What are the customs of the autumnal equinox solar terms?
1, autumn festival to the moon
The autumnal equinox used to be the traditional "Festival to offer sacrifices to the moon", and the Mid-Autumn Festival evolved from offering sacrifices to the moon in autumn. In ancient times, there was a folk activity of "Spring Festival to the Sun and the Moon". The autumnal equinox used to be the traditional "Festival of Sacrificing the Moon". Sacrificing to the moon is a very old custom in China. In fact, it is a ritual activity of the ancients in some places in ancient China to "Moon God".
Mid-Autumn Festival is popular in Han Dynasty, which is a period of economic and cultural exchanges and integration between the north and the south of China, and cultural exchanges between different places spread together. The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" was first recorded in the book "Zhou Li" during the Han Dynasty. Mid-Autumn Festival was not popular in northern China from Han Dynasty to Tang Dynasty, but it was popular in the Central Plains of northern China after Tang Dynasty.
Step 2 eat autumn vegetables
The autumnal equinox is the official beginning of stepping on autumn. In Lingnan area, Xie's family in Cangzhen, Kaiping used to be four cities (now Heshan is five cities), and there is an unbroken custom called "eating autumn vegetables at the autumnal equinox". "Autumn vegetable" is a kind of wild amaranth, which villagers call "autumn Artemisia". On the autumnal equinox, the whole village went to pick autumn vegetables.
When searching in the wild, it is often green and thin, about the length of a palm. Picked autumn vegetables are usually boiled with fish fillets at home, which is called "autumn soup". There is a jingle: "autumn soup is dirty, wash the liver and intestines." The whole family is safe and healthy. "Since autumn, people still pray for peace and health at home.
Step 3 send autumn cattle
The autumnal equinox is coming soon, and people will send pictures of autumn cows door to door. The picture is printed with red paper or yellow paper on the lunar solar terms all the year round, and also printed with farmers' ploughing patterns, which is called "Autumn Cattle Map". The pictures are all folk singers, mainly talking about good luck in autumn ploughing that does not violate the farming season. Every time they go to a house, they say whatever they see until the owner is happy to give money. Although the words spoken are casual, every sentence rhymes beautifully. Commonly known as "Autumn", Qiu Ren is called "Qiu Guan".
Step 4 stick the sparrow's mouth
According to custom, farmers have a holiday on the autumn equinox. Every family should eat dumplings. Ten, twenty or thirty dumplings that don't need to be wrapped are cooked, and a thin bamboo fork is placed on the outdoor ridge beside the field, which is called sticking the sparrow's mouth without destroying crops.
Of course, it is only the farmers' beautiful imagination and desire to stick dumplings on sparrows' mouths, but it also illustrates the truth that dumplings are sticky, difficult to digest and should not be eaten more.
5. Fly a kite
The autumn equinox is also a good time for children to fly kites. Especially at the autumnal equinox. Even adults are involved. Kites are divided into Wang Zi kites, silver carp kites, moth kites, Leigong kites and Moonlight kites. The largest kites are two meters high and the smallest ones are two or three feet.
There are kites on the market, many of which are smaller than others' and suitable for children to play with, but most of them are posted by themselves, and the bigger ones have to compete with each other to see which one flies high.
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