traditional Chinese culture

1, traditional folk customs. For example: food culture and scenic spots in various places; The customs of various festivals; The custom of weddings and funerals in various places = =;

2. Four Books and Five Classics, a hundred schools of thought contend, Chyi Chin's calligraphy and painting, poetry and songs, Four Great Classical Novels = =;

3. Yin and Yang, Five Elements, Nine Palaces, Eight Diagrams, Medical Astrology, Five Elements and Eight Merits = =

4. Martial arts rivers and lakes;

the Spring Festival; Chinese New Year

In ancient China, the Spring Festival once referred to beginning of spring in 24 solar terms, which was also regarded as the beginning of a year. Later, it was replaced by New Year fireworks.

It is the first day of the first month in the summer calendar (the first day of the first lunar month). Since the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese New Year generally didn't end until after the 15th day of the first month (Lantern Festival), and in some places the New Year celebrations didn't even end until the whole first month. The Spring Festival is chosen by world record association as the biggest festival in China.

After the founding of the Republic of China, the government of the Republic of China abolished the traditional lunar calendar and adopted the European Gregorian calendar. It tried to ban people from celebrating the Lunar New Year, but failed because of the people's insistence. During Yuan Shikai's reign, 65438+ 1 in the Gregorian calendar was designated as New Year's Day, and the first day of the first lunar month was designated as "Spring Festival", but people still celebrated the New Year and writers still called it "New Year's Day".

The word "Spring Festival" really became popular after the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. The Lunar New Year is now also called the Lunar New Year and the Old Calendar.

In the sixth year of Meiji Restoration (1873), 1 stopped using the Japanese lunar calendar and used the solar calendar to measure the days. The original lunar calendar was called the old calendar, and people's celebrations began in the solar calendar only in the Three Kingdoms period. Even so, the Japanese still celebrate the New Year according to traditional customs, but in South Korea and Viet Nam, which are also influenced by China culture, even if the official calendar is changed to the western calendar, there are still official and folk activities to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

New Year's Day in ancient China is not the current "Gregorian calendar"-Gregorian calendar 1 month 1 day. From the first day of the twelfth lunar month in Yin to the first day of the first lunar month in Han, there have been many repeated changes. During the Republic of China, 19 12, 1 When Sun Yat-sen took office as interim president in Nanjing at the beginning of the year, it was a "timely farmer" and "convenient for statistics". The first day of the first lunar month is designated as the Spring Festival, and the first day of the solar calendar is changed to 1 as "New Year's Day", but it is still called "New Year's Day". It was not until after liberation that the Central People's Government promulgated and uniformly used "National Statutory Holidays and Remembrance Days", designated the Gregorian calendar 1 as New Year's Day, and decided to have a national holiday on this day. At the same time, in order to distinguish the two New Years, and in view of the fact that the "beginning of spring" in the 24 solar terms of the lunar calendar is just around the Lunar New Year, the first day of the first lunar month is called the "Spring Festival".

New Year's Day

The "yuan" of "New Year's Day" refers to the beginning, which means the first. The beginning of each number is called "yuan"; Dan, it's New Year.

Ideographic characters, the "sun" above represents the sun, and the "one" below represents the horizon. "Dan" means that the sun rises from the horizon of Ran Ran, symbolizing the beginning of a day. People put "Yuan" and "Dan" together, which means the first day of the New Year. New Year's Day is also called "three yuan", that is, year yuan, month yuan and hour yuan. The word "Chinese New Year" originated from the Three Emperors and Five Emperors. The Book of Jin written by Tang Fang and others uploaded: "Chasing the emperor takes the first month as the yuan, which is the spring of New Year's Day." That is, the first month is Yuan and the first day is Dan. Lan Ziyun, a native of the Southern Dynasties, once wrote the poem "Jieya": "Four Qi New Year's Day, long life begins today." There is also a legend that more than 4,000 years ago, when Yao and Shun were in the heyday, when Emperor Yao was in power, he worked hard for the people and did a lot of good things, which was very popular among the people. However, due to his son's incompetence, he did not pass on the throne of "emperor" to his son, but passed it on to Shun, who has both ability and political integrity. Yao said to Shun, "You must pass on the throne in the future, and you will be relieved when I die." Later, Shun passed the throne to Yu, who made great contributions to flood control. Yu also loves the people and has done many good things for the people like Shun, and is deeply loved by the people. Later, after Yao's death, people took the day of offering sacrifices to heaven and earth and the first emperor Yao as the beginning of the year, and called the first day of the first month "New Year's Day" or "Jacky", which was the ancient New Year's Day. On New Year's Day, emperors of all dynasties held ceremonies to celebrate, offer sacrifices and pray for blessings, such as offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors, writing couplets on doors, writing blessings and dancing dragon lanterns. People have gradually formed entertainment celebrations such as offering sacrifices to Buddha, ancestor worship, posting couplets, setting off firecrackers, celebrating the New Year, having a family reunion dinner and numerous "social fires". Lan Xin, a poet in the Jin Dynasty, once wrote a poem "Jacky": "Jiaqing was born here in Jacky. Fairy plays for thousands of years, and small and big have fun. " Describe the celebration of New Year's Day. After the Republic of China, although 65438+1 October 1 was designated as the New Year, at that time, only institutions, schools and ocean trips had holidays1day. The common people do not admit it, but also inherit the old habit of taking the first day of the lunar calendar as the New Year. Therefore, there are no celebrations on the streets and among people in old Beijing. After liberation, the first day of 1 was renamed as "New Year's Day". The government still celebrated the Spring Festival for three days around the winter leisure period in beginning of spring according to the lunar calendar used for thousands of years, and held a "temple fair" by the people to inherit the people's wishes and thousands of years of folk customs.

the Lantern Festival

Origin: This legend is related to the custom of eating Yuanxiao. According to legend, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had a favorite named Dong Fangshuo, who was very kind and hung lanterns during the Lantern Festival.

It's also very interesting. One winter, it snowed heavily for several days, and Dong Fangshuo went to the Imperial Garden to fold plum blossoms for Emperor Wu. As soon as I entered the garden gate, I found a maid-in-waiting in tears ready to throw herself into the well. Dong Fangshuo rushed forward to help and asked her why she committed suicide. It turns out that this maid-in-waiting is named Yuanxiao, and there are parents and a sister at home. She has never seen her family since she entered the palace. Every spring comes, I miss my family more than usual. I think in front of my parents, I would rather die than be filial. Dong Fangshuo expressed deep sympathy for her suffering and assured her that she would try her best to reunite with her family. One day, Dong Fangshuo left the palace and set up a divination pavilion on Chang 'an Avenue. Many people are scrambling to find him for divination. Unexpectedly, what everyone wants is the signature of "burning us on the 16th day of the first month". Suddenly, there was a panic in Chang 'an. People are looking for a solution to the disaster. Dong Fangshuo said, "On the 13th night of the first month, Vulcan will send a goddess in red to visit the earth. She is the messenger who ordered the burning of Chang 'an. I'll give you the copied poem and let the emperor do something. " Say that finish, then dropped a red pillar and roared off. The people picked up the red post and quickly sent it to the palace to report to the emperor. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took it and read: "Chang 'an is robbing, and the Forbidden City is being burned. It has been burning for fifteen days, and the midnight snack is red." He was so scared that he soon invited resourceful Dong Fangshuo. Dong Fangshuo thought for a moment and said, "I heard that Vulcan likes to eat dumplings. Don't Yuanxiao in the palace often make dumplings for you? Let Yuanxiao package jiaozi on 15th night. Long live the incense and offerings, and order every family in Kyoto to pack jiaozi and worship Vulcan together. Then tell the subjects to hang lights together on the fifteenth night and set off firecrackers and fireworks all over the city, as if the whole city were on fire, so that the jade emperor could be fooled. In addition, inform the people outside the city to go to the city to watch the lights for fifteen nights, and they will eliminate disasters and solve problems in the crowd. " Liang Wudi was very happy after hearing this, so he ordered him to do it according to Dong Fangshuo's method. On the fifteenth day of the first month, Chang 'an City was decorated with colorful lights, crowded with tourists and very lively. The parents of the maid-in-waiting Yuanxiao also took their sister to the city to see the lights. When they saw the big palace lantern with the words "Yuanxiao" written on it, they shouted in surprise: "Yuanxiao! Lantern Festival! " When Yuanxiao heard the shouts, she was finally reunited with her relatives at home. After such a busy night, Chang 'an was safe. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was overjoyed and ordered that glutinous rice balls should be made for Vulcan every year on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of the first month, the whole city was decorated with lanterns and set off fireworks. Because jiaozi cooked by Yuanxiao is the best, people call it Yuanxiao, and this day is called Lantern Festival.

Qingming Festival

Tomb-Sweeping Day is an important traditional folk festival in China, and it is also one of the eight important festivals (Shangyuan, Qingming, Long Summer, Dragon Boat Festival, Central Plains, Mid-Autumn Festival, Winter Solstice and New Year's Eve). The solar calendar falls on April 5th, but its festivals are very long. There are two sayings: the first eight days of the 10th lunar month and the tenth day after the 10th lunar month. These twenty days belong to Tomb-Sweeping Day. It is said that the origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day began with the "grave-sweeping" ceremony of the ancient emperor. Later, people followed suit, and it became a fixed custom of the Chinese nation to worship ancestors and sweep graves on this day, which was followed from generation to generation. It is said that the origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day began with the "grave-sweeping" ceremony of ancient emperors and generals. Later, people followed suit, and it became a fixed custom of the Chinese nation to worship ancestors and sweep graves on this day. Originally, the Cold Food Festival and Tomb-Sweeping Day were two different festivals. In the Tang Dynasty, the day of sweeping graves was designated as the Cold Food Festival. The correct date of the Cold Food Festival is from winter to the future 105, around Tomb-Sweeping Day. Because the two dates are almost the same, Tomb-Sweeping Day and cold food are merged into one day! The custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors and sweeping graves in front of graves originated very early in China. As early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, people attached great importance to tombs. Mencius and Qi People in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and the Warring States Period also mentioned a person who was laughed at by Qi people. He often went to the tomb of Dongguo to beg for offerings from the tomb, which showed that sweeping graves was very popular during the Warring States period. When I arrived in Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, I designated cold food sweeping the grave as one of the "five rituals". Therefore, whenever Tomb-Sweeping Day comes, "the fields and roads are crowded with scholars and women, and the servants and beggars of soap merchants get their parents' graves." (Liu Zongyuan's Book with Xu Jingzhao) Grave sweeping has become an important social custom. In spring, when it is still cold, it is forbidden to make a fire to eat cold food, for fear that some old, weak women and children can't stand the cold. In order to prevent cold food from harming their health, outdoor activities such as hiking, outing, swinging, playing football, playing polo, inserting willows, tug of war, fighting cocks, etc. It has been decided that everyone should come out to bask in the sun, exercise their bones and muscles and increase their resistance. Therefore, in addition to worshipping ancestors and sweeping graves, Tomb-Sweeping Day also has various outdoor fitness activities, which makes this festival not only have sentimental feelings of pursuing the future with caution, but also incorporate the atmosphere of enjoying spring with joy; There are both sad and sour tears in Where Are You Going, and vivid and bright scenes everywhere. This is really a very special festival. Grave-sweeping in Tomb-Sweeping Day is a festival custom related to funeral customs. According to records, in ancient times, "tombs were not graves", that is to say, only graves were dug and graves were not built, so sacrifices were not recorded. Later, graves and graves, the custom of offering sacrifices to sweep graves, were supported. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, tomb sacrifice has become an indispensable ritual activity. According to the biography of Yan Yannian in the Han Dynasty, although Yan is thousands of miles away from Beijing, her family will still return to the East China Sea Tomb in Qingming. Yan Yannian's behavior is reasonable in terms of the development and strengthening of ancestor worship and consanguinity consciousness of China people. Therefore, the tomb sacrifices that were not included in the norms in ancient times were also included in the Five Rites: "It is desirable for a scholar to go to the grave and be included in the Five Rites, and it will always be a routine. "With the official affirmation, the wind of tomb sacrifice is bound to prevail. Because the days of Qingming and cold food are close, cold food is the day when people ban fire to sweep graves. Gradually, cold food and Qingming become one, and cold food has become another name of Qingming and a custom of Qingming period. Tomb-Sweeping Day doesn't move fireworks, but only eats cold food. One of the 24 solar terms. On April 4 or 5 or 6 every year, folk customs sweep graves during this period. Due to the custom of ancestor worship, grave sweeping and mountain climbing in vast areas of China, it has gradually evolved into a traditional festival for China people to commemorate their ancestors by grave sweeping and worship. At the turn of mid-spring and late spring, it is generally 65,438+006 days from winter to the future, the day after the Cold Food Festival. Grave-sweeping activities can last about ten days before and after the festival.

Dragon Boat Festival

It is the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, also known as Duanyang Festival, Noon Festival, May Festival, May Festival, Ai Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Noon Festival, Noon Festival and Summer Festival. It was originally a festival to drive away the plague in summer. Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional festival of Han nationality in China. The essential activities of this day gradually evolved into eating zongzi, dragon boat racing, hanging calamus, wormwood and wormwood leaves, smoking Atractylodes rhizome and angelica dahurica, and drinking realgar wine. It is said that eating zongzi and dragon boat racing is to commemorate Qu Yuan, so after liberation, the Dragon Boat Festival was named "Poet's Day" to commemorate Qu Yuan. As for hanging calamus, wormwood leaves, smoked atractylodes rhizome and angelica dahurica, drinking realgar wine is said to ward off evil spirits. "China Dragon Boat Festival" is one of the national legal holidays and is listed in the world intangible cultural heritage list. A large number of literary works such as poems, words, songs and fu have been handed down from generation to generation.

Qixi Festival

Origin: According to legend, Cowherd's parents died young and were often abused by his elder sister-in-law, only accompanied by the old cow. Valentine's Day in China a day ago.

Niu gave him a plan to marry Weaver Girl. On that day, the beautiful fairies did bathe in the Milky Way and play in the water. Then the cowherd, hiding in the reeds, suddenly ran out and took the clothes of the Weaver Girl. The panicked fairies hurried ashore, dressed and flew away, leaving only the weaver girl. At Cowherd's request, Weaver Girl agreed to be his wife. After marriage, the cowherd and the weaver girl loved each other and lived a very happy life. Weaver gave birth to a son and a daughter to Cowherd. Later, the old cow was dying. He told the cowherd to keep its skin and put it on for help when he was in trouble. After the old cow died, the couple reluctantly peeled off the cowhide and buried the cow on the hillside. When the marriage between the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd was known by the Jade Emperor and the Heavenly Queen Mother, they flew into a rage and ordered the gods to take the Weaver Girl back. When the Cowherd was away, the gods took the Weaver Girl. Cowherd didn't see Weaver when he came home, so he quickly put on cowhide and chased after him with two children. On the verge of catching up, the queen mother was in a hurry, tore off the golden hairpin on her head and rowed to the Milky Way. The once shallow Milky Way suddenly became stormy, and the Cowherd couldn't go any further. Since then, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl can only look at each other across the river with tears, forever and ever, and the Jade Emperor and the Empress Dowager can't resist their sincere feelings, allowing them to meet once every July 7th. According to legend, on the seventh day of July, human magpies will fly to the sky to build a magpie bridge for the cowherd and weaver girl in the Milky Way. In addition, in the dead of night on Tanabata, people can also hear the love story of cowherd and weaver girl in the sky under the grape trellis or other fruit trellis.

Ghosts'Festival

Also known as "July Festival" or "Orchid Festival", it is one of the three ghost festivals. Mid-Autumn Festival is a Taoist saying. The name "Mid-Autumn Festival" originated from the Northern Wei Dynasty. In some places, it is usually called "Ghost Festival" and "Stone Drum", also known as the Day of the Dead and July 30th. According to ancient records: "The Taoist scriptures are Shang Yuan on the 15th day of the first month, Zhong Yuan on the 15th of July, and Xia Yuan on the 15th of October." Mid-Autumn Festival, New Year's Eve, Tomb-Sweeping Day and Double Ninth Festival (except September, Qing Dynasty) are the four major festivals for ancestor worship in China. "Taoist Collection" contains: "On the day of the mid-Yuan Dynasty, local officials collected people to distinguish good from evil ... They recited classics, ten sages and Qi Yongling's articles day and night. The prisoners are all hungry ghosts, and they will be free at that time. " Most people miss their loved ones on this festival and place good wishes for the future.

Mid-Autumn Festival

The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in Zhou Li. According to the ancient calendar of China, the 15th day of the eighth lunar month is the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Autumn is in the middle of August, so it is called "Mid-Autumn Festival". There are four seasons in a year, and each season is divided into three parts: Meng, Zhong and Ji. Because the second month in the middle of autumn is called Mid-Autumn Festival, it didn't become a fixed festival until the early years of the Tang Dynasty. The Book of the New Tang Dynasty (Volume XV) and Records of Rites and Music contain "Spring and Autumn Period in Wang Wenxuan and Wang Wucheng", and "In the 19th year of Kaiyuan, Taigong Fu Shang Temple was set up, with Sean in Liu Hou as its partner. In the Mid-Spring and Mid-Autumn Festival, there are sacrifices, and the system of sacrificial music is like a text. " The prevalence of Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Song Dynasty, and it became one of the major festivals in China in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This is also the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival.

Double Ninth Festival

The ninth day of the ninth lunar month is the traditional Double Ninth Festival, also called "Old People's Day". Because the Book of Changes defines "six" as the yin number and "nine" as the yang number, on September 9, the sun and the moon are combined with yang, and 29 is the most important, so it is called Chongyang, also known as Jiujiu. The Double Ninth Festival was formed as early as the Warring States Period. In the Tang Dynasty, the Double Ninth Festival was officially designated as a folk festival, which has been inherited ever since. The Double Ninth Festival on March 3, also known as "stepping in autumn" and "stepping in spring", is a family matter. On this day, all relatives of the Double Ninth Festival will climb the mountain together to "avoid disaster", insert dogwood and enjoy chrysanthemums. Since the Double Ninth Festival in Wei and Jin Dynasties, the atmosphere has become increasingly strong, which is one of the traditional festivals sung by scholars in past dynasties.

National Day

The term "National Day" originally refers to a national celebration, which was first seen in the Western Jin Dynasty. Lu Ji, a writer in the Western Jin Dynasty, once recorded in the article "On the Five Permanent Members" that "the National Day is only beneficial, and the main worry is not harmful". In the feudal era of our country, the great events celebrated by the whole country were nothing more than the emperor's accession to the throne and his birthday (the Qing Dynasty called the emperor's birthday Long live the festival). Therefore, in ancient China, the emperor's accession to the throne and birthday were called "National Day". Today, the National Day is called National Day.

Laba Festival

The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month (the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month) is the traditional Laba Festival of the Han nationality in China. On this day, most parts of China have the custom of eating Laba porridge. Laba porridge is made of eight kinds of fresh grains and fruits harvested in the same year, usually sweet porridge. But many farmers in the Central Plains like to eat Laba porridge, except rice, millet, mung beans and Laba porridge.

In addition to raw materials such as cowpea, adzuki bean, peanut and jujube, shredded pork, radish, cabbage, vermicelli, kelp and tofu are also added.

Laba Festival is also known as Laba Festival, Laba Festival, the enlightenment day of maharaja or Buddha. It turns out that in ancient times, people celebrated the harvest and thanked their ancestors and gods (including door gods, household gods, house gods, kitchen gods and well gods). In addition to ancestor worship, people have to chase the epidemic. This activity originated from Nuo in ancient times (the ritual of exorcising ghosts and avoiding epidemics in ancient times). One of the prehistoric medical methods was to exorcise ghosts and treat diseases. As a witchcraft activity, Xinhua and other places in Hunan still retain the custom of beating drums to drive away epidemics in the twelfth lunar month. Later it evolved into a religious festival to commemorate the enlightenment of Buddha Sakyamuni. The Xia dynasty called Lari "Jiaping", the Shang dynasty called it "moss" and the Zhou dynasty called it "big wax". Because it is held in December, it is called the twelfth lunar month, and La Worship is called the twelfth lunar month. The twelfth lunar month in the pre-Qin period was the third day after the establishment of the winter solstice, and it was fixed on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the Southern and Northern Dynasties.

"Shuowen" contains: "Three days after the winter, La Worship will be guarded by 100 gods." It can be seen that the third garrison day after the winter solstice is the twelfth month. Later, due to the intervention of Buddhism, the twelfth lunar month was changed to the eighth day of December, and it has since become a custom.

Why is it called "La" at the end of the year has three meanings: First, "La" means the alternation of old and new (recorded in Sui Shu etiquette); The second is "wax hunters hunt together", which means that hunting in the wild can make animals sacrifice their ancestors and gods. "wax" comes from "meat", which means meat for "winter sacrifice"; Thirdly, it is said that "those who wax the wax will drive away the epidemic and welcome the spring", and Laba Festival is also called "Buddhist Daoism Festival" and "Daoism Society". In fact, it can be said that the eighth day of December is the origin of Laba Festival. According to legend, Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, practiced in the mountains and sat quietly for six years. He was so hungry that he wanted to give up the pain. He happened to meet a shepherdess and gave him chyle. After eating, he sat cross-legged under the bodhi tree, became a Buddha in early December, and held a "Buddhist Festival" to commemorate it. Believers in China are very devout, so they merged with "La Ri" to form the "Laba Festival" and held a grand ceremony.

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is one of the most important traditional festivals in China. It refers to the night on the last day of the Lunar New Year, that is, the night before the Spring Festival. Because it often falls on the 30th or 29th of the twelfth lunar month in the summer calendar, it is also called the 30th. The last day of the year is called "New Year's Eve" and that night is called "New Year's Eve". People often stay up all night on New Year's Eve, which is called keeping watch. Su Shi has "Shousui": "Children can't sleep, and they are happy at night." On New Year's Eve, people should not only clean their homes and outside, but also put up door gods, Spring Festival couplets, New Year pictures and hanging door cages. People put on new clothes with festive colors and patterns.