Zhongyuan Festival · Sending Mourning Pursuit of the Pioneer does not have to be afraid of "July and Half" | Our festivals · Oral folklore

Cover reporter Li Yuxin

"The current Tao is the Zhongyuan Festival, when the weather is too early."

After the beginning of autumn, the temperature was still in the heat of the "Sanfu Sky", and the wind was mixed with enthusiasm. They were telling everyone that the midsummer had not passed, and the cool autumn had not yet arrived. But at high temperatures, people also ushered in the Middle Yuan Festival of respecting their ancestors and memorizing their ancestors.

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On August 12, on July 15th of the lunar calendar, it was commonly known as "July Half". In some areas, the lunar calendar is also regarded as the Zhongyuan Festival on July 14th. When it comes to the Zhongyuan Festival, many people may take a bite of air. A saying "July and a half, ghosts, ghosts", this festival is plated with a layer of gloomy and terrible background, and it also has a seemingly terrifying name like the "ghost festival".

However, from the long river of history, the Central Yuan Festival actually stems from the early "July and Half of the July" farmers' bumper harvest to taste the ancestors. The reason why it is called "Zhongyuan Festival" is derived from Taoism after the Eastern Han Dynasty. Over time, the festival integrates three cultures: folk worldly, Taoism, and Buddhism, and gradually flourish, and fixes "Zhongyuan" into festivals.

The ancestors were filial piety, pursuing the ancestors, and praying for the lights ... On the day of the Central Yuan Festival, people who thought of the death of the dead also coincided with Xiao Qiu's crops to harvest and shared the joy of harvest with their ancestors.

Put the river lanterns to mourn and pray for happiness and peace

Putting River Lantern (Figure Source Network)

"On July 15th, the temples were built in the pimple, and the lights were set at the water at night, and the river lamps were released." In the ancient book "Emperor Jing Jingwing Spring" in the Ming Dynasty, you can see the night in the Zhongyuan Festival. The scene of the ancients put lanterns in the river. In addition, the "Emperor's Kyoko Ji Sheng · Zhongyuan" by Pan Rong, Pan Rong in the Qing Dynasty also wrote: "Every year, Zhongyuan Jianyulan Dojo, from the 13th to 15th, put the river light Among them, the lotus leaves are linked to the two sides of the strait, with thousands of calculations. Thousands of lotus lamps with glazed lotus lamps, with the waves. "

"Wanshu Liangsheng Frost Qi is clear, and the middle and January are in the middle and Jiu Ming. The children's competition is the Qinghe leaf, and the 10,000 silver flowers are scattered." In a poem by the Qing people, you can also see it On the day of the Yuan Dynasty, children held the scene with lotus leaf lights with amusement.

It can be said to be one of the customs that people know in this festival. The river lights on the water are usually placed on the base or candles, and the midnight night is placed in the rivers and lakes, letting it drift. "When the moon just rose, people ignited the river lights they made and placed in the flowing river water to let them drift in the distance. At the same time, I also pray for future happiness and peace, hoping to send disasters and diseases along the flowing water.

Folklore expert Liu Xiaochang described that in Chengdu in the old days, people chose to place river lights under the Jinhua Bridge on the Jiang'an River on the night of the Central Yuan Festival. Of course, there are farmers living by the river to pray for blessings along the river to pray for blessings. "July 15th in the lunar calendar, or the night of Qiqiao Festival and Mid -Autumn Festival, when the river light drifted along the river to meet the past boats, the boat must take the initiative to avoid and let the river lights drift through the bodies on both sides of the hull, because People take the river light as a symbol of praying for auspiciousness, happiness and peace. "

Eating ducks Qingbuzhuang at the time

Old duck soup (Tuyuan Network)

Before and after the Chinese Yuan Festival, it also coincided with the beginning of the twenty -four solar terms. In ancient times, people set up autumn as the beginning of autumn, and autumn was the harvest season, so this festival can also enjoy many delicious food.

For example, in many areas, they will choose to eat ducks on July and Half of the lunar calendar, and to sacrifice their ancestors with ducks. According to folk circulation, because the ducks are in the water, the meaning of praying for the river lamp is taken. However, there are also saying that "duck" homophonic is the same as "pressing", eating ducks to suppress the "soul". There are also sayings of the people, "Eating ducks in July and a half in July, don't be afraid of everything."

Of course, the meaning given by the ancients to ducks was also just at this time to eat ducks. Because at this time, the duck meat is fat, and the arrival of the beginning of autumn means that the cool autumn day is coming. Duck meat is not warm and not hot. It is a good product for clearing up. People often say: "July half -duck, August half taro." It can be seen that the ancient people believed that the duck in the first half of the lunar calendar was the most fattened.

In fact, the cultural core of the Zhongyuan Festival has always been "respecting the ancestors and filial piety." Ancient folks also believed that the ancestors would visit their children and grandchildren at halfway to home in July, so the ancients worshiped their ancestors on this day. It happened that the "July Half of July" was harvested by crops, and the joy of harvest was shared with the ancestors. "Tokyo Menghua Record" contains: "On the day of the middle of the Yuan Dynasty, I bought the leaves, and when I enjoyed the desktop, I bought the Magua Nest, which was also tied to the foot of the table, which was the meaning of the ancestor Qiu Cheng."

Therefore, don't be afraid of the arrival of "July Half". On this day, people who are thinking about their deaths can still see the cultural core of "respecting their ancestors and filial piety", which is endless in contemporary contemporary. The reason why the festival can continue is also because of people's memory of the ancestors and the emotions of the sages.

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