Is the twelfth day of the first lunar month the Rat Festival? What are the traditional customs?
Introduction: The twelfth day of the first lunar month is one of the traditional festivals of the Chinese lunar calendar, and is commonly known as the "Rat Festival". Why is the twelfth day of the first lunar month called "Rat Festival"? Are there any traditional customs and activities on this day? Now, please follow the editor to learn more about it! A year's plan begins with spring, and the Spring Festival is an important traditional festival of ours. Do you want to know more about the Spring Festival? Come and take a look at the Spring Festival special topic carefully prepared by Mr. Shui Mo!The twelfth day of the first lunar month: Rat FestivalAccording to legend, the twelfth day of the first lunar month is the day when mice marry, and some say that this day is the mouse’s birthday. So people created all kinds of "programs" around mice, which not only expressed the people's hatred for mice, but also drove away the hard work of the folks for a year. The Han folk customs on this day include hiding scissors, collecting old shoes, pinching mouse mouths, etc. You cannot use scissors on the Rat Day. As long as you don’t hear the “clicking” sound of scissors, you won’t hear the “clicking” sound of mice eating food in your home for the whole year. That morning, children from every household carried baskets and went door to door collecting old shoes, and the villagers were also happy to give away the "evil" (shoes).Traditional customs of the "Mouse Day" on the 12th day of the first lunar monthRat Day customs: Knocking every corner in the morning"Beat, beat, beat every corner. Nine out of ten mice will be blind. The one that is left with eyes popped out will have a radish flower growing in its eye!" Before the sun rises on the morning of the twelfth day of the first lunar month, aunts and grandmas from every household bring their children and chant while hitting places where mice might hide with wooden sticks, including the holes in earth pits, the mouse holes in the corners, the cracks in the bricks at the base of the wall, the cloth shoes under the wooden cabinet, the livestock shed, the woodshed, the toilet... every corner in the house will be hit.Rat Day Customs: Hiding ScissorsAfter breakfast, the wives and girls in the village would hide the scissors they usually used in drawers or under mattresses, and wrap the scissors with red ropes or red silk. According to the villagers of Xu Zhuang, neither adults nor children are allowed to use scissors on the Rat Festival. As long as the "clicking" sound of scissors is not heard, the "clicking" sound of mice eating food will not be heard in the house for the whole year. The daughters-in-law hid the scissors because they were afraid that the children would take them and play with them.Rat Day Customs: Collecting Old ShoesAt the same time, children from every household carried baskets and went door to door collecting old shoes, and the villagers were also happy to give away the "evil" (shoes). Normally, villagers would not sell their worn-out old shoes as scrap, but would wait until the Rat Festival to give them to children who came to collect them. According to Mr. Han Dawei, a villager in Xu Zhuang Village, in addition to digging holes, mice are also accustomed to hiding in old shoes that people don’t wear to build nests and give birth to baby mice. The old shoes received from the children were piled up into the shape of a rat hole and burned, symbolizing the act of killing all the rats in the household.Rat Festival Customs: Pinching the Rat's MouthAt noon, we make dumplings at home. The dumplings are made into the shape of mice, with mouths, ears, and tails, and green beans are used as eyes. The dumplings look like mice, very realistic, and are like pieces of dough art. On this day, every household makes dumplings because making dumplings is like "pinching a mouse's mouth". If the mouse's mouth is pinched to death, the mouse will not be able to "crunch" and eat things, and there will be "no mice in the house for the whole year".Rat Day Customs: Burning Rat HolesOn the twelfth day of the first lunar month, children would find a spacious place and pile up the old shoes they collected from each household into a "rat hole". Then burn it with fire.Rat Festival customs: pecking rat ears and chewing rat eyesOn the twelfth night of the first lunar month, every household has the habit of drinking millet or cornmeal porridge, which is meant to "blind the mouse's eyes" so that the mouse cannot see clearly. After dinner, people also fry peanuts, which means "frying (noising) the ears of deaf mice." At the same time, because peanuts and mouse eyes are very similar, eating peanuts is also called chewing mouse eyes, which means "making the mouse blind." In short, on the Rat Festival, the elders and villagers all think of various ways to deal with rats, which shows how unwelcome rats are!Summary: The above article content is the detailed analysis and customs introduction of the "Rat Festival" on the twelfth day of the first lunar month that the editor wants to introduce to readers. You can learn about it and feel the charm of our traditional Chinese culture! After reading this article, there are more exciting content in the Spring Festival special topic, let’s take a look! |
Recommend
Is the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month in 2019, the day before New Year’s Eve, a good day to sign a contract?
Is the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month in 2019...
Is it possible to get married or engaged on August 24th of the lunar calendar in 2018?
The arrival of the eighth month of the lunar cale...
Query of unlucky days in the twelfth month of the lunar calendar in 2017
Every month has some unlucky days. Let us know the...
Is May 16th, 2020, an auspicious day for the Lesser Heat? What should pregnant women eat during the Lesser Heat?
Introduction: Every day will have good and bad luc...
What are the do's and don'ts on the sixth day of the fifth lunar month in 2020?
What are the do's and don'ts on the sixth...
What time is the summer solstice in 2019? What time is the sunrise in the summer solstice in 2019?
After the summer solstice, the sun's direct po...
Is it good to be born on August 25, 2020 in the lunar calendar? Analysis of the boy's fate
The fate of a boy is also related to the time of h...
Can I get a haircut on the sixth day of the eleventh lunar month in 2018?
A “full haircut” may include a series of work such...
Is August 14th of the lunar calendar in 2021 a suitable day to sign a contract? Is it a good day?
The eighth month of the lunar calendar is the seco...
Query the position of the God of Happiness on the ninth day of the fifth lunar month in 2019
The fifth month of the lunar calendar is midsumme...
Is it a good idea to pick up a new car on November 28th of the lunar calendar in 2020? Is it an auspicious day?
The arrival of the eleventh month of the lunar ca...
Is it okay to open a business the day before Grain Full in 2020? When is the Grain Full solar term in 2020?
Introduction: You also need to choose an auspiciou...
Analysis of the first day of the seventh lunar month in 2021. Is it a good day to sign a contract?
The pros and cons of signing a contract at differe...
Is the eighth day of the first lunar month in 2018 an auspicious day to start renovation? How auspicious or inauspicious is the time?
The lunar calendar is one of China's tradition...
Is New Year’s Day an auspicious day? The zodiac signs are in conflict and harmony on New Year’s Day 2020!
The arrival of New Year's Day also proves that...