Folk customs in Jiangnan water towns

1. Dragon Boat Festival

On the Dragon Boat Festival in May, every family eats rice dumplings, drinks realgar wine, puts calamus and moxa leaves on the door and puts up talismans to drive away ghosts and evil spirits. Realgar wine is also given to children's eyebrows to drive away the five poisons of scorpions, snakes, centipedes, geckos and toads.

2. June 6

In June, literati and poets exposed their calligraphy, paintings, and clothes. Farmers dry their coir raincoats, hats and pants, and eat wontons on June 6. As the saying goes: cats and dogs bathe on June 6, and from this day onwards they go to the river to bathe.

3. Hungry Ghost Festival

The fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month is the Hungry Ghost Festival, commonly known as "July 15th". Every family prepares wine and food to honor their ancestors. In ancient times, there were no sacrifices. Meat, mainly thin fruits. On the 30th, Ksitigarbha’s birthday, it is customary to insert Ksitigarbha incense.

4. Mid-Autumn Festival

August 15th is the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is "August and a half". Every family eats moon cakes and reunites in the evening to enjoy the moon. Tell Mid-Autumn Festival stories. On the Double Ninth Festival, which is the ninth day of September, people climb mountains together. It is a custom in Xinshi to eat millet cakes. Millet cake is made from rice flour, topped with peach flesh, millet seeds, roses and sugar. It is sweet and delicious.

5. Stove-Giving Day

The Stove-Giving Day is on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, which is called "La La 23". Adzuki beans, glutinous rice and holly cypress leaves are used to worship the Stove God. , remove the Stove Sima Zhang in the Stove Hall, burn spare incense candles to the sky, and replace it with a new Stove God statue.

Baidu Encyclopedia—Jiangnan Water Town