What are the customs in the long summer?
First, beat eggs
As the saying goes, "an egg hangs on the chest in the long summer, and the child is not in the summer." Summer onset is a common symptom in summer. Patients with abdominal distension, anorexia, fatigue and emaciation, especially children.
On this day in the long summer, people will boil eggs. In some places, they even boil eggs with black tea or walnut shells, which is called "long summer eggs". Put the eggs in egg covers woven with colored threads and feed them to each other. Or hung on the child's chest, or hung on the curtain.
Children beat eggs for fun, and the eggshell is strong but not broken to win.
There are places where children are tied with colored silk thread, which is called "long summer rope".
Second, the meaning of health in diet.
According to legend, Chang Xia must eat boiled eggs, whole bamboo shoots, peas with shells and other special dishes on this day. According to folklore, eating eggs in the long summer depends on the heart, because the shape of eggs is like the heart, and eating eggs can make the spirit of the soul not suffer losses; Eating bamboo shoots on the legs can make people's legs as strong as bamboo shoots and can travel long distances; Eating peas depends on the eyes, and peas with shells are shaped like eyes. In order to eliminate eye diseases, people eat peas to pray that their eyes will be as clear as fresh peas all year round, and there will be no diseases and disasters.
The purpose of these statements is to pray for the health and safety of the body, heart, legs and other important parts, to prevent diseases and to spend the hot summer smoothly.
Third, weigh people.
There is a custom of weighing people after lunch in the long summer. The ancient poem goes: "Long summer is called a person, hanging beam laughs."
People hang a big wooden scale and a stool on the hook, and everyone takes turns sitting on the stool to weigh people. The weigher speaks auspicious words while weighing people.
Although there are different versions of the origin of the custom of addressing people, they are all related to Liu Bei's son, Dou.
Zhuge Liang said that he captured Meng Huo seven times and convinced others with virtue, and Meng Huo was convinced. He listened to Zhuge Liang, who asked Meng Huo to visit the king of Shu once a year. Because that day happened to be the day when Chang Xia received the order, Meng Huo immediately went to worship Adou. Since then, every summer, Meng Huo has promised to visit Shu. After Emperor Wu of Jin destroyed Shu and robbed, Meng Huo still led troops to visit Luoyang every year and weighed them to verify whether they were abused by Emperor Wu of Jin. He threatened to fight Kim if he mistreated Dou. In order to accommodate Meng Huo, Emperor Wu of Jin did not dare to bully Adou. In this way, A Dou's life can be quiet and peaceful.
From this legend, we can see people's yearning for a "quiet and happy" life. Because the weighers in the long summer bring good luck to Adou, people also adopt this custom and pray for God to bring them good luck.
Another said: When Sun Shangxiang returned to Jiangdong, Liu Bei asked her to take Adou with her to take care of her. A few days later, Zhao Yun was ordered to visit. It was a long summer. Mrs. Sun weighed Adou in front of Zhao Zilong, which means that Laoxia will weigh her again to see if her weight has increased. This shows that Mrs. Sun takes good care of her son. When this statement was introduced to the people, it gradually evolved into that when you weigh yourself on this day, you won't be afraid of the summer heat, you won't lose weight, or you will be troubled by diseases.
Fourth, local dietary customs:
1, five-color rice
In the old days, in rural areas, five-color beans such as red beans, soybeans, black beans, mung beans and mung beans were mixed with white rice and cooked into "five-color rice", which was called long summer rice.
Step 2 eat soft vegetables
In some places in the south, there is a custom of eating soft dishes (Junda dishes) in the long summer, saying that after eating them, there will be no rash in the summer, and the skin will be as smooth as soft dishes.
Step 3 eat shrimp noodles
In the old days, in southern Fujian, I ate shrimp noodles and cooked them with noodles. Shrimp turns red when cooked, which means auspiciousness. Shrimp is homophonic with summer to express wishes for summer.
Step 4 eat "light cake"
In some areas of Fujian, it is a custom to eat "light cakes" in the long summer.
5. "Seven Porridges"
Long Xia, a rural area in eastern Zhejiang, eats "seven porridge", which is a big pot of porridge made of rice, beans and sugar from neighbors, and everyone shares it. It is said that after eating this kind of porridge, the neighborhood is harmonious, and I am bent on going to Xia Geng for summer sowing.
Five, put on your ears and eyes
In the past, mothers often chose this day to get their ears pierced for girls, saying that it was not easy for them to grow back.
When punching ears and eyes, mothers generally don't explain in advance, so as to avoid the child's pain. Instead, prepare an embroidered needle sterilized with fire in advance and coax the child into his arms to eat eggs. When the child eats an egg with his mouth open, the needle quickly goes through the child's earlobe.
Others put ears and eyes on the kitten and tie a red rope.
Six, taboo sitting on the threshold
There is a saying that you should not sit on the threshold in summer, especially children. It is said that if you sit on the threshold in the long summer, you will be tired, sick and depressed for a year in the summer.
If a child accidentally sits on the threshold, he must sit on seven thresholds to remove this taboo.