There are many customs and habits in Zhaoqing, among which the more famous ones are Dragon Explosion, God of Wealth’s Birthday, Buddha’s Birthday, Lion Explosion, Firecracking Party, Bao Gong’s Birthday, Holy Concubine’s Birthday, Queen of Heaven’s Birthday, Dragon Mother’s Birthday, Song Wei Swallow Festival, River Lantern Festival, Fire Dragon Dance and Confucius Ceremony.
1. Exploding Dragons
Every Spring Festival, villages in Guangning hold the custom of dragon dancing and exploding dragons on the wider grounds of the village. Among them, the history of dragon dancing in Shuizhen Village is up to this day. It has been more than 380 years.
2. God of Wealth’s Festival
The God of Wealth’s Festival on the fifth day of the first lunar month every year in Qixingyan Chumi Cave is one of the most grand events in the scenic spot. The Tongtian God of Wealth Ancient Temple in Chumi Cave has long been known to the people of Zhaoqing City and has been popular for thousands of years.
3. Buddha’s Birthday
Buddha’s Birthday is a custom in Sihui City, which can be traced back to the late Tang Dynasty. It is mainly held in Baolin Ancient Temple in Ganlan Village, Zhenshan Street, to commemorate Ruan Gong Buddha. , Baosheng Ancient Temple in Anping Village, Dasha Town, where Liang Gong Buddha is worshiped, and there is a constant stream of people participating in the worship.
4. Fried Lion
During the Lantern Festival, the Deqing people’s lion dance “Cai Qing” likes to set up a formation, and hundreds or even thousands of people gather around the formation to participate in the fun . During the lion dance, gongs and drums music is used, and firecrackers are thrown in skewers, so that the lit firecrackers are concentrated on the lion and explode around it, which is called attacking the lion.
5. Cannon-grabbing party
Every year on the second day of the second lunar month, Shuikou Village, Lenkeng Town, Huaiji County holds an intense and interesting cannon-grabbing activity. The folk custom of gun grabbing in Shuikou Village began in the early Qing Dynasty and has a history of more than 300 years. It is currently relatively rare in Huaiji.
6. Bao Gong’s Birthday
Bao Gong’s Birthday is a traditional festival on Yanzhou Island, Guangli Street, Dinghu District. Every year on the 14th day of the second lunar month, people from all over the continent bring their livestock, incense, candles and fruits to Baogong Tower to worship and celebrate grandly.
7. The Birthday of the Holy Concubine
The Holy Concubine refers to the legendary Liu Sanmei. Although she is the Holy Concubine, Liu Sanmei still works for the people. In order to thank her, people built a palace and temple at the foot of Banshi Mountain, which was known as the Palace of the Holy Concubine. During the spring and autumn festivals every year, tourists and people from all over the world come to worship and pray for blessings.
8. The Queen’s Birthday
The Queen’s Birthday is held on the 23rd day of the third month of the lunar calendar every year. It is one of the most important, grandest, liveliest and most popular festivals for the villagers and best embodies the folk customs. During the festival, every household slaughters pigs, and villagers drink together and guess horses. The winner is called the Horse King of Xijiang.
9. Dragon Mother’s Birthday
Every year on the eighth day of the fifth lunar month is the Dragon Mother’s birthday, which lasts from the first to the ninth day of May. In May 2006, Yuecheng Dragon Mother’s Birthday (Temple Fair) was included in the first batch of Guangdong Province’s intangible cultural heritage list.
10. Gewei Swallow Festival
In the past, there was a custom of attending temple fairs in Huaiji Qiaotou Town. On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, people from the village would come to Yanxi to play piano. They set up tents on the river beach to sing operas, and some sold food on the riverside. Today's Yanyan Liuliu Ge Fair probably originated from this.
Eleven. River Lantern Festival
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people put water lanterns in Qixing Rock and place their best wishes on the brightly lit water lanterns, letting them float away with the flowing water. A way of praying.
12. Fire Dragon Dance
In the local words, it means training the fire head. Bundle branches and other bundles into a ball and light it. The performer dances the fire head continuously, dragging out a long flame. The bright sparks and the performer's high-speed operation eventually turn into a powerful fire dragon that shocks people's hearts.
13. Ceremony of Commemoration to Confucius
The Deqing Confucius Commemoration Ceremony held a solemn and elegant public sacrifice ceremony following the practice of the Qing Dynasty, and arranged family sacrifices for the descendants of the Confucius family. After the ceremony of worshiping Confucius, the temple distributed Zhuangyuan cakes, Zhicong cakes, Confucius chest emblems, Confucius teaching statues, etc. to the crowd at the scene.