Lixia is the seventh of our twenty-four solar terms. In our traditional culture, seven is a magical number with a very special meaning. For example, we have seven days a week, people have seven tricks, the sky has seven stars, and so on, and "seven" has the meaning of reincarnation to a certain extent.
This year's Lixia will be on the fifth day of May in the Gregorian calendar, the fifth day of the first month of the fourth month of the lunar calendar, as the beginning of summer, the folk will have a lot of folk customs on this day, the ancestors have "three taboos in the summer, and the epidemic in the good year" is said.
So, what does this saying mean?
Folk sayings often have the characteristics of being easy to understand, so this saying of Li Xia, in fact, does not have too deep meaning, that is, the literal meaning. This sentence means that there are three taboos on this day of Lixia, and if these three taboos of the old ancestors are not violated, it must be a good omen foreshadowing the "year of abundance and going to the epidemic".
Of course, such a statement from the ancestors is only a kind of folk prayer for a better life, and different places even have different customs.
So, what does the so-called "three taboos" refer to?
The first taboo in summer is to avoid rain.
On the day of Lixia, there is such a saying in the folk, the ancestor said "Lixia has no rain, the head of the head has no rice", the so-called "head" is an ancient folk tool for scooping rice, the implication of this sentence is that if it does not rain on this day, it indicates that it is a bad harvest.
In addition to this sentence, there is another sentence, that is, "Lixia is not down, the plough rake is hanging high", this sentence is the same as the previous sentence, which also means that if the summer does not rain, the plough rake will hang high, which is also saying that there is no good harvest.
The second taboo of Lixia is to avoid sitting on the threshold.
There is also a custom on this day of Lixia, that is, it is more taboo to sit on the threshold. In the ancient countryside, people believed that if you sit on the threshold on this day, it will lead to more diseases throughout the summer.
Although this is an exaggeration, it is actually more reasonable. As summer begins, the weather gradually begins to get hotter, and people get sleepy because of the hot weather. If people sit on the threshold and accidentally fall asleep, it will lead to the invasion of wind and evil, and they will naturally become infected with diseases.
Therefore, people have the custom taboo of sitting on the threshold of the summer.
The third taboo of Lixia, avoid not eating eggs.
Folk have the custom of eating boiled eggs in the summer. This is because there is such a legend in folklore.
It is said that the plague god usually rests, and when it reaches Lixia, it will gradually begin to wake up, endangering the human world. In order to pray for peace and health, people prayed for the protection of lady nuwa. Nuwa heard the prayers of the people, and found the plague god, saying that all those who have egg bags hanging on their chests are my children, and you cannot hurt them.
The plague god was afraid of the lady and immediately promised that the lady would not hurt the child who hung the egg bag. When Li Xia came, the plague god was about to strike, but found that everyone had egg bags hanging on their chests. In a hurry, he did not dare to disobey the lady and left directly.
After the plague god left, people ate the eggs in the egg bag to celebrate the plague god's departure.
Therefore, folk eat eggs in the summer, and there is a good wish to drive away the plague.
The old ancestors' emphasis on "three taboos in summer and going to the epidemic in a good year" actually has a very good meaning. On the day of Lixia, you must not forget to cook some eggs for yourself and your family to eat, and pray for the safety and health of the family!