What are the large-scale activities and local customs in various regions of Shandong Province?

1. Qingdao Sugar Ball Club:

The Qingdao Sugar Ball Club is held in Haiyun Temple, Qingdao. It basically starts around the 16th day of the first lunar month and lasts for one week. The main venue is Haiyun Temple, Haiyun Plaza, Jiahe Road Street Center Garden as the center and surrounding roads radiating from it.

Haiyun Nunnery is located in the North District of Qingdao City, also known as "Dashi's Nunnery". It was built in the late Ming Dynasty. The main hall is dedicated to Guanyin, commonly known as "Old Mother Temple". After Qingdao was established as a city, the front of the temple The street is called Haiyun Street, and it was once the commercial center of Sifangyi.

There are workers and fishermen in the Sifang area. Haiyun Temple worships many gods, including Guanyin, Guan Gong, Dragon King, Bigan, Luban, Taishang Laojun, etc. In the old days, incense was very popular, and most of the worshipers were fishermen. Therefore, the 16th day of the first lunar month, which is the first high tide day in the new year, is designated as the temple fair day.

Every time there is a temple fair, the incense becomes more prosperous. At the same time, there are many entertainment activities such as singing, donkey racing, stilt walking, and land boat running in front and behind the temple. Food and toy vendors also gather one after another, including candy balls ( There are especially many candied haws (called "candied haws" in Beijing). Candy balls made from hawthorn, soft dates, yam, tangerine, etc. are on the market one after another, competing for sale, each with its own characteristics. After a long time, the masses came to call the Haiyun'an Temple Fair the Sugar Ball Club.

2. Weifang Kite Festival:

The Weifang Kite Festival (conference) is held in Weifang on the third Saturday of April every year, with more than 30 countries and regions from all over the world. The competition is the first large-scale local festival in my country to be labeled "international" and recognized by the international community. Since 1984, it has been successfully held for thirty-three times. The model of "kite stringing, cultural and sports setting, economic and trade singing" created by it has been widely used for reference across the country.

Weifang, known as "Weixian" in ancient times, is also known as "Kite City". Its special products include kites, New Year pictures, etc., and is well-known at home and abroad. Weixian County has been a famous city in Beihai since ancient times, with prosperous literary style, consecutive top rankings and prosperous economy.

During the Qianlong period, there was a saying of "Suzhou in the south and Weixian in the north". The origin of the Weifang kite can be traced back to the great thinker Mo Zhai of the State of Lu who made the first "Wooden Kite" for the Weifang International Kite Festival. It has been It has a history of more than two thousand years, but it really began to flourish and become popular among the people in the Ming Dynasty.

By the middle of the Qing Dynasty, folk artists specializing in kite making began to appear in Weifang. Along the Bailang River in Weixian County, there are many kite artists making kites. They are novel and beautiful, take off high and stable, and are famous far and wide. There are private or government-organized kite competitions every year, and many kite vendors and kite artists from other places also come here. This is the prototype of the Weifang Kite Competition that originated from the Bailang River Fair in Weifang City.

3. Tianheng Sea Festival:

Tianheng Sea Festival is mainly a festival celebrated by fishermen. It originated from the local traditional folk activities in Zhougezhuang Village, Tianheng Town, Shandong Province. It has a history of more than 500 years.

With careful planning, packaging and promotion by the local government, this ancient festival has developed into a well-known folk festival brand in Shandong and even the country. It is also a carnival that modern people are fascinated by, attracting countless people every year. Chinese and foreign tourists and experts in folk customs and economic policy research from all over China come here.

The day before the seaside sacrifice, the fishermen cleaned up the Dragon King Temple on the seaside, hung red lanterns, placed incense burners, sacrifice tables, pasted couplets, and wore red and colorful decorations. At the same time, a pine and cypress dragon gate was built on the beach in front of the Dragon King Temple, a plaque was hung on it, lanterns were hung, and red couplets were posted.

The owners of each boat were busy driving the colorful flag hunting fishing boats to the bay in front of the village. The bows of the boats faced the sea, arranged in a straight line, arranged the fishing gear and nets neatly, and then anchored and waited for the next day. The ceremony of offering sacrifice to the sea was officially held.

On the day of the sea offering ceremony, fishermen began to place offerings in boats on the beach in front of the Dragon King Temple. Bundles of "standing tassels" several meters high tied with bamboo poles stand in the wind. Tables are filled with dough-shaped holy insects, longevity peaches, fish, various candies, snacks, etc. The red-lacquered low table in front of the table is filled with The black-haired boars raised their heads forward, and the big red roosters were full of energy.

The fishermen arranged the yellow paper to be burned, set up the incense burner, and raised thousands of red firecrackers into the sky.

4. Tai'an Dongyue Temple Fair:

The Taiyue Temple Fair began in the late Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Song Dynasty, and flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It has been enduring for a long time, integrating religion, folk customs, and folk art. It is a grand gathering of Chinese folk culture and business activities.

Tai Dongyue Mount Tai is the first of the five mountains and is a sacred mountain where Buddhism and Taoism coexist. The Dai Temple at the foot of Mount Tai is dedicated to the God of Mount Tai - Emperor Dongyue.

It is said that the 28th day of the third month of the lunar calendar is the birthday of Mount Tai, and many emperors in the past dynasties held consecration ceremonies at Dai Temple on this day. The emperor's celebrations, Buddhist and Taoist religious activities, and people's pilgrimage activities formed the Dongyue Temple Fair in the Dai Temple area, with trade activities and entertainment activities as the main content.

During the Republic of China, during the annual temple fairs, faithful men and women came all the way to the mountains to offer incense. Residents in the mountains mostly sold incense wax paper, and the business was the most prosperous. There are many beggars along the way.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, temple fairs were transformed into material exchange conferences and were interrupted during the "Cultural Revolution".

In 1986, Tai'an City resumed the Taishan Temple Fair, and the location was changed to Taishan Huanshan Road, with Hongmen and Queen Mother Pond as the center. The new temple fair retains some of the contents of the traditional temple fair, but also enriches new content and new features. It integrates tourism, entertainment, eating, entertainment, economics and trade, and its scale and influence are expanding year by year.

5. Heze International Peony Fair:

The Heze International Peony Fair is a major tourism festival event in Heze City, Shandong Province. It is hosted by the Heze Municipal People’s Government. The city holds a large number of economic, trade and cultural activities.

It has been held in mid-April every year for 20 days since 1992. As of April 15, 2017, it has been successfully held for 26 times. It has received a total of more than 30 million Chinese and foreign tourists, with 5.7 million visitors. Many leaders from the central and national ministries and commissions visited Heze.

The "Heze International Peony Fair" is one of China's famous peony tourism festivals. In recent years, it has won titles such as "Top Ten National Flower Festivals" and "China's Most Influential Brand Exhibition" , Heze City has also been rated as "China's Excellent Tourism City", "China's Excellent Festival City" and other honorary titles.

By holding the Peony Flower Fair, it not only increased the popularity of Heze peonies and made Heze a nationally renowned "Chinese Peony City", but also effectively promoted the construction of a new socialist countryside and promoted the overall economic and social development of Heze. develop. In March 2012, Heze was officially named the "Peony Capital of China" by the China Flower Association.

The purpose of the Flower Fair is to "use flowers as matchmakers, make friends, set up a cultural platform, perform business and trade, develop tourism, and revitalize the economy", which fully reflects the characteristics of Heze as the "Hometown of Peonies".

Baidu Encyclopedia - Qingdao Sugar Ball Club

Baidu Encyclopedia - Weifang Kite Festival

Baidu Encyclopedia - Tianheng Sea Festival

Baidu Encyclopedia - Tai'an Dongyuehui Temple Fair

Baidu Encyclopedia - Heze International Peony Fair