Customs and customs of Haojiang District
Spring Festival
The Spring Festival was called "Shangri", "Yuanri", "Shuodan", "New Year's Day", etc. in ancient times. Since Xia, Shang, Zhou and Qin, it has been celebrated every year. Every time a dynasty changes, in order to express the order from heaven, the new moon must be "corrected", that is, the first month of the year and the starting time of the new moon. It was not until the first year of Taichu (104 BC) of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that the "Taichu Calendar" revised by Sima Qian, Luo Xiahong, and Deng Ping was officially implemented, with the first month of the lunar calendar as the beginning of the year. The customs of the Spring Festival were finalized, and the "Spring Festival" became a traditional Chinese festival. Various forms of activities were held by the court and the people, which were very grand. In modern times, there are customs such as lion and dragon dances, Spring Festival couplets, and New Year greetings to each other to welcome the New Year and celebrate good luck. Other customs in Dahao: making red rice cakes and using ingots to worship gods.
Lantern Festival
The fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the Lantern Festival, which is called Shangyuan Festival in Taoism. It is the day when the heavenly official of Shangyuan came down to earth to bestow blessings. It originated from Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty offering sacrifices to the "Taiyi God". Starting from dusk on the 15th day of the first lunar month, grand lantern sacrifices are held all night long. Since then, there has been the custom of putting up lanterns and colorful decorations on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month to worship the gods of heaven and earth to ensure peace and prosperity in the new year. It has always been popular among the people and evolved into customs such as hanging lanterns and setting off fireworks on the fifteenth night. Other customs in Dahao: making cabbage cakes and using ingots to worship the gods.
Qingming Festival
Qingming is one of the 24 traditional solar terms. In the pre-Qin Dynasty, there was the custom of cold food. In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there were outings, tomb-sweeping, ancestor worship and other customs. In the Tang Dynasty, it was Integrated into Qingming Festival. Other customs in Dahao: making pine cakes and using yellow and white paper, ingots, gold and silk to worship ancestors' tombs.
Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, also known as Dragon Boat Festival, Chongwu, Duanyang, etc. Its formation is the product of the fusion of customs from past dynasties and various places. In the north, May is the evil month, and the Dragon Boat Festival is the day to ward off evil spirits. In the south, it originated from the dragon totem sacrifices of the Yue people and the dragon boat racing activities to commemorate outstanding figures of the past dynasties. There are different forms of customs such as "wormwood" to drive away evil spirits, realgar wine to drive away all kinds of diseases, eating rice dumplings and so on. Other customs in Dahao: making rice dumplings on the sand and using ingots to worship the gods.
Hungry Ghost Festival
It is one of the Taoist Three-Year Festivals. July 15th is the "Hungry Ghost Festival". Buddhism holds a grand "Ollan Festival" on this day to pray for salvation. There is a custom of doing good deeds and giving alms to the souls of the dead who have no one to worship them outside. Other customs in Dahao: making glutinous rice cakes, peanut sugar, and using gold and silk to worship the gods.
Mid-Autumn Festival
On the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, as early as before the Warring States Period, the ancients had legends that there were toads in the middle of the moon, and the moon had always been called the Toad Palace. In the Han Dynasty, it was also said that there were osmanthus trees and The story of Wu Gang's Expedition of Gui, due to the cool weather in August and the particularly bright and crystal clear moon, the trend of worshiping and worshiping the moon gradually evolved into the trend of admiring the moon. The Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th was officially formed in the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty ate mooncakes. The custom of enjoying the moon and eating mooncakes continues to this day. Other customs in Dahao: using moon cakes, ingots, etc. to worship the gods.
Winter Festival
Winter Solstice is one of the traditional twenty-four solar terms. The "Winter Solstice" day has been used to celebrate the harvest since ancient times. Every household eats sweet dumplings while offering sacrifices to their ancestors. This custom has been popular since the Han Dynasty and continues to this day in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Other customs in Dahao: making sweet dumplings, etc., and using gold and silk to worship ancestors.
New Year's Day
New Year's Eve is New Year's Eve, which is the last day of the year. In primitive society, a kind of witch dance was used to compete with each other. In the pre-Qin period, the ritual of driving away stalls was popular. In the Han Dynasty, it was the ritual of driving away ghosts and diseases. After evolution, it has evolved to the present day. It involves cleaning the inside and outside of the home, biding farewell to the old year, and surrounding the fire with the whole family to celebrate reunion and receive good fortune. Other customs in Dahao include making turtle cakes and using gold and silk to worship gods. Famous local products in Haojiang District include Dahao fish balls, red sand clams, Zhupu crispy candy, Dahao rice noodles, etc.