The Nine Festivals, also known as the "Later Nine Festivals" and "Nine Filial Piety Festivals", are unique festivals in Fuzhou, and their history can be traced back to the ancient story of "Mulian Saves the Mother".
This festival is mainly spread in the Fuzhou dialect area, and it is also one of the most important traditional festivals in Fuzhou.
There is a well-known story about the origin of the Nine Festivals.
The father of the ancient Indian monk Mulian was in business all the year round, and his family had a herd of mules and horses, and countless treasures.
His mother, Qingti, on the contrary, hated her family the most.
Mulian yearns for the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
When he grew up, he once went out to do business, and when he was leaving, he said to his mother: "When a child goes out to seek wealth, his mother should accumulate virtue and kindness at home, and treat the monks as if she were a child." ”
His mother agreed. Who expected that after the eyes were gone, his mother was still the same, and she refused to give a meal to the point of being stingy.
When he returned home half a year later, he heard that his mother was very unfriendly to the monks, so he asked his mother the reason, and when she heard this, she was furious and reprimanded, "You don't believe your mother?"If I am not good to the monks, I will not die well within seven days, and I will fall into the hell of the nose when I die!Seven days later, his mother died violently.
Mulian mourned and buried his mother, and then he abandoned his glory and wealth, returned to Shakyamuni, cultivated into an arhat, and became one of the top ten ** of the Buddha.
Mu Lianjing inquired and knew that the consequences of his mother's death really fell into the hell of Ah Bi.
He found his mother, who had become a hungry ghost and was being tortured, in great sorrow, and immediately fed her with a bowl of rice.
But the rice turns into charcoal before it is eaten.
Mu Lian wept in sorrow.
When the Buddha saw that he was filial piety, he said to him, "Although you have become an arhat, you cannot save your mother by your own strength.
So Mulian asked the monks of the ten directions to set up a Bon festival to surpass the hungry ghosts, and his mother was out of hell.
In this story, in order to save his mother, Mulian set up a Bon Festival, and Fuzhou's Nine Festivals originated from this.
In the Fuzhou area, every family will cook nine porridge on this day to worship their ancestors, and then the whole family will gather together to drink porridge.
At the same time, they will also donate nine porridge to the temple to show filial piety and piety.
So what are the customs of the Nine Festivals?
Every household has to cook nine porridges.
It is a kind of sweet porridge made from glutinous rice, red beans, red dates, longan, black sesame seeds and other ingredients, implying reunion and harmony.
On the day of the Nine Festivals, people will get up early and start cooking the nine congees.
When the porridge is ready, the whole family gathers to share this delicious breakfast.
Donating congee to the temple is also an important activity of the festival.
People would bring their own porridge to the temple and offer it to the Buddha and Bodhisattva as a sign of devotion and gratitude.
At the same time, he will also donate money and materials to the temple to help repair the temple and provide for the monks.
In addition, there are some places that will worship ancestors and sweep the tombs on the day of the Nine Festivals.
People return to their hometowns to pay respects to their ancestors and clean up weeds and garbage around the cemetery as a sign of respect and gratitude to their ancestors.
At the same time, relatives and friends will also be invited to participate in the activities of worshipping ancestors and sweeping tombs to enhance the cohesion and feelings of the family.
In general, the Jiujiu Festival is a traditional festival with profound cultural connotations and historical origins.
It is not only a symbol of gratitude to parents, respect for the old and love for the young, but also an opportunity to promote traditional culture and national spirit.