Spring Festival

In the Xuzhou area, celebrating the Spring Festival is customarily called "Chinese New Year". The main customs are:

(1) Called the Fire Candle. Before the founding of the Republic of China, people celebrated the Spring Festival from the twelfth lunar month On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, each village and town will have dedicated personnel to watch the clock. In addition to beating gongs and drums to indicate the time, the watchman also shouts: "Be careful of candles and candles, guard the door", "Wood barns must be clear, and water tanks must be full." Remind people to pay attention to fire and theft prevention. In the city of Xuzhou, beggars appeared, carrying wooden signs on their shoulders with government notices posted on them, walking through the streets and shouting "prevent fire and theft" and other warnings.

(2) Sending the God of Wealth to the God of Wealth. After the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, beggars will send statues of the God of Wealth to all the households in the area. Around the fifth day of the first month of the lunar calendar, the beggars take the wooden tablets and go to each house to compare the wooden tablets with each other and ask for Nianmo (steamed New Year buns) from each house.

(3) Dusting As we enter the late twelfth lunar month, every family needs it. "Dust cleaning" (commonly known as "house sweeping") is a relatively thorough indoor and outdoor hygiene and personal hygiene cleaning. Personal hygiene is usually carried out on New Year's Eve. In addition to bathing, a haircut must be performed, which is commonly known as "not leaving any gaps in the year".< /p>

(4) Make New Year’s goods starting from the second half of the twelfth lunar month. In addition to chicken, fish, meat and eggs, prepare some traditional foods such as sugar, fried sesame leaves, fried fruits, meatballs, etc. In addition, chop enough. Eat dumpling fillings for several days, and steam enough steamed buns for more than ten days.

(5) Steamed steamed buns (New Year buns) are very particular, including solid ones, stuffed ones, jujube ones, etc. There are many styles. Some are eaten, some are offered to ancestors and gods, and some are given to beggars or even fed to livestock. Because the steamed buns are steamed a lot, they become dry and cracked, which is commonly known as "laughing." It means that the new year will have plenty of food, clothing, and happiness.

(6) Giving Boxing Gifts Boxing Day gifts are mostly given among relatives. No later than New Year's Eve. Boxing Day gifts include a few kilograms of cakes

for male elders, and often include one or two bottles of wine. But a new son-in-law, especially an unmarried son-in-law who is about to get married, is very particular about giving festive gifts. Live chickens, fresh carp, cakes and wine are indispensable. At least 4 pieces (package) of each item are required, and as many as 16 pieces (package) are required. To show extravagance, he also needs to add expensive cigarettes and cash. The woman only takes half and returns the other half.

(7) Paste New Year pictures and Spring Festival couplets Before the Spring Festival, people want to buy New Year pictures to decorate their houses. Pictures of roosters, which symbolize good luck, and carps, which symbolize wealth and abundance, are generally loved by people; young women like to post New Year pictures like "Fat Baby" in their bedrooms.

Spring couplets are mostly posted on New Year’s Eve. After they are written on red paper, they are pasted on the door and door frame. Cut small squares out of red paper, turn one corner upward, write "Fu", "Longevity", etc., and stick them on furniture and large utensils. Various colored paper cuts are pasted on the lintel to pray for good luck, so it is commonly called "Luck Admonition (Qian)". There are also peach branches inserted on the side of the door, which are probably a symbol of ancient peach charms.

(8) Staying up late on New Year's Eve. In the past, when staying up late on New Year's Eve, the whole family would sit around the fire, eat various refreshments, make dumplings, and talk about the old and the new. Before dawn, it is important to set off a firecracker. Since television became popular, staying up late on New Year's Eve has been replaced by watching TV, and firecrackers have mostly been set off at midnight.

(9) To worship gods and ancestors and say goodbye to the new year. On New Year's Eve, each family puts steamed jujube mountains and jujube steamed buns, inserts "flowers" in each, and puts them on the sacred axis ( On the offering table in front of a statue of Guanyin, Guan Di, or the God of Wealth, depending on their respective beliefs), together with five kinds of fruits, including chestnuts, ginkgo, red dates, Guiyuan, and walnuts, are called "vegetarian offerings." A square table is placed in front of the offering table. A lit copper lamp and a copper pan are placed on the table. A worship mat is placed in front of the square table. There is another room for ancestral shrines. On the offering table in front of the shrine, there are five kinds of food, fish, meat, meatballs and seafood, commonly known as "meat offerings". Around 8 p.m., the whole family puts on new clothes and first burns pine nuts in the courtyard, which is commonly known as "staying up late". At midnight, to worship the gods, set up a heaven and earth table, offer fruits, flat food, steamed buns, drink three glasses of wine, light all-night candles, put on a large stick of incense, insert the heaven and earth code in the incense burner, burn ingots (made of tin foil) in front of the table, and then bow to the elders and younger ones. Respecting heaven and earth, gods, and ancestors, and setting off firecrackers at the same time, commonly known as "welcoming the gods" (the gods descend to the realm on New Year's Eve). After a short rest, the whole family knelt down and worshiped in front of the ancestral shrine. After paying homage to the ancestors, the parents and the couple sit on chairs, and the younger generations kowtow one by one, and then the younger ones kowtow to the elders one by one, which is commonly known as "Kowtow to bid farewell to the year."

< p>(10) New Year greetings When you get up in the morning during the Spring Festival, the first important thing is to pay New Year greetings. First, the parents lead the whole family to pay New Year greetings to the ancestors, and then the whole family pays New Year greetings to the parents, and the younger ones to the elders one by one.

Minors can get "new year deposit money" when paying New Year greetings. After the whole family paid their New Year's greetings, they went out to pay New Year's greetings to relatives, friends, and elders in their immediate neighbors. At this time, when familiar people meet on the road, they will bow to each other and wish each other "Happy New Year" and "Congratulations on getting rich."

(11) Eat vegetarian food During the Spring Festival, you must eat vegetarian food, and meat fillings are not allowed (in the past 10 years, this traditional custom has been broken by young people). Several of the flat food were wrapped with copper coins (later changed to nickel coins). Whoever ate them said that they would be blessed in the new year and everything would go well. Housewives with scheming ideas often mark the money-wrapped flat food and cook it to serve to the elderly and children to entertain the whole family. As the saying goes, "Don't eat meat on the first day of the lunar month, and squat on the meat on the second day of the lunar month." From the second day of the lunar month, people start eating and drinking, and inviting people to drink.

Five Busy Days

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, people in Xuzhou call it "Five Busy Days". When you get up in the morning, you first burn incense to offer to the gods, then collect the offerings in the evening, and don't stop until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. On this busy day, it is forbidden to do needlework. All stores take inventory, calculate profits and losses from the previous year, and issue dividends and dividends. In addition, starting from this day, people in the suburbs and within dozens of miles around will go to the Chenghuang Temple in the city to offer incense until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Lantern Festival

(1) Eating Yuanxiao and Big Buns The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival. It is a custom in Xuzhou to cook Yuanxiao and steam steamed buns during the Lantern Festival. ‘

(2) Appreciating the lanterns and the moon During the Lantern Festival, every family makes lanterns and everyone enjoys the lanterns. The more distinctive one is a kind of noodle lamp, which is specially made when steaming big buns. It is shaped like a bowl, with the upper edge kneaded into a lotus lace. Some soybean oil (sesame oil is better) is put inside, and new cotton is used to make the lamp twist (core). ), after the oil is burned out, the noodle lamp is also baked to a yellow color, and the food is crispy, fragrant and delicious.

Noodle lanterns are the most famous in Feng and Pei counties. Farmers usually steam them into twelve zodiac signs or lanterns that mark the twelve months. After lighting it at night, place it on the door, next to the livestock house, chicken coop, stone mill, grain store, and stove. The amount of water in the lamp and the lantern flowers are used to predict the amount of rainfall in each month and the weather of the year.

(3) Throwing (heng) brush brooms On the night of the Lantern Festival, there is a custom of "setting fire" by throwing brush brooms in Suining and Gupi areas in the southeast of Xuzhou. A few days before the Lantern Festival, children began to collect brooms. On the night of the Lantern Festival, children take brooms to the open space, light them, throw them into the sky, and then throw them up again after falling. While throwing, he sang: "Brush the handle, glazed lamp, big hole in the old monk's hat. Brush the handle, glazed lamp, beat half a liter of a sorghum (sorghum is a small sorghum, corn is a large sorghum)."

The "broomstick throwing" and the songs sung during games in Xinyi County are the same, but the time is on the second day of the second lunar month.

(4) Play "De's Pi" "De's Pi" is a saying in the ancient Pi area. It is named after the splashed sparks are as small as lice. Xuzhou urban area and Fengfei area are called "Diliu Jin'er", which means that if you hold it in your hand and wave it, a stream of gold stars will scatter. Children in both urban and rural areas love to play with these small fireworks.

The Beginning of Spring

On the day of the Beginning of Spring, there are two activities in Xuzhou:

(1) On the day of wall painting and the Beginning of Spring, every household in rural Xinyi uses red clay On the walls, draw pictures of horses, forks, sickles, plows, harrows, oxen, and horses. At the same time, the horns of cattle are painted red, and many red markings are painted on the bodies of donkeys, horses, and mules.

Before the beginning of spring, this kind of red clay is exclusively sold in the market.

(2) On the day of the beginning of spring, people eat green radish according to the time of spring in the almanac, which is called "biting spring". It is commonly known that "biting spring" can prevent people from getting sick all year round. It is also believed that "biting spring" can strengthen the teeth of the elderly. Green radish on the beginning of spring is also more expensive.

February 2nd

On the second day of the second lunar month, Xuzhou is commonly known as "the dragon raises its head", because from then on there are more and more thunders. There are several activities for "February 2".

(1) Cursed Pests February 2 is the time of "sting". From then on, all the insects woke up from hibernation and began to move. Therefore, after people woke up this morning, before getting up, they first knocked the bed cannon with something, and while knocking, they chanted: "February 2, knock the bed candle, Sister Xiang (bed bug), go to Nanxiang (which means walking well)" Far away)." In the evening, take the remaining candles from the Spring Festival, light them everywhere and on the walls and corners, and at the same time recite the prayer: "When the candles shine on the white walls, scorpions and centipedes will hide in the soil." Hold a ladle in one hand and recite a mantra: "Knock the ladle on February 2, and nine out of ten nests of mice will go blind."

(2) Sacrifice to the Earth God. On February 2, you have to go to the Earth Temple to offer sacrifices. Because rural areas often start preparing for spring plowing from this day.

To show auspiciousness, when you get up in the morning, you first use firewood ashes to form a barn shape in the courtyard and on the drying ground, put some wheat and millet in it (copper or silver coins are kept in the city), and recite the prayer: "February 2, Dragon Look up, the big warehouse is full and the small warehouse is flowing.” In the Xinyi area, several "Canglongs" were steamed years ago. The Canglong held a coin in its mouth and two grains of sorghum in its eyes. The dragon's whiskers were made of sorghum seeds. Bury it in grain, take it out on February 2, boil it in a pot, and then share it with the whole family.

(3) Eating scorpion claws. In Feng and Pei counties, fried jelly beans are given to children, which is called "eating scorpion claws". It is said to protect you from scorpion stings. Some steam the big steamed buns left over from the Spring Festival and give them to the elderly, thinking they can relieve back pain; they give the noodle lanterns left over from the Lantern Festival to young adults, thinking they can strengthen their physical strength. Engaged men and women mostly exchange "geng tie" on this day.

(4) Eating jelly beans In Xuzhou City, popcorn, rice popcorn, soybeans and other foods must be eaten by children on February 2nd.

In addition, stir-fry jelly beans made from white flour. In recent years, stir-frying has mostly been replaced by deep-frying.

Hua Chao Festival

On the twelfth day of the second lunar month, Xuzhou is called the "Hundred Flowers Birthday" - Hua Chao Festival. On this day, literati, especially poets, like to gather together to drink tea or drink, admire flowers and write poems.

Qingming Festival

(1) Worshiping ancestors and sweeping tombs Qingming Festival is a traditional day for visiting the graves of ancestors. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, government agencies, schools, factories, etc. had the custom of collectively organizing sacrifices and sweeping the tombs of martyrs.

(2) Cold food and outing During the Qingming Festival, people often go on youth outings after sweeping their tombs. Lunch is mostly a cold meal, which is very similar to the ancient cold food custom.

(3) It is a custom in Xuzhou to insert willow branches on the Qingming day. Commonly known as: "If you don't plant willows during the Qingming Festival, you will turn into a big yellow dog when you die."

(4) Kite flying It is a traditional custom to fly kites before and after the Qingming Festival, but the craftsmanship of the kites is not very particular. In recent years, kite enthusiasts in Xuzhou have held several friendly kite competitions during the Qingming Festival.

Dragon Boat Festival

(1) Eating rice dumplings, eggs, and one head of garlic. Xuzhou custom is that on the morning of the fifth day of May, you must eat cooked rice dumplings, eggs, and one head of garlic. .

(2) Drink realgar wine. At noon on the Dragon Boat Festival, the whole family gathers for dinner and drinks realgar wine. Before drinking, you must first dip some wine and rub it on the children's nostrils, ears, navel, fontanelle, waist ("Mingmen point"), palms, soles of feet, etc., thinking that it can avoid poisonous insects and eliminate all kinds of diseases. On this day, children should bring scented purses and wear Wudu shoes (or tiger-head shoes) and Wudu clothes (bought from the store, with patterns of five poisonous insects on the clothes).

(3) Putting moxa sticks on the door

On the Dragon Boat Festival, Xuzhou people will put a few moxa sticks on their doors. Commonly known as: "If you don't insert mugwort during the Dragon Boat Festival, you will turn into an old turtle when you die." ” is actually a celebration of the summer harvest. Every family steams steamed buns, buys fish and meat to improve their lives, puts pickled, plum, apricot and large steamed buns on the altar table in the courtyard, burns incense and sets off firecrackers to worship the gods of heaven and earth. Children who are vaccinated against pox will receive red seeds on this day.

June 6th

June 6th is the "Sun Exposure Festival". In urban and rural areas of Xuzhou, people are accustomed to taking out clothes, books and other items to dry. As the saying goes: "On June 6th, the dragon's clothing is dried in the sun, and the dragon's clothing is rotten when it is wet." If it rains on this day, it is considered a flood year.

Qiqiao Festival

(1) Qiqiao Festival The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the Qiqiao Festival. According to legend, this day is the day when the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd meet. It is a custom in Xuzhou that on this night, girls use red thread to identify (thread) needles under the moonlight and compete to see who is faster and more skillful; there are also those who place bets, and the winner is called "decai" and is considered to be the most dexterous.

(2) Listen to whispers. In the early morning of the eighth day of the lunar month (commonly known as the night of the seventh day), after the rooster crows three times, the boy and girl are called to listen carefully outside the gap under the berry flower shed. It is said that you can hear the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Whisper. If it rains that day, people say it is the tears of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

Hungry Ghost Festival

The fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month is the Hungry Ghost Festival, commonly known as the "Ghost Festival". On this day, foils are burned to worship ancestors. In the evening, the Bon Bon Festival is held, and monks are invited to the altar to chant sutras and save the souls of the dead. People often make lotus lanterns out of paper, light candles and place them in the river, commonly known as "putting river lanterns".

Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. It is customary for Xuzhou people to celebrate the festival. This day is second only to the Spring Festival.

(1) Steamed mooncakes There are many styles of steamed mooncakes. The more distinctive one is to steam a large, round, multi-layered mooncake, which is eaten by the whole family

It represents the whole family. Happy reunion. In addition, some pasta shaped like rabbits, hedgehogs, dragons, etc. are also steamed.

(2) Worshiping the moon. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, after the moon rises, a table is set up toward the east, incense and candles are lit, moon cakes, fruits and other offerings are placed. Then firecrackers are set off and the whole family kowtows to worship the moon. After worshiping the moon, a banquet is held under the moon, and the whole family drinks reunion wine.

Double Ninth Festival

The ninth day of the ninth lunar month is the Double Ninth Festival. Xuzhou people, especially the elderly and educated people, often join hands to climb mountains, and choose a place with flat rocks. They serve food and wine, burn wild grass to heat the wine, and drink until late. Historically, literati loved to climb Xiang Yu's horse stage. From this stage, one can appreciate the crisp autumn sky with high sky and clear clouds, while looking down one can overlook the scenery of the whole city. Wen Tianyang of the Southern Song Dynasty also went to the theater stage in Xuzhou on this day and wrote poems about his aspirations.

On this day, many people drink chrysanthemum wine in Xuzhou, and restaurants also sell fried chrysanthemum snacks. Although some people wear dogwood trees, it has not become a common custom.

Respecting the elderly during the Double Ninth Festival has become an emerging trend since the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. In recent years, many people have called this day "Respect for the Aged Day" and "Old Man's Day".

The month is at the head

On the 15th day of the 11th month of the lunar calendar, Xuzhou is called "the month at the head". As this day approaches, various hotels put up couplets: "Everything is worse than having a cup in hand, and seeing the moon in front of your head only once a year." Because at midnight on this day, the moon hangs almost vertically in the sky, making it difficult to see objects on the ground. Shadow, even in a very deep well, you can see the reflection of the moon. In order to watch this wonderful scene, people held banquets, drank slowly and talked for a long time, waiting for this moment to arrive, which is commonly known as "drinking the first wine". When drinking, a bamboo pole is often erected next to it so that it is perpendicular to the ground, so as to watch the moon reach the sky and the shadow of the bamboo pole gradually disappear.

Winter Solstice

On the day of Winter Solstice, Xuzhou is called "Li Da Dong", commonly known as "Li Da Dong, a green onion grows" (meaning that the days will get longer after that). It is a custom in Xuzhou to eat "winter dumplings" (also known as "cat ears", a kind of dumplings shaped like cat ears) on this day. People believe that eating winter pimples will prevent frostbite in winter.

Laba Festival

The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is the "Laba Festival". On this day, Laba porridge is eaten. There are two types of Laba porridge, sweet and salty. The sweet one is usually filled with preserved melon seeds and fruits, while the mature one is added with tofu skin, shredded dried fragrant mustard, diced mustard, winter vegetables, shredded bamboo shoots, shredded pork, etc. After the porridge is cooked, some should be served to relatives and neighbors first. People with children let their children eat more porridge sent by relatives and friends, thinking that they can "la baba" ("laba" in Xuzhou dialect means to support and support). ．

The Laba Festival originates from Buddhism. On this day, all monasteries and nunneries will cook porridge in big pots and distribute it to the donors’ homes to collect alms.

Sacrifice to the stove

In the late twelfth lunar month, there is an activity to offer sacrifices to the stove, which is commonly known as "Officials, three people, four, kings and eighty-five" (meaning that worshiping the stove on the 25th is a sign of ignorance of etiquette). On the day of worshiping the stove, first ask the Kitchen God to code (that is, buy a statue of the Kitchen God, the code is printed in red, green, and yellow), stick it on the stove at night, and add a couplet on both sides: "God says good things, and the lower world keeps peace." , write on the forehead: "Head of the family", and read at the same time: "Kitchen King, Kitchen King, please eat sweets, God will say good things, and return to the palace to bring good luck", or "Kitchen Master God, talk more about convenience, less about right and wrong, The whole family is safe." He thought that the Stove King "had eaten other people's soft lips" and would not say bad things.

When worshiping the Kitchen God, the whole family kowtows in turn, opens the sugar candies and offers them, and rubs a little on the Kitchen God’s mouth. After the second watch, the confession was collected and the whole family shared the glutinous rice. In addition, you have to eat Guokui. Chengzhu Temple Fair

There must be a Chenghuang Temple Fair on the fifth day of the first lunar month, Qingming Festival, the 15th day of July, and the first day of October, New Year's Eve. Take the beginning of the year as an example. After the second watch on the fifth day of the lunar month, the Taoist priest struck the magic weapon and chanted the sutra. On the sixth day of the lunar month, commonly known as the day when the city god sealed his seal, people from both urban and rural areas came to offer incense, which gradually stopped after the Lantern Festival. During the festival, the temple is brightly lit and smoky, and the streets in the city are bustling with stilt walkers, land boat rowers, big head performers and lion dancers.

Qingming Festival (Shangyuan Festival), July 15th (Hungry Ghost Festival), and October 1st (Xiayuan Festival) are the days when the City God goes on patrol. The Taoist priests in the temple organize people to carry the statue of the City God. The big driver (statue) went on a tour.

The Fire Temple Festival

The seventh day of the first lunar month is the Fire Temple Festival. In the past, there were small fire temples in the four gates of the old city of Xuzhou. There was a "Xinxin Temple" in the Chuanxin Pavilion on the west side of Tongyi Street, which was dedicated to the God of Fire and was majestic.

On this day of the festival, people come one after another to burn incense and fulfill their wishes, hoping to avoid fires. Now the temples have long since disappeared.

The Hell King Meeting

The eighth day of the first lunar month is the Hell King Meeting. This was the grandest temple fair in Xuzhou City in the past. Although there is a "Ten Kings Hall" on the south slope of Fan Zeng's Tomb (today's Tomb of the Eastern Han Dynasty), which contains the memorial tablets of Yama in the Ten Halls, the temple fair is held in the City God's Temple. There were many people attending the meeting that day, and many people often couldn't squeeze into the gallery, so they threw incense and tin foil into the big cauldron in the courtyard, knelt down and kowtowed.

Jade Emperor Temple Fair

The ninth day of the first lunar month is the Jade Emperor Temple Fair. Legend has it that this day is the birthday of the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor Temple in Xuzhou is located northwest of the Xiguan Campus. During the conference, many people come to watch the temple and play.

Renzu Temple Fair

The thirteenth day of the first lunar month is the Renzu Temple Fair. Renzu Temple is located at the west end of Kuixi Lane. The temple houses the statue of Pangu, the ancestor of Renzu. During the Republic of China, there was no temple owner in the temple, and during festivals it was taken care of by poor households living in the temple.

Huang Lou Hui

The sixteenth day of the first lunar month is the Huang Lou Hui. Huanglou was built in the Song Dynasty and houses the statues of Su Shi, the prefect of Xuzhou, and his daughter Su Gu. In the tenth year of Song Xining's reign (1077), there was a flood in Xuzhou. According to legend, Su Gu threw herself into the water to save the people of Xuzhou, and the flood retreated (actually it was Su Shi who led the entire city's army and people to fight the flood). The construction of Huanglou not only commemorates Su Gu, but also means following the "Five Elements Theory" and the loess to control water. On this day of the meeting, there were many girls and elderly women attending the meeting.

福神会

The second day of the second lunar month is the Blessing God Meeting. The God of Fortune that Xuzhou people talk about is the "Lord of the Land". The Temple of the God of Fortune is very small. From the first night of the first lunar month,

local residents come to burn incense, light candles and set off firecrackers. After the offerings are made, the neighbors gather together for a meal. After the meal, they play gongs and drums and have a lively atmosphere, which is commonly known as the "Warm Life" of the Lord of the Land. Early in the morning on the second day of the Lunar New Year, come again to offer incense and worship.

Yunlong Mountain Meeting

The 19th day of the second lunar month is the Yunlong Mountain Meeting. According to legend, this day is the birthday of Guanyin Bodhisattva, also known as the "Guanyin Meeting". Yunlong Mountain is located in the southern suburbs of the city and is the most famous tourist destination in Xuzhou. Therefore, there are many people attending the meeting, and its scale is second only to the Chenghuang Temple Fair and the Taishan Fair. During the meeting, someone came to ask for a son. Up and down the mountain, there are many kinds of local products, handicrafts and traditional snacks.

Peach Festival

The third day of the third lunar month is the Peach Festival. According to legend, this day is the birthday of the Queen Mother. On the day of the Peach Fair, it is not so much about worshiping the Queen Mother as it is about participating in a material exchange meeting. The livestock market is the largest in the square in front of the temple, followed by the agricultural tools market. In addition, there are also household appliances, JL children's toys, etc.

Ksitigarbha meeting

The eighth day of the fourth lunar month is the Ksitigarbha meeting. There was originally a Ksitigarbha Hall in the west gate of the city. Before the meeting, the church printed "conference cards" on big red paper and distributed them widely to inform them of the meeting date. Most of the people who attend the meeting to burn incense are elderly women.

Taishan Hui

The fifteenth day of the fourth lunar month is the Taishan Hui. This is the largest event within hundreds of miles with Xuzhou as the center. The conference lasts about 20 days and has many activities.

(1) Those who come to burn incense by kowtowing their heads, starting from Caoshan Pavilion at the northern foot of the mountain, kowtow every time they go up a step to show their piety, and are called "kowtowing their heads".

(2) Literary and artistic activities During the conference, there are many types of drama troupes, acrobatics, circus, folk arts, folk juggling, and dances, each with its own venue.

(3) Material exchange Since the beginning of April, craftsmen from various industries and folk craftsmen have brought their goods down the mountain and set up stalls. Bamboo wares market, wooden wares market, iron wares market, stone market, livestock market (with a place for walking animals), reed mat market, etc. are all very prosperous. Due to the large number of people attending the meeting, the meeting lasted for a long time, during the Republic of China period. Police officers were stationed at the meeting to maintain order.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Taishan Meeting has been used as a material exchange conference many times. During the Cultural Revolution, the Taishan Temple was razed to the ground and the temple fair was abolished. After 1977, the temple fair recovered slightly, but it was not as good as before.

Five Poison Temple Fair

The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the Five Poison Temple Fair. The Five Poison Temple is located on the bank of the Yellow River to the north of Damtou in Dongguan City. The temple honors the "Five Poison Master" (i.e. the God of Plague). The temple is usually run by nuns. The willow forest in the east of the temple is very spacious. During temple fairs, various folk arts, divination, medicine sellers, and performers set up stalls in it.

The Wudu Temple is located on the bank of the Yellow River. During meetings, there are various ferries in the river, which can be used for ferrying and entertainment. There are various entertainment venues all over the river stalls on both sides of the river. During the Cultural Revolution, the temple was demolished and temple fairs ceased. In recent years, temples have been renovated and temple fairs have slowly resumed.

Guandi Temple Fair

The thirteenth day of the fifth lunar month is the Guandi (Guan Yu during the Three Kingdoms) temple fair.

There are many Guandi temples in Xuzhou, but only the one under Yunlong Mountain is larger. In addition, there is also a tablet of Yue Fei in the Guandi Temple. Legend has it that May 13th is Guan Yu's birthday, because rulers of all dynasties used Guan Yu to promote "loyalty" and often sent personnel to various places to pay tribute. The Guandi Temple Fair in Xuzhou is very lively, with martial arts practitioners and gang members coming in droves.

Liuhou Temple Fair

The 18th day of the fifth lunar month is the Liuhou (Han Zhangliang) Temple Fair. It is said that this day is the birthday of Zhang Liang (also known as Zifang). According to legend, Zhang Liang once asked people to fly a kite on a small mountain, and he sat in the kite. When the kite floated over the Chu camp, he played Chu music on the flute, which disrupted the morale of the Chu army. Therefore, the mountain was named Zifang Mountain from then on. There is Liuhou Temple on the mountain. On every meeting day, people attending the meeting often fly kites symbolically.

General Liu Temple Fair

The first day of the seventh lunar month is the General Liu Temple Fair. Legend has it that a long time ago, Xuzhou was hit by a locust plague, thanks to General Liu who led his soldiers to fight against it day and night. After the locust plague, General Liu died of overwork. In order to commemorate him, the people of Xuzhou built a General Liu Temple (also known as the "Grasshopper Temple") on the east slope of the mountain behind Yunlong Mountain. Because locust plagues were frequent in Xuzhou in the past, the local government also sent dedicated personnel to hold sacrifices during festivals, and more people came to burn incense. After 1922, the temple became more dilapidated and temple fairs gradually ceased.

Dongyue Temple Fair

The Dongyue Temple Fair is held on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. The temple is located south of the "General Liu Temple". Taoist saying: Emperor Dongyue controls the life and death of people. Therefore, if there are serious patients in the family, they often ask young people among relatives and friends to burn incense to "protect longevity". The so-called longevity guarantee means that the person who burns incense makes a wish to lend a few years of his life to the patient, so it is also called "borrowing longevity". On the day of the festival, it was crowded from morning to night with people burning incense and "blessing their longevity." After 1931, the temple gradually fell into disuse.