What do southerners eat during the Dragon Boat Festival?
When it comes to the dietary customs of the Dragon Boat Festival, many people only know about eating rice dumplings. In fact, there are many other delicacies during the Dragon Boat Festival. So what do southerners eat during the Dragon Boat Festival? What? Let’s take a look!
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1. Fujian
The family banquet of the Dragon Boat Festival in Fuzhou must be at noon. There must be rice dumplings, realgar wine, lotus leaf buns, rice noodles and meat on the banquet. After the family dinner, children wear new clothes, red bellybands, and uniquely shaped and brightly colored sachets made of mothballs wrapped in various colored silk threads, such as rice dumplings and lanterns. They also wash calamus soup, and some children even have to put it in their mouths and noses. A piece of realgar smoked fat is stuck between them, and then the adults take them to the riverside to watch the dragon boat race.
In Jinjiang, Fujian, every household eats "Jiandui" during the Dragon Boat Festival. The so-called jiandui is made of flour, rice flour or sweet potato flour and other ingredients into a thick paste, and then fried into a large piece in a pan. Legend has it that in ancient times, it was the rainy season in southern Fujian before the Dragon Boat Festival, and it rained continuously. Folks said that God had penetrated a hole and had to "repair the sky." After eating "Jiandui" during the Dragon Boat Festival, the rain stopped, and people said that the sky was repaired. This food custom comes from this.
2. Chongqing
Chongqing is known as the Land of Bayu. The so-called Bayu is a snake. In ancient times, Chongqing people worshiped snakes and worshiped snakes as totems. In the past, snakes were not edible, but since the 1980s, Chongqing people have chosen to cook snake soup on the Dragon Boat Festival of the year and eat it to protect themselves.
The main reason why people in Chongqing eat snakes is the influence of fertility culture. Snakes are a symbol of totem worship. Women believe that after eating snakes, they will reproduce. Similar to Jiang, the daughter of the Tai family, The legend of Hou Ji was born after he stepped on the footprints of a giant. Others also believe that after eating a snake, their ancestors will enter the body and be with them. However, snakes cannot be killed indiscriminately, nor can they be cooked at home. Usually, a pot of snake soup is cooked on the threshing floor and shared by the whole village.
3. Guangxi
In southern Guangxi, such as Ningming, Chongzuo, Longzhou and other places, during the Dragon Boat Festival, cool brown rice dumplings are made, called "grey water rice dumplings". Before making rice dumplings, go to the mountains and cut down some branches and leaves of trees such as the neem tree. When they are half dry in the sun, they are piled on the ground and burned. The ashes are then put into a bamboo container and rinsed with clean water. Finally, use the filtered brown water to soak the prepared glutinous rice.
After soaking, the glutinous rice will reveal a unique fragrance of plant ash in the original aroma. The rice dumplings will be light yellow or brown after being cooked.
4. Guangdong
Guangdong rice dumplings are the representative variety of southern rice dumplings. They are larger in size and unique in shape, like a cone. There are many varieties, including egg yolk rice dumplings, assorted rice dumplings, roasted duck rice dumplings, etc., which have a unique southern flavor and have long been famous. Chaozhou's double-pinned rice dumplings are a style of their own, with salty ingredients on one side and sweet ingredients on the other, so there are two flavors in one rice dumpling, so it's called "double-pinned rice dumplings".
In Conghua County, people wash their eyes with boiled talisman water at noon on the Dragon Boat Festival and then splash it on the road, which is called a "disaster". During the Dragon Boat Festival in Xinxing County, people from nearby temples advocated the parade of gods and goddesses. The wizard also uses dharma water and amulets to drive away evil spirits. During the Dragon Boat Festival in Shicheng County, children fly kites, which is called "flying disaster".
5. Jiangsu
On the Dragon Boat Festival, Yangzhou people enjoy eating "Twelve Reds". Which? Twelve reds? Braised fish, braised pork, braised chicken, braised old goose, braised cucumber, braised lettuce, braised radish, sword beans, amaranth, salted duck eggs, mustard mustard, braised rice noodles or vermicelli.
Besides the Twelve Reds, there are many more. For example, on this day, those who open bathrooms use calamus and mugwort leaves to boil water. Calamus and mugwort leaves are put in the pool. The water emits a burst of fragrance, which invigorates the spirit and makes the whole body refreshed and fragrant. It is called "cleansing mugwort water". Some bathrooms with this custom still exist today. Common people also buy calamus and mugwort leaves and stick them on the door. It is said that they can drive away plague and eliminate filth.
6. Anhui
Throughout Anhui Province, both urban and rural areas eat rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival. Rice dumplings are gifts given by relatives and neighbors. "Dragon Boat Festival" is also eaten in the Huaining area in western Anhui. This kind of Dragon Boat Festival cake is made of refined flour and fermented rice wine, placed on green paulownia leaves or lotus leaves, fermented and then steamed. It has a sweet, fragrant and unique flavor. In He County, during the festival lunch, called "Shangwu", one has to drink ale and eat meat dishes such as anchovies and dried geese. At noon, chopsticks are placed in the court to check whether it is noon.
In Dangtu area, people eat rice dumplings and five red vegetables, namely shrimp, eel, salted duck eggs, amaranth, and realgar wine. In some places, broad beans are fried for children on this day, saying it is "fried insects and ants", so that the children will not be disturbed by insects and mosquitoes. There is a proverb in the Shucheng area of ??Liu'an in western Anhui: "Eat an apricot during the Dragon Boat Festival and you will not get sick when you are old; eat a peach at the Dragon Boat Festival and you will not have to worry about it when you are old."
7. Zhejiang
Jiaxing rice dumplings in Zhejiang have a long history. Jiaxing rice dumplings are rectangular and include fresh meat, bean paste, eight treasures, chicken rice dumplings and other varieties.
In addition to eating rice dumplings, many places in Chun'an also eat steamed buns and other pasta. Because during the Dragon Boat Festival, the local wheat is ripe. In the past, the conditions were not good and there were many children, so in time for the Dragon Boat Festival, wheat flour was used to make steamed buns. Steamed buns are the best, and they can only be eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival.
In some places, eating eggs, killing chickens, and killing ducks is also a way to eat better during the festival and eat something that is rarely available in normal times. As the old saying goes in Ningbo, "If you are busy, don't forget the yellow in May." In the past, during the Dragon Boat Festival, Ningbo people always ate "five yellow and six white" to celebrate the festival. Every year on the Dragon Boat Festival, the housewife gets up very early and boils garlic and eggs prepared in advance for breakfast for the family.
What to eat during the Dragon Boat Festival in the South? There are also some Dragon Boat Festival delicacies in the south that have local characteristics. I will introduce them to you below.
8. Shanghai
When Shanghai people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, the customs they pay attention to are similar to those in the Jiangnan area. There is a folk custom of eating "five yellow" during the Dragon Boat Festival in the south of the Yangtze River. ?Wuhuang? refers to eel, yellow croaker, cucumber, salted egg yolk and realgar wine.
There is another saying about the Dragon Boat Festival, which is called: May 5, five yellows and three whites celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. ?May is also called the fifth yellow month, so during the Dragon Boat Festival, you should eat realgar wine, yellow croaker, cucumber, eel and salted duck egg yolk; you should also eat wild rice, salted duck egg albumen, and white cut meat. In addition, you should also eat "Yihong", which refers to Khancai (the vegetable soup will be red after being stir-fried with garlic).
9. Hubei
Before the Dragon Boat Festival, married daughters in Zigui County, Hubei basically rush back to their parents’ homes to celebrate the festival. This is a major local custom. In Jiuwanxi Village, many houses posted Dragon Boat Festival couplets and hung moxa leaves and calamus on their doors. Everyone sat around making rice dumplings, boiling salted eggs, making realgar wine, talking and laughing, and were very busy.
Bahe Town in Huanggang City welcomes Nuo people during the Dragon Boat Festival, with flower crown tattoos and gold medals to ward off epidemics. The Dragon Boat Festival in Zigui County, Yichang City is especially popular on May 13th, 14th, and 15th. There are also activities such as offering sacrifices and summoning spirits to commemorate Dr. Qu. On this day, there is also the custom of bathing children with water. Put it in the sun in a basin of water, and when the water is hot, give the child a bath. It is said that it can wash away dirt and diseases. May 15th is also called "Big Dragon Boat Festival", and May 25th is also called "Duanyang Festival". People eat rice dumplings and drink Pujiu, the same as the Dragon Boat Festival.
10. Hunan
The customs of the Dragon Boat Festival along the Miluo River include hosting a family banquet, eating rice dumplings, planting mugwort and hanging calamus, drinking realgar wine, racing dragon boats, watching dragon boats, returning to one's parents' home, and saying goodbye. In addition to the Dragon Boat Festival, there are also customs of worshiping the dragon and worshiping Qu with unique cultural connotations, such as stealing sacred wood, carving dragon heads, singing praises, launching dragon boats into the water, red dragon heads, and going to temples. Not inferior to May Boat? and many other Dragon Boat Festival ballads.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, people in Phoenix still have the custom of drinking realgar wine and eating rice dumplings. It is said that drinking realgar wine can attract poison. Children who cannot drink it will write the character "王" on their foreheads, which also indicates that it attracts poison. The custom of sending rice dumplings is a multiple of 6, which means good luck!
11. Jiangxi
In the Nanchang area of ??Jiangxi Province, boiled tea eggs and salted eggs are eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival. Eggs include chicken eggs, duck eggs, and goose eggs. The eggshell is painted red, packed in colorful mesh bags, and hung around the child's neck, which means to wish the child good luck and safety.
Jiangxi Jianchang Prefecture uses Baicao water to bathe during the Wu Festival to prevent scabies. Xinchang County drinks it with realgar and cinnabar wine, which is called "eye opening".
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