Quzhou is located at the junction of Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Anhui. Its sculpture architecture, eating habits, local folk art, and folk customs are deeply influenced by the surrounding regional culture. On the basis of being compatible with many cultural elements such as Wuyue culture, Hui culture, Fujian Bamin culture and Hakka culture, the people of Quzhou, with their hard work and wisdom, have formed a unique local culture in the long course of history.

Quzhou has a long history and rich humanities. It was the land of Baiyue in ancient times, and there are still She people living here today. With Han Chinese as the majority, Quzhou locals basically have the same customs as most Han Chinese. Important traditional festivals include Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Qixi Festival, Zhongyuan Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Chongyang Festival. In addition, Quzhou people also celebrate the Beginning of Summer, Winter Solstice, June Year, Maci and other festivals.

In addition to the New Year’s Eve delicacies to be prepared for the Chinese New Year, rice cakes, steam cakes, Qingmingguo, eight-treasure vegetables, Jiangshan cakes, Suo noodles, frozen rice candies and zongzi are usually prepared. Zongzi is not only a must-have for the Dragon Boat Festival in Quzhou, but also a regular preparation for the Chinese New Year. However, there are slight differences in different places. People in Longyou like to make steam cakes, people in Jiangshan like zongzi, while people in Changshan like to make noodles. The New Year’s Eve vigil is the main event, usually continues until 12 o’clock when firecrackers are set off to ring in the old and welcome the new! Lucky money is also a favorite among children.

In addition to watching lanterns during the Lantern Festival, dragon lanterns are usually played.

Qingmingguo, a small round cake made of rice flour, is made on Qingming Festival. Tomb-sweeping is required on this festival, and it can be done three days before Qingming or seven days after it.

In addition to eating zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival, sweet ferment rice is the main drink of this festival, and there are also tea and snacks. The Dragon Boat Festival is of great significance for Quzhou people. Therefore, children in Quzhou wore bellybands and bamboo hats in the past, a custom brought about by an allusion Wang Zhi Slashes the Dragon.

The Beginning of Summer is a time of busy farming, and Quzhou farmers have the custom of eating wheat cakes, sesame seed cakes, and deep-fried dough sticks. The indispensable dish on this day is amaranth, which is a seasonal dish at that time.

Compared with other festivals, Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine’s Day) is not very important in Quzhou, but there are still some places celebrating it. Relatively speaking, the following festivals are much more important!

Zhongyuan Festival is also called Ghost Festival. During this period, there are customs in many places to make baked cakes (also known as steam cakes), and some rural areas to make Jingtuan (locally called Jingtuanguo). Different places have different ways of celebrating, but tomb-sweeping is always required.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, mooncake is the most important food. Duze osmanthus mooncakes are the most distinctive, which is hollow. However, with the development of the times and the integration of local flavors, the local folk customs are gradually being weakened.

On the Double Ninth Festival, many people in Quzhou will climb mountains, which is naturally indispensable. Drinking alcohol is also an activity, and making maci in various places may be related to the autumn harvest.

The Winter Solstice is a very important festival in Quzhou. All senior locals in Quzhou hold that “The Winter Solstice is as important as the Spring Festival” or “The Winter Solstice is as the Spring Festival”. On this day, there is a saying that “People with foods eat all night, and people without foods will be frozen all night”.

In Yaojia and other palces in Beixiang, a rural area in Quzhou, there is still the custom of celebrating the June Year. There are  allusions to this, and it usually falls on the 15th or 16th day of the sixth lunar month. On this festival, the general’s image should be hung on the door to disperse the god of plague.

In addition, there is a special Maci Festival in Jiangshan to celebrate a year’s harvest. This festival is similar to a temple fair. It will be held for nearly a month, and statues of the god of grains and the local gods will be carried around from the counties to towns.

After the Mid-autumn Festival in August, temple fairs begin in the rural areas. People in Quzhou commonly call them “catch-up fairs”. From Gaojia Fair on August 26th of the lunar calendar to Duze Fair and Lianhua Fair in September. Like the Maci Festival in Jiangshan, every household should make zongzi, Qingmingguo to welcome guests. Wherever the temple fair is, there will be excitement, and there will be foods, which also attracts many merchants to attend.