——
As the saying goes,
"Customs vary within ten miles, and traditions differ across a hundred miles."
This saying
is most apt when describing the differences in customs between the north and the south.
Even in different regions within the same area,
customs and habits can vary.
Today, let's take a look at
the traditional festivals related to sheep in the north and the south!
——
"The North"
Grassland "Pearl Festival"
Origin:
This festival is a celebration of the harvest held by herdsmen after their busy work of lambing and nurturing between May and June every year. Mongolians regard the testicles of male young animals as "pearls" and consider their shape as a "treasure", so they call the castration of testicles the "Pearl Festival". When taking the "pearls", the luthier plays the matouqin (a traditional Mongolian stringed instrument) as accompaniment, and lamas or reciters chant congratulatory verses. The owner of the herd first uses "Arshan" (purified water) to baptize the "Huo Te" (sheep pen). After the baptism, the pearl-harvesting technicians carry out the pearl harvesting. Then, the "pearls" are washed with milk water, and offerings are made to heaven and earth to pray for favorable weather, the prosperity of the five kinds of livestock, and a bountiful harvest. They are cooked together with goat's milk and millet for guests to taste.
Significance:
1. To select and retain fine breeds, and castrate the sheep's treasures to make the breeding population of grassland livestock better;
2. Castrating the sheep's treasures can make the mutton more plump and tender, and make the sheep grow faster;
3. It is a way for grassland herdsmen to celebrate the harvest.
Customs of the Pearl Festival:
On the day of the "Pearl Festival", herders in every household will use "pearls" as raw materials to make delicious lamb treasure porridge to commemorate the "Pearl Festival". Herders castrate "pearls" from living lambs and eat "fresh meat". Therefore, they will soak the castrated "pearls" in fresh milk and rice to show respect for the lambs. If a lamb develops inflammation or excessive bleeding after being castrated of its "pearls", feeding the water in which the "pearls" were soaked to the lamb will cure the disease. Hence, the water used to soak the "pearls" is also the "life-saving water" for the lambs.
Food Tips
Lamb Treasure Porridge: Soak red dates and raisins in warm water in advance. Put the "pearls" (lamb treasures) into the fresh soup used for boiling hand-grilled meat, blanch them until cooked, and then fish them out. Put rice into the newly prepared fresh soup for hand-grilled meat and cook until it is 80% done. Then add the soaked red dates, raisins, yogurt, cheese, lamb butter, and "pearls", and simmer over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes. It is then ready to eat.
Stir-Fried "Pearls": Put the "pearls" (lamb treasures) into the fresh soup for boiling hand-grilled meat, blanch them until cooked, and then take them out. Cut a little lamb meat, cut the "pearls" into pieces, add a small amount of oily hand-grilled meat soup and bring to a boil. Put in the lamb meat and stir-fry until all pieces change color, then add the "pearl" pieces. Add an appropriate amount of hand-grilled meat soup to the pot and simmer over low heat. When the hand-grilled meat soup reduces to one-third of the original amount, change the heat, add green onions, ginger, and salt (you can add chili according to personal taste), stir-fry evenly, and then it can be served.
"South"
"Hot Sheep Festival"
Origin:
Legend has it that the Fuyang Festival first originated in the Han Dynasty. At that time, the Yellow Emperor governed the people everywhere and divided summer farming into two periods: the Fuyang period and the rice and wheat period. The Fuyang period is from the Fuyang Festival to the Qixi Festival, and the rice and wheat period is from the Qixi Festival to the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Fuyang Festival is regarded as the beginning of summer farming, so it is also called the "Summer Farming Festival".
Significance:
It involves offering sacrifices to Fuyang in recognition of farmers' hard work, praying for bumper harvests every year, inheriting China's ancient culture, conveying respect for natural forces and farming labor, and passing on the fine traditional culture of the Chinese nation.
Customs of the 伏羊节 (Fu Yang Festival):
On the day of the Fu Yang Festival, every household holds celebration activities, such as inserting mugwort stems, sprinkling mugwort water, roasting sheep, and eating sheep meals, to show respect for the festival. Every year, on the day before the Fu Yang Festival, people pull out the mugwort stems from their homes and sprinkle the water with mugwort leaves from their homes on the ground, hoping that the gods will bless the well-being of their families.
Culinary Tips
"There's a saying: 'A bowl of mutton soup in the dog days, no need for a doctor's prescription'."
This proverb means that drinking a bowl of mutton soup during the three dog days (the hottest period of summer) can help one avoid needing a doctor's prescription for treatment, and it also reflects the important role of mutton soup in summer health preservation.
Mutton Soup:
Mutton soup is not only delicious but also rich in nutrition, containing various nutrients such as protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. These components are very beneficial for supplementing the nutrients needed by the human body in summer, enhancing the body's immunity, and improving the body's resistance.
