蚕桑民俗轧蚕花

转眼又到清明,我想起去年此时在湖州市善琏镇含山风景区参加的蚕花节.

Silkworm Flower Festival in Hanshan

Hanshan is a small hill in Huzhou, a city in northern ZhejiangProvince. No more than 100 meters above sea level, it plays acentral role in local folk lifestyle and sericulture. The Grand Canalstrolls through the region and Hanshan is a solitary hilly existencewithin a radius of 50 kilometers and in the heartland of sericulturein northern Zhejiang. Silkworm farmers flock to the hill in seekingblessing from the goddess of sericulture every Qingming Festival inearly April . The tradition originated from a local legend a long timeago. As the legend has it, the goddess of sericulture saw silkwormfarmers pray at Hanshan on a certain Qingming Festival day. Shedisguised herself as a village girl and appeared among them. Sheblessed the prayers and gave them flowers. The blessed silkwormfarmers had a good harvest of silk cocoons that year. They cameback the next year, giving rise to the pilgrimage and celebrationtradition. The tradition has evolved into Silkworm Flower Festival.Festivities last about ten days.