The ritual on the Buddha Bath Day. [File photo]

On the sixth day of the sixth month in the Chinese calendar, people place clothes and books out in the sun. The original purpose of the holiday was to worship the heavens, and it was said to commemorate the day a Song Dynasty emperor built a temple after he said he had been commanded to by heave. In the years since then, the holiday has lost its original meaning as it became a festival for ordinary people.

Today, it commemorates two stories. In one, an emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)?traveled to Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces in June, was caught in the rain, and laid his clothes out to dry the next day. In the second story, a heavy rainstorm soaked the region's books, and they were placed outside under the sun to dry.

Editor: Li Jing

Source: The Information Office of Tai'an Government