River lanterns are also called "lotus lanterns". Generally, lights or candles are placed on the base, and they are placed in rivers, lakes and seas during the Mid-Autumn Festival, allowing them to float. The function of river lanterns is to drown ghosts and other ghosts in Purdue water. Setting off river lanterns, especially in the Yellow River, is very spectacular.

Step 2 burn street clothes

This is a folk custom that has been preserved since the opening of Hong Kong. As soon as we step into the seventh month of the lunar calendar, people will bring incense sticks, gold and silver paper and some sacrifices, such as tofu and rice, to worship at the roadside after dark. The purpose of people "burning street clothes" is to let those helpless souls have clothes to keep out the cold and food to wrap their stomachs.

Step 3 make eggplant cakes

People believe that eggplant cake can be used as dry food for the late ancestors to go to Lanpen meeting. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, every household in old Nanjing makes eggplant cakes, that is, shredding fresh eggplant, adding flour and frying in oil. In fact, eggplant cake is now a common home-cooked dish. If you want to eat, you can always make a plate to satisfy your hunger.

4, burning paper

In Sichuan province, there is a custom of burning paper to worship ancestors in the Central Plains. That is, a stack of paper money is sealed in a small envelope, and the name and title of the recipient, the number of envelopes received, and the name and time of the silk changer are written on the envelope. It is said that the Gate of Ghost was closed on July 15, and all families had to "send their children to Shigu".

5. Eat rice noodles

On the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is a custom of eating Seto powder in Dongguan, which is almost common in Dongguan. Of course, different areas eat Seto powder in different ways.

Step 6 pray for a bumper harvest

Sacrificing lonely souls in the Mid-Autumn Festival is usually associated with praying for a bumper harvest. On the night of the stone drum, every household should burn incense and pray at home and put incense on the ground. This is called "planting rice" (transplanting rice). The more you plant, the better, which symbolizes the bumper harvest of rice in autumn.

Step 7 eat ducks

On the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, many places in China will choose to eat ducks. Why? It turns out that "duck" means "pressure", which is homophonic. Eating ducks is to crush ghosts. People in Dongguan usually eat duck stewed with lotus root. In Ling Du County, Shandong Province, the Mid-Autumn Festival is called "Drunk Festival" by the local people, and every household has the custom of eating simple tea and plain rice. In Dong Xian Town, Jiangsu Province, many villagers eat flat food (a kind of food made of flour and sugar) during the Mid-Autumn Festival. On the roof of Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, they will eat "jiaozi", a kind of food similar to spring rolls, in the Mid-Autumn Festival.

8. ancestor worship

The festival of ancestor worship is on the fifteenth day of July in the lunar calendar, so it is called "July and a half" for short. Folk believe that ancestors will return home to visit their children and grandchildren at this time, so they need to worship their ancestors. Worship ceremonies are usually held in the evening before the end of July, and are not limited to a specific day.

9. Sacrifice land and crops

On July 15, offering sacrifices to land and crops is still a folk custom. Scatter sacrifices in the fields. After burning the paper, wrap it on the ears of crops with cut five-color paper. Legend has it that autumn can avoid hail and get a bumper harvest. At the same time, some places have to go to Houtu Temple to offer sacrifices. Hemp and valley are hung at the gate of Dingxiang county folk custom.

10, dough modeling

Before July 15th, dough sculpture activities were very popular among folk women, especially in northern Shanxi. A steamed stuffed bun shop, neighbors came to help. First of all, according to the actual number of families (including married daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren, other sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, etc. ), give everyone a big bag first. The steamed stuffed bun for the younger generation should be kneaded into a flat shape, which is called a noodle sheep. I hope that the younger generation will not forget the kindness of their parents. For the older generation of flower buns, it is necessary to shape the image of adults, indicating that children and grandchildren are full and live a long life; Steamed buns for peers should be shaped like fish, called noodle fish, which means more than one year.

1 1, enter the temple to pray.

Prepare vegetarian food to go to temples, give Buddha to monks, read the scriptures and spells of the Tibetan king, repay the kindness of parents and pray for the deceased ancestors.

12, put the sky lantern.

There are also two ways to put lanterns on Halloween. One is to put children in their own homes and go out with lanterns, taking their bad luck as far away as possible, so that these children will never come back. At this time, it is very taboo for other people's sky lanterns to fall in their own places. If they fall, they must be released again. Secondly, every family wants their dead ancestors to enter the Elysium, and putting lanterns on Halloween is to light the way to heaven for the ancestors who are preparing to fly to Elysium in the underworld.