Bo Bing is a unique traditional activity of the Mid-Autumn Festival that has been held by the people of Xiamen for hundreds of years. It is a distinctive mooncake culture and also a way for the people of Xiamen to pass on history.
It is said that the Mid-Autumn Festival dice game was invented by Zheng Chenggong when he was stationed in Xiamen to relieve the soldiers' longing for each other during the Mid-Autumn Festival and to boost their morale. Thus, passed down from generation to generation, it has become a unique folk custom in Xiamen today.
At first, I always thought that the "bo" in "Bo PI" should mean "to fight", which implies a sense of battle. Later, after looking it up in the dictionary, I learned that there is a reason for using the character "bo". In ancient times, "Bo" was a kind of chess game, and later it came to generally refer to gambling. Of course, up to now, the act of "Bo PI" no longer implies gambling but has become a regular part of the Mid-Autumn Festival gatherings for people in Xiamen. When the dice fall into the large porcelain bowl, making a crisp clinking sound, and when laughter and joy float from people's hearts, with happy smiles in everyone's eyes, that feeling of harmony and joy is always particularly warm.
The Mid-Autumn Festival dice game is all about having fun and getting a good omen. Most people are willing to believe that those who win the top prize in the game will always have particularly good luck throughout the year. Of course, this is because the dice game activity is filled with people's emotional investment. Therefore, people in Xiamen always attach great importance to the Mid-Autumn Festival, and there is even a saying that "it's a small Spring Festival and a big Mid-Autumn Festival."
Many people from other places who come to Xiamen are deeply touched by this kind of custom with a strong festive flavor. Many of my college classmates also fell in love with this interesting and highly participatory activity during their studies.
The same moonlight, a different Mid-Autumn Festival. The same Mid-Autumn moon, but a different mooncake culture. Welcome everyone to Xiamen to experience this unique Mid-Autumn Festival culture. The first Xiamen (Gulangyu) Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake Tossing Culture Festival is about to kick off on the beautiful Qin Island. I hope more people will get to know Xiamen and the Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake tossing culture!
In the custom of "Bo Bing" in Xiamen, mooncakes have their own name, which is beautifully called "Hui Bing". This is one of the indispensable "props" in the Mid-Autumn Festival dice game.
The traditional huibing is made up of mooncakes of various sizes. A set of Huibing consists of: 1 zhuangyuan cake, 2 Duitang cakes, 4 Sanhong Cakes, 8 Sijin (scholar) cakes, 16 Erju (Scholar) cakes, and 32 Yixiu (talent) cakes.
One particularly interesting point is that among the festival cakes, the "Three Red" cakes taste the best. This comes from an interesting legend: In the 22nd year of Yongle (1442), during the Jia Chen examination of the palace examination, the top scorer was Sun Yue Gong. Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty thought that the combination of "Yue" and "Gong" is the character for "bao", which is inauspicious. Therefore, he changed the third place winner, Xing Kuanyi, to the top scorer. In the words of Xiamen people, the top scorer in the imperial examination is not necessarily someone of extraordinary talent, while the third place is considered to have genuine learning and talent. Therefore, the taste of the Zhuangyuan cake is just so-so, while the Sanhong cake always tastes the best.
Nowadays, "Bo Bing" remains the most beloved Mid-Autumn Festival activity among Xiamen residents and also the most lively folk festival form. However, the form of "hui Bing" is also changing, with more new "hui Bing" emerging. It is no longer mooncakes but a combination of practical items, such as body wash, shampoo, etc. It can also be food, for example: Jelly, potato chips, cola and so on, anything you want can be used to make "hui Bing", as long as you combine them in the quantity specified for Hui Bing. Perhaps this is because everyone just wants to have some fun during festivals, and this kind of fun has become more practical.
Tools for playing the game "Bo PI"
A set of pancakes, a pair of dice (6 pieces), and a large bowl (with some depth, and a porcelain bowl is better so that the dice can jump inside the bowl)
The method of playing the game "Bo PI"
It's roughly like this: Each person has to throw six dice into a large bowl at once (let me emphasize again, only a porcelain bowl can be used to play). Everyone throws the dice in turn, and the dice get the pie based on the number on the dice.
The one with one "four-point red" gets a show cake (Figure 1)
Those who have two "four-point red" points will get two rounds of pies (Figure 2).
If there are four identical points (except for the red four), you get a four-part pie (Figure 3).
Those with three "four red points" get three red cakes (Figure 4)
If the dice points are arranged in the order of 1 to 6, one gets a pair of Tang cakes (Figure 5). Next, there is the situation of getting the zhuangyuan cake. There are many grades of zhuangyuan. The grades of Zhuangyuan shown in Figures 6.1-6.4 are arranged in ascending order, specifically:
If there are four "four-point reds" (Figure 6.1), the top scorer's cake can be taken. If both players have four "four-point reds", the scores of the other two dice will be compared, and the one with the higher score wins.
Those with five identical points (Figure 6.2), commonly known as "five sons passing the imperial examination", are considered more successful than those with four "four-point red" points.
If there are four "four-point reds" plus two "one-point reds" (Figure 6.3), it is called "the top scorer inserting a golden flower", second only to the six dice with all the same points (Figure 6.4).
Special circumstances
Six "four-point reds" (Figure 7.1), known as "six handfuls of red", all the loaves belong to the giver.
Six "six-point blackouts" (Figure 7.2), known as "six handfuls of blackouts", require the lights to be turned off to grab the pie.
Explanation
There is only one top scorer cake. Anyway, it belongs to the one who is bigger.
2. Before all the pies have been determined, the game continues. If a certain pie has already been distributed, the "chase" method can be adopted. This is the most exciting part, that is, the later winner chases the pie from the previous winner. For instance, if the three red cakes have all been distributed and there is still someone who has won, this person will retrieve the prize from the nearest winner of the Three Red Cakes in the opposite direction of the game progress.
3. Whether to use "Six Handfuls of Red" or "Six Handfuls of Black" generally depends on everyone's will. Many times, in order to ensure that all players can get the prizes, these two situations are ignored. More importantly, very few people can cast "Six Handfuls of Red" or "Six Handfuls of Black".
The above explanation, please refer to the attached picture to understand together. I think it should be very clear. I'm writing so much that my hands are almost sore. :)
One more point to add: Generally speaking, those who win the top prize in the imperial examination this year will donate some cakes for everyone to enjoy during the Mid-Autumn Festival next year. However, this rule is rarely by young people nowadays. It's more common for everyone to split the bill together. :)
