the temple with a sincere heart to worship, and ask for the Taiyi Charm.
Write your birthday on the symbol, and offer some incense money to show your heart, and send these to the temple for processing.
However, it should be noted that due to the influence of yin and yang, men must use yin charms when seeking symbols, while women must use yang symbols to write, and only by strictly abiding by the relevant regulations can they get the protection of the age.
Fourth: Sacrifice
In most areas, especially in rural areas, the whole family and children often hold worship activities together on the ninth day of the first lunar month, and they often begin to prepare the day before, placing the eight immortal tables and altars in the center of the living room on the morning of the ninth day of the first month, and arranging the sacred lamps and fresh five fruits, six fasts and clear teas as sacrifices according to the rules.
There are also some areas that choose live chickens that are killed as tribute, so it is necessary to pay attention to the use of roosters. When it is time to worship, the whole family should go forward to prostrate themselves in the order of honor and inferiority, pray for the protection of heaven, and pray that the coming year will be smooth and profitable.
epilogue
In fact, these traditional folk customs are more or less with some feudal superstitions, but most of these are people's expectations for a better life, and only the existence of these customs can make the taste of the year last forever.
After all, for many modern people, especially those who live in the city all year round, the New Year no longer has the enthusiasm of the past, coupled with the fireworks ban, there is less of a new year's taste, and although these traditional customs seem to be just a means of blessing, it has to be said that it is an inheritance and development of traditional Chinese culture.
It is also the existence of these customs that allows us to recall the simple life of that year, so that people can feel the hard-won life of the present. Especially for the young generation, we should study these folk customs more to explore the hidden meaning behind them, only in this way can we deepen our understanding of Chinese culture, can we better inherit traditional customs, and let more people feel the charm of Chinese culture.