Traditional Customs During The White Dew Season

Bailu is the fifteenth solar term among the twenty-four solar terms. The "Collection and Interpretation of the Seventy Two Seasons of the Moon" states: "White dew is the eighth month. Autumn belongs to the metal, golden and white, and the Yin energy gradually increases. Dew condenses and becomes white." At the time of white dew, the heat subsides, the temperature difference between day and night widens, and in the morning, plants and trees condense white dew drops, slowly spreading the autumn atmosphere. The ancient people followed the chronological order and formed rich and diverse traditional customs around the White Dew solar term in their long agricultural life. These customs are rooted in agricultural civilization, integrating health preservation, sacrifice, diet, leisure and other connotations, carrying the Chinese people's beautiful wishes of respecting nature, praying for health, and hoping for a bountiful harvest.

 

In the eyes of ancient people, the dew that condenses on the grass in the morning is the pure essence of heaven and earth, with special value. According to Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica" during the Ming Dynasty, autumn dew on the heads of hundreds of herbs can quench thirst and moisturize the skin; Dew on flowers can nourish the face. At dawn, before dawn, the people would carry pottery jars and collect dew between the grass and flower branches in the outskirts. The collected clear dew has many uses, some people use it to study ink, and the ink they write has a clear and smooth color; Some people use it to wipe their eyes, believing it can improve vision and relieve dry eye fatigue; Some people collect dew as medicine. The origin of this custom can be traced back to the story of Emperor Wu of Han building the Chenglu Pan. Legend has it that Emperor Wu of Han believed in the words of Fang Shi and believed that mixing Bai Lu Xian Lu with jade shavings could prolong life.

Therefore, he erected a bronze immortal in Jianzhang Palace and held up a tray to receive the dew. Although the legend carries mythological elements, it can be seen that ancient people highly praised Bai Lu Qing Lu, and the custom of collecting Qing Lu has been passed down from generation to generation, becoming a highly poetic custom of Bai Lu.

 

This is a grand sacrificial event during the White Dew season, and local fishermen respectfully refer to Dayu as the "Water Path Bodhisattva". It is said that in ancient times, the Taihu Lake Lake was flooded all the year round, engulfing farmland and displacing people. Dayu came to this place to dredge the river, build dams, and patrol the water day and night. He often walked around the lake on the morning dew. When the flood subsided and the white dew arrived, the people were finally able to cultivate and fish peacefully. In order to commemorate the great Yu's kindness in flood control, the people along the the Taihu Lake Lake set up a custom to hold an annual pilgrimage party for the king of Yu in Bailu to worship the great Yu. The incense festival lasts for a week, and the people bring fruits, grains, and incense candles to the Yuwang Temple for worship. In the temple, they also sing opera for days to pay tribute to the gods.

The classic play "Fishing and Killing Families" is an essential program. Fishermen pray for a calm lake and abundant fish and shrimp; Farmers pray for even rainfall and a bountiful harvest of grains. Until now, some areas around the Taihu Lake Lake still retain the tradition of Bai Lu sacrificing to the King of Yu, continuing the cultural connotation of thanking the ancestors and praying for peace.

The folk saying goes, "Spring tea is bitter, summer tea is astringent. If you want to drink tea, it's autumn dew." After experiencing the scorching summer heat, the autumn tea picked before and after the white dew has shed the tenderness of spring tea and no longer has the bitterness of summer tea. In autumn, there is a large temperature difference between day and night, and tea trees accumulate sufficient nutrients. White dew tea has a clear and elegant aroma, a sweet and mellow tea soup, and is resistant to brewing, which is deeply loved by old tea customers. Before and after the White Dew, tea farmers in Jiangnan go up the mountain to pick autumn tea. After the new tea is made, neighbors and friends gather to brew tea and chat, feeling the autumn atmosphere in the faint aroma of tea.

In Hunan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, there is a custom of brewing Bailu rice wine. During the autumn harvest season, the grains are plump, and during the white dew season, the water quality is clear and suitable for brewing and fermentation. At Bailu, farmers use glutinous rice, sorghum and other grains to brew rice wine. Bailu rice wine has a sweet and mellow taste, with a low alcohol content. After brewing, it is used to entertain visiting relatives and celebrate the approaching harvest. In the old countryside, the mellow aroma of rice wine wafted around the white dew, and a cup of rice wine carried the joy of farmers' harvest.

In Cangnan and Pingyang of Zhejiang Province, Bailu has a special Tonic Diet custom of eating ten kinds of white food. The concept of traditional Chinese medicine holds that autumn belongs to gold, and white enters the lungs. During the season of white dew, autumn dryness strikes, and consuming white ingredients can moisturize and nourish the body. The locals will collect ten herbs with the name "white", such as white hibiscus, white hair bitter, white peony medicine, etc., and stew them together with black bone chicken and white hair duck. People believe that Bai Lu can dispel rheumatism, nourish the body and alleviate the discomfort caused by autumn dryness by eating this Tonic Diet.

There is a local saying that goes, 'When Bailu eats longan, one is worth one chicken.' During the Bailu season, longan is just ripe, with full and juicy flesh, sweet and juicy. Local people believe that consuming longan on this day of Bailu can nourish qi and blood, nourish the body, and resist autumn dryness. Every time at Bailu, every household will buy fresh longan for the whole family to taste and pray for good health.

Folklore believes that eating sweet potatoes with white dew can protect the digestive system, reduce discomfort caused by acid reflux, and is also a way to experience the autumn harvest and taste the gifts from the earth. From Bailu to the autumnal equinox, there are autumn community sacrifices. People worship the Land God, thank the earth for the bountiful harvest, and make community cakes and community Congee for sacrifice and sharing. In the Tancheng area of Shandong, children play with homemade swallow carts in Bailu, exercising their muscles and bones to resist the autumn chill.

There is a well-known health proverb during the White Dew season: * * White Dew does not expose the body, cold dew does not expose the feet * *. After the white dew, the temperature drops significantly in the morning and evening, and it is no longer suitable to be naked. It is necessary to add clothing in a timely manner to prevent the autumn cold. This is not a ritual or dietary custom, but a life wisdom summarized by ancient people from generation to generation, reminding people to adapt to seasonal changes and take care of their bodies.

The various customs of Bailu are the products of ancient people's observation of nature and their compliance with time sequence. From collecting clear dew in the morning, worshiping the ancestors by the lake, to brewing tea and wine, and tasting white ingredients, every custom embodies the ancient people's perception of heaven and earth. White dew does not have the liveliness of Spring Festival or the grandeur of Mid Autumn Festival, but it tells the unique romance of autumn with its gentle and elegant folk customs. These customs have been passed down to this day, reminding us to feel the flow of seasons, understand how to adapt to nature, and take care of our body and mind. They also make the cultural heritage of the 24 solar terms still vivid in contemporary times.