The beginning of a year is called the Spring Festival. The first day of the first month is called Yuanri, Chen Yuan, Jacky, Yuanshuo and New Year's Day. Commonly known as the first day of the first month, there are other nicknames such as Shangri-La, Zheng Chao, Sanshuo, Sanchi and Sanyuan, which means that the first day of the first month is the beginning of the year, month and day. The Spring Festival is the most solemn traditional festival for Wuxi people. 1949 12/23, People's Republic of China (PRC) and the central people's government stipulate that the Spring Festival will be closed for three days every year. It is an old custom in Wuxi to open the door on the morning of New Year's Day and explode after opening it three times. Eating cakes, jiaozi and noodles for breakfast means reunion, promotion, longevity and Changchun. On this day, we only eat leftovers from New Year's Eve, which means "more than enough". When eating, you can't cook soup and pour rice, and you can't eat porridge for fear of going out in the rain. We should also avoid asking for fire and water from our neighbors, warning against swearing, getting angry and saying unlucky things, and praying for peace and good luck all the year round. During the Spring Festival, the younger generation pays New Year greetings to their elders first, and then visits relatives and friends. When relatives and friends meet for the first time, they will say something like "Congratulations on your happy wedding", "Congratulations on getting rich" and "Congratulations on getting rich" to congratulate each other. The new son-in-law pays a New Year call to his parents-in-law's house, usually on the third day of the Lunar New Year. From the age of 60, old people hold a birthday party every 10 years in the Spring Festival. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), healthy folk customs still exist.

the Lantern Festival

The fifteenth day of the first month is called Lantern Festival, also known as Shangyuan Festival. Yuanxiao means the first full moon night in a year, so it is also called Yuanxiao and Yuanxiao. On the morning of the Lantern Festival, we have steamed cakes or shepherd's purse jiaozi (also called Yuanxiao), spring rolls at noon and a reunion dinner at night. On this day, when making tea in the teahouse, it is customary to add olives, commonly known as "eating olive tea" or "eating Yuanbao tea". The olive basket symbolizes the gold ingot, which means getting rich and being blessed. The fifteenth day of the first month of the summer calendar is the Lantern Festival. On this night, there are many kinds of lanterns hung by Wuxi people, including dragon lanterns, wind lanterns, fish lanterns, rabbit lanterns, lanterns, all kinds of mythical lanterns and lanterns of people in previous dynasties. Some are tied into lamp trees, lamp houses, turtle hills, memorial archways and so on. There are also activities such as stepping on the high court, dancing yangko, playing Taiping drum, playing flower boats and dancing dragons and lions. Lantern riddles are also written on lanterns to attract people to see lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns. In the city, the most lively is Chong'an Temple. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the lantern market here was extremely prosperous, and the whole street was covered with lanterns. After dinner, people lit all kinds of lanterns, beat gongs and drums, and gathered in Chong'an Temple for the Lantern Festival. Some dance with big head dolls, and some have lanterns and firecrackers. Lantern is more exquisite and more numerous. Fireworks are higher and louder than fireworks. There are also juggling competitions such as somersault, tiger jump, triangle handstand and skipping rope. Some set up barriers, put up high platforms, choose handsome men and beautiful women, wear silk clothes and perform new plays. Every year from the fifteenth to the twentieth of the first month. In rural areas, after dinner, people light various lanterns, and young adults form dragon lantern teams, beating gongs and drums and playing dragon lanterns in villages. Many candles were lit in the dragon lantern and rolled in the night sky, just like a dragon flying. The audience is like a cloud, so Wuxi has a folk song of "watching dragon lanterns in the first half of the first month" A few nights before and after the Lantern Festival, every corner and every window of Longguang Tower in Xishan Mountain was covered with colored lights, like a burning tree. On the Lantern Festival night, someone went to Xishan and Huishan with wine and vegetables, enjoying the night view of the city while drinking and enjoying the moon. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Lantern Festival still has the custom of eating Yuanxiao in the morning and having a reunion dinner at night.

Shangsi Festival

The third day of March is the last day. In ancient times, the first March of March in the summer calendar was called "Shangsi". On the third day of March, there are always four days. On this day, people scatter shepherd's purse flowers on stoves and places where they sit and sleep, thinking that they can kill ants and other pests; Hide cauliflower and tung flower in sweaters and down jackets, thinking that clothes can be eaten; Women wear cauliflower on their heads, thinking that they can avoid headaches and sleep soundly at night. Urban and rural people also climb Huishan, Hongshan, Doushan and Xishan for an outing. On the third day of March, it was a temple fair in Gentleman Mountain in Nanxiang, and the incense boat was full of incense. Farmers in Xuelang Township at the foot of my aunt's mountain have the custom of boat racing. In the morning, the young people in all villages shook the clippers and carried the villagers to Zhao Huishan to see the temple fair and visit the festival. In the afternoon, the Clippers gathered in Changguangxi near Gedai Bridge, and men, women and children who had seen the God-welcoming Games and festivals also came here to watch the Clippers race. First of all, the participating Clippers performed freely and showed their magical powers. Then, the ambassadors who stood out in the performance were free to combine and compete with two ships as a group. The winners of this group are free to regroup and take turns to compete until the winner is decided. During the competition, the shore was crowded with people and gongs and drums were loud; The ships in the river are like arrows in the string, and they are brave and spectacular.

Qingming Festival

People in Wuxi began to grow vegetables and fruit trees. Silkworm farmers hatch eggs in cotton-padded clothes on Qingming night. On this day, people go to Huishan for an outing. Those who don't go to Huishan, go to the city wall and walk around the city. This is called climbing the mountain for an outing. Torinji, the East Gate, is a gathering place for literati and poets, so there is a saying that "Torinji sees peach blossoms". This day is also the sacrifice ground for Jiao Shan in Dongxiang and Doosan in Beixiang, and there are competitions nearby, so Doosan is also called Qingming Mountain. People go hiking in the mountains, catch up with festivals and watch games. From Lantern Festival to Tomb-Sweeping Day, adults and children fly kites in groups of three and five in the wild. Tomb-Sweeping Day's worship of ancestral graves (commonly known as "going to graves") is a traditional folk custom in Wuxi. Pick some new soil to fill the grave when sweeping the grave. Every new grave must be swept before Qingming; Old graves can be cleared, but not in the long summer. The new wife must visit the ancestral grave, commonly known as "going to the flower grave". When sweeping the grave, watch it with meat, and pay homage with wine and rice. Later, it was used to replace fruits and cakes.

Early summer

I. The long summer

There has always been a folk custom of tasting three delicacies in long summer. Three fresh foods are divided into three fresh foods: ground, tree and water. The three fresh plants are broad beans, garden vegetables and cucumbers (amaranth, wheat, broad beans, amaranth, broad beans and garlic seedlings); Three fresh trees are cherry, pistachio and apricot (one is plum, apricot and cherry, the other is plum, cherry and toon head); The three kinds of fresh water are marine fish, puffer fish and shad (shad, shad and yellow croaker, as well as shad, whitebait and mackerel). Among them, tasting fresh land is the most common. In some places, there is also the custom of eating moldy tofu in the long summer, saying that eating moldy tofu will not reveal the stuffing.

Second, the summer solstice

People in Wuxi eat porridge in the morning and assorted jiaozi at noon, which means chaos and harmony. There is a proverb that says, "The solstice wonton in summer and the solstice group in winter bring together people who are healthy in the four seasons." Weigh the child after eating the mixture, hoping that the child will gain more weight and be healthier.

Dragon Boat Festival

The fifth day of May is the Dragon Boat Festival. The real name is Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanyang, and there are other names such as Noon Day, Dila, Pujie, Chongwu Festival and Tianzhong Festival. On this day, people in Wuxi eat zongzi in the morning. Attach great importance to lunch. At that time, new geese came into the market and often killed geese and chickens. People also drink realgar wine on this day, or sprinkle it on the ground, or dip it in Xu's body, or write the word "Wang" on the child's forehead to show fear of illness. Some people hang mugwort leaves and kudzu vine on their doors, which are called mugwort flags and swords to ward off evil spirits. Some fumigate rooms with mugwort leaves for disinfection. Dragon Boat Festival, the dragon boat race between urban and rural areas is very prosperous, of which the dragon boat race in Ronghu Lake is the most spectacular. Every year in late April of the summer calendar, the contestants practice. Since the beginning of May, dragon boats have been concentrated in the area from Jian Jiang to Huangbudun to continue their performances. On the fifth day of May, the participating dragon boats gathered in Ronghu. Long and narrow dragon boat, with dragon-shaped bow and stern, blue cloth and white cloth on the top, green flag on board, 16-20 fast paddles on both sides, people holding L paddles, and 1 people drumming at the stern. At the first command, the game started and everyone was drinking loudly. Qi Xin paddles and the boat flies. In order to watch the game, people set up high platforms and screens on both sides of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal. Some high platforms have four or five floors. There are also many boats carrying audience paintings and lanterns moored on both sides of the competition line, which are connected with each other, making it clear at a glance.

Chinese Valentine's Day; Qixi Festival

The seventh night in July is called Tanabata, which is the legendary day when cowherd and weaver girl meet every year. The longest and most widespread custom in Chinese Valentine's Day is "begging for cleverness". That night, the girls tied colored threads and put on seven-hole needles. If you dress quickly, you will find it difficult to beg. During the day, some girls put a coffee table in the yard with a bowl of Yuanyang water mixed with well water and river water, and put the embroidery needles in the bowl one by one to judge the begging skills according to various projections in the sun. Some women collect all kinds of flowers, put them in copper pots filled with water, expose them to the sun in the yard, and take them to wipe their faces the next day. It is said that they can make the skin delicate and self-purifying. Some women mash daffodils, take juice and dye their ring finger and little finger nails, which are called "red nails". Some women also sang "Begging for Qiao": "Begging for Qiao, begging for appearance, begging for heart, begging for appearance, begging for parents for a thousand years, begging for sisters for a thousand years." The custom of begging for wisdom no longer exists today, only the legend of cowherd and weaver girl is left.

Mid-Autumn Festival

August 15th is the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Reunion Festival. People in Wuxi celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival. They eat braised taro in the morning and moon cakes at night. This custom continues to this day, and many mass organizations hold Mid-Autumn Festival parties to enhance friendship.

Double Ninth Festival

The ninth day of September is the Double Ninth Festival. In ancient times, odd numbers were used as yang, and the two yang overlapped on the ninth day of September, so it was called Chongyang, also known as Nine. People in Wuxi generally eat Chongyang cake, and some also eat Jiupin cake (soup made from nine kinds of fruits such as water chestnut and lotus nut), which means sweet and smooth. The main activity of this day is mountain climbing. Now, the Double Ninth Festival has been designated as the festival to respect the elderly, in order to carry forward the tradition of respecting the elderly in China.

Winter solstice

People in Wuxi attach great importance to the winter solstice. There is a saying that the winter solstice is as big as a year. The day before the winter solstice is called "winter solstice night", and a family, old and young, get together for a winter solstice night meal. If someone is not at home, leave your seat, set up a pair of bowls and chopsticks, and symbolically hold something to eat to show your mind. Before dinner, worship the ancestors first. After the sacrifice, put the food back into the pot to burn. Eat without burning, saying that memory will decline. Putting soybeans in rice is called "Yuanbao rice", and putting two cooked water chestnuts in the rice bowl in advance and taking them out when eating is called "Jianbao rice". Rich people eat a lot at the winter solstice dinner. "The rich eat all night, and the poor freeze all night". On the morning of winter solstice, which is called "winter solstice", we eat glutinous rice dumplings overnight. Therefore, there is a poem saying, "Every family will have a reunion and know that it is the winter solstice tomorrow." According to historical legend, the winter solstice is the New Year's Day of the Zhou Dynasty, so there is another saying in Wuxi that eating the winter solstice meal will last a year, commonly known as "adding the year".

New Year's Eve

The last night in December is called New Year's Eve, commonly known as New Year's Eve. The night before was called Xiao Nian 30, commonly known as Xiao Nian 30. Before New Year's Eve, every household should clean and dust to welcome the New Year. A certain proportion of glutinous rice and japonica rice are ground into powder and made into rice cakes, symbolizing high year after year. Brush off the old Spring Festival couplets on the door and paste new ones to show that the old ones have been updated. On New Year's Eve, families worship their ancestors, burn incense, light candles, burn paper money and offer rich sacrifices, which shows people's respect for their ancestors. After the sacrificial ceremony, the whole family, men, women and children, sat together to have a New Year's Eve dinner (also known as "family fun"). In the evening, some people put a new statue of the kitchen god in the kitchen shrine, put red paper couplets on both sides of it, and offer offerings, commonly known as "taking the kitchen", to take back the kitchen god who played in heaven on February 24th. Some people hang the statue of Zhong Kui to avoid sneaking around. Farmers are still painting grain storage with lime in the open space in front of their houses, hoping for a bumper harvest. Before going to bed, there are three "closed doors". Some people still keep vigil on New Year's Eve, pack jiaozi and cut cakes to stay awake in the light.

Dragon Boat Racing

Every year during the Dragon Boat Festival, water towns in southern China have the custom of dragon boat racing, commonly known as dragon boat racing. From the Ming and Qing Dynasties to the eve of the Anti-Japanese War in Wuxi, dragon boat racing was once popular. Huangpudun in Beitang and Goose Lake in Dangkou were all scenic spots for dragon boat racing.

The Huangpu pier race was the most prosperous in the early Qing Dynasty. Whenever preparations are made in late April of the lunar calendar, dragon boats will be staged in various waterways, and they will not gather in Beitang until the Dragon Boat Festival. The top of the dragon boat is covered with blue and white curtains, and colorful flags are inserted to ride the wind. During the competition, the bronze drums were deafening, and there were 16 or 18 and 20 rowers on each boat, sitting on the left and right sides of the boat, each holding an oar and struggling to hit the water. Several boats are sailing in full swing and the oars are beating in full swing. It's really like Youlong breaking the waves, and the fish scales are flying, which is spectacular. There are men, women and children in urban and rural areas who go to watch the game, and the audience is arranged along the pond, up to four or five floors; On the water, cruise ships gather and collide with each other. Among them are young children and ladies who are out of town. They ride floats, beating gongs and drums. After the dragon boat race, busybodies often throw geese and ducks into the river to watch the dragon boat race, which has become an episode of the race. In the third year of the Republic of China (19 14), the Huangbudun race was held in the summer of June, which was also called Sheng for a time.

Dangkou Goose Lake, in the early years of Guangxu, there was a Dragon Boat Festival every Dragon Boat Festival. By then, tourists from dozens of miles away will be eager to come and watch. The boat in the lake is full, the night is brightly lit, and the orchestral sound is boiling, which is very lively. Goose Lake has an open water surface. During the Dragon Boat Festival in the Republic of China, there were five dragon boats in five colors, named Red Dragon, Huanglong, Qinglong, Bailong and Oolong. During the race, drums were drumming, paddles were banging, five boats were racing, and the lake was crowded with people.

barn lantern

In the past, adjusting lights was a great spectacle of the Lantern Festival in the south of the Yangtze River. On the night of Lantern Festival, every time you hear three bells, it is a signal that lanterns are out of the queue. Men, women and children will gather at the crossroads and look particularly focused.

Pioneer is a flag with eight flags, which reads nine big characters: "The position of general is majestic on all sides". Hunting in the cold wind will make noise. Followed by Taiping gongs and drums, the horn is loud and clear. Then there are eight meteor hammers, and the burning charcoal sparks splash in the night, flashing a uniform arc. The words "avoid" and "silence" are written on the eight rows of lights, and people consciously make way. The flag-bearer of the former cavalry leader holds a red and green signal flag. Behind the flag governor is a yellow umbrella that flows in front of the horse, and the head horse walks slowly. Ermayina is a fierce horse with a red mane, commonly known as "Sao Ma", dressed as a clown and a pawn in Tsing Yi. There are eight horses. The stallion is a general of the Qing Dynasty, dressed in hualing, dragon coat and high sleeves. The whole Lantern Festival has a huge lineup, and the gongs and drums of the two classes are suona, blowing and beating, encouraging the crowd, and hundreds of troops pass by at every turn. After the drum music was tightened, the governor ordered the flag to be raised. With a wave of the red and green flag in his hand, people immediately perked up. The front team turned to the back team, stepped on drums and began to string chains and rings into the arena. There was a meteor hammer in the venue to clear the way and take up the rear, pressing the tide of people out and making a square in the middle. Horses began to array: Eight Diagrams Array, Star Array, Dragon Gate Array, Ecstasy Array ... Horses biting ponytails, one-to-one correspondence, interlocking, making the audience dizzying.

The highlight of the stadium is to watch "Sao Ma" running. Eight horses, prime minister, crowded. The red-maned fierce horse made a horse-like fright, spread its hooves and reveled. The groom did some backflips on the flat ground, reined in the horse and the horse ran away. The groom "fell headlong", took the "dragonfly" road and circled the field. "Sao Ma" stopped to look from a distance, was reined in and ran around to set off "fireworks". "Fireworks" is a special "golden spark", which can go around the field three times. At this time, descendants made a special trip to aim at the fireworks, mostly newly-married Lang Jun. Legend has it that they can have a son when they get the fireworks back, which is worth a hundred times invisibly.

The final finale is to listen to a "scholar" in the cavalry wearing a felt hat and taking a cattail leaf fan to "cross", which is similar to the general allegro book, but the difference is to play the fan. The lyrics rhyme and catchy. Most of the lyrics are to persuade the world to do good, and there are also many gags, often mixed with meat. Thousands of people are silent at the moment. Local slang sounds particularly friendly. The lyrics are now fried and sold, all written by several local scholars, and the lyrics are really amazing. The next day, babbling children can spread the whole lyrics in the streets. This scene will remind me of a horse-dancing poem by Lu Guimeng: "There are four hundred hooves in the moon hole, so you should be arrogant and nimble. The end of the song seems to be favored by the king, and I dare not boo when I look back at the Red Chamber.