What is folklore?

Folklore, also known as folk culture, refers to relatively stable cultural matters that are gradually formed and passed down from generation to generation by a nation or a social group in the long-term production practice and social life. It can be simply summarized as popular folk customs. ,custom.

China is a country with a long history of folk customs and traditions. Among the various ethnic groups born and raised in China, there are various folk customs and cultures created by the broad masses of the people and passed down from generation to generation. These folk customs not only enrich people's lives, but also increase national cohesion. Folk customs originated from the needs of human social group life, and have been continuously formed, expanded and evolved in various ethnic groups, eras and regions to serve people's daily lives. Folk custom is such a basic force that comes from the people, is inherited by the people, regulates the people, and is deeply hidden in the people's behavior, language and psychology.

Folklore is the culture most closely related to people’s body, mind and life among the people’s inherited culture – there are folk customs of productive labor during labor, there are folk customs of daily life in daily life, and there are folk customs of traditional festivals in traditional festivals. Social organizations have social organization folk customs, and various stages of life growth also need folk customs to regulate - people need wedding ceremonies or rituals to gain social recognition when getting married. There are also folk customs in the field of human spiritual consciousness - many taboos in life are like this. : From New Year's Eve to the second day of the Lunar New Year, sweeping the floor at home is not allowed. If you sweep the floor, it will destroy your fortune in the coming year.

Although folklore phenomena are diverse and diverse, they are not all-encompassing. Folk custom, just like its name, is deeply rooted in the collective. In terms of time, people pass it on from generation to generation. In terms of space, it spreads from one region to another. The custom of lucky money is like this every year, and it is popular everywhere. illustration.

Of course, folk customs are not monolithic. Different versions will appear in the process of inheritance. Otherwise, why would the north eat dumplings during the Chinese New Year but the south eat rice cakes?

Folklorists call this phenomenon "folklore variation." Although folk customs often change due to changing times, they have their own distinct types or patterns, did you know? Diaojiaolou in the south and courtyard houses in the north are two different types of residential buildings.

Folk custom is such a basic force that comes from the people, is inherited by the people, regulates the people, and is deeply hidden in the people's behavior, language and psychology. We are in it but not burdened by it, and we are willing to accept the protection of this model norm!

Folklore can be roughly divided into three major categories and eight subcategories:

1. Material life folklore

(1) Production folklore (agriculture, fishery, mining, Primary production of material materials such as hunting and breeding)

(2) Industrial and commercial folk customs (processing services of material materials such as handicrafts, services and commerce)

(3) Life folk customs (clothing, food, housing, transportation and other material consumption aspects)

2. Social life folk customs

(1) Social organization folk customs (family, village, community, association and other organizations) aspect)

(2) Festival folk customs during the year (the time frame represented by festivals and activities)

(3) Life etiquette and customs (birth, birthday, coming of age, marriage, funeral, etc. Life course)

3. Spiritual life folklore

(1) Entertainment folklore (games, competitions, social fires and other entertainment aspects)

(2) Folklore Concepts (folk spiritual world represented by worship of gods, legends, stories, proverbs, etc.)

Representative folk customs

Cigarette label folk customs

Folk customs from all over China The differences are huge, but the pursuit of auspiciousness is the same. Therefore, cigarette labels most often reflect auspicious and festive themes. Use words and patterns to express good wishes through the meaning or homophony of certain natural objects. For example, the "Ximei" brand of Xinzheng Cigarette Factory uses the magpie climbing plum branches in folk culture to express the meaning of "browsing with joy". The homophonic pronunciation of Mei Zhi means the tip of the eyebrow, and the word "Happiness" is drawn by Magpie. Having more than one year after year is the expectation of the masses. Many areas in China have this custom: although there are cooked fish on the Spring Festival table, they are not allowed to eat it, which means that there will be more than one fish year after year. Lotus and carp are often used on cigarette labels to imply "continuous years" and "more than enough" respectively, which are also masterpieces of folk culture. The "You" brand of Guangxi Wuming Cigarette Factory has a unique design. What exactly is included in the "You" brand cigarette logo can be seen at a glance. This trademark comes in a set of four, each with four images of a magpie, a bat, a copper coin, and a carp, with hidden buttons indicating happiness, blessing, wealth, and abundance. The good wishes expressed on cigarette labels are not only popular among Chinese people, but are also popular when exported to Vietnam. In folk culture, mandarin ducks and lotus flowers symbolize the love between husband and wife, which is a theme often involved in cigarette labels. Cigarette factories such as Changsha, Nanchang, Harbin, Wuhu, and Guangshan have all produced cigarette labels with the theme of mandarin ducks. Sichuan cigarette factories even produced " "Bingdilian" travel series cigarettes are deeply loved by smokers.

The pines and bamboos are not in harmony with the winter, and the plum blossoms are proud of the frost and snow. The three cold friends in this year symbolize the perseverance spirit. They are not only worthy of praise from literati and officials, but also often appear on cigarette labels, reflecting this aspect of cigarettes. Standards abound, adding a landscape to folk culture.

People desire longevity, but wishes for longevity vary from place to place. Southerners put their trust in the longevity star, the old man, and the portrait of the old longevity star has become the main image on many cigarette labels; Northerners put their trust in pine and crane, and "the longevity is as long as the immortal pines in the southern mountains" and the crane-haired childlike appearance are people's ardent expectations, so the picture of pine and crane appears on many cigarette labels. In some areas, birthday peaches are used to express birthday wishes, so the pattern of longevity peaches on the label is very eye-catching, such as the "Xianshou" in Chuzhou Cigarette Factory; in some areas, the longevity fruit "peanut" is used to express birthday wishes, and there are also many such cigarette labels. few. It can be seen that folk culture is really colorful and gorgeous. Cigarette labels with folk colors are easily accepted by everyone. Some cigarette factories take advantage of consumers' preference for folk culture to produce complete sets of cigarette labels to expand the sales of their products. For example, "Gong", "Congratulations", "New" and "Jubilee" are used in Yuxi Cigarette Factory; "Shi", "Lai", "Yun" and "Zhuan" are used in Nanning Cigarette Factory; and "Fu", "Fu" and "Zhuan" are used in Shanghai Cigarette Factory. "Lu", "Fu", "Gui", "Shou"; Yichang Cigarette Factory's "Fu", "Lu", "Shou", "Xi", "Kang", etc. are all set cigarettes. Changsha Cigarette Factory even launched five gift sets of four cigarettes each, totaling 20 packs at a time, named Fu, Ru, Dong, Hai; Shou, Bi, Nan, Shan; Fu, Lu, Shou, Xi; Ji, Xiang, Ru, Yi; dragon, wind, Cheng, Xiang. Consumers are of course willing to make a one-time purchase for the sake of good fortune. This kind of cigarette is suitable for honoring elders, giving as a gift to relatives and friends, or as a self-appraisal. [2]

Mazu Folk Customs

Mazu Folk Customs is a conventional ancient folk custom gradually formed due to people's admiration for Mazu. It is different from other collective activities of Mazu beliefs and customs. It mainly refers to the individual belief activities of believers. It has distinctive personal characteristics and mainly includes the following contents.

Mazu Lantern Festival

Traditional folk activities are held for the people of Meizhou Island to pray for blessings and celebrate the harvest. During festivals, especially during the Lantern Festival, people carry "Mazu lanterns" around the area for fun at night.

Thanksgiving and Respecting God

This is a family ceremony to express gratitude to the heaven. Both men, women and children, all dressed in uniform, line up to the Mazu Temple to respectfully invite Mazu to participate, thank the Holy Grace and express reverence.

Asking for Divination from the Holy Grail

When believers encounter difficulties in their family or career, they often go to Mazu Temple to ask for divination using the wooden half-moon-shaped "Holy Grail" to pray for how to solve difficult problems.

Exchanging flowers for pregnancy

Refers to the fact that married women with no children in Meizhou Island go to Mazu Temple to pray for children and exchange flowers on the head of the Mazu statue to pray for Mazu to conceive. .

Wearing sachets

It means believers go to Mazu temples to pray for small sachets to wear on their children to keep them safe. Today, many believers still maintain this custom to avoid evil and protect themselves.

Affixing talismans on the door

It refers to believers affixing Mazu talismans on the door to protect the safety of the whole family.

Neck jade

Refers to the jade statue of Mazu hanging around the neck of believers, which means that Mazu is always with them and protects them.

Child care

It means that believers entrust their children to the care of Mazu temple when they go out, because Mazu is their most trusted protector.

Mazu Guaihuo

It means that during Mazu’s parade, believers hang gold, silver, or coins tied with red ropes around the neck of the Mazu statue to pray devoutly.

Birthday fishing ban

Meizhou fishermen voluntarily refrain from fishing around Mazu’s birthday, which reflects the harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

Folklore, affinity and inclusiveness are the distinctive features of Mazu folk custom. It has been passed down from generation to generation for more than a thousand years and has been integrated with people's daily life. It fully reflects the popularity and in-depth nature of Mazu folk custom and is closely related to other Together with Mazu beliefs and customs, they have become an integral part of Mazu culture.

Puxian Folklore

Folklore is a social science. It not only occurs at all levels of society and penetrates into the lives of the general public, but also reflects the National psychology and spirit. We believe that what is commonly referred to as folk customs is a kind of traditional folk customs, including all aspects of society. In a certain area, as far as Puxian is concerned, it not only displays unique cultural phenomena, but also embodies the people's honest and beautiful style, and even restricts their behavioral norms and moral principles, thus forming the Puxian cultural factor. important foundation. At the same time, it is reflected in many aspects of social material community, interpersonal, spiritual and language, behavior, habits, etc., forming the keynote of folk culture. Folklore is also the object of study in humanities and social sciences such as anthropology, ethnology, sociology, history, literature, and art. Folklore is a major area of ??our human culture and has rich connotations, history, inheritance and development of social forms. It also has diverse functions and contains certain complex social genes such as appreciation, education, culture and religion. Studying folklore is of great value and significance to understanding national culture, regional humanities, history and society, etc.

Puxian folk customs are rich and colorful. The same custom changes in different regions, reflecting variability and flexibility. For example, during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, the dates of activities vary from place to place, and the project content, scale, and form are all different. During the Lantern Festival, people in the plains hold lantern tours and Fengting lantern tours, which are the most typical. During the Lantern Festival for coastal people, gods and goddesses go on outings, put on rice dumpling sedan chairs, perform performances, etc.

There are countless palaces and temples in various places in Puxian, and the temples and temple activities held in various places are quite different. However, their functions or properties are roughly the same, but they have the same wish - the joyful wish: peace and auspiciousness, prosperity of descendants, and all the best. Folk customs are not only found in festivals, but also in many popular unwritten lifestyles in daily life.

In the conceptual category of folklore, folk writing is quite active, and it uses language as the main communication medium. In contemporary times, with the help of symbols and information systems such as text, images or recordings, it has been widely circulated among the people and has become an intangible cultural heritage that cannot be ignored. However, this is an elegant work that is not an original work of humanities, and it does not have the sacred aura of religious literature. Its language is not only crude but also reveals vulgar language. However, its feelings are quite simple, its expression is clear, its theme is clear, and it is full of life flavor. For example, "The Story of Plum Concubine", "The Legend of Shiquanjing", "The Story of Mazu", "The Origin of Pinghai" and "Anecdotes of Kuokou Bridge" are circulated in Puxian area, and so on. Of course, folk literature also includes slang songs, ballads or proverbs, idioms, idioms, etc.

As an intangible cultural resource, folk custom is deeply rooted in the people and has a long history. In its long history, it has produced countless cultural symbols and become an inexhaustible folklore resource. Its value is increasingly proving to be one of the most valuable and attractive projects in modern tourism. Folk tourism can combine nature and society, culture and life, viewing and experience, tradition and modernity. It has extremely rich cultural heritage and colorful life interests, which shows its special cultural charm. Such as "Mazu Beliefs and Customs", "Nine Carp Dance", "Nine Lotus Lantern Dance" and so on. Folk skills, songs and dances, music, arts and crafts, folk beliefs and memorials, as well as "dragon boat rowing", "parade", "rice dumpling sedan chair", etc., all attract people to watch and are full of interest. There are also many folklore projects that are purely religious in nature. They are all regarded as intangible cultural heritage and have great tourist value.

Due to the influence and restriction of regional culture, folk dialects or common behavioral habits have also produced many distinctive local customs. For example, the taboos, admiration, and preferences of Puxian people have formed a series of customs. The unique pronunciation of the Puxian dialect has also given rise to many customs related to language expression. For example, oral traditions such as auspicious words, catchphrases, metaphors, allusions, exaggeration, satire, abuse, humor, etc. Some are completely irreplaceable sentences in modern Chinese.

In short, Puxian Folklore is a book that can never be finished or described. It is an extremely precious and rich spiritual wealth collected among the people. It is an important part of Puxian culture and has a strong vitality and infinite cultural charm. It has become an extremely shining highlight of Puxian culture and will always accompany Puxian people in their daily lives. It is continuously passed down and developed unconsciously, and then continues to be enriched and continued with the passage of time.

Folk customs from various places

Hebei Province

Beiping avoids digging wells during the Dragon Boat Festival, and often pre-drains water before the festival. It is said to avoid well poisoning. Market vendors also sell cherry mulberries during the Dragon Boat Festival. It is said that if you eat cherries and mulberries during the Dragon Boat Festival, you will not eat flies all year round. Each restaurant sells "Five Poison Cake", which is a cake decorated with five kinds of poisonous insect patterns. The married men and women in Luan County give gifts to each other during the Dragon Boat Festival. During the Dragon Boat Festival in Zhao County, local officials will hold a gathering in the south of the city and invite the city's sergeants and officials to have a banquet and compose poems, which is called "Stepping on the Willows".

Shandong Province

During the Dragon Boat Festival in Zouping County, everyone needs to drink a glass of wine when they get up early. Legend has it that it can ward off evil spirits. During the Dragon Boat Festival in Rizhao, children are tied with seven-colored threads and have to wear them until it rains for the first time after the festival before taking them off and throwing them into the rain. During the Dragon Boat Festival in Linqing County, boys under the age of seven wear talismans (necklaces made of wheat straw), and girls wear pomegranate flowers. They also wear yellow shoes made by their mother, with five kinds of poisonous insects painted on the shoes with a brush. It means using Qu Yuan's ink to kill five kinds of poisonous insects. Jimo washes his face with dew on the morning of Dragon Boat Festival.

Shanxi Province

During the Dragon Boat Festival in Jiezhou, men and women wear mugwort leaves, which is called "removing diseases", while young children tie a hundred ropes around their necks. It is said that this is "to bind the dragon for Qu Yuan" . During the Dragon Boat Festival in Xizhou, every village worships the Dragon King and hangs paper in the fields. The Dragon Boat Festival in Huairen County is also known as "Zhumen". During the Dragon Boat Festival in Dingxiang County, students need to give gifts to their teachers. In Lu'an Prefecture, steamed wheat flour dumplings are called "white dumplings" and are given together with rice dumplings as gifts.

Shaanxi Province

During the Dragon Boat Festival in Xing'an Prefecture, local officials led their staff to watch the boat race, which was called "Stepping on the Stone". Xingping County Dragon Boat Festival uses silk to sew small horns of millet, and then sews a small doll on the bottom, which is called "playing doll". In Tongguan County, pu moxa and paper cows are posted on the door during the Dragon Boat Festival, which is called "disease control".

Gansu Province

During the Dragon Boat Festival in Jingning Prefecture, roses are picked and pickled with honey. Zhenyuan County presents newlyweds with incense fans, Luoqi, kerchiefs and moxa tigers during the Dragon Boat Festival. The children also invite their father and brothers to a banquet with their teachers, which is called "Festival of Enjoyment". During the Dragon Boat Festival in Zhang County, shepherd boys worship the mountain gods. The firewood mounds are burned before the rooster crows, which is commonly known as "burning the mountains".

Jiangsu Province

During the Dragon Boat Festival in Jiading County, whether rich or poor, everyone must buy totoaba (commonly known as catfish) and cook it. There is also a proverb in Yizheng County: "Put your pants on, buy yellow croaker". During the Dragon Boat Festival in Nanjing, every family takes a box of clean water, adds a little realgar, and two goose-eye coins. The whole family uses this water to wash their eyes, which is called "breaking fire eyes". It is said that it can protect the eyes from eye diseases for a year. There is a night dragon boat show in Wujin. At night, small lanterns are hung around the dragon boat to race, and there are flutes and drums singing in harmony.

Sichuan Province

Stone pillars have the custom of "coming out of the Dragon Boat Festival". Four people use two bamboo poles to lift a large square table covered with a red carpet. On the blanket, a Taoist priest riding a tiger is woven from bamboo strips. Beating gongs and drums, marching in the streets. In the old days, there was also the custom of "typing" on the Dragon Boat Festival in western Sichuan. On that day, everyone in Chengdu bought plums and threw them up and down under the tower in the southeast corner of the city. Tens of thousands of people gathered to watch. In the 21st year of Guangxu (1895), there was a conflict with foreign missionaries due to throwing Li, and this custom was discontinued. During the Dragon Boat Festival dragon boat races in Leshan, Xinjin and other places, grand commodity fairs are also held.

Xijiang Province

School children in rural schools in Tonglu County treat their teachers with rituals during the Dragon Boat Festival and call them "clothing silk". Doctors collect medicine at noon. According to legend, the Heavenly Medicine Star appears in the sky on this day.

Jiangxi Province

Jianchang Prefecture uses Baicao water to bathe during the Wu Festival to prevent scabies. Xinchang County drinks it with realgar and cinnabar wine, which is called "eye-opening".

Hubei Province

During the Dragon Boat Festival in Huanggang County, Bahe Town welcomes Nuo people, with flower crown tattoos and gold medals to ward off epidemics. The Dragon Boat Festival in Yichang County is particularly popular on May 13th, 14th and 15th. The fifteenth day of the fifth lunar month is also called the "Duanyang Festival". Zongzi is eaten and Pujiu is drunk, just like the Dragon Boat Festival.

Hunan Province

During the Dragon Boat Festival in You County, pregnant women are served with flower coins and wine, while the poor prepare chicken wine and put money in bamboo clips to pray for peace in front of the dragon's head in the dragon boat. Produce. Yuezhou Prefecture races to avoid disasters and diseases. It is also used as a straw boat to flood, which is called "sending plague".

Fujian Province

It is an old custom in Fuzhou during the Dragon Boat Festival that the daughter-in-law presents her parents-in-law with shrouds, shoes and socks, rice dumplings, and fans. In Jianyang County, the fifth day is the day when the king of medicines dry their medicine bags, and everyone makes sauce on this day. During the Dragon Boat Festival in Shanghang County, people use small boats tied with reeds to make dragon shapes and play on the waterside, which is called racing. After the Dragon Boat Festival race in Xianyou County, paper was presented at Huxiao Pond to commemorate the death of Qi Jiguang, who was drowned by soldiers in the Gui Year of Jiajing. Before the Dragon Boat Festival in Shaowu Mansion, women use crimson yarn as bags to hold talismans. It is also made of five-color velvet, connected with colorful threads, and tied to the hairpin. The young girl is hung on the back and is called "Dou Niang".

Guangdong Province

Conghua County washes hands with water that burns talisman at noon on the Dragon Boat Festival and then splashes it on the road, which is called "bringing disaster". During the Dragon Boat Festival in Xinxing County, people from nearby temples advocated the parade of gods and goddesses. The wizard also uses dharma water and amulets to drive away evil spirits. During the Dragon Boat Festival in Shicheng County, children fly kites, which is called "flying disaster".

Taiwan Province

Taiwan is located in the subtropics. Many of the early immigrants from the mainland were unable to adapt to the climate here. It is common to hear of people dying of miasma and epidemics. Therefore, the Dragon Boat Festival, a festival whose basic spirit is to ward off diseases and avoid epidemics, is particularly important.

The Dragon Boat Festival customs in the pre-Qing Dynasty can be represented by the description in the appendix of Volume 3 of Wang Yingzeng's "Rebuilding Fengshan County Chronicles" (1764): In the early morning of May 5th, a bunch of rice stalks were burned. , smoke it in the corner of the room, send it to the roadside with Chu money, and send mosquitoes away on a famous day. The lintel of the door is hung with mugwort and millet, which is said to be able to avoid mosquitoes and gnats; a branch of banyan tree is said to be old and healthy. They gave each other watermelon and corn millet as gifts. Those who are good at it use money or cloth as a mark in the shallow part of the seaport, and they compete like fishermen to grab it. The winner sounds gongs and cheers, and fights with dragon boats on the sun. At noon, five knots are tied for the children, one for the left wrist of the male and one for the right wrist of the female, which are named Sun God Lian.

There is another folk saying that inserting moxa and ficus can make the body strong. As the saying goes, "Planting a banyan tree makes a brave dragon, and planting a moxa tree makes a brave and healthy person." Students in private schools usually send red envelopes to their husbands as a thank you gift during the Dragon Boat Festival, and their husbands give a fan as a gift in return.

Suzuki Seiichiro's "Taiwan's Old Customary Wedding and Funeral Ceremony Mid-year Practices" (1934) records that families during the mourning period do not make rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival, but give them to relatives and friends, which is called "Send Festival". The bereaved family gives candy as a return gift. Farmers put gold paper called "Fujin" on bamboo poles and insert it between them. It is said that it can prevent damage and achieve a good harvest. In some places, there is a custom of making "salty tea" during the Dragon Boat Festival, which is to pickle perilla leaves and pomegranate leaves with salt. It is said that it can be used as medicinal tea to remove all poisonous gases.

In Jiadong Township, Pingtung County during the Japanese colonial period, there was also the custom of stone fighting on the Dragon Boat Festival. Stone fighting has been popular in the Jiadong area for hundreds of years. Every year, a few days before the Dragon Boat Festival, everyone gears up to prepare for a tough battle. Shizhan is based on villages, organized like an army, and has positions such as chief of staff. Men throw rocks at the "front line". Women are responsible for transporting stones at the rear. When the situation is full of tears, it often causes casualties. The victorious party can go to the defeated village to eat and drink. The defeated villagers fled. If unfortunately they are captured by the other party, they will be forced to take off their pants and be humiliated in public. This peculiar custom is said to ensure good luck throughout the year, so Jiadong people enjoy it. However, because stone fighting often caused serious casualties and was repeatedly banned by local governments, it gradually declined at the end of the Japanese occupation.

During the Dragon Boat Festival, every household still has the custom of drinking "noon water". Wushi water refers to the well water that is pumped in at noon during the Dragon Boat Festival. It is said that the water used to make tea and wine at noon is particularly fragrant, and drinking it raw can even have miraculous effects in curing diseases. There is a proverb that says: "If you wash your eyes at noon, you will be as bright as a crow." Another saying is, "Drink a mouthful of water at noon, and it is better to take tonics for three years." The most legendary midday water comes from the Jianjing on Anvil Mountain in Dajia Town. Legend has it that the well was the place where Zheng Chenggong inserted his sword to pray for the spring. Since then, it has been said that Jiuzhen Mountain is rich in various elixirs and fairy grass. Therefore, the efficacy of the noon water in the Jianjing has been said to be extremely miraculous. Every year during the Dragon Boat Festival, people vying for the noon water next to Jianjing are always so tightly packed that there is no ventilation. It is said that if you look carefully into the well at noon on the Dragon Boat Festival, you can still see the shadow of Zheng Chenggong.

And those who see the shadow of the sword will definitely have no disasters this year.

Dragon boat rowing is called "dragon boat" in Taiwan. According to "Folk Customs in Taiwan" Volume 1, No. 6, the Dragon Boat Festival customs in Shilin during the Japanese occupation are as follows: starting from the beginning of May, people first go to the waterside to "welcome the water god." At noon on the fifth day of the lunar month, gongs and drums are beaten and the dragon boat is carried to the river bank. Residents burn incense and worship along the way. As the saying goes: "On May 5th, dragon boats and drums fill the streets." To express welcome, it is called a "solitary boat". If you beat the dragon, you have to "send water to the god" on the tenth day of the lunar month and hold a ceremony of "thanking the river".

In Toudian, Nantun, Taichung, since the mid-Qing Dynasty, there has been a custom of wearing wood to wake up pangolins after the beginning of spring. After the liberation, this custom was held every year during the Duanshi Festival. The Litou Store was the most prosperous area in Taichung during the Qing Dynasty. It is said that this was because the area was located at the Chuan Qijia point. Therefore, local residents put on wooden clogs and stomp on the ground every Dragon Boat Festival, hoping to wake up the pangolins with loud noises. This custom has been transformed into a fun competition. A team of four people form a team and race together wearing two long wooden clogs. The sound of Kaka's clogs indeed awakened the nostalgic mood of the residents of Plowshare Store.

In terms of festival food customs, Taiwanese folklore says that eating peaches, eggplants and kidney beans during the Dragon Boat Festival can help you stay healthy and grow longer. As the saying goes: "Eat eggplants until they shake, eat beans until you grow old." There are two methods of making Taiwanese rice dumplings: Northern and Southern. The northern method is to soak the rice in water, drain it and stir-fry it with oil until fragrant, and add five spice powder, pepper, soy sauce and other seasonings. The rice is steamed and then wrapped in bamboo leaves and stuffed to make it delicious again. Some people also recommend frying the rice grains in oil until half-cooked, wrapping the fillings in them and steaming them. The southern method is to soak pure white glutinous rice, add meat fillings, wrap it in green bamboo leaves, and boil it until cooked. Because the production methods are different, the zongzi in the north and the south also have different flavors. The rice dumplings from the north have a strong flavor of five-spice pepper, while the meat rice dumplings from the south have a light bamboo leaf flavor, each with its own characteristics. The ingredients include pork, mushrooms, dried shrimps, peanuts, salted egg yolks, shallots, chestnuts, dried oysters, etc. You can add more according to personal preference.

Hakkas in Miaoli area also eat eggplant, long beans, peaches and plums during the Dragon Boat Festival. But the meaning of these foods is different from that of southerners. Eating plums certainly means taking advantage of them, and eating plums symbolizes the reproduction of offspring. Some people also think that it can prevent heatstroke. Eating long beans is to avoid being bitten by snakes (because long beans are shaped like snakes). Eating eggplant can prevent mosquito bites.

Hakka rice dumplings are divided into alkaline rice dumplings and salty rice dumplings. Alkaline rice dumplings are especially used for sacrifices. When celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival, the Hakka people must prepare four pieces of wine, one to worship the Earth God, one to worship Wanshan Ye, and one to worship the nearby big temple. The alkali rice dumplings are an indispensable sacrifice. There are two types of salty rice dumplings: rice rice dumplings and rice dumplings, which are purely used to satisfy cravings.

Pingyao Folklore

The ancient city of Pingyao is the most complete ancient county town in China. It is an outstanding example of Chinese Han cities in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the development of Chinese history, it has provided A complete picture of extraordinary cultural, social, economic and religious development was revealed.

Pingyao's customs have returned to simplicity but are far away from the original, and the residents' customs originated from Tang Yao. Diligent, thrifty and simple, thoughtful and far-sighted, strong-willed and benevolent, and adept at martial arts. Talents who are good at martial arts emerge in large numbers, and there are those who are versatile in both civil and military affairs. And be more generous and righteous. The legacy of weddings, funerals, birthdays, birthdays and architectural celebrations is particularly strong. Pingyao people have mostly poor land, little farming and weaving, and many merchants, who are good at management. Although the legacy of Tao and Tang Dynasties is ancient, it still exists in Pingyao.