The customs in Jingxian County are as follows:
1. Marriage customs:
1. Yageng
Generally, before getting married, you must "gaugeng" "It is now commonly known as matchmaking. After a matchmaker negotiates a match, the parents of both parties will match their children's "horoscopes" and if they match, they will agree to the marriage. Nowadays, it is often a case of mutual love and consent, and the parents of both parties only need to agree. However, the custom of matchmaking has always existed. After the parents agree, the marriage is arranged.
2. Give a betrothal gift
When setting up a marriage, both parties agree on the type and quantity of gifts, which are prepared by the man. Usually it is fish, meat, shortbread, eggs, cakes, sugar and wine, clothing, gifts, etc., which are packed in gift boxes, baskets, and cloth bags. They are picked and delivered to the woman's home on an auspicious day. The woman prepares a banquet to entertain her and returns gifts as appropriate. After liberation, the custom of "carrying burdens" no longer existed. Generally, the man gave the woman a certain amount of candy, tobacco, alcohol, fish, food, clothing, and banquet money.
2. Customs
1. Tutu Hui
The Tutu Hui on February 2 of the lunar calendar is to "longevity" the Tutu Bodhisattva. Almost every village has a small "Tud Temple", in which are carved stone statues of "Tud Gong" and "Tud Granny". The sacrificial ceremony is also very simple. Several dishes, tea, rice and beans are displayed on the temple platform, a bottle of water and wine is sprinkled on it, incense is burned and firecrackers are set off and then the ceremony ends. The earth god often appears in some modern dramas, but the earth god in Jingxian County has some origins. It is said that he was Huan, a historian in Xuancheng during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty (324-326), Su Jun rebelled, and Han Huang, the general of the Ministry, After attacking the Xuancheng area, Duke Huan retreated to Jingxian County and was defeated and died in Wuxi Ridge. There are ruins such as Huan Cemetery and the old fortress of the camp when he was stationed in the army. Later generations admired Duke Huan for his sacrifice for the country. For his loyal and brave deeds, a temple was built to offer sacrifices. "He was born as a hero and died as a god", Huan became the "Lord God" of Jingxian County. It is said that the birthday of this local governor who was in charge of "civil affairs" during his lifetime was the second day of February, so the Tutu Temple has this familiar couplet: "Respect the two elders on February 2nd, and wish you a thousand years." There are couplets with various contents on the small earth temple, which reflect the people's understanding of this god. "Guarantee good luck to a place and bring peace to all seasons", indicating that he is a small god who protects local peace. "The temple is small, the universe is big, the sky is high, the sun and the moon are long", "The temple is small, there is no monk to sweep the floor, and there is no candle in front of the god to light the lamp." Although the temple is small, the Shinto is large, and people respect it with piety, which seems to be a sign of comfort. "Watching the dawn sun with a whisker, smiling at the east wind with a stick", the God of the Earth is also described as an amiable old man. Of course, there is also a very mysterious couplet: "Right and wrong, it is clear in the daytime." In short, in people's minds, he is not as powerful as other gods, but a god who is close to ordinary people. Perhaps people use this special way to remember and commemorate the blood-stained battlefield Duke Huan. To this day, although the Earth Temple still exists and the custom of offering sacrifices still exists, most of the younger generation do not understand these and will not actively participate in these activities, causing these customs to gradually disappear.
2. Nantan Fair
The old temple fairs were held on the 23rd and 24th of the ninth lunar month every year to worship the Bodhisattvas known as the "Three Saints of the South Altar" . "Nan Tan Hui" is quite common in Jingxian County. In the past, there was a saying that "there is no Hui in the south of the Yangtze River". What kind of god is "Nantan"? , some people say that Maolin is the leader of the "Southern Tang Dynasty". However, Li Jing and Li Yu of the Southern Tang Dynasty were famous poets, but they were both weak and incompatible with the statues of gods wearing armor and holding short swords, and they were called "Three Saints". It is also said that it was dedicated to Zhang Xun, Lei Wanchun and others of the Tang Dynasty. Zhang Xun was very heroic in guarding Suiyang, but he seemed a little unrelated to the Bodhisattva who was enjoying sacrifices in southern Anhui. The South Altar in Chacun is performed by people wearing armor. They say it is to worship the "hunting god". The Nantanhui in Zhongcun, Zhangcun and other places is a paper painting with a statue of a god holding a bow and arrow on his back. It is also said to be the "god of hunting" and enshrines birds and beasts and other prey. It seems that the "hunting god theory" is more credible, because wild beasts often cause harm in mountainous areas, and the hunting god can be used to drive away harm and ensure peace. The three statues are said to have been conferred by Emperor Qinzong of the Song Dynasty, and they were named King Weilie, King Weihui, and King Weicheng respectively. It seems that none of them were high-ranking officials in the first place. There is a story in Maolin, Jingxian County. The Nantan Bodhisattva broke into the home of Wu Fangpei, the official secretary of Zuodu Censorship Office, and sued Mr. Wu who was at home. He asked his family what wishes they had made but had not yet paid. His mother remembered and scolded the maid. Shi said: "You are so stupid that you only killed the Bodhisattva at the South Altar on September 24th." Wu Fangpei put on his court clothes and hat and scolded the Bodhisattva: "You have a shameless face! How can I kill someone to sacrifice you? It's just a curse word, and you take it seriously?". Wu Fangpei's official rank was bigger than the Bodhisattva. The gold foil on the face of the statue immediately fell off and turned into a big black face. Later, when Maolin visited the Nantan Meeting, there was indeed a black-faced statue of the god, and he no longer broke into other people's houses to ask for sacrifices.
Nowadays, temple fairs are still very popular. At that time, almost every household invites relatives and friends from out of town to attend the festival. This is of course also a good time to do business. Stores display a wide range of products, and stalls are set up around the festival hall and theater to attract customers in various ways. The streets and alleys are full of people, and it is really lively for three to five days. Temple fairs are no longer just sacrifices, but also large-scale gatherings and entertainment activities.