Chapter 23 Section 2 Customs and legends

There are many folk customs in our country, such as belief customs, coming-of-age ceremony customs, birth, old age, sickness and death in different regions, there are also different customs, festival customs, marriage customs, folk entertainment customs and so on.For the explanation of customs, there is a custom legend.There are different situations as to whether customs come first or legends come first. Generally, customs come first and legends follow.However, in order to commemorate a certain important historical event or a certain important historical figure in history, people have established a custom over time and formed a certain custom. This custom and the rumors of related historical events and figures are almost produced at the same time. , it is difficult to distinguish the sequence.A custom and related legends reflect a nation's political ideals, psychology and aesthetic consciousness.For example, the formation of the Dragon Boat Festival and the Songkran custom and legend of the Dai nationality in both the north and the south of our country can illustrate this feature.

The Dragon Boat Festival is an ancient festival of the Chinese nation. Every year on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, people wrap rice dumplings, hang wormwood, drink realgar wine, and there are large-scale dragon boat recreational activities. It is said that they all commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan.During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, various heroes fought for hegemony. Qu, a senior official in Chu State, sank in the Miluo River because his political ambition could not be realized.The people of Chu mourned him, and every May 5th when he threw himself into the river, they put rice in bamboo tubes and threw it into the water to worship him.In the Han Dynasty, there was a man named Ouhui from Changsha who suddenly dreamed of a man who claimed to be the doctor Sanlu and said to him: "It's really good for everyone to offer sacrifices to me, but all the sacrifices were stolen by Jiaolong. If you have any gift, please wrap it with leaves and tie it with multicolored silk thread. These two things are what Jiaolong fears." Ouhui followed this idea and sacrificed it with zongzi.This is the legacy of the Miluo River area. (See "Continued Qi Harmony" quoted in "Yiwenleiju", "Jingchu Suishiji" and "Xiangyang Customs" all have similar records, explaining that eating zongzi on May 5 has a relationship with commemorating Qu Yuan.The former also adds a content, saying that the dragon boat race is because people have to rush to the Miluo River where Qu Yuan died to rescue Qu Yuan.The explanation that the Dragon Boat Festival originated from Qu Yuan has been passed down to this day.

However, there are two legends older than this: One said that it was Jie Zhitui in the early Spring and Autumn Period, who had been in exile for a long time with Chonger, the prince of Jin.Later, when Chong'er returned to the country and became the king, every follower was rewarded, except Jie Zhitui.Jie then hid in a deep mountain to isolate himself from the world, and when Duke Wen of Jin (Chong'er) thought of him, he invited him down the mountain.He refused to meet.Chong'er had no choice but to order someone to set fire to the mountain to urge him out.Jie Zhitui hugged a tree and burned to death.Chong Er regretted so much that in order to mourn Jie, he ordered that on May 5, the day when Jie died, no fireworks would be held in the whole country.This is the ancient Cold Food Festival.Later it evolved into Qingming Festival.

Another theory is that in the late Spring and Autumn Period, Wu Zixu, a minister of the State of Wu, once advised Fu Chai, king of Wu, to manage the state affairs diligently and guard against foreign aggression, but Fu Chai forced him to commit suicide, and his body was put into a leather bag and thrown into the river.The people of Wu were deeply aggrieved, and on the fifth day of the fifth month when he died tragically, they played music and danced on the river in a boat to entertain the dead.Therefore, "Jingchu Sui Shi Ji" explained: "Si is also the custom of Eastern Wu, and it is not related to Qu Ping (Qu Yuan) if the son is in Zixu." Wu Yue passed it on.

In addition, there are also theories that originated from the theory of the filial daughter Cao E, the theory of Yue Wang Goujian, etc., but the Dragon Boat Festival is a festival to commemorate Qu Yuan that was finally accepted and recognized by later generations.This legend has been widely disseminated and basically finalized.This is a competition among legends. People feel that this theory is more reasonable and can better express their common wishes, so they choose it to explain the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, and other theories are gradually forgotten by everyone. Songkran is not only popular among the Dai people in my country, but also in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and other countries in Southeast Asia.The Songkran Festival is held once a year, some say seven days, some say about 10 days after the Ching Ming Festival.This festival has now become a happy time for people to enjoy entertainment. There is little research on its origin. It may be related to religious beliefs, or it may be related to the special geographical climate of the Dai people. People choose the local dry season and rainy season to celebrate. The festival means that people have to enter the busy season of farming.At the same time, there are several different legends circulating among the people.One of the oldest legends is preserved in a long epic "Bada Maga Peng Shangluo".The Chinese translation of this epic is about 13,000 lines long.

The epic preserves the ancient and huge world of gods of the Dai people.Among them, Ma Yuanran, the calendar god, is arrogant and rude, and Maha, the heavenly king, makes him fall asleep with his eyes closed for 100,000 years.Unexpectedly, the seven daughters of this god colluded with the third-level god Paya Ying.In order to be the queen of Payaying, the seven daughters cut off their father's head with a bow made of the hair of the seven sisters, causing a catastrophe.In order to save Pengma Yuanran, the gods had to go to the forest and cut off the elephant's head to put it on him. This god has since become the god of the elephant head.

The seven daughters were kicked out of heaven for committing the crime of killing the priest, and they were asked to take turns holding the head of the god to redeem their sins.The seven girls take turns hugging each other, with one hugging the head, while the other six keep splashing water to avoid fire.The sins of Seven Girls will not be atoned until the god's head is no longer breathing fire.This is the early content of the famous Water-Splashing Festival of the Dai people. With the introduction of Theravada Buddhism from India to the Dai area, the content of the legend of the Songkran Festival has changed. This day is said to be the birthday of the Buddha, also known as the "Buddha Festival".It is said that before Sakyamuni became a Buddha, he took a bath in the river. His spirit was refreshed and his body felt very good. Only then did he fully awaken and become a Buddha.In order to imitate the Buddha, Buddhists also hope to become a Buddha after taking a bath, so a grand ceremony of bathing the Buddha will be held in Buddhist temples on this day, and water will be splashed on each other.Actually it was late.Modern people spend the Songkran Festival mostly playing and blessing each other, and there is not much religious color anymore.