Traditional cultural festivals

Spring Festival is the first year of the lunar calendar, commonly known as "Chinese New Year".

origin

The origin of the Spring Festival has a history of about 4000 years in China. This is the most lively and grand traditional festival in China. The ancient Spring Festival refers to the "beginning of spring" season in the twenty-four solar terms of the lunar calendar. It was not until the Southern and Northern Dynasties that the Spring Festival was changed to the end of the year, generally referring to the whole spring. At this time, spring returns to the earth and everything is renewed. People regard it as the beginning of a new year. In the early years of the Republic of China after the Revolution of 1911, after the lunar calendar was changed to the Gregorian calendar, the first day of the first month was designated as the Spring Festival. It was not until1September 27th, 949 that the China People's Political Consultative Conference officially designated the New Year on the first day of the first month as the "Spring Festival", so many people still call it the Spring Festival.

Related legends

People often call celebrating the Spring Festival "Chinese New Year", but the original meaning of "Year" is fundamentally different from today. It is said that in ancient times, there was one of the fiercest beasts in the world called Nian. It is bigger than a camel. Run faster than the wind and roar louder than thunder. Once out, people eat people, animals are injured, and people's lives are seriously threatened. In order to punish Nian, the gods locked it in the mountains and allowed it to come out only once a year. In the long-term practice, people find that Nian has three fears-fear of red, fear of noise and fear of fire. So, one year on the thirtieth night of the twelfth lunar month, everyone posted red paper at the door, kept beating gongs and drums and setting off firecrackers, and lit lights all night in the house at night. Take a look at the evening of "Nian", and every family is brightly lit; Hearing this, the sound of shooting was everywhere, scaring it into the village. During the day, it sneaked down the mountain again, only to find that the doors of every household were still red and drums were everywhere, which scared it to turn around and run back. From then on, Nian never came again. It is said that he starved to death in the deep forest. Later, people turned the prevention of "Year" and "Drive Year" into a safe and steady New Year. "Nian" is gone, but the custom of Chinese New Year is still there. Bright red Spring Festival couplets, brilliant lights, crisp firecrackers, loud gongs and drums, year after year.

Applicable area

The Spring Festival is the most important festival of the Han nationality, but more than a dozen ethnic minorities, such as Manchu, Mongolian, Yao, Zhuang, Bai, Gaoshan, Hezhe, Hani, Daur, Dong and Li, have also had the custom of the Spring Festival, but the form of the festival has its own national characteristics and is more meaningful.

custom

Stick to the end of this year.

develop

The concepts of Spring Festival and New Year originally came from agriculture. In ancient times, people called the growth cycle of the valley "year". Hebe: "in the year, the grain is ripe." . During the Xia and Shang Dynasties, the Xia calendar came into being, with the full and short moon as the month, and a year was divided into twelve months. Every month, the day when the moon can't be seen is the new moon, and the first day of the first month is called the beginning of a year, also known as the year. The title of the year began in the Zhou Dynasty and was officially set in the Western Han Dynasty, which continues to this day. However, in ancient times, the first day of the first month was called "New Year's Day". Until the victory of the Revolution of 1911 in modern China, in order to conform to the farming season and facilitate statistics, the Nanjing Provisional Government stipulated that the people should use the summer calendar, and the institutions, factories, mines, schools and organizations should adopt the solar calendar, with the Gregorian calendar 1 month 1 day as New Year's Day and the first month of the lunar calendar 1 day as the Spring Festival.

Relationship between New Year's Day and Spring Festival

1949 On September 27th, New China was founded. At the first plenary session of the China People's Political Consultative Conference, the international use of the Gregorian calendar era was adopted, and the Gregorian calendar 1 month 1 day was designated as New Year's Day, commonly known as the Gregorian calendar year. The first day of the first month of the lunar calendar is usually when spring begins, so the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar is designated as the "Spring Festival", which is usually called the Lunar New Year.

In the traditional sense, the Spring Festival refers to the La Worship sacrificial ceremony from the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month or the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month to the 15th day of the first lunar month, with New Year's Eve and the first day of the first lunar month as the climax. The Spring Festival is a traditional festival, and the Han nationality and most ethnic minorities in China will hold various celebrations, most of which are mainly to offer sacrifices to the gods and buddhas, ancestors, bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year, and pray for a bumper harvest. The forms of activities are rich and colorful, with strong national characteristics.

the Lantern Festival

the 15th of the first month of the lunar calendar

Also known as "Shangyuan Festival", that is, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. This is an important traditional festival in China. In ancient books, this day is called Shangyuan, and its night is called Yuanye, Yuanxi or Yuanxiao. The name Yuanxiao has been used ever since.

custom

Because the Lantern Festival has the custom of decorating lanterns and watching lanterns, it is also called "Lantern Festival" among the people. In addition, there are customs such as eating Yuanxiao, walking on stilts and riddles.

develop

The ancient calendars in China were closely related to the phases of the moon. On the fifteenth day of each month, people will welcome the first full moon night of the year, which is naturally considered as an auspicious day. As early as the Han Dynasty, the fifteenth day of the first month has been regarded as a day of offering sacrifices to gods and praying for blessings. Later, the ancients called the fifteenth day of the first month Shangyuan, the fifteenth day of July Zhongyuan and the fifteenth day of October Xia Yuan. At the latest, in the early Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sanyuan was the day when grand ceremonies were held. Of the three elements, Shangyuan is the most valued. Later, the celebrations in the Central Plains and Xia Yuan were gradually abolished, but Shangyuan was enduring.

Qingming Festival

Time: the eighth day of the third lunar month ("Qingming" day in the twenty-four solar terms of the lunar calendar, around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar)

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Tomb-Sweeping Day is a traditional festival in China, and it is also the most important festival to worship ancestors and sweep graves. Grave-sweeping is commonly known as going to the grave and offering sacrifices to the dead. Most Han people and some ethnic minorities visit graves in Tomb-Sweeping Day.

custom

According to the old custom, when sweeping graves, people should bring food, wine, fruit, paper money and other items to the cemetery, offer food to the graves of their loved ones, then burn the paper money, cultivate new soil for the graves, break some green branches and insert them in front of the graves, then kowtow and worship, and finally go home after eating and drinking. The poem Qingming written by Du Mu, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, said: "There are many rains during the Qingming period, and pedestrians on the road want to break their souls. Ask local people where to buy wine? The shepherd boy pointed to Xinghua Village. " Write about the special atmosphere in Tomb-Sweeping Day.

Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as the outing festival, according to the solar calendar, between April 4th and 6th every year, it is the season of beautiful spring and lush vegetation, and it is also a good time for people to have a spring outing, so the ancients had the custom of going for an outing in Qingming and carrying out a series of sports activities.

The origin and legend of Tomb-Sweeping Day;

The traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day in China began in the Zhou Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,500 years. Tomb-Sweeping Day is first of all a very important solar term. As soon as Tomb-Sweeping Day arrives, the temperature rises, which is a good season for spring ploughing and planting. Therefore, there is a saying that "melons and beans are planted before and after Qingming". Agricultural proverb "Planting trees is not as clear as Qingming". Later, as the days of Qingming and cold food approached, cold food was the day when people banned fire to sweep graves. Gradually, cold food and Qingming became one, and cold food became another name of Qingming and became a custom of Qingming. On Qingming Day, there are no fireworks, only cold food.

[Dragon Boat Festival]

Time: the fifth day of the fifth lunar month

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The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the Dragon Boat Festival. The real name of "Dragon Boat Festival" is "Dragon Boat Festival", which means the beginning. "Five" and "noon" are homophonic and universal. This is an ancient festival in China.

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After being exiled by slanderers, Qu Yuan, the earliest patriotic poet in ancient China, witnessed the increasingly corrupt politics of Chu State and was unable to realize his political ideal and save the endangered motherland, so he threw himself into the river. Since then, in order to prevent fish and shrimp from eating their bodies, people have kneaded glutinous rice and flour into cakes of various shapes and put them in the heart of the river, which has become the source of eating zongzi and fried cakes during the Dragon Boat Festival. This custom has spread abroad.

Note: South Korea has applied for Dragon Boat Festival, which has nothing to do with China Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional festival custom in Gangneung, South Korea.

Qixi Festival

Time: the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

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The evening of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month is called "Qixi". China folk legend Cowherd and Weaver Girl meet at Tianhe Bridge tonight. The so-called cleverness is to thread a needle through Vega with colored thread in the moonlight. It would be a "coincidence" if you could pass through seven pinholes of different sizes. The agricultural proverb goes: "On the seventh day of July, it is clear, and the sickle is used to cut rice." It's time to sharpen the sickle and get ready to harvest the early rice.

custom

On Qixi night, women ask the Weaver Maid for help and other customs.

Double Ninth Festival

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Double Ninth Festival is also called Double Ninth Festival. In ancient times, nine were Yang and six were Yin. Double Ninth Festival is called Double Ninth Festival.

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The ninth day of the ninth lunar month is the traditional Double Ninth Festival in China. It is also a festival to respect the elderly in China. 1989, China designated September 9th as the festival for the elderly, which skillfully combined tradition with modernity and became a festival to respect, love and help the elderly.

custom

Every time I go to Chongyang, people will think of Wang Wei's "Being in a foreign land, I miss my relatives twice every festive season." I know from a distance where my brother climbed, and there is one person missing from the dogwood. "This poem. Since ancient times, the Double Ninth Festival has been a day when people respect the old and love the young, miss their parents and long for reunion.

Note: There is also a saying in history that the 13th day of the seventh lunar month is the Day of Respect for the Elderly. But it was modified in 1989.

Ghosts'Festival

Time: July 15.

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On the fifteenth day of the first month, Han people call it Shangyuan Festival to celebrate Yuanxiao, which has existed since ancient times.

On July 15, the Han people called the Mid-Autumn Festival a festival to worship ancestors.

1October15th, the Han people call it the next yuan festival, which is a cold food to commemorate the sages.

It is a traditional folk custom of the Han nationality to light river lanterns and pray for blessings by Taoist priests in the Mid-Autumn Festival. July 15th in the old calendar is the Mid-Autumn Festival, just like Shangyuan Festival on the 15th of the first month and Xiayuan Festival on October 15th.

custom

Mid-Autumn Festival is a Taoist festival. Taoism believes that "Sanyuan" is another name for "Three Officials". Shangyuan Festival, also known as Shangyuan Tianguan Festival, is the birthday of Emperor Wei Zi blessed by Shangyuan. The Mid-Yuan Festival, also known as the Mid-Yuan Festival, is the birthday of Qing Xu, an official who pardoned evil in the mid-Yuan Dynasty. The next Yuan Festival, also known as "Xia Yuanshui's joint", is the birthday of Emperor Xia Yuanshui's Guandong Yin. The Taoist scriptures of the third official in Taishang say: "Heaven protects the people, local officials forgive sins, and water officials relieve the world", and "all beings are under the control of heaven and earth water officials". On the Mid-Autumn Festival, Taoist temples, such as the Fire Temple in Di 'anmen and the Baiyun Temple outside Xibianmen, routinely hold "Dojo for Good Luck" to pray for "good weather, peace and prosperity".

Buddhists will hold grand bonsai on this day, also called bonsai, bonsai. In the late Qing Dynasty, there were more than 840 temples in Beijing, such as Guangji Temple, Fayuan Temple, Nianhua Temple, Guanghua Temple, Jiaxing Temple and Changchun Temple. Where conditions permit, Yulan Club and Zhongyuan Law Club of different scales are held. Since the Republic of China, Beihai Park, Zhongshan Park Concert Hall and other places have held "memorial ceremonies for fallen soldiers" at this time over the years. Fan (Lama), Tao (Taoist) and Zen (monk) are used to worship the memorial tablet of "soldiers killed in the land, sea and air" for public sacrifice.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, old Beijing will hold activities such as building boats, setting off lotus lanterns, playing lotus lanterns, worshipping ancestors and singing "Yingjing Jing".

Mid-Autumn Festival

Time: August 15th of the lunar calendar.

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The fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, which is in the middle of autumn, is called the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the evening, the full moon in Gui Xiang is regarded as a symbol of happy reunion by the old customs. This is a festival to prepare all kinds of fruits and cooked food to enjoy the moon. Eat moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival. Legend has it that at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, in order to overthrow the brutal rule of the Yuan Dynasty, the broad masses of the people wrote the date of the uprising on a piece of paper, put it in the stuffing of moon cakes, and secretly passed it on to each other, calling on everyone to revolt on August 15. Finally, a nationwide peasant uprising broke out on this day and overthrew the decadent Yuan Dynasty. Since then, the custom of eating moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival has spread more widely.

Laba Festival

Time: the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month

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In ancient times, the sacrifice to "gods" in December was called the twelfth lunar month, so the twelfth lunar month was called the twelfth lunar month. On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the old custom is to drink Laba porridge. According to legend, Sakyamuni became a Buddha on this day, so every time the temple cooked porridge for the Buddha on this day, the people followed suit and became a custom, which continues to this day.

custom

Drink laba porridge

Table of traditional festivals in China

Unless otherwise specified, the following festivals are calculated according to the lunar calendar (also known as summer calendar and lunar calendar):

1, Spring Festival on the first day of the first month, there were more than 30 names in ancient times, such as Yuanri, New Year's Day, Jacky, Chen Yuan, Yuanshuo, Sanyuan, Sanzheng, Zheng Dan and Zhengshuo.

2, the fifth day of the first month, Shen Lu's birthday.

On the fifteenth day of the first month, Lantern Festival (Lantern Festival)

4. The Spring Dragon Festival on February 2nd is also called Dragon Head Raising and Qinglong Festival.

May and February 15 Flower Festival

6. Tomb-Sweeping Day Cold Food Festival the day before.

On the third day of March, the legendary Queen Mother held a flat peach party.

8. Tomb-Sweeping Day on the 15th after the vernal equinox (now April 5th in Gregorian calendar).

9. On the eighth day of April, Buddha's birthday, it is also called the festival of the ox. After that, the cows will go to the fields.

10, Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of May

1 1, summer solstice festival

12, June 6 Sun Fu Festival "June 6, sun red and green." "Auntie's Day" and "June 6th, Please Auntie" are another festivals in ancient times, called Tiangong Festival, and June 6th is also a festival of Buddhist temples, called Fan Jing Festival.

13, July 7th, commonly known as Qixi, July 7th, Beggar's Day.

14, July 15 Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Ghost Festival and Arahara Festival.

15 and July 30th Dizang Festival

16, August 15 Mid-Autumn Festival

17, Double Ninth Festival in September

18, the first day of October and the October dynasty, also known as ancestor worship festival.

19, 10 15 Lunar New Year.

1 1 22nd, winter solstice.

2 1,1February 8th Laba Festival

22. On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the festival of offering sacrifices to stoves is commonly known as "off-year", also known as off-year, off-year and off-year festivals.

23. The last day of the twelfth lunar month is called New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve, anniversary Festival, etc. People call it New Year's Eve and New Year's Eve.

There are several sages' birthdays:

Guandi's birthday: June 24th.

Birthday of Confucius, the most holy teacher: August 27th.

Master Saint was born: March 28th.

Lu Ban's birthday: June 13th (the seventh day of May)

Fuxi's birthday: May 13 (the legendary dragon's birthday)

Yandi Shennong's birthday: April 26th.

Huangdi's birthday: the second day of February.

Zhu Gekongming's birthday: July 23rd.

Mencius' birthday: the second day of April.

Yue Fei's birthday: February 15.

Laozi's birthday: February 15.

Sakyamuni's birthday: the eighth day of April.

Qu Yuan's birthday: the 21st day of the first month.

Sixth ancestor Huineng's birthday: the eighth day of February

Attachment 1:

Twenty-three/twenty-four sacrificial stoves in twelfth lunar month

Take a bath on the 27th/28th of the twelfth lunar month.

Lunar New Year's Eve on the 29th.

Sacrifice to the god of wealth on the second day of the first month

On the third day of the first month, the door god paper/millet birthday/off-year dynasty was burned.

The fifth day of the first month, commonly known as the folk custom of breaking five.

On the seventh day of the first month, people are also called "People's Victory Day", "People's Celebration Day", "Population Day" and "People's Seventh Day".

On the eighth day of the first month, the lower bound of the stars along the line is also called "offering stars" and "receiving stars"

On the tenth day of the first month, the stone's birthday "the stone does not move" and "ten does not move" mice marry women.

Attachment 2: Other festivals:

"Semiannual Festival" has the names of June 15, June 14, June 6, June 5, June 1 day!

Guanyin Birthday: February 19, June 19, September 19,1month 19. The belief of Guanyin Bodhisattva has gone beyond the scope of Buddhism. This is a culture and a wish!

March 23rd of the lunar calendar is Mazu's birthday every year!

The first day of July, commonly known as the interest gate.

Bunker Festival: A traditional festival of sacrifice for the Han nationality in China, which falls on the 25th day of the first lunar month. Also known as Tiancang Festival and Tiancang Festival, it is a festival to worship the God of Heaven.

[Edit this paragraph] Appendix

The Origin of China New Year

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 5,000 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." During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Xiao Ziyun, a literary historian in the Southern Dynasties, also recorded "New Year's Day in four seasons, long life and early spring" in his poem "Jieya". Wu's Dream into the First Month in the Song Dynasty: "The first day of the first month is called New Year's Day, commonly known as the first day of the New Year's Day. This is the first one. " ; Cui Yuan of Han Dynasty called it "Jacky" in San Zi Ming. In the Jin Dynasty, Yang Du Fu called it ""; The Northern Qi Dynasty called it "Yuan Chun" in Huangxia Ci of Hui Yuan Ge Xiang. Tang Dezong Shili called it "Yuan Shuo" in the poem "Yuan Ri retired from the DPRK to watch the war and return to camp".

During the cultural relics excavation in Dawenkou, China found a picture of the sun rising from the top of the mountain with clouds in the middle. According to textual research, this is the oldest writing method of the word "Dan" in China. Later, simplified hieroglyphics of "Dan" appeared on bronze inscriptions in Shang Dynasty. The word "Dan" is represented by a round sun. The word "one" under "Sun" indicates the horizon, which means that the sun rises from the horizon in Ran Ran.

New Year's Day in China always refers to the first day of the first month of the summer calendar (lunar calendar and lunar calendar). Yuan means "early" and "beginning", but it means "day". New Year's Day is collectively called "the first day", that is, the first day of the year. There are different names in Chinese dialects, some are called "New Year's Day", some are called "Big Day", and some are called "New Year's Day", generally called "the first day of the first month".

The date of the first day of the first month was also very different before Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, the New Year's Day of the past dynasties is not consistent. 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 Manchu Dynasty and established the Republic of China. Representatives of provincial governors met in Nanjing and decided to use the Gregorian calendar, calling the first day of the first lunar month "Spring Festival" and the Gregorian calendar 1 day "New Year's Day". But it has not been officially announced and named. In order to "follow the agricultural season, so follow the western calendar, so do 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 not "New Year's Day".

Today's "New Year's Day" is1September 27th, 949, the eve of the founding of New China. When the first China People's Political Consultative Conference decided to establish the Republic of China, it also decided to adopt the world calendar, which is what we call the solar calendar.

In modern times, New Year's Day refers to the first day of the first year of the year. In order to distinguish between the lunar calendar and the solar calendar, 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 month of the lunar calendar was renamed as the Spring Festival, and the Gregorian calendar 1 day was designated as the first day of the New Year's Day, which became a legal holiday and became a happy festival for the people of the whole country.