The History and Culture of Hong Tong Sophora Rooting Festival

From the night before the first "Root-seeking Festival", thousands of birds descended from the sky, first flew to the courtyard of the Hongdong County Party Committee and the county government, and then gathered in the big pagoda tree ancestor worship garden, flying over the ancestor worship garden during the day and perching on the trees in the ancestor worship garden at night, adding a bit of legend. In the big pagoda tree ancestor worship garden, birds are singing for a while and lively for a while. Hongdong people thought it was a spectacle, and almost all the people in the city went out to flock to the pagoda tree ancestral garden. People see the second and third generation locust trees and other trees in the garden covered with birds. They rise and fall from time to time, snuggling up to each other's necks, as if they were old friends whom they hadn't seen for years. People are deeply moved by them and talk about their homesickness in other places today. They all said, "The descendants of immigrants came to worship their ancestors. These birds are also spiritual. On behalf of the descendants of immigrants, they returned to their hometown to visit relatives. These birds come every night and fly to the northeast in the early morning. Shaped like a sparrow, but slightly larger than a sparrow, the color is gray-black. When they came, their voices were bright and chirping, and when they left, they left in tears. Hongdong people call them "God Birds" and "Homesick Birds". Some people say that it changed after the migration of Sophora japonica, and they can't go back to their hometown. After death, they will fly back to their hometown to see the changes in their hometown. This spectacular sight did not disappear until after Tomb-Sweeping Day, and all descendants of Hu Aixiang who participated in ancestor worship activities at home and abroad were amazed by this spectacle. This spectacle has been staged every year since the first session. This spectacle was recorded by Hongtong County TV Station and broadcast on Hong Tong TV Station, Linfen TV Station and Shaanxi TV Station. Since the first session of 199 1, the "Root-seeking Festival" has been held for 18 times, which has been successfully held and is heating up year by year. On the first pastor's day, there were more than 50 thousand guests from all directions. Since then, the number of foreign wanderers has increased day by day. With the participation of guests, the scope has expanded year by year and the social benefits have become greater and greater.

2065438+On April 3rd, 2005, the 2nd1China Hong Tong Sophora root-seeking ceremony was held. Nearly 10,000 representatives of descendants of immigrants at home and abroad and celebrities from all walks of life gathered at the site of Guhuai to pay homage to the ancestors of immigrants. The ancestor worship ceremony is divided into three parts: public sacrifice, folk sacrifice and song and dance sacrifice. In the 18 salute, which symbolizes the migration of immigrants to 18 provinces and cities and the great migration feat of 18, the door of the ancestor worship hall slowly opened and the ancestor worship ceremony kicked off.