1. Ningbo customs

Ningbo is located in the east of Zhejiang. Under the long-term influence of Yue culture and the superior natural environment, Ningbo has formed unique customs.

Mid-Autumn Festival on August 16th: All parts of China celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, but Ningbo celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 16th day of the eighth lunar month. There are two theories about its origin: one is that Jiangsu and Zhejiang Zuocheng and Taiwei Fang Guozhen changed it with their own birthdays at the end of the Yuan Dynasty; the other is that Shi Hao, the Prime Minister of the Southern Song Dynasty and a native of Yin County (now Yinzhou), was serving as Prime Minister at that time. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, he would go home to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with his mother. One year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, there was something going on at court, so he couldn't make it back in time, and his family was convinced that he would come back to celebrate the festival, so they waited until the next day, August 16th. , Shi Hao came back as expected. Since then, in order to commemorate this filial piety, people chose to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 16th. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, families reunite, attend temple fairs, watch dragon boats, eat mooncakes, and give mooncakes to each other.

Lion dance: It is more popular in Ninghai County, Ningbo City. Usually in the first month of the lunar calendar or Buddhist-related festivals, dozens of farmers form teams and go to each village to take turns dancing lions to show respect for their ancestors, welcome gods and ward off evil spirits. Dispel demons. Lion dances include solo dances, duet dances, and group dances. Most of them are three lion dances, one male, one female, and one cub. They dance while beating gongs and drums. The most exciting performance is "grabbing five lanterns", which is performed in the middle and four corners of the venue. There is a lamp for each, and the lion dances wildly in the middle, playing, biting, and grabbing the lamp, etc., with the crowd watching all around.

Dragon boat racing: Urban and rural dragon boat racing is mainly held in ponds, rivers and lakes. Dragon boats are divided into green dragon, yellow dragon, white dragon, etc.; dragon boat racing is usually held on the fifth day of the fifth month and the sixteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar every year. The former is said to be the day when Qu Yuan, the patriotic poet and Sanlu official of the Chu State, threw himself into the Miluo River. He rowed a dragon boat to represent people racing to rescue him. The latter is the Mid-Autumn Festival in Ningbo. In addition to holding temple fairs, dragon boat racing can add to the festive entertainment atmosphere. When the race started, the rowing crew raised their heads high, and one person stood in front of the dragon boat and beat the gongs to direct. The costumes were the same color as the dragon boats. Firecrackers sounded, the dragon boats fired in unison, and the sound of gongs and drums and the shouts of the crowd watching on the shore were endless. The scene was very exciting. It’s fun, whoever reaches the finish line first wins. The dragon boats at Dongqian Lake in Ningbo are the most famous.

The story of Liang Shanbo Zhu Yingtai: During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, she went to the Yu Zhu family's female Yingtai, where she disguised herself as a man to study, and was a classmate of Liang Shanbo of Kuaiji for three years. Later, Zhu Yingtai returned home first. The following year, Liang Shanbo visited Zhu's family and found out that she was a woman. The central government asked for a job, but Zhu had promised Ma's son. Hou Shanbo was the county magistrate, diligent in administration and caring for the people. He died in office and was buried in Chengxi Township. Later, when Zhu Yingtai passed Shanbo's tomb, he cried and howled bitterly, causing the tomb to split open. Zhu jumped into Liang's tomb and was buried with him. Now there are Liang Zhuhe's tomb and Liangshan Bo Temple in Xixiang, Ningbo. There is a proverb in Ningbo: "If a couple wants to grow old together, the Liangshan Bo Temple will come to them as soon as they arrive." Nowadays, the story of Butterfly Lovers is spread in various art forms such as movies, dramas, folk arts, etc. It has a very wide scope, involving and spreading to European and American countries. It is called the "Romeo and Juliet" of the East.

Eating sweet potato soup and fruit during the Winter Solstice: In Ningbo’s traditional custom, sweet potato soup and fruit is one of the must-eat delicacies during the Winter Solstice. "Fan" and "fan" have the same pronunciation. In the understanding of Ningbo people, eating sweet potatoes during the winter solstice means "turning over" all the bad luck in the past year.

Tangguo is similar to glutinous rice balls, but much smaller and has no filling inside. Tangguo is also called Yuanzi, which means "reunion" and "completeness". There is also a saying in old Ningbo that "eating Tang Guo makes you one year older".

Ningbo people are accustomed to adding fermented rice wine when making sweet potato soup. In Ningbo dialect, Jiu Niang is also called "pulp board", and "pulp" has the same pronunciation as "rose" in Ningbo dialect, which means "rising wealth" and "rising blessings". 2. Ningbo specialty

①Ningbo glutinous rice balls?

Tangyuan, formerly known as Yuanxiao, is one of the famous Han snacks in Ningbo and one of the representative snacks in China. It is a food custom during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival. . It has a long history. According to research, Ningbo dumplings began in the Song and Yuan Dynasties and have a history of more than 700 years. It is made of the local first-grade glutinous rice ground into powder, and the filling is made of delicate and pure white sugar, black sesame and high-quality lard. It is fragrant, sweet, fresh, smooth and glutinous. When you bite into the skin, you will feel the oily aroma. Overflowing, glutinous but not sticky, fresh and delicious, it is amazing and famous at home and abroad.

In the old days, glutinous rice dumplings could only be eaten during the Spring Festival, and were rarely made among the people. There is a children's song in Ningbo that goes like this: "Bless your mouth for the New Year, melon seeds tea, lard glutinous rice dumplings will burn your mouth." ". Unlike most Chinese people, Ningbo people have the traditional custom of gathering together with their families to eat glutinous rice balls on the morning of the Spring Festival, which symbolizes family reunion and a complete and happy life. Some overseas Chinese like to eat a bowl of glutinous rice dumplings during festive seasons to express their homesickness.

Now, "Ningbo Tangyuan" has become a gold-letter sign and is famous.

②Cicheng rice cake?

Cicheng rice cake is also one of the representatives that best reflects the pure white beauty of Ningbo. Cicheng's rice cakes still retain thousands of years of production technology, making them smooth and delicate. Cicheng's handmade rice cake making technique has been included in the Zhejiang Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

Cicheng rice cake is a pastry made from high-quality japonica rice and is a traditional famous and special product of Ningbo City.

③Qiantong Three Treasures

The famous Qiantong Three Treasures in Qiantong Ancient Town refer to old tofu, hollow tofu and dried tofu, which can be meat or vegetarian, each with its own delicacy. Historically, it has been used as a tribute.