The origin and customs of the end of summer
The origin and customs of the end of summer. There are twenty-four solar terms in a year. Each solar term represents different weather conditions and temperature changes. Faced with These solar terms also have different national customs, so what are the origins and customs of this solar term of the summer heat? What follows is the relevant content about the origins and customs of the summer heat. The origin and custom of Chushu 1
1. The origin of Chushu
"The Collection of Seventy-two Hours of the Moon Order" says: "Chu means to go, The heat has ended here. "Chi" means end, indicating that the heat is about to pass, the heat will end on this day, and the temperature will gradually drop in most parts of our country. Chushu is different from minor heat, major heat, minor cold, and major cold. It is a solar term that represents the transition from hot to cold. The season has reached the end of summer, and the temperature has entered a stage of significant change. It has dropped day by day and is no longer so hot.
2. Customs of the end of summer
The customs and activities during the end of summer are relatively rich and colorful. The first is ancestor worship and autumn welcoming activities. The sacrifice activities originate from the hope that ancestors will bless the new year. May the whole family be happy and the harvest be fruitful. In addition, after the summer heat, autumn is getting stronger. If you can go out in the countryside with your family in the crisp autumn weather and appreciate the beautiful maple leaves, it will be a great pleasure in life. Xiao Hong described a scene in "The Legend of Hulan River". After the summer heat, people would put river lanterns (also known as "lotus lanterns") by the river to pray for the dead ghosts and to provide relief for the wild ghosts who could not find their way out. Point out a source of hope. This custom still continues today. On the night of Zhongyuan, people put river lanterns into the rivers and let them drift. For some fishermen along the coast of my country, a fishing festival is held every summer season to send off fishermen to sail out to sea. This is also the happiest time for everyone, and people can enjoy a variety of seafood. The Origin and Customs of Ending Summer 2
Traditional customs of Ending Summer:
1. Fishing Festival For coastal fishermen, the end of summer is a good time for fishery harvest. , a grand annual fishing festival is held along the coast of Zhejiang Province. It was decided that on the day when the fishing moratorium in the East China Sea ends, a grand fishing ceremony will be held to see off the fishermen and sail out to sea. During the fishing festival, the originally static sea surface lined with sails and sails and thousands of boats anchored instantly became an active scene with roaring machines, long sirens, and hundreds of boats launching in unison. The main contents of the Fishing Festival include hanging fishing lanterns in thousands of households, a boat racing ceremony, a special cultural evening party, island tourism, exhibitions and sales of specialty products, local folk cultural performances and other activities.
2. Worship the Lord of the Earth. The Summer Festival coincides with the harvest of crops, and farmers hold various ceremonies to thank the Lord of the Earth. Some kill animals and go to the Tutu Temple to worship, some put flags and flags in the middle of the fields to express gratitude, and some return home from working in the fields without washing their feet for fear of washing away the harvest. On July 15th, it is also popular among the people to offer sacrifices to land and crops. Throw the offerings into the field. After burning the paper, cut the five-color paper into strips and wrap it around the ears of the crops. Legend has it that it can avoid hail attacks and achieve a bumper harvest in autumn. In some places, sacrifices are also performed at Houtu Temple. It is a folk custom in Dingxiang County to hang ma and grain on the door.
3. Worshiping ancestors and welcoming autumn. Most of the folk customs before and after the summer solar term are related to worshiping ancestors and welcoming autumn. Before and after the summer heat ends, there will be folk activities to celebrate the Ghost Festival, commonly known as "July Half" or "Hungry Ghost Festival". In the old days, folk people would have a ceremony to open the gate of ghosts starting from the first day of July, and it would not end until the gate of ghosts was closed at the end of the month. During this period, various alms-giving activities would be held. It is said that the Purdue activity begins with opening the ghost gate, then erecting poles and releasing river lanterns to attract orphan souls; while the main body is building the Purdue altar, erecting solitary sheds, interspersed with robbing orphans, etc., and finally ends with closing the ghost gate.
4. The custom of making herbal tea has been popular since the Tang Dynasty. During the summer season, every household has the habit of making herbal tea. They first go to the pharmacy to prepare the prescription, and then make the tea at home to prepare it. This means that you have to eat something "bitter" in autumn, which is very useful in clearing away heat, removing internal heat, digesting food, and removing lung heat. There are benefits. In the 1960s and 1970s, there were tea stalls selling sour plum soup on the streets in urban areas, so there is a proverb that "sour plum soup in the summer heat will reduce all the anger". Making sour plum soup is very simple. Just brew the dried plums with boiling water at night and add rock sugar. After cooking and letting cool, put it in a wooden covered ice bucket to lower the temperature. It tastes sour and sweet, sweet and slightly salty, and has a very good taste. During the summer season, it is advisable to eat heat-clearing and soothing foods, such as white fungus, lily, lotus seeds, honey, kelp, celery, spinach, glutinous rice, and sesame seeds. In addition, fruit juice drinks, soy milk, milk, etc. are also good drinks. Also eat less spicy, fried and other hot foods.
5. Eat duck. Old duck is sweet and cool, so there is a folk tradition of eating duck during the summer heat. There are also many ways to cook it, including white-cut duck, lemon duck, ginger duck, roast duck, lotus leaf duck, walnut duck, etc. . Beijing still retains this tradition. On the day of the summer heat, Beijingers will go to the store to buy summer lilies, ducks, etc. A duck's whole body is full of treasures. Duck meat is sweet, salty, and cool in nature. It has the functions of nourishing yin, nourishing the stomach, diuresis and reducing swelling. It is suitable for treating bone steaming, labor fever, dysuria, irregular menstruation in women, etc. Silky duck has greater medicinal value and can relieve tuberculosis patients from hot flashes and coughs. Old hen duck can replenish deficiency and nourish yin, and has a tonifying effect on those who are physically weak due to chronic illness or who vomit blood due to fatigue.
6. Eating longan with porridge. The old Fuzhou custom is to eat longan with porridge during the summer heat. Because the weather is hot in summer, the human body consumes a lot of calories. Eating longan can replenish calories. . Longan is warm in nature, beneficial to the heart and spleen, replenishes qi and blood, and has the effect of nourishing qi. The way the older generation eats it is to peel a bowl of longan and eat it mixed with porridge. In addition, another food that old Fuzhou ate during summer heat was white meatballs. White meatballs are actually glutinous rice balls. The preparation is very simple. Grind the glutinous rice flour into small pieces, boil the soup, and add some sugar. The taste is sweet, which can not only replenish carbohydrates, but also relieve the greasy mouth in summer.
7. Putting river lanterns. River lanterns are also called "lotus lanterns". They usually place a lamp or candle on the base. They are placed in the rivers, lakes and seas on the night of the Ghost Festival, and are allowed to float freely. pan. The purpose of putting up river lanterns is to bring away drowned ghosts and other lonely ghosts in the water. A passage in Xiao Hong's "Hulan River Biography" is the best footnote to this custom: "The fifteenth day of July is a ghost festival; the dead souls of resentful ghosts cannot be reborn. It is very painful to linger in hell and want to be reborn. , and can't find the way. If there is a dead ghost holding a river lantern on this day, he will have to survive.
”