1, ancestor worship to welcome autumn
The folk customs around the summer solar terms are mostly related to ancestor worship and welcoming autumn. Before and after the summer vacation, there will be folk activities to celebrate the Central Plains, commonly known as "July 30th" or "Central Plains Festival".
In the old days, there was a ceremony to open the gate of hell from the beginning of July until the gate of hell closed at the end of the month, and Purdue giving activities were held. It is said that Purdue activities started with the opening of the gate of hell, and then lanterns were erected and river lanterns were set off, causing lonely souls and wild ghosts; The main body is to build Pudu altar, build solitary shed, and intervene in robbing orphans. Finally, it ends with closing the gate of hell. Today, it has become the main activity time for ancestor worship.
Step 2 eat ducks
"July and a half duck, August and a half duck", the ancients thought that ducks in the middle of July in the lunar calendar were the most fat and nutritious. In summer, old Beijingers will buy lily ducks to cool off the summer, but in Jiangsu, it's so-called "sending ducks to cool off the summer makes everyone sick" to serve a bowl of duck dishes to their neighbors.
3. River lamp
River lanterns usually have lights or candles on their bases. Before and after the summer vacation, there will be activities to celebrate the Central Plains, commonly known as "July 30" or "Central Plains Festival", in which river lanterns are put into the water to drift, to mourn the dead and pray for peace.
4. Fishing Festival
After the summer vacation, fishing harvest is a period, and the coastal areas of China often hold various activities in this solar term to send fishermen out to sea and look forward to a bumper harvest. At this time, the water temperature in the sea area is still high, and the fish will still stay around the sea area, and the fish, shrimp and shellfish are mature. Therefore, from this time on, people can often enjoy all kinds of seafood.
5. Worship the land god
The summer solar term coincides with the harvest season of crops, and farmers hold various ceremonies to thank the land god. Some killed animals to worship in the land temple, some planted flags in the middle of the field to express their gratitude, and some didn't wash their feet when they came home from work in the field on this day, for fear of washing away the harvest.
On July 15th, 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.
Reference to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Chu Shu