Every year on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, it is a traditional cultural festival in China - Zhongyuan Festival, also known as the Ghost Festival. So generations have paid special attention to this day. Families light incense candles, burn paper money, put offerings, fruits and other food on the table to worship the ancestors, and there are many ancient folk activities. Let us share with you some of the customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Don't forget the old traditions. Remember the "four taboos of food" and pray for auspiciousness, which means many blessings and many lives! Let's get to know each other!
"Eat 4 foods"
1. Eat duck
Many places will choose to eat duck on the Ghost Festival to ward off evil spirits. The harmonic sound of duck is "pressure", there is pressure, suppressing everything bad. In addition, there is a legend that the descendants will burn sacrifices for their ancestors, and they need to find animals that can swim as messengers of the Naihe Bridge. Ducks are the most suitable of poultry. Over time, eating duck on ghost festivals became a tradition. In addition, after the autumn dryness strikes, the duck is cold, which has the effect of nourishing the yin and replenishing the deficiency, clearing the heat and rejuvenating the body, and it can just nourish the stomach. When do you have to wait until you don't eat at this time?
2. Eat flat food
Flat food is a kind of food that Jiangsu people eat during the Middle Yuan Festival. The flat food method is similar to dumplings and wontons, but there are some differences. The biggest feature is as thin as a cicada wing, crystal clear, meat filling plus fine noodles, put in the pot to cook, when eating is generally with soup, bite down there is a taste of Q bombs. Eating flat food during the Mid-Autumn Festival can stay away from bad luck, suck away dirty things, and also miss the feeling of missing deceased relatives.
3. Eat flower buns
Northerners will eat buns on the Middle Day. Flower bun is a white bun made of various dried fruit ingredients, also known as "noodle bun" and "dough mold". The pattern production of flower buns is exquisite, and the shape of flower buns for different groups of people is also different. Flower buns for young students should be made into flat shapes, lambs should kneel down to get milk, noodles should be made for people of the same age, and noodles should be made for the elders, all to symbolize peace, filial piety, children and grandchildren, and more than one year.
4. Eat buns.
Zhongyuan Festival also has the old tradition of eating buns. Buns are an ancient traditional pasta dish. People think that eating buns means that children will be safe and unfazed for the rest of their lives. As for married women, eat buns during the Mid-Autumn Festival, have more children in the next year, and bless peace. Therefore, many people choose to eat buns on the Middle Day to ward off evil spirits.
"Three things to avoid"
1. Avoid going out at night.
The old man always tells the young man to go home as soon as possible, and it is best not to go out at night. Because zhongyuan festival is the day when the ghost door is closed and opened, the yin qi is very strong, and our yang qi gradually declines, so it is easy to encounter dirty things when going out. In addition, people are easily frightened when firecrackers and paper money are set off on the streets outside. Although there is no scientific basis, for many people, at least you can find inner peace, so try not to go out on the night of the middle age, especially children.
2. Avoid drying clothes at night.
You can't dry clothes at night, especially if you spend the night outside. In addition to a superstitious saying, there are many bacteria at night, the sun has a bactericidal effect during the day, and the dew is heavy at night, which will make the clothes wet. Clothes are our personal things, people wear it easily sick, so it is forbidden to dry clothes on the night of the Middle Yuan Festival.
3. Avoid hanging wind chimes at the head of the bed.
Wind chimes are small pendants that many people like, but they cannot be hung in the bedroom, let alone at the head of the bed. Folk wind chimes are thought to attract dirty things. From a scientific point of view, when the wind comes, it will make a clanging sound, which is easy to make people fidgety and greatly affect sleep.
These are some of the customs and taboos that should be noted in the middle of the yuan festival. In the eyes of some young people, they may have elements of feudal superstition, but the older generation still values them, which also reflects one of the charms of traditional culture. What are the customs of your hometown?