The origin of new year's day

New Year's Day, that is, Gregorian calendar 65438+ 10/. Yuan is called "beginning", and the beginning of each number is called "yuan"; Dan means "day"; New Year's Day means "the first day".

The word "New Year's Day" first appeared in the Book of Jin: "The pursuit of the emperor is based on the first month, which actually coincides with the spring of New Year's Day." Therefore, the origin of the word New Year's Day has a history of more than 4,000 years.

There are only three origins of New Year's Day. By the way, I would like to introduce two New Year's Day customs to you. Let's take a look:

First,? What is the origin of New Year's Day?

? One of the origins of New Year's Day: from ancient Egypt?

"New Year's Day" first came from the west. Around 50,000 BC, the ancient Egyptians had changed from nomadism to farming and settled on both sides of the Nile, and their agricultural harvest was closely related to whether there was a flood in the Nile. The ancient Egyptians discovered from long-term observation that the time of Nile flooding was regular, so they recorded this time on bamboo poles every time, and learned that the time between two floods was about 365 days, that is, one year. At the same time, the ancient Egyptians also found that when the Nile came near Cairo today, the sun and Sirius just rose from the horizon at the same time.

Therefore, the ancient Egyptians set this day as the beginning of the year. This is the earliest origin of New Year's Day. New Year's Day is the beginning of celebrating New Year's Day. Celebrating New Year's Day is a common custom in all countries and regions in the world.

At present, most countries in the world take 1 Gregorian calendar as New Year's Day. Because different countries have different longitude and time, the date of "New Year's Day" is also different. For example, Tonga, an island country in Oceania, is located on the west side of the Japanese boundary. It is the first place in the world to start a day and the first country to celebrate New Year's Day. Western Samoa, to the east of international date line, is the latest place in the world to start a new day.

? The second origin of New Year's Day: Did Zhuan Xu set New Year's Day?

China's New Year's Day is said to have started in Zhuan Xu, one of the three emperors and five emperors, with a history of more than 3,000 years. The word "New Year's Day" first appeared in the Book of Jin: "It is actually the spring of New Year's Day when the emperor was transferred to the first month." In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Xiao Ziyun's poem "Elegance in the Southern Dynasties" also recorded "New Year's Day in four seasons, long life in early spring". ?

The word "Chinese New Year" in China comes from zhuān xū, the leader of ancient tribal alliance and one of the "Five Emperors". He defined the first month of the lunar calendar as "Yuan" and the first day as "Dan". The calendar in the early Han Dynasty basically followed the Zhuan Xu calendar since the Qin Dynasty. Zhuan Xu Calendar was completed in the 19th year of Qin Xiangong (the first 366 years).

Meng Xiyue (1 month) is the first month of the Xia calendar, the twelfth month of the Shang lunar calendar (1February) and the winter month of the week calendar (1 1 month). After Qin Shihuang unified China, Yangchun month (October) was the first month, that is, the first day of October was New Year's Day. Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, it has been stipulated that Meng Xiyue (January) is the first month, and Meng Xiyue (the first day of the first month in the summer calendar) is called New Year's Day, which has been used until the end of the Qing Dynasty. But this is the summer calendar, that is, the lunar calendar or lunar calendar, and it is not what we call New Year's Day today. In A.D. 19 1 1, the Revolution of 1911 led by Sun Yat-sen overthrew the rule of the Qing Dynasty and established the Republic of China. In order to "follow the agricultural season, the western calendar and the statistics", the first year of the Republic of China decided to use the Gregorian calendar (actually used as 19 12), and stipulated that Gregorian calendar 1 was called "New Year's Day", but it was not called "New Year's Day".

? The third origin of New Year's Day: Yao Shun passed the throne?

Legend has it that during the prosperous period of Yao and Shun in ancient times more than 4,000 years ago, when Emperor Yao was in power, he worked diligently for the people and did many good things for the people, which was deeply loved by 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.

New Year's Day in ancient China is not the current Gregorian calendar-Gregorian calendar 65438+ 1. 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 period of the Republic of China, 19 12 and 1 When Sun Yat-sen took office as interim president in Nanjing at the beginning of the year, it was "timely farming" and "convenient 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". "

Second,? The custom of New Year's Day?

? One of New Year's Day customs: Eat jiaozi on the first day of the New Year's Day?

"heavenly stems and earthly branches's annual rotation, Jiazi replaces the years." Eat jiaozi in the New Year, because "jiaozi" and "jiaozi" are homophonic. Eating jiaozi means happiness, reunion and good luck, and it also means good luck for a year. Eating jiaozi on New Year's Day expresses people's good wishes for life in the new year.

Jiaozi is a traditional food in China, and it also has far-reaching significance. On New Year's Day, jiaozi pays attention to keeping the old year's bag and eating it at the end of the year, which means to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year. Childhood is the turn of two years, which has special significance. Jiaozi is homophonic, and children represent children's time, so eating jiaozi on New Year's Day means celebration, reunion and good luck, which means good things in the new year. Furthermore, jiaozi is shaped like an ingot, which means that there will be a lot of money in the new year.

In fact, jiaozi was a kind of food after the Chinese New Year sacrifice in ancient times. Later, it became more and more popular with people, and now it has become an indispensable food for every household. There are guests at home who eat jiaozi; There is delicious food in jiaozi at home; Get married and eat jiaozi; Eat jiaozi on holidays. Jiaozi is rich in meat, vegetables, noodles, vitamins, protein, fat and carbohydrates, which are rich in nutrients and crude fiber needed by human body, which can promote digestion and absorption. Therefore, jiaozi is an indispensable delicacy for every household in China. Eating jiaozi on New Year's Day also expresses people's expectation and yearning for a better life in the new year.

Second,? The second custom of New Year's Day: Drink Tu Su wine?

According to Han E's Ji Hua Li Nian Room in the Tang Dynasty, it was named as a thatched cottage. It is said that a famous doctor who lived in this temple in ancient times gave a pack of herbs to every family nearby on New Year's Eve, told them to sew them in a cloth bag and throw them into the well. On New Year's Day, they will draw well water and drink a glass of wine, so that they won't catch the plague within a year. People got the prescription, but they didn't know the name of the imperial doctor, so they had to name the medicinal liquor after Tu Su. In fact, Tu Su is not the proper name of Caotang. According to the popular literature of the Han Dynasty, all thatched cottages are called Patent Su. As for what medicine was put in Tu Su's wine, the Chronicle of Jingchu observed by the Liang Dynasty said that Dong Xun, a negotiator in the Northern Wei Dynasty, said that the medicinal liquor drunk on New Year's Day in ancient China was filled with pepper. Tang Han 'e wrote "Ji Hua Li": "On the New Year's Eve, one person drinks a cup, and one year is free from the epidemic".

The so-called Tu Su wine is actually a kind of pepper wine. Dong Xun also talked about the habit of drinking Tu Su wine, that is, the youngest in the family drinks it first, the second one comes down, and the older one drinks it again. The reason is that the child is one year older in the new year, and everyone should congratulate him. The life span of old people is shortened by one year in the new year, so if you drink it after a while, it means wishing them a long life. This custom of drinking Tu Su wine after drinking less has been passed down to future generations.

Because the formula of Tu Su wine comes from Huatuo, and is highly praised by many famous artists such as Sun Simiao, Zhang Zhongjing and Li Shizhen, it has been circulated in countless classics. China's reputation of folk practice for thousands of years makes it have supreme authority and unparalleled influence. With the passage of time, drinking Tu Su wine on New Year's Day has become a folk custom.

No matter what kind of statement it originated from or the combination of various statements, New Year's Day has placed people's desire to welcome blessings and avoid disasters. People can feel the nourishment of culture and the true meaning of life in this colorful but not strong atmosphere of folk festivals.