Legend has it that in ancient China, there was a monster called Nian, which had long tentacles and was ferocious. Nian lived at the bottom of the sea for many years, and climbed ashore every New Year's Eve, devouring livestock and hurting people's lives. Therefore, every New Year's Eve, people in villages and villages fled to the deep mountains to avoid the harm of the "Nian" beast. From then on, people put up red paper, wear red robes, hang red lights, beat gongs and drums, and set off firecrackers every year until the end of the year, so that Nian beast will not dare to come again.
Keeping the old year is the custom of staying up late to welcome the new year on the last night of the old year. It is also called "Keeping the old year on New Year's Eve" and its common name is "Enduring the New Year". The custom of observing the age rose in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and many scholars in the Liang Dynasty had poems about observing the age. "One night is even two years old, and the five hours are divided into two years." People light candles or oil lamps, and this custom has been passed down to this day. The origin of this custom is hard to know.
There is an interesting fairy tale among the people: in ancient times, there was a fierce monster scattered in the mountains and forests, and people called them "Nian". Its appearance is ferocious, its nature is ferocious, and it specializes in eating birds and animals and insects. It changes its taste every day, from kowtowing insects to living people, which makes people talk about "Nian".
Later, people gradually mastered the activity law of "Nian", which is to go to places where people live in concentrated communities every 365 days to taste fresh food, and the haunting time is after dark, and when the cock crows at dawn, they return to the mountains.
Having determined the date when the Year of the Year raged, the people regarded this terrible night as a gateway, which was called the Year of the Year, and came up with a whole set of ways to close the New Year's Day: every household cooked dinner in advance on this night, turned off the fire and cleaned the stove, then tied up all the stalls in the chicken coop, sealed the front and rear doors of the house, and hid in the house to eat the New Year's Eve.
Because of the ominous meaning of this dinner, it was very sumptuous. In addition to having the whole family dine together to show harmony and reunion, it is also necessary to offer sacrifices to ancestors before eating, pray for the blessing of ancestors, and spend the night safely. After dinner, no one dares to sleep and huddle together to chat and be courageous. It gradually formed the habit of staying up on New Year's Eve.
2. Legend of Lantern Festival
Legend has it that a long time ago, there were many fierce birds and beasts that hurt people and livestock everywhere, so people organized to beat them. A god bird landed on earth because it got lost, but was accidentally shot dead by an unsuspecting hunter.
The Emperor of Heaven was very angry when he learned about it. He immediately sent a decree and ordered the heavenly soldiers to set fire to the earth on the 15th day of the first month, and burned all the human and animal property. The daughter of Emperor Tiandi was kind-hearted. She couldn't bear to see the innocent suffering of the people, so she risked her life and secretly drove Xiangyun to the world to tell people the news. When people heard the news, it was like a thunderclap on their heads, and they were so scared that they didn't know what to do.
It was a long time before an old man came up with an idea. He said, "On the 14th, 15th and 16th of the first month, every family decorated their houses, lit firecrackers and set off fireworks. In this way, the Emperor of Heaven will think that people have been burned to death. "
Everyone nodded and said yes, so they were ready to go separately. On the night of the fifteenth day of the first month, the Emperor looked down and found that the world was red and the noise was deafening for three consecutive nights. He thought it was the flame of a big fire, and his heart was so happy. In this way, people saved their lives and property. In order to commemorate this success, every household hangs lanterns and sets off fireworks to commemorate this day on the fifteenth day of the first month.
3. The Legend of Tomb-Sweeping Day
According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn Period, Zhong Er, the son of Jin Dynasty, went into exile to escape persecution. On the way to exile, he was tired and hungry in a deserted place, and he was unable to stand up any more. After searching for a long time, I couldn't find anything to eat. When everyone was extremely anxious, I pushed the minister to a secluded place, cut a piece of meat from my thigh and cooked a bowl of broth for the childe to drink. Zhong Er gradually recovered his spirit. When Zhong Er found that the meat was cut off by the meson pushing his leg, he shed tears.
Nineteen years later, Zhong Er became a monarch, that is, Jin Wengong in history. After he acceded to the throne, Wen Gong rewarded the hero who accompanied him in exile at the beginning, but forgot meson push. Many people complain about meson, and advise him to admire him. However, meson most despises those who strive for merit. He packed his bags and quietly went to Mianshan with his mother. When Jin Wengong heard this, he was so ashamed that he personally took someone to ask Jietui, but Jietui had left home for Mianshan.
Mianshan Mountain is high and dangerous, with dense trees. It is hard to find two people. Someone offered a plan to burn Mianshan Mountain from three sides and force a meson to push it out. The fire burned all over Mianshan, but there was no sign of meson push. After the fire was extinguished, people found that meson push carrying his old mother had sat under an old willow tree and died. Jin Wengong said, wailing. During the burial, I found a bloody book in a tree hole, which read: "I wish my master would always be clear."
In memory of meson push, Jin Wengong ordered that this day be designated as "Cold Food Festival". In the second year, Jin Wengong led his ministers to climb mountains to pay homage. When he found that the old willow was dead and resurrected, he gave it the title of "Qingming Willow" and told the world, so he named the day after the Cold Food Festival "Tomb-Sweeping Day".
According to the examination, the origin of Qingming actually has nothing to do with meson push. As a solar term, Qingming was determined long before the Zhou Dynasty. ? [ 1 1]? Most traditional festivals are regarded as the "origin" by a legend attached to the association, but actually, these statements are far later than the birth of festivals, which is the result of the substitution of future generations.
4. The Legend of Dragon Boat Festival
According to Records of the Historian "Biographies of Qu Yuan and Jia Sheng", Qu Yuan (about 339 BC-about 278 BC), a native of Danyang (now Zigui, Yichang, Hubei), was a minister of Chu Huaiwang in the Spring and Autumn Period.
According to legend, Qu Yuan advocated the promotion of talents and empowerment, made Qiang Bing rich, and urged the joint efforts against Qin, which was strongly opposed by Zilan and others. Qu Yuan was driven out of the capital and exiled to the Yuan and Xiang basins. During his exile, he wrote poems such as Li Sao, Tian Wen and Jiu Ge, which were concerned about the country and the people.
In 278 BC, Qin Jun invaded Kyoto, Chu. When Qu Yuan saw his motherland being invaded, his heart ached, but he couldn't bear to give up his motherland. On May 5th, after writing his last poem "Huai Sha", he threw himself into the Miluo River and wrote a magnificent patriotic movement with his own life. After Quyuan threw himself into the river, the local people immediately rowed for rescue.
In order to mourn, people rowed on the rivers, and then it gradually developed into a dragon boat race. The people were afraid that the fish in the river would eat his body, so they went home to bring rice balls and throw them into the river to prevent fish and shrimp from ruining Qu Yuan's body. Later, it became the custom to eat zongzi.
According to the literature records, the earliest connection between Qu Yuan and the Dragon Boat Festival was the strange novel "The Harmony of Continuation" written by Wu Jun in Southern Liang Dynasty in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. At this time, Qu Yuan had been dead for more than 750 years. It can be seen from the lost text of Customs Tong (written by Ying Shao at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty) copied by Ou Yangxun in the Tang Dynasty that Qu Yuan had already appeared in the folk customs of the Dragon Boat Festival in the Han Emperor of Xu Dong, but it was more than 400 years since Qu Yuan died.
Although many Dragon Boat Festival customs have nothing to do with Qu Yuan, for thousands of years, Qu Yuan's patriotic spirit and touching poems have been deeply rooted in people's hearts, so people "cherish and mourn, talk about their words in the world, and pass them on". Therefore, the theory of commemorating Qu Yuan has the widest and deepest influence and occupies the mainstream position. In the field of folk culture, China people associate the dragon boat race and eating zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival with the commemoration of Qu Yuan.
5. The Legend of Tanabata
Chinese Valentine's Day's custom of begging for cleverness began in the Han Dynasty. Ge Hong's Miscellaneous Notes on Xijing in the Eastern Jin Dynasty recorded that "women in the Han Dynasty often put a seven-hole needle on the Kaijin Building on July 7th, and everyone was Xi Zhi", which is the earliest record of begging for cleverness seen in ancient literature. ? [ 15]? Therefore, the seventh day of July is also known as the Begging Festival.
On a clear summer and autumn night, the stars are shining in the sky, and a galaxy runs across the north and south. On the east and west banks of the galaxy, there is a shining star across the river, which is Altair and Vega. It is a traditional folk custom to sit and watch the morning glory and the weaver star on Tanabata night.
According to folk legend, on Qixi night every year, the Weaver Girl is a beautiful, clever and ingenious fairy when the Cowherd and the Que Bridge meet in the sky. On this night, the girls put seasonal fruits and vegetables in front of the bright moon in the sky, and worshipped in the sky, begging the goddess in the sky to give them intelligent hearts and dexterous hands, so that they can master their knitting techniques, and even beg for the marriage of love and marriage. Countless sentient men and women in the world will pray for a happy marriage against the stars at this night, when the night is quiet and deep.
6. Legend of Mid-Autumn Festival
In ancient times, there were ten days in the sky at the same time, and the crops were withered and the people were miserable. A hero named Hou Yi was of infinite strength. He sympathized with the suffering people, drew his bow, shot down more than nine suns in one breath, and ordered the last sun to rise and fall on time to benefit the people. Hou Yi's wife's name is Chang 'e. Hou Yi spent all his time with his wife except hunting. Many people with lofty ideals came here to study as a teacher, and Peng Meng, who had ulterior motives, also mixed in.
One day, Hou Yi visited friends in Kunlun Mountain and asked the Queen Mother for a pack of elixir. It is said that taking this medicine can instantly ascend to heaven and become immortal. However, Hou Yi was reluctant to leave his wife and temporarily gave the immortal medicine to Chang 'e for collection. Chang 'e hid the medicine in the treasure box of the dresser.
Three days later, Hou Yi led his followers out hunting, and Peng Meng, who had ulterior motives, pretended to be ill and did not go out. Soon after Hou Yi led the crowd away, Peng Meng broke into the backyard of the inner house with a sword and threatened Chang 'e to hand over the elixir.
Chang 'e knew that she was no match for Peng Meng. In a crisis, she turned and opened the treasure box, took out the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp. Chang 'e swallowed the medicine and immediately floated off the ground, rushed out of the window and flew to the sky. Because Chang 'e was concerned about her husband, she flew to the nearest moon and became a fairy.
In the evening, when Hou Yi came home, the maids cried about what happened during the day. Hou Yi was shocked and angry, and drew his sword to kill the villains. Peng Meng had already fled. Hou Yi was so angry that he was heartbroken and looked up at the night sky to call Chang 'e. At this time, he found that today's moon was exceptionally bright and bright, and there was a shaking figure resembling Chang 'e.
When Hou Yi missed his wife, he sent someone to Chang 'e's favorite back garden, put a table incense, put on Chang 'e's favorite honey and fresh fruit, and offered a remote sacrifice to Chang 'e in the moon palace. After hearing the news that the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon became an immortal, people set up incense tables under the moon to pray for good luck and peace to the kind Chang 'e. Since then, the custom of Yue Bai in Mid-Autumn Festival has spread among the people.
7. The Legend of Double Ninth Festival
Like most traditional festivals, the Double Ninth Festival is regarded as the "origin" of climbing custom by a myth and legend attached to the meeting. This legend can be found in Wu Jun's mythological novel "Harmony in the Continuation of Qi" in the Liang Dynasty: Ru 'nan Huanjing traveled with Fei Changfang for many years, and Changfang said, "On September 9th, there should be disaster in your home. It is advisable to go in a hurry, so that the family can make their own crimson bags, hold cornus, tie their arms, and climb high to drink chrysanthemum wine. This disaster can be eliminated. " As the scenery goes, the family climbs the mountain. Evening also, see chickens, dogs, cattle and sheep suddenly died. The long room heard it: "This can be replaced." Today, people climb mountains and drink alcohol on the 9th, and women take cornus's bag, so the cover begins here.
Folk evolution version: It is said that in the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a plague demon in Ruhe River. As soon as it appeared, people in every family fell ill and died every day, and the people in this area suffered from the plague demon. A plague killed young Huan Jing's parents, and he almost died of illness himself.
After recovering from his illness, he bid farewell to his beloved wife and fellow villagers, and decided to go out to visit immortals to learn art and get rid of plague demons for the people. Huan Jing visited teachers everywhere, visited famous scholars all over the world, and finally found out that there is the oldest mountain in the East, and there is a magical immortal on the mountain. Huan Jing braved the dangers and the long journey, and finally found the mountain and the immortal under the guidance of the crane.
On this day, the immortal called Huan Jing to him and said, "Tomorrow is the ninth day of September, and the plague demon will come out to do evil again. You have learned your skills, so you should go back and kill the people." Xianchang gave him a pack of cornus leaves and a cup of chrysanthemum wine, and secretly taught him how to ward off evil spirits, so that he could ride a crane home. Huan Jing returned to his hometown. On the morning of the ninth day of September, he led the villagers to a nearby mountain according to the fairy's instructions, and gave each person a piece of cornus leaf and a cup of chrysanthemum wine, ready to subdue the evil spirit.
At noon, with several strange calls, Wen Mo rushed out of Ruhe River, but just as Wen Mo jumped down the mountain, he suddenly smelled the strange fragrance of cornus and the alcohol of chrysanthemum, and stopped abruptly, and his face suddenly changed. At this time, Huan Jing chased Wen Mo down the mountain with a demon-reducing sword in his hand, and stabbed him to death in several rounds. Later, people regarded climbing on the Double Ninth Festival as an activity to avoid disaster. Obviously, this story is "pure fiction" and just an absurd legend attached to it.
8. Legend of the Winter Solstice
According to the existing literature, people began to celebrate the winter solstice as early as 2500 years ago in the Spring and Autumn Period. Legend has it that as early as more than 3,000 years ago, Duke Zhou began to use Tugui method to measure the shadow, and measured the position of the world in Luoyi, which was a move of political significance at that time, but it became one of the festivals that affected future generations for thousands of years.
When Duke Zhou went to Luoyang, he measured that Luoyang was "in the world" by Tugui method, and then began to divine the auspicious place of the state. It is recorded in Shangshu Luogu that the Duke of Zhou "looked forward to Luoshi" and made an investigation in several places around Luoyang, and finally determined that Jianshui East, Zhuoshui West and Zhuoshui East were all "only Luoshi" (all good places to build a ancestral temple state).
The historical fact that the Duke of Zhou selected the base site of Luoyi through the "Tugui survey" was recorded in ancient books and was regarded as the law of sealing the country and founding the country by later generations. The purpose of "Topography in Tugui" is to find out "in the soil" (the center of the country). The essence of this method is that "the tree is eight feet tall, and the summer solstice is five inches long;" On the winter solstice, the scenery is one foot, three feet and five inches long "(that is, a benchmark with a height of eight feet is erected. When observed on the summer solstice, the shadow at noon is 1.5 feet, and the shadow at noon on the winter solstice is 13.5 feet)," The depth of the soil is measured, the shadow is positive, and it is in the middle of the ground, and it is tested at four o'clock ". What is measured by this method is the theoretical position of Luoyang and Luoyi in the soil.
According to Zhou Gong's survey, the Zhou people made a detailed plan for the first national capital after the destruction of the Shang Dynasty. The Book of Yizhou Zuoluo said: "It is a great city that grows into a week in the soil, ... the south is in Luoshui, and the north is in Mangshan, which is a great combination of the world."
According to records, the Zhou and Qin Dynasties took November as the first month and the winter solstice as the beginning of the year. In other words, people celebrate the New Year on this day. Hanshu said: "The sun is the spirit in the winter solstice, and the ruler is long, so congratulations ..." In addition, there is a cloud: the ancients thought that the sun is the spirit in heaven and earth from the winter solstice, that is, the next cycle began, which is "the day of good luck".
There is also a saying that the winter solstice originated from the Han Dynasty as a festival. The winter solstice is a "winter festival", so it is regarded as a big festival, and there is a saying that "the winter solstice is as big as a year".
In ancient times, there was a saying that "the winter solstice brings forth the sun", that is to say, from the day of the winter solstice, the sun's spirit slowly began to pick up. As the modern poem says: If winter comes, can spring be far behind? In ancient times, people who drifted in other places had to go home for the winter festival at this time, which is called "having a home at the end of the year".
"The Book of the Later Han Dynasty" records: "Before and after the winter solstice, a gentleman lived quietly, and a hundred officials refused to listen to politics, choosing auspicious days and then saving trouble." In the folk, people visit each other and give each other food. ?
The winter solstice is also a traditional day of sacrifice. It is said that after the Song Dynasty, the winter solstice gradually became a festival to worship ancestors and gods.
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the winter solstice was the day to worship the ancestors. The emperor went to the suburbs to hold a ceremony to worship the heavens, and the people had to worship their parents.
On the winter solstice of Ming and Qing dynasties, the emperor held a ceremony to worship heaven, which was called "the winter solstice suburban sky". During this period, folks also had customs such as ancestor worship and family dinners. Therefore, the winter solstice is called "off-year".
The winter solstice as a festival originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has been in existence ever since. The first month of the Zhou calendar is November in the summer calendar, so the first month of the Zhou Dynasty is equal to November in the Gregorian calendar now, so there is no difference between worshipping the New Year and celebrating the New Year. It was not until Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted the summer calendar that the first month was separated from the winter solstice. It can also be said that the simple "Winter Solstice Festival" has only existed since the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has been in existence ever since.
In the Han Dynasty, the winter solstice was regarded as the "winter festival", and the official government held a congratulatory ceremony called "He Dong", which was a routine official holiday, and the custom of "worshipping winter" was popular in officialdom.
There is such a record in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty: "Before and after the Winter Solstice, a gentleman lived in peace, refused to listen to politics, chose auspicious days and then saved trouble." Therefore, on this day, the imperial court will have a holiday and rest, the army will be on standby, the frontier fortress will be closed, business trips will be closed, relatives and friends will give each other food, visit each other, and have a "quiet" festival happily.
During the Wei, Jin and Six Dynasties, the winter solstice was called "sub-year-old", and people should pay homage to their parents and elders. After the Song Dynasty, the winter solstice gradually became a festival to worship ancestors and gods.
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the winter solstice was a day to worship the gods and ancestors. On this day, the emperor would hold a ceremony to worship the gods in the suburbs, and the people would worship their parents on this day. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the emperor had a ceremony to worship heaven, which was called "the winter solstice suburban sky". There is a ceremony in the palace where hundreds of officials present congratulations to the emperor, and they also throw thorns at each other to congratulate each other, just like New Year's Day. Today, only Chaoshan and parts of Zhejiang still continue the old habit of ancestor worship.
9. Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the early "July and a half" harvest in autumn to worship ancestors. The emergence of "July and a half" can be traced back to the ancient harvest festival and the worship of ancestors.
In ancient times, people often relied on the blessing of the gods for the harvest of farming. Dong Zhongshu in the Han Dynasty said in the Four Sacrifices of the Spring and Autumn Period: "The ancients had four sacrifices at the age of four. The four worshippers, because of what they were born at four o'clock, sacrificed to their ancestors' parents. Therefore, in spring, it is called the temple, in summer, it is delicious in autumn and steamed in winter. " Ancestors are worshipped in spring, summer, autumn and winter, but "autumn taste" is very important among them. Autumn is the harvest season. People hold ceremonies to offer sacrifices to the ancestors' souls, offer the best seasonal products to the gods first, and then taste the fruits of these labors themselves, and pray for a good harvest in the coming year.
According to historical documents, the activity of ancestor worship in autumn has existed in the pre-Qin period; At first, the date of "Autumn Taste" was uncertain. Later, it was gradually fixed around July 15th, which was generally the first full moon after beginning of autumn's arrival, and the new autumn atmosphere was in full bloom.
And "July and a half" is called "Mid-Autumn Festival", which originated from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty. Among the Taoist gods, there are heavenly officials, local officials and water officials, collectively known as the "Three Officials Emperors". They are the representatives of the Heaven Emperor sent to the world, and they respectively check the human merits and demerits for the Heaven Emperor on the "Sanyuan Day" to determine rewards and punishments: the heavenly officials blessed the Yuan Dynasty on the 15th day of the first month, the local officials forgave the sin in the middle of July 15th, and the water officials forgave it in the next month on October 15th. The magistrate is in charge of the underworld, and the focus of the inspection is naturally all kinds of ghosts. Therefore, on the day of the Mid-Yuan Dynasty, all the ghosts will leave the underworld and accept the examination, and the ghosts with the Lord will go home, while those without the Lord will wander around the world looking for something to eat. ?
In the Tang Dynasty, when the rulers praised Taoism, the Taoist Mid-Yuan Festival began to flourish, and gradually fixed "Zhong Yuan" as the festival name. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is said that the underground palace is in charge of the gates of hell. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, the underground palace opens the gates of hell, which is also the day when the deceased ancestors can go home for reunion. Therefore, it is also the Ghost Festival, and people generally carry out activities of offering sacrifices to ghosts.
On this day, ancestors should be worshipped, graves should be visited, and lanterns should be lit to light the way home for the dead. Taoist temple held a grand ceremony to pray for auspicious Dojo, the content of which was to cross over the soul of the dead. It is a traditional folk custom in China that the ancients set off river lanterns on the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Taoist priest built a prayer bowl. Buddhism and Taoism have different interpretations of the significance of this festival. Taoism emphasizes filial piety; Buddhism, on the other hand, focuses on "Purdue" for those orphaned souls released from the underworld.
The ancients attached great importance to sacrifice since ancient times. "July 30" originated from three cultures: folk secularism (post-Han Confucianism), Taoism and Buddhism. Its sacrifice culture has been circulating for a long time and has a wide influence on the region.
The custom of "July 30" can be said to be the fusion of secularism, Taoism and Buddhism. According to the Book of Practice: "On the Mid-Yuan Day in July, the local officials descended, and the good and evil on earth were determined, so the Taoist priests chanted scriptures at night and the prisoners were freed from hunger." The July 15th referred to by the term "Mid-Autumn Festival" is actually "the day of forgiveness of sins in the underground palace", but in the folk custom letter, the ghosts sacrificed on this day are not only for ancestors and relatives, but also include the ghosts of the wandering souls.
Before the formation of the Mid-Autumn Festival, July 15th had already been requisitioned by Buddhism. July in Buddhism was originally a happy month for a Buddha, not a "Ghost Festival". But why did the Bonin Festival in July become a "Ghost Festival"? Euglena basin, a transliteration of Sanskrit Ulambana, originally meant to "save the hanging upside down", that is, to save the ghosts suffering in hell.
The Buddhist scripture "The Orchid Sutra" was translated and introduced to China in the Western Jin Dynasty. The story of "saving the mother through a blind eye" in the sutra coincided with the concept of filial piety that still existed at that time. Later, it was advocated by Xiao Yan, Liang Wudi of the Southern Dynasty, who praised the theory of "three religions coming from the same source" and made it a folk festival. At that time, its main function was to worship the Buddha. It was only in the Song Dynasty that it changed and developed into a ghost that recommended death.
I don't know if it's a coincidence, or whether it's the Bonin Festival, the Mid-Yuan Festival and the Bonin Festival of Taoism attached to Buddhism, which are all set on July 15th. So that later generations thought that these two were two names of a festival. At the same time, because its meaning and customs have long been difficult to distinguish, the customs of the two festivals began to be mixed.
It is generally believed that the Mid-Yuan Festival, also known as the "Orchid Festival" and the "Ghost Festival"; In fact, there is a great misunderstanding in this understanding. Correctly speaking, Ghost Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and the Orchid Festival belong to folk customs, Taoism and Buddhism, and they are in a side-by-side relationship, not three different names of a festival.
In the "Ghost Festival" of folk customs, the whole July of the lunar calendar should be a "Ghost Festival". On the first day of the seventh lunar month, the Yan King opens the ghost gate and releases the ghost to the dead for food and enjoys people's offerings. On the last day of July, the ghost gate is closed again and the ghosts have to return to the underworld. However, the word "Zhongyuan" in Zhongyuan Festival originated from Taoism's ternary theory, and it was officially fixed in the middle and late Tang Dynasty.
10, the legend of Laba Festival
Legend 1
Laba Festival is the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month (December), which originated in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. It is said that when Zhu Yuanzhang was in trouble and suffered in the prison, it was in cold weather, and Zhu Yuanzhang, who was cold and hungry, actually found some seven or eight kinds of coarse cereals such as red beans, rice and red dates from the mouse hole in the prison. Zhu Yuanzhang boiled these things into porridge. Because it was the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhu Yuanzhang called this pot of miscellaneous grains porridge Laba porridge. I enjoyed a delicious meal.
Later, Zhu Yuanzhang pacified the world and became emperor facing south. In order to commemorate that special day in prison, he designated this day as Laba Festival and officially named the miscellaneous grain porridge he ate that day as Laba porridge.
Legend 2
Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, was originally the son of King Sudoku in the northern part of ancient India (present-day Nepal). He saw that all beings were suffering from physical and mental illness, and he was dissatisfied with the theocratic rule of Brahmins at that time, giving up the throne and becoming a monk. After six years of asceticism, he became a Buddha under the bodhi tree on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.
During these six years of asceticism, I only ate one hemp and one meter a day. Later generations did not forget his sufferings and ate porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month every year as a souvenir. "Laba" became the "Buddha's Inauguration Day". "Laba" is a grand festival of Buddhism. Before liberation, Buddhist temples all over the country held Buddhist bathing meetings and chanted scriptures, and imitated the legend of a herdess offering chyle before Sakyamuni became a Taoist, and cooked porridge with fragrant valleys and fruits to offer to the Buddha, which was called "Laba porridge". Laba porridge was presented to disciples and good men and women, and it became a custom among the people in the future.
It is said that in some monasteries, before the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, monks held alms bowls along the street and cooked the collected rice, chestnuts, dates, nuts and other materials into Laba porridge and distributed it to the poor. Legend has it that you can get the blessing of Buddha after eating it, so the poor call it "Buddha porridge"
Legend 3
Laba Festival comes from the custom of "playing ghost with red beans". Legend has it that Zhuan Xu, one of the five emperors in ancient times, turned three sons into evil spirits after their death, and came out to frighten children. In ancient times, people generally believed in superstition and were afraid of ghosts and gods. They believed that adults and children suffered from stroke and were in poor health because of epidemic ghosts. These evil spirits are fearless, only afraid of red beans, so there is a saying that "red beans play ghosts." Therefore, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, red adzuki beans and red adzuki beans are used to cook porridge to dispel the epidemic and welcome the auspicious.
Legend four
Laba Festival stems from people's memory of Yue Fei, a loyal minister. At that time, Yue Fei led his troops to fight against gold in Zhuxian Town, which was in the severe winter of September. Yue Jiajun was poor in food and clothing, hungry and cold, and all the people sent porridge one after another. Yue Jiajun had a full meal of "thousands of porridge" sent by the people, and the result was a great victory. It was the eighth day of December. After Yue Fei's death, in order to commemorate him, people cooked porridge with miscellaneous grains and beans on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, which finally became a custom.
Legend five
Qin Shihuang built the Great Wall, and all the migrant workers were ordered to come. They could not go home for many years, and they relied on their families to send them food. Some migrant workers, whose homes are separated by thousands of waters in Qian Shan, can't deliver food, which causes many migrant workers to starve to death at the Great Wall site.
One year, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, migrant workers who had no food accumulated a few handfuls of coarse grains in partnership, boiled them into gruel in a pot, each drank a bowl, and finally starved to death under the Great Wall. In order to mourn the migrant workers who starved to death at the Great Wall construction site, people eat "Laba porridge" every year on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month as a souvenir.
Legend six
According to legend, the old couple lived hard, lived frugally, and saved a fortune, but their precious son didn't live up to expectations, and it was not virtuous to marry a daughter-in-law. They soon lost their fortune. On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the young couple were frozen and hungry. Fortunately, villagers and neighbors helped them and cooked a pot of "hybrid porridge" mixed with rice, noodles, beans and vegetables.
It means: "Eat a mixed porridge and remember the lesson." This porridge made the young couple get rid of their bad habits, embark on the right path, and live by hard work, and their days are getting better day by day. The popular custom of eating porridge in Laba is that people follow it to warn future generations.
Extended data:
form
The origin of ancient traditional festivals is related to ancient primitive beliefs, sacrifices for virtue and astronomical calendars, etc. Most festivals are formed in the activities of the ancients to choose auspicious days to thank the gods of heaven and earth and the kindness of their ancestors. Many traditional festivals have entered the national "sacrificial ceremony". In the historical evolution, the dates of some festivals have been adjusted (for example, the date of the Dragon Boat Festival was changed from "noon on the afternoon of the moon" to "the fifth day of May" in the Han Dynasty). Chinese traditional festivals are diverse in form and rich in content. They are an important part of the long history and culture of the Chinese nation and the basic framework of a civilized country. The origin and development of festivals is a "cultural process of gradual formation and perfection" of human society and a product of the evolution and development of human civilization. ?
The traditional festivals of the Chinese nation bear the humanistic and natural cultural contents such as faith, sacrifice, astronomy, geography, phenology, martial arts and calendars. Most traditional festivals have been formed in ancient times, and the early festival culture reflects the humanistic spirit of ancient people's natural worship and the unity of man and nature in ancient society. A series of sacrificial activities contain profound cultural connotations of ritual and music civilization. In the historical development, some traditional festivals after Qin and Han dynasties were replaced by legends such as "avoiding plague and disasters" or "historical figures" at the attached meeting, but the actual investigation shows that these "legends" were born much later than the festivals and were constructed by future generations. The vast majority of folk festivals come from the primitive beliefs, sacrifices and astronomical calendars of ancient people, and the relationship with heroes is often the result of artificial construction.
Traditional festivals with existing literature records can be traced back to Xia Xiaozheng and Shangshu at least. In the pre-Qin period, a year was divided into 24 solar terms, which were all completed. Later, some traditional festivals were also closely related to these solar terms, and the solar terms provided a prerequisite for the festival. Every Chinese traditional festival has its own origin and necessary conditions for its formation.
develop
Most of the festival customs appeared in ancient times, but the richness and popularity of the customs went through a long process of development. Folk festivals come from primitive beliefs and the needs of daily life. The earliest folk activities are related to primitive worship and sacrifice. According to legend, some festivals are the birthdays of ancient people, so they should be attached to the meeting. Because there is no celebration of birthdays in ancient times, people are afraid of being disgusted, and the real birthday will never be revealed.
In the post-Qin development, some "legends" were attached to replace the origin of the festival, which added a bit of romance to the festival; There is also the impact and influence of religion on folk festivals. For example, the Dragon Boat Festival, a folk custom, is commemorated by Qu Yuan, and the "July and a half" harvest and autumn festival is taught to absorb and evolve into the "Mid-Yuan Festival". The historical development of these festivals bears rich culture and connotation. All these are integrated into the content of the festival, which makes the festivals in China have a deep sense of history.
By the Han Dynasty, the main traditional festivals in China had spread all over the country. It is often said that these festivals and customs were popularized in the Han Dynasty, which was the first great development period after the reunification of China, which provided good social conditions for the popularization and dissemination of festivals and customs.
The festival developed into the Tang Dynasty, and it has changed from the original solemn atmosphere of worship to entertainment etiquette. The Tang Dynasty is an important period in which the traditional festivals and customs in China were shaped. Since then, festivals have become colorful, and many sports and pleasure activities have appeared, which soon became a fashion. These customs have continued to develop and endure.
Baidu Encyclopedia: Traditional Festival in China