The Ordinary Road of Siheyuan

September 63, 10, Mid-Autumn Festival.

Since ancient times, the Mid-Autumn Festival in various places has some regional characteristics, and the Mid-Autumn Festival in the old capital also has special Beijing-style traditions and customs.

In autumn, whether it is a roadside vendor or a fruit shop in Beijing, there are a variety of fruits of various colors.Gourd-shaped jujubes, crunchy and sweet little white pears, fiery red pomegranates, and the most representative persimmons.

Look, that old farmer carried two baskets of freshly picked persimmons on a shoulder pole, walked all the way from the suburbs to the city, and brought his business to Tiananmen Square.

The Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing is also commonly known as "August Festival" or "Fruit Festival".The eighth month of the lunar calendar is the harvest season. Three to five days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the fruit markets outside Qianmen and inside Deshengmen opened.

From August [-]th to August [-]th, peaches, pears, dates, grapes and other seasonal fruits can be bought in the fruit market, and the shouts of fruit merchants are endless.

As the most representative seasonal food of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Mooncakes are the seasonal cakes of every old Beijing "boboshop".

Every year from the eighth month of the lunar calendar, "Boubopu" begins to sell mooncakes, including Zhengmingzhai in Qianmen, Furongzhai in Dongsi Pailou, Fangzhai in the north section of Dongsi, Yumeizhai in the north of Xidan Pailou, and Guiyingzhai outside Di'anmen. Mooncakes are the most famous.

Many famous "Boubopu" will stamp their own brand's unique logo on the homemade moon cakes.

The most common old Beijing-style moon cakes are "Tai Lai Hong", "Tai Lai White" and "Reunion Cake".Later, the categories of Beijing-flavored mooncakes increased, including pulped mooncakes, fluffed mooncakes, meringue mooncakes and so on.

A few years ago, the Mid-Autumn Festival activities such as worshiping the rabbit and worshiping the moon were popular, but now the four old things are broken, and these things are endowed with new attributes, culture, entertainment, tradition and so on.

Not as pious as before, more to set off the festival, and only a few people are secretly engaging in feudal superstition, the way for He Yuzhu to feel the festive atmosphere is to go shopping more, visit other people's homes, and chat with the elderly more.

Spring planting, summer growth, autumn harvest, and winter storage, the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar is the second month of the autumn harvest season, which was called Zhongqiu in ancient times.

And August [-]th is in the middle of autumn and August, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival, August Festival, Fruit Festival, and Reunion Festival. It is one of the most important traditional festivals in my country.

Customs such as offering sacrifices to the moon, admiring the moon, eating moon cakes, watching lanterns, giving fruit, and playing with rabbits have been handed down to this day for a long time.

But the Mid-Autumn Festival in the old Sijiu city began in early August.The busiest place is the flower market.

The flower market is located in the east of the north section of Chongwenmenwai Street, with a total length of more than 2000 meters and a width of about 10 meters. It is divided into the East Flower Market and the West Flower Market, which are collectively called "Hua'er Market Street".

The flower market was called Shenmuchang in the Ming Dynasty.

When Beijing was built in the fourth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, the minister of the Ministry of Industry was ordered to obtain materials from Sichuan and Shu, and got several large trees. Worship in Beijing.

In the 20th year of Yongle (1422), Shenmuchang was built outside Chongwenmen. The place name "Shenmuchang Street" was recorded in Chongbeifang in "Five Cities, Lanes, Alleys and Hutongs Collection of Beijing Normal University" in Ming Dynasty.

After the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, several "sacred trees" left over from the Ming Dynasty were moved from outside Chongwenmen to Erlixu outside Guangqumen, and a new factory was established.In the "Qing Qianlong Beijing Complete Map", Shenmuchang Street has been renamed "Hua'ershi Street".Later, Yangshikou was used as the boundary, with Donghuashi Street on the east and Xihuashi Street on the west.

"The world's silk flowers come out of the capital, and the capital's silk flowers come out of the flower market."Since the late Qing Dynasty, Donghuashi Street has been the center of production and sales of velvet and silk flowers.Those who deal in silk flowers set up shops in front of the door to sell them, and set up workshops in the backyard to make them.In the area of ​​Donghua City, from both sides of Xiaoshikou in the north to Hubeikou; in the south, Shangxiatangzi, Shangxiabaoqing, Shangxiaguoqiang (Guoqiang), Shangxiatangdao and Yuanbaoshi from both sides of Nanxiaoshikou in the south. industry.The silk flowers made by famous craftsmen in the Qing Dynasty won awards at the Panama International Exposition.

Around the prosperity of the "Flower Market", silk shops, wool shops, grocery stores, pastry shops, dried fruit shops, watch shops, porcelain shops, jewelry shops, jewelry shops, antique shops and traditional Chinese medicine shops have also emerged in this area. .There are also various handicraft workshops and shops in the flower market, such as jade, enamel, ivory carving, filigree inlay, carved lacquer, material utensils, patchwork embroidery, etc.Therefore, every year when the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the flower market, the largest and most concentrated handicraft industry area in the old capital, opens the prelude to the festival.

Food is the most important thing for the people, and no one can cook without the stove. Therefore, in the past, every family would worship the Stove Lord in the stove, praying that "God will say good things, and return to the palace to bring good luck."

In the north of Donghuashi Street Road, there was originally the largest Zaojun Temple in the capital, which was in charge of all the Zaojuns in the city, so it was also called Duzaojun Temple.

The Kitchen God is commonly known as the Kitchen King and the Kitchen Lord in the folk.

Huashi Zaojun Temple has three floors of halls, each hall has three rooms, and the middle hall has front and rear doors that can pass through the hall.The main hall is dedicated to the Stove King and his wife, and the common people respectfully call them the Stove King Lord and the Stove King Grandma.Zao Jun wears a ceremony crown, court clothes, and a black beard.

Wu Changyuan's "Chenyuan Zhilue" in the Qing Dynasty: "The Duzaojun Temple is in Huaer City. It was built in the Ming Dynasty. There is no monument to test. There is an ancient cypress. It was rebuilt during the Kangxi period of this dynasty. Repair the second stele of Feng Yunsu."

Outside the gate of Zaojun Temple, there is a pair of male and female iron lions, about two feet high, looking at each other sincerely presented by colleagues from the Shangtou Alley Tongzi Shenghui outside Chongwenmen in the sixth year of Kangxi (1689).

The old Beijing Xiehouyu said: "The lion of Zaojun Temple——Tie Dui'er", which is a metaphor for the close relationship between friends.

The kitchen business regards Stove Lord as the ancestor of the industry. It is said that Stove King is Christmas on the third day of August, and every year on the first, second, and third day of August, there is a temple market in the temple of Stove Lord.Therefore, the third day of the eighth lunar month is also called "Chef's Day", and the "Stove Lord Meeting" will be held here.

The "Kitchen King's Fair" was popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and it was the only industry festival that prevailed in the old capital.On that day, each family will also offer three bowls of birthday noodles and burn incense in front of the Stove Lord Statue in accordance with the custom of celebrating the birthday of the elderly.

In the old days, the "Zaojun Meeting" of Zaojun Temple was very lively. When the temple opened, chefs from famous restaurants and restaurants such as Bada Hall, Bada Building, Badachun, and Badaju, as well as chefs from large and small restaurants, and ordinary people came to the temple to burn incense and worship. Kitchen gentleman.

At the same time, they exchange skills and experience here, matchmaking to introduce work, accept and teach disciples, hold ceremonies of appreciating, appreciating and leaving teachers, and finally invite troupes to perform big plays.

During the opening of the temple, the stalls are set up outside the temple.At that time, there will be many stalls selling all kinds of silk flowers, decorations, pots and pans and other cooking utensils unique to the flower market outside the temple gate.

In the old Mid-Autumn Festival, the most timely thing was the mud rabbit god. The temple was full of rabbit gods. Some people described the scene as "it is really like a rabbit god meeting. The children who visit the temple have to carry one back." .

Others selling fruit and buying utensils for offering sacrifices to the "Rabbit Master" are very lively.This temple fair is just like the opening ceremony of the Mid-Autumn Festival, attracting many tourists to watch the exhibition.

He Yuzhu took Lu Lan and He Yushui for a walk for a day, and ate all kinds of delicacies during the period. Lu Lan was three months pregnant, and He Yuzhu was afraid that she would be tired, so he let her sit on the bicycle seat most of the time and pushed her around, which was not fast. , nor bumpy.

In addition to the Hua'er Market, there is actually a Guo'er Market, more than a dozen kinds of fruits are on the market at this time, and you will definitely have enough to eat!
There are fruit stalls all over the market, and He Yuzhu and the others saw Yaer pears, sand fruits, white pears, water pears, apples, crabapple, pears, fresh dates, grapes, late peaches, edamame with branches, lotus root, watermelon, etc. along the way.

Not only a feast for the eyes, but also a feast for the mouth.

He Yuzhu's handlebars and baskets, including He Yushui's car, were filled with all kinds of goods and fruits, and they didn't go back until four or five o'clock. Tonight's moon was seen in the yard.

Even though he was not hungry, He Yuzhu still stewed chicken soup when he went back. He filled a casserole. If he was not hungry, he would have a bowl of chicken soup. Peanuts, melon seeds, jujubes, grapes, and candies. Neighbors would grab some when they came over. Finally, the family ate mooncakes and watched the moon before going back to the house to rest.

One more word, Jiazhang loves to take advantage so much, she came three times for the melons and fruits prepared by He Yuzhu, and asked her grandson to come three times as well. Beautiful scenery on a good day, not worth it.