What are the customs of the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month? The origin of grinding tofu on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month

A folk proverb says: On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, people grind the mill to make to As the last month of the year comes and spring arrives, people have gone through a long winter and are about to enter the new year. At this time, every household holds traditional activities to celebrate. So what are the customs of the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month?

What are the customs on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month?

1. Get rid of the chaos

According to the old Chinese folk customs, the Kitchen God is sent to heaven on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month and is not welcomed back until New Year's Eve. During this period, there is no god to govern the world and there are no taboos. Many Chinese people get married, which is called "driving away the chaotic year." The chaotic years are specific periods designed by the people to regulate their social life.

2. Thousand Lantern Festival

The 25th day of the twelfth lunar month is a religious festival for the Mongolian and Daur ethnic groups. It is called "Minggan Zhuola" in Mongolian, which means the Festival of a Thousand Lanterns. On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, people make "Minggan Zhuola" and light them in the temple. It is believed that the more they are lit, the more auspicious it is.

3. Grinding to make tofu

To this day, some places still have the custom of "eating tofu dregs" before New Year's Eve. The reason for this is a local legend, which states that after the Kitchen God reports to heaven, the Jade Emperor will come down to the mortal world to check whether each household is doing as the Kitchen God reported. So each household "eats tofu dregs" to express their hardship and avoid the Jade Emperor's punishment.

4. Meet the Jade Emperor

According to the old custom, after the Kitchen God goes to heaven on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the Jade Emperor will personally come down to the mortal world on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month to investigate the good and evil in the world and determine the fortune and misfortune for the coming year. Therefore, every family prays for blessings, which is called "welcoming the Jade Emperor." On this day, people have to be careful in their daily life and words, and try to behave well in order to please the Jade Emperor and receive blessings for the coming year.

5. Silkworm

In the Jiangnan area, people also call the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month "burning the silkworms in the fields", "lighting the silkworms in the fields" and "burning the wealth in the fields". People set up long poles with torches tied to them in the fields and use the flames to predict the new year. A strong flame indicates a good harvest in the coming year.

6.Paste the windows

After worshiping the Kitchen God on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month and sweeping the house on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, old Beijingers would start to paste paper on the windows on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month. Every household "pastes the windows" not only to "deal with" the gods, but more importantly, to make it look pleasing to the eye.

The Origin of Grinding Tofu on the 25th Day of the Twelfth Lunar Month

The 25th is also called Welcoming the Jade Emperor. Legend has it that on this day, the Jade Emperor will come down to the mortal world in person to understand the actual situation among the people. Although the Kitchen God had made a report on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the Jade Emperor felt that the difficulties faced by the people as described by the Kitchen God were a bit exaggerated. As a careful person, he still felt that it would be more reliable for him to make a visit.
When the Jade Emperor arrived at the common people's home, he saw that the family was grinding tofu. The Jade Emperor had never seen what it was, so he took some and tasted it. He found that it tasted bad and rough and difficult to swallow. After returning, he immediately arranged to distribute gold, silver and treasures to the people. On New Year's Eve, the treasures would fall from the sky and land in every household. In fact, what the Jade Emperor eats is not tofu, but the dregs left over from making tofu, so it is quite unpalatable. However, in order to be able to receive treasures every year, tofu still needs to be ground on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month every year.