(1) Lotus

Lotus is a well-known and favorite flower, a perennial herb, which likes to grow in shallow water such as ponds and lakes. It relies on the rhizome of lotus root, which remained in the underwater soil last year, to take root and sprout every spring, spread its leaves and blossom in summer, and swell its roots in autumn to form lotus roots.

At first, the rhizome of lotus was as thin as a human finger, and its white part in the mud was called lotus root, commonly known as lotus whip. The lotus whip had nodes, which regenerated new lotus whip and became intertwined, forming its underwater world. Each node produces fibrous roots downward and takes root in underwater mud; At the end of the growth of the lotus in summer and autumn every year, the part of the lotus whip buried in the ground expands into a lotus root, which can be used to sprout new plants next spring.

Lotus stretches its stem upward, pulling out leaves and buds to form its aquatic world. There are thin and dense hairs on the stem of lotus, green leaves are oval, flowers are reddish and white, and petals are single or compound. After the flower withers, a lotus is formed, and many nuts are born, commonly known as lotus seeds.

The whole body of lotus is beneficial to human beings: lotus root is edible, lotus seed is a good tonic, and flowers and leaves can be seen by people. Its lotus root nodes, lotus seeds and lotus leaves are good medicinal materials for treating diseases in traditional Chinese medicine. Where lotus grows, it also has the function of purifying water quality, optimizing environment and beautifying scenery.

Lotus, with its green leaves and red flowers, forms a colorful and graceful style. It is a popular ornamental flower, and has been praised as "a beautiful woman with a green cover" by scholars of past dynasties. Different from the beauty in the world, the beauty of lotus is natural beauty, natural beauty, without the slightest artificial decoration. Li Bai's poem "Clear water produces hibiscus, and natural carving" vividly summarizes this characteristic of lotus. Not only that, lotus is called "the gentleman in the flower" by many writers because of its character of "getting out of the mud without being stained", and it is often used as a metaphor to praise those who refuse to go along with the secular and have high morals and integrity.

(2) Legend of March 3rd (Lotus Legend)

Once upon a time, there was a mountain with a temple and an nunnery on it. A monk in the temple is in love with a nun in the nunnery. As the days go on, their love grows deeper and deeper. However, as monks, they can't form a husband and wife, and they can only meet secretly from time to time.

One year on March 3rd, they met at a lake and were found by a beggar. The beggar passed by unintentionally, but the image of the beggar in the dark was quite similar to that of the abbot in her nunnery. The nun panicked and jumped into the lake to commit suicide. When the monk saw that the nun had jumped into the lake, he didn't know the depth of the lake. He just wanted to save the nun and was drowned. After bumping into a monk and a nun, the beggar hurried away in embarrassment. But then I heard two bursts of water ringing, and I heard the monk calling for a nun in the water. It was expected that the nun was ashamed to commit suicide, thinking that it was all her own fault, so she quickly turned around and jumped into the lake to save people. However, they were all ignorant of water, and finally they were drowned in the lake. No one in the world knows this tragicomedy, only the land bodhisattva sees it all. He sympathized with their suffering, but he couldn't save them, because the monk and the nun broke the Buddhist precepts after all!

The bodies of monks and nuns were quickly eaten by big fish in the lake, and their bones floated together and gradually sank into the mud at the bottom of the lake. The fish suspected that the beggar smelled bad and didn't eat his body, so the beggar's body floated to the water. Monks and nuns both felt that they had died unjustly, and both complained to the Land Bodhisattva, saying, "We can't be husband and wife in this world. Can we let our bones sink into the mud and give us a little life?" The Land Bodhisattva said, "Because you have violated the Buddhist rules, you can only be accompanied by sludge after death. But thinking that you are all human beings, there is nothing wrong with men and women falling in love in the world, so your bones are allowed to be connected in the mud and rejuvenate. "

When the spirits of monks and nuns saw the Land Bodhisattva's consent, they pushed their luck and asked to come out to see the world every year. The land bodhisattva was soft-hearted and agreed, but it was stipulated that they could not leave the sludge. It is not until the third day of March, the anniversary of their death, that they can get out of the water and explore the world every year.

Seeing that both monks and nuns were allowed to come back to life, the beggar's soul also came to the Land Bodhisattva and said, "Although I caused the deaths of monks and nuns, I didn't mean to. Can I come back to life and play in the world for a period of time every year?"

The Land Bodhisattva thought the beggar had a point, so she said, "Well, you can become a water snake and see the world on the third day of March every year."

Later, the bones of monks and nuns grew into lotus roots, which people like to eat. They were connected with each other and had holes in each other to show that they were connected with each other. Even if they were broken, they could be connected. Monks let themselves grow into lotus leaves, and nuns let themselves grow into lotus flowers. On the third day of March every year, the lotus leaves are rolled into sharp corners and drilled out of the water, and then slowly spread out. Lotus was originally drilled out of the water on the third day of March, but she was embarrassed about the past. It was not until the lotus leaf grew up and became much longer that she was ashamed to drill out from the gap.

The water snake is certainly not shy. Every year on the third day of March, he can't wait to get out of the hole.

Therefore, there is a proverb, "Every year there is a third day of March, when the snake comes out of the hole, it comes out with a hairpin".

(3) Bing Tilian

Legend has it that there was a lotus pond in a village long ago, and the pond was full of beautiful lotus flowers. There lived a gentleman surnamed Hong in Tangdong. His family was very rich, but he was in his forties and had no children. This year, Mr. W's wife was pregnant, and Mr. Hong burned incense day and night to worship the Buddha, asking the Bodhisattva to bless his son.

but it was a girl. Mr. Hong is unhappy. In order to comfort Mr. W, his wife discussed with Mr. W to raise the girl as a son, and told outsiders that she had given birth to a boy and named the child Sailang. Later, Silang grew up and dressed like a boy all the time. At the age of twelve, Mr. Hong built a library in front of the lotus pond, and asked a skilled teacher to teach Sai Lang to read. Everyone outside thinks that Sai Lang is a boy.

Besides, there is a family named Bai living in Tangxi. The old couple have a decent life, except that they have no son. His wife once gave birth to three sons. He died before his first birthday. For this matter, Lao Bai has looked for someone to calculate his life several times, saying that they are "children in life." This year, his wife was pregnant again. Lao Bai thought to himself, "I can still live if I give birth to a daughter. If I give birth to a boy, I will be afraid and keep it. His wife thought of a way: "If you give birth to a son and only raise him as a daughter, you won't die again." Later, a son was really born, and the couple put earrings on the child and named it Zhenniang. Zhen Niang grew up to thirteen years old and dressed more beautifully than a girl. The old couple loved their son, and tried their best to provide education for Zhen Niang. When they heard that Mr. Hong from Dongcun had set up a library, they asked for intercession, providing Mr. Hong with two dou meters a month to send Zhen Niang to study. Everyone outside thinks Zhen Niang is a girl. When Zhen Niang arrived at the school, she hit it off with more than a dozen children, especially Sai Lang. Every day, she went to school and studied at a desk. After school, they had to play at the Lotus Pond for a while before breaking up and going home. The students saw that they were so close. One day, while the teacher was away, they made fun of it and asked Sai Lang and Zhen Niang to worship the flower hall. No one knew that Sai Lang was a woman and Zhen Niang was a man. Sailang also thinks that Zhen Niang is really a girl, and Zhen Niang also thinks that Sailang is really a boy.

in a flash, several years have passed. Sai Lang is fifteen years old, and Zhen Niang is sixteen. When they first entered school, they often thought of worshipping the flower hall. Sailang thought: Zhenniang is smart and kind, and she is good at learning. Who will marry her in the future is really happy. Zhen Niang also thinks so: If she is really a woman, she must marry Sai Lang.

It seems that after two years, the students are going to break up. Sai Lang said to Zhen Niang, "I'm afraid you and I won't be able to see each other often from now on when my studies expire," and she shed tears. Zhen Niang said, "Brother Sailang, don't be sad. My home is not far from you, but we can often come and go." But Sailang knows in his heart that he is old and will be locked up in the boudoir by his parents from now on. Besides, you and Zhen Niang are going to get married, who knows where to get married? She said to Zhen Niang, "Let's become sworn sisters!" Zhen Niang thought: Isn't it a joke that two men worship their sisters? Shake hands again and again: "no, no, no, let's become sworn brothers!" " After a long struggle, they finally said, "Forget it, just become sworn friends!" " In this way, two people became sworn by the lotus pond.

after going home, Sai Lang changed into a women's dress, stayed in the boudoir all day, and often missed Zhen Niang. Zhen Niang is at home and always wants to see Sai Lang. When Zhen Niang's father, Lao Bai, fell ill and died, his mother asked Zhen Niang to take off her earrings and put on men's clothes, and asked him to wear mourning for Lao Bai and send him to the grave. Only then did the whole village know that Zhen Niang turned out to be a man. When the news reached Mr. Hong's home, Sai Lang was pleasantly surprised. Surprisingly, Tongfu did not know that he was a man for many years; I am glad to meet such an amiable person as Zhen Niang. However, when Mr. Hong heard the news, he lost his temper and called Zhenniang's mother and scolded her face to face: "You have a son at home, who will rob you? Why do you dress up as a woman and send it to my library to study, and spend all day with Sai Lang, which ruined my family style!" Zhen Niang's mother was confused: "My Zhen Niang is with Sai Lang. What's wrong with ruining the family style?" When the wife of W was around, she realized that Sai Lang was a woman, and she was taken aback. On second thought, the Hong family was really unreasonable and said angrily, "Your girls can dress up as men to study, so why can't my boys dress up as women to study?" Mr. Hong was speechless and ordered Zhen Niang's mother to be driven out of the gate.

Zhen Niang was so happy when she heard her mother say that Sai Lang was a woman that she decided to marry her. Mother knew that the Hong family would not agree and refused to find a matchmaker, so Zhen Niang was unhappy all day.

A few days later, suddenly a letter came from Hong Jia Yahuan. When I opened it, it was from Sai Lang. The letter said that she was locked in the boudoir by her parents, and how she missed Zhen Niang; She also said how happy she was to know that Zhen Niang was a man. When Zhen Niang read the letter, she knew that Sai Lang was interested in him, and she was extremely happy. She wrote a reply and asked the maid to take it back. From then on, two people made you come and I communicated with each other.

one night, Zhen Niang asked her mother to ask for marriage, and the mother loved her son and promised to try. I didn't expect the matchmaker to be driven back before he entered Hong's gate. The matchmaker said to Zhen Niang, "Die! Mr. W said, on the one hand, you are too poor to support his daughter, and on the other hand, you two used to be classmates. Now it is' selfless and harmful' to marry you, which insults people's good manners. " When Zhen Niang saw that things could not succeed, she became sick with sorrow; His mother was so anxious that she cried day and night. Besides, Sai Lang was also anxious to get sick when he heard that the White House had asked for a marriage proposal to be rejected by his parents. In order to let her daughter die, the baker secretly asked someone to drive the White House mother and son out of the village. Sailang was so angry when he heard the news that he simply didn't even eat rice. The illness is getting worse every day.

besides, Zhen Niang was driven out of the village by the Hong family and moved to the city forty miles away. Before long, Zhen Niang's illness was slightly better, but his mother was ill again, and her health was getting worse day by day. Zhen Niang only made a living by doing small businesses every day. After a few months, his mother died, Zhen Niang buried her mother and decided to go back to the village to find Sailang. He sold his family's things, bought some flowers and other goods, packed them into bags, disguised as a peddler, returned to the village and lived in a ruined temple.

One day, shaking his rattle, he sneaked around the back garden of Hongjia's house. The maid of Sailang heard the drums and came out to buy flowers. When she saw that it was Zhenniang, she was very surprised and rushed in to tell Sailang. Sailang immediately wrote a letter and asked the maid to give it to Zhen Niang, telling him to leave here quickly. Zhen Niang ran back to the temple and opened it. It turned out that Sai Lang had asked him to meet him in the Lotus Pond at midnight tonight. Zhen Niang is happy, looking forward to dark.

At midnight, at the lotus pond, Sailang and Zhenniang cried as soon as they met. Crying, crying, Sai Lang said to Zhen Niang; "Dad shameless, we were born to be husband and wife. I hope you take care of yourself and don't miss me any more. " Then jump into the water. Zhenniang stepped forward and hugged her, crying and saying, "We can't live together, but we would rather die together." Say that finish, two people embrace, jumped into the water together.

The maid didn't come back until the cock crowed, and she didn't dare to say anything when she knew something was wrong. The next day, the Hong family searched everywhere and found a lotus pond. When they saw an embroidered shoe of Sailang, they knew that they had jumped into the water. Mr. Hong hurriedly ordered someone to salvage it, only to see Zhen Niang and Sai Lang hugging each other tightly, but several people could not pull it open. Mr. Hong ordered them to be buried by the lotus pond.

there was only thunder and lightning and a storm that night. Until dawn, I saw the water in the lotus pond rising to the graves of Zhenniang and Sailang, and surrounded the graves: the lotus flowers growing on the graves have stems thicker than people's thumbs. There were two flowers on the top, one red and one white, which were close together, so people called it "Lian Tie Lian" and later called it "Bing Di Di".

(4) Flowers bloom side by side

During the Taihe period of the Jin Dynasty (121-128), there was a pair of lovers who rebelled against arranged marriage and both devoted themselves to the lotus pond. Maybe their true feelings are blessed, when the lotus pond was full of bindilian ...

Lotus and orange lotus root tree moved

According to legend, lotus used to grow on land, while orange lotus root tree was born in water. They often visited each other, had heart-to-heart talks, became close bosom friends, and got married in the same year.

One day, when they talked about their place of residence, the orange lotus root tree thought that it was often submerged in the water, and it was very sad. So it came up with the idea of changing homes with Lotus, so it said to Lotus, "In the same year, no matter how dry it is, the place where I live will not be affected. You suffer from drought every day, and I am really sad. Let's do this. Let's change places. !

at that time, Lian was a little reluctant and said, "Although the drought in your place can be avoided, I'm afraid it will be blistered if it rains in cloudy weather."

The orange lotus root tree was afraid that Lotus would not want to, so it quickly said, "No, you can resist it with big leaves on your head."

Lian hesitated. He thought for a moment and said, "Let's change it for the time being. If I don't feel comfortable living here, we still have to change it back, okay? "

The orange lotus root tree was bent on changing houses with Lotus as soon as possible. Seeing that Lotus was still unwilling, it swore to Lotus, "Yes, yes! That's for sure If you feel uncomfortable after living in my place, we can completely change it back. If I don't go back to my original place, let the wind blow off my leaves in the future. "

when Lian saw that the orange lotus root tree was so serious and swore an oath, he moved to the water to live, and the orange lotus root tree moved to land.

after living in the water, Lian always felt very sad about being flooded, so she asked the orange lotus root tree to change back to its original place. At this time, the orange lotus root tree insisted on not changing it, and turned against others and said maliciously, "How outrageous! If you don't like to change, you can not change it long ago. Now that you have changed, why regret it? No way! No! "

after hearing this, Lian knew that she had been taken in by the orange lotus root tree, but there was nothing she could do. Because the orange lotus root tree just stayed on land and refused to move away, it had to live in the water. Because the water is too flooded, there is no other way, so we have to try our best to get into the mud to avoid it, so the roots of lotus are hidden in the mud now.

because the orange lotus root tree has broken its promise after swearing, it will lose its leaves as soon as the strong wind blows.