Insects and Folk Customs (Insect Festival has many names)

Folk customs vary widely around the world, and the Chinese nation, an ancient civilization with a long history of more than 5,000 years and home to 56 ethnic groups, has rich and colorful folk customs, and the insect culture is also unique.

1. Lucky insects in weddings

Among the many insect species, some species are hailed as symbols of longing for beauty and auspiciousness, among which bees and silkworms are typical representatives. Because bees can make honey and beeswax, and silkworms can spin silk and weave cocoons, they are good helpers for people to make a fortune. Li Shangyin's famous poem of the Tang Dynasty, "The spring silkworms will not be exhausted until they die, and the candles will become ashes before their tears dry up." It is thought-provoking and often recited. Therefore, people often regard bees as the embodiment of sweetness and hard work, silkworms as selfless devotees, and the two insects as auspicious insects in weddings. For example, the Lagu people of my country have the custom of catching bees to make bee candles. During the wedding, the newlyweds must light two bee candles to symbolize that their married life is full of light, sweetness and happiness. The reason why beeswax lamps are indispensable in the weddings of the Lagu people is said to originate from an ancient legend: "A pair of lovers did not agree to their marriage because of conflicts between their parents, but they both committed suicide because of their love. Later, the two lovers A seven-mile fragrant flower tree grew on the grave. For some reason, the bees raised by the elders of the two parents came to this flower tree to collect honey. After eating the honey, the parents of both parties missed their deceased children again. They were so sad that they came here at the same time. We shook hands and made peace under this flower tree." From now on, the marriage and love of the younger generations will no longer be interfered with. People regard bee candles as a symbol of freedom, light and beauty. On the wedding day, the Jing people, another ethnic minority in my country, have a series of "song banquets" to celebrate. It is said that the most exciting one is the "sworn brotherhood song", in which the man and woman sing the duet "We are like silkworms, eating together" "A mulberry leaf, a bunch of grass spinning silk" (male); "We are like bees, one inside the nest and one outside the nest (female)"... will symbolize the harmony, beauty and sweet joy of marriage. The atmosphere reached a climax, adding to the fun and liveliness of the wedding.

2. Eternal love turns into a butterfly

People often see butterflies flying in pairs in flowers and fields. Painters and writers often use them as creative materials to praise the beauty of love in the world. It’s no wonder that as early as 14d0 years ago, Emperor Jianwen of Liang Dynasty wrote a poem ("Ode to the Mosquito Butterfly"): "Butterflies fly from the wind again, and pairs of flowers fly up; those who send a message to each other will always be of the same mind" ("Ode to the Mosquito Butterfly"). In folk and many ethnic religions and customs, it is often believed that the souls of dead people will eventually turn into butterflies. The famous Chinese classical music "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" is a masterpiece that is well-known to every household and famous overseas. It is a precious spiritual wealth of our people. The pure, steadfast, sad and tragic love story it represents finally ends with the two turning into butterflies and flying together, becoming an eternal masterpiece. Many people who have heard and seen this work have praised and sympathized with it, and deeply blessed the souls of the two people as they turned into butterflies and flew to the free kingdom of beautiful love.

In some Western countries abroad, people sometimes use butterflies to express their best wishes to the newlyweds at weddings. The splendor and beauty of butterflies often add beautiful thoughts and joyful atmosphere to festive days, and are a concentrated expression of the integration of mythology, religion, nation and celebration.

3. There are many insect festivals

Relevant experts have made detailed statistics and descriptions of insect festivals. In China alone, there are more than 2,000 traditional folk festivals of various names, of which 44 are related to insects, and most of them have meanings. The relationship between insects and humans is nothing more than harm and benefit, so the content of the Insect Festival must also revolve around these two themes. For example, the Mulao people in the mountainous areas of Guangxi hold the annual "Insect-Eating Festival" (the second day of the sixth lunar month) as their traditional festival to prevent insect disasters and achieve a bumper harvest. Every household holds a banquet. There are fried locusts, fried pickled ants, sweet fried butterfly pupae, etc. There are also many insect festivals around the Qingming Festival, but the form and content vary greatly from region to region. For example, it is a custom in the countryside of Nantong to celebrate the "Insect Sending Festival". Red notes saying "Sending hundreds of insects during the Qingming Festival will leave no trace behind" are posted on the walls. At the same time, fires are set beside the fields to kill insects; in addition, insects are sacrificed. Festival, Insect King Festival, etc. are all insect festivals to worship gods to eliminate insect disasters and hope for a good harvest. During the Qingming Festival, silkworm farmers in Zhejiang often hold sacrifices to the silkworm gods to ensure a good harvest, and offer sacrifices such as dried tofu and other vegetarian foods. Shandong silkworm farmers kill chickens and hold a banquet to worship the silkworm god every year on the day when silkworms lie down. "Sending silkworm flowers" expresses blessings and is quite popular in Jiangnan Silkworm Township. During the Spring Festival, folk songs and greetings of "sending silkworms and flowers" can often be heard in the countryside. Silkworm farmers often send some rice, cakes and other "new year goods" to those who come to send songs. In addition, in the early morning of the Spring Festival, silkworm farmers Women have to follow the custom of "sweeping the silkworm flower field", that is, cleaning the silkworm house from the outside to the inside, with the intention of sweeping in the silkworm flowers and cocoons to achieve a good harvest.

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