Traditional customs in Changshu include celebrating the New Year, receiving the God of Fortune, haunting the Lantern Festival, entering incense on the third day of the third month of the third lunar month, dragon boat races, ascending to a high altitude to eat cake on the day of the Chung Yeung Festival, sending off the God of Zaos, posting the God of the Door, and catching the temple fair, all of which are folk activities with a large number of people participating in them.
One, the New Year
Households put up spring couplets and wear new clothes to symbolize the renewal of all things. Early in the morning, the head of the family gets up and sets off an "open door firecracker", the woman of the house goes to a nearby temple to burn incense and worship Buddha, and businessmen go to the Xingfu Temple and the House of the Annunciation to burn incense and pray for good luck.
On the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar, each family ate "dumplings" (i.e., Lantern Festival). Young children in the countryside to walk through the streets and lanes, playing the New Year's Eve gongs and drums. At night, the urban and rural streets and lanes firecrackers fireworks, and run the lamp market, dragon dance and other activities.
Two, the Dragon Boat Festival
families should be hung on the door of Ai, bushels, garlic pole leaves, paste Taoist priests issued by the talisman, hanging Zhong Kui statue in order to show that the evil spirits, drive away ghosts. Indoors with cangzhu, mugwort, dahurica and other drugs smoked to expel insects and snakes. Urban and rural areas have dragon boat racing activities.
Three, Mid-Autumn Festival
Family eat moon cakes, diamonds, lotus root, sugar taro and wontons. Farmers use glutinous rice and cowpeas to steam cowpea cakes, which are commonly known as turtle wheat cakes.
Four, Chongyang
Families eat Chongyang cakes and drink chrysanthemum wine. The city sells a triangular colorful flags inserted into the Chongyang cake, according to legend, there is to climb high to avoid trouble. The city people more climbed Mount Yu, and enjoy the autumn colors. Many units in the city organize gatherings for the elderly to celebrate the festival with them and wish them good health.
Fifth, the New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve dinner feast, there are cold pots, hot fried, but also braised, white fat. Parents give their children New Year's money, the younger generation has to buy clothes and Western ginseng and other tonic to honor their elders.
Changshu Municipal People's Government - Festivals and Folklore