As the ancient seasonal astrological symbol of the "Great Fire" (i.e., the heart of the second), in the seasonal fall in September receded, "Xia Xiaozheng" said "September within the fire", the retreat of the Great Fire star, not only has always been to the Great Fire star as the seasons of production and seasonal life of the ancient people as a symbol of the lost coordinates of time, and at the same time, the ancient people who worshiped the Great Fire as a god to generate inexplicable fear. Lost the coordinates of time, at the same time the ancient people who worshiped the fire as a god to produce inexplicable fear, the hibernation of the fire god means that the arrival of the long east, therefore, in the "inner fire" season, such as its emergence of the fire ceremony to welcome the fire, people have to hold the corresponding send-off rituals. Ancient rituals, although it is difficult to know, but we can still find some traces of ancient customs from the later Chongyang Festival instrument. Such as Jiangnan part of the custom of Chrysanthemum sacrificial stove, is the home of the fire god, which can be seen in ancient September sacrifice "fire" traces. Ancient people long will Chongyang and on the Si or cold food, September 9 and March 3 as the corresponding spring and autumn festival. Han Liu Xin "Xijing miscellany" said: "March on the Si, September Chongyang, make female games, this purification and purification of high." The correspondence between the last six months, cold food and heavy sun, is based on the "big fire" as the basis.
With the progress of people's livelihood technology, people have a new understanding of time, "fire calendar" gave way to the general calendar. The September fire ceremony died out, but people still have a special feeling for the natural changes caused by the decay of Yang Qi in September, so the ancient custom of ascending to the heights to avoid the taboo is still passed on to the city, although the world has a new interpretation.
Chung Yeung has become a time marker for the transition between summer and winter in people's lives. If the last six, cold food is the people over the long winter out of the room after the Spring Festival, then the Chung Yeung is about in the autumn cold to the new, the people are about to live in seclusion when the ceremonial significance of the fall tour, so folklore has on the Si "trekking", Chung Yeung "resignation of the green eat Chung Yeung cake
Food: Chung Yeung's diet! The wind, in addition to the aforementioned drinking dogwood, chrysanthemum wine, eat chrysanthemum food, there are some, the most famous is to eat cake. In the north, the wind of eating Chongyang cake is especially prevalent. Chongyang cake
According to the "Xijing Miscellany", the Han Dynasty, there has been a September 9 to eat the custom of pong bait, that is, the original Chongyang cake. Bait, that is, the ancient cake. The Han Dynasty also recorded a millet cake, may not be far from today's cake. Peng bait, must also be similar to the millet cake and so on. To the Song Dynasty, eat Chung Yeung cake style flourished. Cake and high harmony, eat cake is to take the meaning of good luck, and therefore favored by the people.
Chung Yeung cake, also known as flower cake, chrysanthemum cake, five-color cake, the system is not fixed, more random, "brown flower cake", "fine flower cake" and "money flower cake.
Stick some coriander leaves as a sign, the middle of the green fruit, small dates, walnuts and other brown dried fruit; fine flower cake with three layers, two layers, each layer of the middle of the thin candied fruits, such as dried apples, dried peaches, apricots, dates, and so on; money and fine flower cake cake and basically the same, but smaller, as the "money", mostly from the upper-class families, and the "money" is the same, but it's not the same. The money flower cake is basically the same as the fine flower cake, but smaller, like "money", is mostly the food of the upper class nobles.
It is said that, in the early years, not at home with hairy flour cake sandwiched between dates, chestnuts and other fruits, or river rice, yellow rice flour steamed into a sticky cake, like "on the gold", "under the silver" of the flower cake.
There is a poem describing the production of Chongyang cake:
Cai Yun:
Bonfire sound machine night work busy,
Weaver a drink to the wine,
still wind and rain of the ancient Chongyang,
Steamed jujube cake full of store incense.
September 9, when the sky is bright, with a piece of cake on the forehead of the children, the mouth recited the words, wishing their children a hundred things are high, is the ancient people in September for the cake of the original intention. The delicate Chongyang cake to be made into nine layers, like a pagoda, above also made into two small sheep, in line with the meaning of Chongyang (sheep). Some also inserted a small red paper flag on the cake, and light candles. This is probably the "light", "eat cake" instead of "high" meaning, with a small red paper flag instead of cornelian cherry. Today's Chongyang cake, there is still no fixed varieties, all over the Chongyang Festival to eat the fluffy cakes are called Chongyang cake.
Chung Yeung cake is not only eaten at home, but also gifted to friends and relatives, called "send cake"; and please married daughters to go home to eat cake, called "Ying Ning".