What other folk customs are there on July 7th?

Customs of the Chinese Valentine's Day:

1. Fighting for skill and begging for skill:

"Douying for skill" originated from a game in the court of the Han Dynasty: Madam Qi, the beloved concubine of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty After the palace maid Jia Peilan left the palace to marry Duan Ru from Fufeng, she often talked to people about the Chinese Valentine's Day in the Han Palace. She said: "On July 7th every year, the Han Palace first plays Khotanese music by the Baizi Pool, and then uses five-colored threads to tie each other up, which is called "love each other." Then the talented ladies in the palace , we went to the closed-door upstairs together, and everyone learned how to thread Qiqiao needles to beg for skills. There was a palace maid named Xu Jieyu who could carve raw water chestnut roots into various exotic flowers and birds and presented them to the emperor. The emperor presented these baubles. At night, they were randomly placed on the corners of tables in the palace and let the palace maids search for them in the dark. This game was called "fighting for skill".

"Begging for skill" means begging the Weaver Girl for a pair of skillful hands. According to the records of "Jingchu Sui Sui Ji": On the night of the Chinese Valentine's Day, women threaded Qiqiao needles with colored threads, set up incense tables, placed some fruits on the table, and begged the Weaver Girl for cleverness - if there were small spiders on the fruits at night, The net is believed to be favored by the Weaver Girl and can gain dexterity and skill. The "Tianbao Legacy" also records that Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty and Concubine Yang had a banquet at Huaqing Pool, displayed fruits and flowers, prepared wine and food, and begged the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl on the Chinese Valentine's Day (this is also mentioned in the "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" by the great poet Bai Juyi The origin of "On July 7th, in the Palace of Eternal Life, when no one is whispering in the middle of the night..."); and he caught spiders and put them in a small box. The next morning, he looked at how dense the spider's web was (it's so dense) , the sparse skill is less) to judge whether the skill is obtained. But after the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the game of "throwing clever needles" became more popular: on the morning of July 7th, take a bowl of water and expose it to the sun. After a while, a thin film will form on the water surface. At this time, you can usually sew clothes or embroider. Put the needle into the water and it will float on it. If you see the shadow of the needle on the bottom of the water at this time, it looks like the shadow of clouds, flowers, birds and animals, or is as thin and straight as a needle, it is a "begging for luck"; but if the needle on the bottom of the water is as thick as a hammer or bent and shapeless, it means that The woman who lost the needle is a clumsy woman.

In addition, on Chinese Valentine's Day, you can not only beg for luck, but also beg for wealth, longevity, and children, but you can only beg for one, not all three. "Record of Feelings" records: It is said that Guo Ziyi in the Tang Dynasty once went out for a walk in the city during the Chinese Valentine's Day. He looked up at the sky and suddenly saw a beautiful woman in the sky, riding in a car and surrounded by a lot of people. Guo Ziyi knew that she was a god. , she begged her for longevity and wealth, and the goddess agreed. Sure enough, everything went smoothly for Guo Ziyi after that, she became rich and lived a long life.

2. Drying clothes and books:

The custom of "drying cotton clothes on July 7th" originated in the Han Dynasty. It is said that there was a place called Taiye Pool to the north of Jianzhang Palace in the Han Dynasty. To the west of the pool was the clothes-drying pavilion of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. On July 7, it was common to see palace maids drying clothes.

The custom of going upstairs to dry clothes in the Han Dynasty evolved into the custom of drying books in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. It is said that Sima Yi was jealous of Emperor Wu of Wei because of his great power, so he pretended to be crazy and lay at home. Emperor Wu of Wei sent people to investigate. It happened to be on July 7th that Sima Yi, who was pretending to be crazy, was posting books at home. When she went back to report, Emperor Wu of Wei ordered Sima Yi to return to the court immediately to serve. If she did not go, he would arrest her. Sima Yi had no choice but to return to the court and obey the order. The literati at that time were all about false reputations and often posted books to show their profound knowledge, thus forming the practice of posting books. atmosphere.

3. The earthen doll "Mohele":

"Mohele" is also called "Mohouluo", and its translation in the Buddhist scriptures is earthen doll. According to "Tokyo Menghua" According to records in books such as "Records of Mengliang" and "Records of Mengliang", this kind of dolls are sometimes made of mud, sometimes carved from wood, and some are made of ivory carvings or ambergris bergamot wood as tributes to the palace. They come in different sizes and postures. , the largest can reach three feet, which is comparable to real children. In some places, small wax dolls are sold on July 7 for women to buy and take home. They float in the water as auspiciousness for having children, which is called "huasheng".

4. Qiaoguo:

The so-called Qiaoguo is a kind of fruit. The "Tokyo Menghualu" of the Song Dynasty records many exquisite ways of making it: in addition to oily noodles and honey, different ingredients such as sesame, peanuts, kernels, roses, etc. are added to make it deep-fried and very delicious.

5. Festival gadgets:

In addition to begging for luck, the "Tokyo Menghua Lu" of the Song Dynasty records that on July 7th in the Northern Song Dynasty, the capital also sold some on the market Small holiday items for viewing and eating. For example, carving various patterns on cantaloupe is called "flower melon"; using yellow wax to cast small mandarin ducks, ducks, chickens, small fish, etc., painting them with colors and placing them in a basin, which is called "floating on water"; The wooden board is covered with soil and reshaped, allowing it to grow green seedlings. It is then equipped with a small thatched house and a small figure to make a miniature farmhouse, called a "grain board". A few days ago, the mung beans or wheat are placed in a magnetic basin and soaked in water. , let it grow several inches long buds, and then tie them into a bunch with red and blue ribbons, called "seed growth" and so on, which fully shows that the people of the Northern Song Dynasty really understood the joy of life at that time.

6. Worship the Seventh Mother: (This custom is found in Quanzhou, Taiwan and the coastal areas of South China)

The well-known Weaver Girl is revered as the "Seven Stars" in the religious worship of this province. Empress". He and the other six sisters (the seven fairies) will bless children under the age of sixteen to grow up smoothly. They are the patron saints of children. Folks often refer to the seven fairies who protect children as "Seven Mothers".

Every year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, when the Seventh Mother is born, at dusk on this day, those with children at home will worship the Seventh Mother at the door and pray for their children to grow up safely. First, burn incense, please put down the incense burner on the sacred table, and then prepare the offerings. The offerings include:

Ruan Kueh (also known as "Unwilling Kueh" in Taichung): made of glutinous rice, similar to glutinous rice balls, with a paste in the center Make a hollow with your fingers (because the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl only meet once a year, they will inevitably feel sad, so the compassionate believers will make a hollow in the glutinous rice balls that symbolize "family reunion" to hold their tears), chicken, wine, oil rice (glutinous rice, Rice cooked with sesame oil, wine and chicken), animal sacrifices, fruits

Fragrant flowers: round flower, cockscomb or jasmine, impatiens, etc. (one has many seeds, the other has strong fragrance, Take more seeds, which means stronger incense)

A basin of clean water and a new towel (let Qi Niangma wash her hands and face)

Powder, rouge (cosmetics), red sand thread, etc.

Gold paper, longevity gold, cut gold, candles, etc.

The ritual of the sacrifice is the same as that of the general sacrifice. At dusk, worship in front of the door or in the courtyard. At the end of the sacrifice, some flowers, Pink and red yarns are thrown on the roof for "Seventh Mother" to use in makeup, and part of it is reserved for herself. It is believed that she can become as skillful and beautiful as "Seventh Mother".

After paying homage to the "Seventh Mother", you should also prepare an additional portion of chicken wine, fried rice and soft rice cakes, thank the "Bed Mother" at the bedside, burn three sticks of incense, thank and pray for the "Bed Mother". Mother" protects the baby to sleep well and rock well. After praying, insert the incense in a safe place in the gap, wait for a while, hold the "bed mother's clothes (a kind of gold paper with the pattern of clothes printed on it)" and pray to the "bed mother" for inspection. Then, burn it to complete the ritual.

7. Be sixteen: (Kailong Palace on Zhongshan Road, Tainan Fucheng; originated from the West District of Tainan City)

Folk legend: After a woman gets married, she asks for "the Empress to be born" Give birth to a baby early; after pregnancy, ask "Mrs. Linshui" to bless the childbirth safely; after the baby is born until the age of sixteen, ask "Seven Mothers" to protect it. Because "Seventh Mother" is the protector of children, when a child turns sixteen, a coming-of-age ceremony will be held on July 7 of that year, the day "Seventh Mother is born", commonly known as "Sixteenth".

Generally, after a child reaches one year old, parents often go to Qiniangma Temple to ask their children to worship "Seventh Mother" as their adopted son or daughter-in-law (adopted son or adopted daughter) in order to let their children grow up safely. During the worship ceremony, "Jiajie" (that is, adding money) is performed during the ceremony. "Jia" is a lock plate made of ancient coins or silver or a symbol drawn on yellow paper folded into a gossip shape and put into a red cloth bag, tied with a red thread, and hung on On the neck, it is also called "hanging feast". Everyone believes that after adding a feast, children can be protected. Then every Chinese Valentine's Day, people would go to the temple to offer sacrifices and spin the "筭" on the incense burner in the hope of gaining spiritual power. Until they reached the age of sixteen, they would carry the sacrifices on July 7 of that year. The sacrifices include:

Five animals, six colored vegetable bowls, seven bowls of sweet taro

Four fruits

Red turtle cake, noodles, sesame oil chicken wine< /p>

Two sugarcane with tails

Gold paper and sutra clothes (used to worship lonely ghosts)

Qiniangma Pavilion (ligated with bamboo pieces, There are two or three-story paper balconies, with words such as "Fu Lu Quan Shou", "Peng Lai Palace", "Baizi Pavilion" written on them.

Go to the temple to worship and pray. To thank the "Seventh Mother" for taking care of her over the years, it is customary to burn incense and worship the "Seventh Mother" and perform three kneels and nine kowtows. At the end of the ceremony, the 16-year-old adult must pass through the altar and pass his parents. The "Qi Niang Ma Pavilion" is taken; when drilling, do not look back, but look forward, which means that the future is ahead, and you should move forward bravely and do not look back. When passing the "Qi Niang Ma Pavilion", the man should circle to the left three times. , the woman goes around three times to the right, which is known among the people as "The Bird Mother's Room" and "The Mother-in-law's Sister's Room". The former is related to the legend of the "Seventh Mother" who transformed into a bird to protect her children; the latter is related to the story of Lady Linshui. There is a legend about the thirty-sixth mother-in-law taking care of young children. Then they thanked the gods, burned the "Seven Mother Pavilions", offered gold paper and sutra clothes, and took off the "筵" hanging around their necks. After "taking off the feast", it was completed. "Coming of Age Ceremony", you have grown up.

8. Worshiping Kuixing:

Worshiping Kuixing and worshiping Weaver Girl are both performed under the moonlight. The game of "taking fame" is used to add fun. Three kinds of dried fruits, longan, hazelnut and peanut, are used to represent the number one, second and third place respectively. One of the people holds one of each of the three kinds of dried fruits and throws them on the table. Let them roll on their own. Look. If a kind of dried fruit rolls and stops in front of someone, then that person represents that kind of Dingjia, until everyone has achieved fame.

Generally, scholars in the Qing Dynasty mostly bought frogs to release. Kuixing is worshiped (because Kui in ancient times is related to the ancient word for frog, and Kui evolved into Kuixing, so frogs were bought and released to celebrate his birthday, and people abstained from eating frogs to show respect); in Taiwan, sheep or dogs are used to worship Kuixing. , called "Kui Xing Hui", this is because the homophony of its horn is considered a good omen for high school.