What does Shangsi Festival mean?

Shangsi Festival, commonly known as March 3rd, is a traditional festival of Han nationality? Before the Han dynasty, this festival was designated as the fourth day of March, and later it was fixed on the third day of March in the summer calendar. Shangsi Festival is the most important festival held in ancient times. People go to the water to take a bath together, which is called "praise" Since then, sacrificial banquets, winding water and outings have been increased.

In ancient times, this day was marked by "dry branches", and the first day of early March was called "Shangsi". The word "Shangsi" first appeared in the documents of the early Han Dynasty. Zheng Xuan pointed out in Zhou Li: "Old age has been removed, and this March is like water." After Wei and Jin Dynasties, Shangsi Festival was changed to the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar, so it was also called "Chongsan" or "March 3".

There is a saying in Shangsi Festival that witchcraft originated from blue soup to ward off evil spirits, and blue soup is used to ward off evil spirits. Blue grass, as a spiritual object, has the characteristics of aroma. Before major sacrificial ceremonies were held, the ancients had to fast, including the best bathing method at that time, "blue soup bathing".

The origin of festivals

In ancient times, Shangsi Festival was a "sick" day, and people used to hold ominous sacrificial ceremonies on the seashore. Shangsi Festival has a long history and lacks records. The word "Shangsi" first appeared in the literary works of the Han Dynasty. After Wei and Jin Dynasties, Shangsi Festival was changed to March 3rd, and gradually became a festival for drinking at the water's edge and having a spring outing in the suburbs.

It is said that Shangsi Festival originated from the witchcraft activities in Lantiang to ward off evil spirits. When the blue soup bath becomes an exorcism ceremony, this bathing activity must be organized and led by a full-time witch.

Shangsi Festival originated from the witchcraft activities of orchid soup to ward off evil spirits. In this activity, bluegrass is used as a spiritual object. Bluegrass has the characteristic of fragrant smell. Before holding a major ceremony of offering sacrifices to the gods, the ancients had to fast in advance, including adopting the best bathing method at that time-blue soup bathing. The only difference between Blue Soup Bath and Blue Soup Bath is that Blue Soup Bath is an individual activity, which is mostly carried out indoors and can be implemented at any time, while Bath is a group activity, which must be held by the river and held regularly.

Another view is that Shangsi Festival originated from the reproductive worship activities of ancestors. For example, Tao Siyan pointed out that the activity of swaddling was originally a belief behavior of men and women enjoying spring and praying for pregnancy, while bathing with bluegrass or aromatic herbs was a function of arousing desire. Water is a mysterious allelopathic substance. A woman facing the river not only wants to wash away the dirt in winter, but also wants to get pregnant by touching the water. This belief in near-water breeding related to primitive religion is the real reason for the custom of March babies ("custom exploration").

Others believe that Shangsi Festival originated in memory of Xuanyuan Huangdi. According to legend, March 3rd is the birthday of the Yellow Emperor. In the central plains, there is "February 2, the dragon looks up; I was born in Xuanyuan on March 3rd.

Development and evolution

Shangsi Festival has a long history. In ancient times, Shangsi Festival has become a large-scale folk festival. In spring and quiet, people go out of their homes and gather at the water's edge to hold ceremonies to clear the ominous signs. Shangsi was first included in the documents of the early Han Dynasty. Zhou Li Zheng Xuan's Note: "I am old, I have been removed from the list, and now March is like water." Shangsi Festival is the most important festival in ancient times. "The Analects of Confucius": "In the late spring, the spring clothes came out, and there were five or six champions and six or seven boys." Bathing is almost an interpretation, and the wind is dancing and singing. "I wrote about the baby at that time. The baby was going to the seaside to wash away the dirt, and at the same time it took away the evil spirits from me, which was meaningful for prayer. "The Book of the Later Han Dynasty": "On the fourth day of the first month, the officials and the people were all clean above the east running water, which is called washing and decontamination." What the article says is a custom of washing the body with running water and letting disasters and diseases go with the water.

After Wei and Jin Dynasties, the significance of celebrating the last festival was greatly weakened, while the significance of enjoying the Spring Festival became more and more intense because of the fashion of advocating nature and indulging in landscapes in society at that time. The Biography of Xia Zhongyu in the Western Jin Dynasty described Luoyang as "a talented man and a rotten woman". Shangsi Festival is scheduled for the third day of the third lunar month. In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Shangsi Festival gradually evolved into a festival for royal nobles, ministers and literati to feast on water and wine, and thus another important custom of Shangsi Festival-Qushui, that is, drinking.

In the Tang Dynasty, Shangsi Festival became one of the grand festivals at that time. The contents of the festival are mainly spring outing and drinking by the water. Song and Wu wrote in "Dream Volume II": "Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty hosted a banquet for Qujiang and spent all his money on a trip." What he said was the scene of men, women and children feasting and hiking on the banks of Qujiang River in Chang 'an City. Du Fu's "Two Roads" also described this grand occasion: "On March 3rd, the sky was crisp, and there were many beautiful women by the Chang 'an Waterfront ..." Bai Juyi, a poet in the middle Tang Dynasty, also recorded this grand occasion in detail in his article "March 3rd, giving thanks to Qujiang Banquet".

After the Song Dynasty, the Shangsi Festival on March 3rd suddenly disappeared in the north, which was not recorded in the literature, but it still circulated in some places in the south and southwest.

Holiday nickname

Women's festival

March 3rd is also called Daughter's Day and Peach Blossom Festival, which is an adult ceremony for ancient Han girls. Generally, a rite of passage is held on this day. Daughters "play in spring", walk by the water, pick orchids by the water, put on beautiful clothes and dance to drive away evil spirits. Women like to play by the water in spring.

Different from Japan's Daughter's Day, Japan's Daughter's Day is also on March 3, also called "Youth Festival". Because the third day of the third lunar month is the season when peach blossoms are in full bloom, it also has the name of "Peach Blossom Festival", which was introduced to Japan during the Sui and Tang Dynasties in China. But the difference is that Japanese also celebrate festivals for young girls, mainly girls of several years old, while China pays more attention to unmarried young girls. On this day, adults begin to dress up their little girls at home. Everyone is dressed up. Their mothers lead them to visit each other and wear pomegranate flowers to ward off evil spirits and seek happiness.

This is China Valentine's Day recorded in the Book of Songs, which is earlier than Western Valentine's Day 1000 years. After the pre-Qin period, Valentine's Day on March 3rd spread in different generations. In the Tang Dynasty, Du Fu's "March 3, the sky is clear and the beauty is more Chang 'an" pushed Chang 'an's swaying amorous feelings to the peak. Since the Song Dynasty, Neo-Confucianism has prevailed, ethics has become more and more strict, and the custom of Valentine's Day on March 3rd has gradually declined in China culture. The romantic love, beautiful vision and elegant taste of winding water on March 3 have disappeared so far.

One of the main activities of Shangsi Festival is to meet men and women, that is, Valentine's Day when men and women express their love. There is a saying in The Book of Songs Zheng Qin Feng Yan: "Both Qin and Yan are clear. Scholars and women are full of money. The woman said, "What do you think?" The scholar said, "There are both." Watch it? Besides, you can enjoy yourself. Wizards and women, novelle will Doby them and give them a spoonful of medicine. "

folk custom

Shangsi Festival has a long history. In ancient times, Shangsi Festival has become an important festival for people to hold "moving bath to land" activities. Whenever this season, people will come to the water to hold sacrificial activities to clean and remove dirt and eliminate ominous signs. It is also called spring bath day. Because China has a vast territory, the latitude difference between north and south is tens of degrees, and the latitude of the Yellow River valley is on the high side, the beginning of March is still a cold season of "chilly spring and cloudy nights, flying to the courtyard and complaining about the depth of spring", and people in the northern region can't bear to go down the river at this time. Probably in the Jin Dynasty, the northern literati changed the custom of splashing water to "Qushui"-let a small glass drift in the river, and whoever stays with the glass will drink it. This form has been completely changed, but its customary meaning remains unchanged.

tie

Disease (refers to disaster relief given by ancient witches. Hot springs were very popular in Tang and Song Dynasties. In the past, people bathed by the water and the river, washed their bodies with blue and silver grass, and nodded with willow branches dipped in petal water to bless disaster relief. Because the seasons change at this time, the yin is not exhausted, and people are prone to get sick, so they should go to the water's edge to have a wash. The so-called "crisp" means "clean", so "crisp" is a ritual to eliminate pathogenic factors through self-cleaning. Why did you choose the third day? Ying Shao explained that "the dead are also blessed", which not only eliminated the pathogenic factors, but also prayed for the arrival of Ankang ("custom Yi Tong, sacrificial ceremony"). This view has been recognized by many scholars, such as modern scholar Wu Bingan, who believes that the original meaning of the festival is "the ancient custom of keeping fit in spring to drive away evil spirits and plagues". In ancient times, the function of festivals was to ward off evil spirits and avoid disasters. The actual reason is that the river is too cold in winter, and the water temperature is just right in early March, so people are eager to take their first bath after winter.

Sacrifice Gao Qing

On Shangsi Festival, the most important activity is to offer sacrifices to Gao Yun, the god in charge of marriage and fertility. Gaoqing, also known as Jiaoqing, is named after its use in the suburbs. Through this witchcraft activity, people avoid disasters and evil souls, and pray for fertility. Therefore, Shangsi Festival is also a courtship festival and a fertility festival.

Panyu

Bathing beside (bathing, people went to the river in ancient times, hot springs were very popular in Tang and Song Dynasties, especially in open-air hot spring pools) washed dirty with spring water. It is believed that this can clear away the diseases accumulated throughout the winter, clean up immunity, and be lucky in the new year. At that time, people thought that female infertility was caused by ghosts and gods, so they used the bath of Shangsi Festival to treat infertility. In this way, with the passage of time, bathing has become an important part of Shangsi Festival.

Xiumao

There are also activities such as swaddling, pruning or bathing in Shangsi Festival. Bathing is for disaster relief. Prehistoric humans believed that fertility was the result of totem entering women. After entering the era of son preference, people realize that copulation between husband and wife is the cause of childbirth. However, both the concept of totem worship and the understanding that copulation leads to fertility admit that women are the embodiment of fertility and children are conceived by mothers. However, not every woman can give birth normally, and some women are often unable to get pregnant because of illness. At that time, people thought that female infertility was caused by ghosts and gods, so they used the bath of Shangsi Festival to treat infertility. In this way, with the passage of time, bathing has become an important part of Shangsi Festival.

feather

Feather is a kind of binaural wine glass in ancient China, named after it looks like a bird. There is also a saying that it is named "feather" because it can insert feathers. It is made of various materials, such as wood, jade and pottery. Wood feather is relatively light, so in order to "walk" on the water smoothly, other materials need to be placed on the lotus leaf.

Pray for fertility

On Shangsi Festival, the most important activity is to offer sacrifices to Gao Yun, the god in charge of marriage and fertility. Gaoqing, also known as Jiaoqing, is named after its use in the suburbs. From the same media, the same place. It turns out that Gao Qi is a woman and an adult woman, pregnant. In fact, in ancient times, some nude female statues had well-developed thighs and breasts, and a prominent belly, which was a symbol of fertility. Stone reliefs in the Han Dynasty have the image of Gao Qi, which is also related to babies. The pottery statue of goddess in Hongshan Culture site in Liaoning Province is the god of fertility. Later, Gao Qi changed a lot. For example, Fuxi, enshrined in the ancestral temple in Huaiyang, Henan Province, is the God of Gao Qi under the patriarchal clan system. At the same time, the worship of sexual tools appeared, female genital worship first appeared, followed by male root worship. Shangsi Festival was originally a witchcraft activity. By offering sacrifices to Gao Qi, meeting men and women and other activities, it is used to ward off evil spirits and pray for fertility.

Give each other vanilla

The ancients believed that vanilla had the function of exorcising evil spirits and was of great benefit to the body.

Go to the suburbs for a spring outing

Spring outing in the suburbs (Shangsi Festival) is not only a festival to eliminate evil and seek good luck, but also a free and happy spring outing. Young men and women go out for an outing, splash water on each other and choose their spouses freely. This is the real Valentine's Day in China, which is based on peony)

Enjoy the hot spring

Soak in hot springs (I went for a spring outing in the suburbs during the Tang and Song Dynasties, and later went to wild hot springs)

Drink water in the winding canal with a glass floating on it to wash away the ominous signs.

The winding water is also called floating eggs by the water (floating eggs by the water are the oldest. It puts boiled eggs in the river to make them Yves, and whoever finds them will eat them. Winding water is called "drinking winding water in a flowing cup". The so-called "flowing cup", also called "flowing cup", is to throw a cup in the upper reaches of the water, listen to it go with the waves, stop somewhere, and then people will pick it up and drink. Generally speaking, water is curved. "Story of Jingchu era" "Scholars walked out of the pond together, and they were drinking water from cups." Everyone sits by the winding water, puts the glass full of wine on the running water, and lets it drift downstream. Whoever stops in front of it will gulp down the wine in the cup and write a poem, otherwise three glasses of wine will be fined. Wei Mingdi has specially built a flowing cup pavilion.

It is worth mentioning that the winding scenery should be elegant, except for the early natural waterside, which is mixed with natural beauty. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, due to the rise of literati culture, most of the nobles lived in elegant courtyards, solemn houses, fake pavilions and artificial curved waters. People sit neatly on the grass, install screens better, and have waiters with fans and incense burners. After drinking water, there are poems, which should be relative to people.

Linshuiyan

Waterfront Banquet (also called Qushui Banquet) (When flowing, there are mats, tea sets and flowers by the water for banquets and poems. It and the winding water are the evolution of this witchcraft and become the entertainment activities of literati. This kind of wind was particularly strong in the Tang Dynasty, but it gradually disappeared after the Song Dynasty.

Shoot geese and silkworms

There is also a wild goose shooting activity during the Shangsi Festival, that is, shooting wild geese with arrows with silk thread, and taking wild geese after shooting. This kind of wild goose is not so much prey as the best gift for giving. Working women in the south began to raise silkworms and pick mulberry to feed them.

In Taiwan Province Province and Fujian Province, March 3rd is the "March Festival", and "the first thing to worship is to collect the rat-weed and rice noodles" (Gan Qing Tommy Tam's "The Official Records of Taiwan Province Province"). There is a "March Meeting" in Zhongxian County and other places in Chongqing, and a grand event is held to commemorate the anti-enemy general Ba Man Zi. On that day, the crowd marched around the city carrying the statue of Ba Man Zi, followed by the Shehuo team, playing dragon lanterns and dancing lions, and everyone decorated lanterns and set off firecrackers. It was very lively.

Japan

Japanese are also deeply influenced by China culture. Daughter's Day is a festival for Japanese girls, also known as Puppet Festival, Shangsi Festival (じょぅしじょぅみ) and Youth Festival (Youth Festival り). It was originally the third day of the third lunar month like China, but it was changed to the third day of the solar calendar after the Meiji Restoration. During the Daughter's Day, most family members try to get together and wish girls healthy and safe growth. Parents will set up a ladder-shaped display platform for their daughters, and dolls wearing Japanese kimonos will be placed from top to bottom. This kind of doll is called humanoid doll in Japan. During the Heian period in Japan, it was influenced by the custom of "boating in meandering water" in the third day of the Tang Dynasty. People make paper into the shape of adults to show that they are unwell, then transfer them to human figures, and then put them into the river to flow away. At present, this custom is still maintained in some parts of Japan, and all kinds of humanoid dolls drift with the tide that night, praying for health and safety. Japan's boys' day is scheduled for the Dragon Boat Festival.

Luccio

In Ryukyu, women will bathe at the seaside and pray for good health.

Literary narration

handicraftsmen

Wang Xizhi's Preface to Lanting is an activity written by a scholar. "In the spring, I will repair things at Lanting in Huiji Mountain." With the elegant precedent of the book of sages, March 3, a good day for the government and the people to have fun together, has become a good opportunity for poets to compose poems. Wu's "Dream" Volume 3 "March 3" says: "On March 3, the story of Qushui began in the Jin Dynasty." (referring to Wang Xizhi's Preface to Lanting Collection) The Tang Dynasty hosted a banquet in Qujiang, and the capital flowed backwards (the whole city was out, what a big scene. There are countless poems describing the grand occasion of March 3. In the later period, people can often wash their bodies with bluegrass, nod their heads with wicker or touch petals with water to pray.

Zhang Hua of Jin Dynasty

Garden meeting after March 3, Taikang six years

In late spring and January, the sun is shining.

It's raining in Qi Qi, and the cream is flowing.

Learn the auspicious wind, stagnate at first, and be born different,

Birds fly, flowers and trees flourish.

high mountain

March 3rd speaks for itself.

A beautiful day belongs to Si Yuan,

Nianfang is in Sri Lanka,

Trees in bloom,

Flowers are covered with branches.

Director Chen

Three-day banquet poems of Qushui in Xuanyitang

Have fun in spring. Chen Fang is very happy to leave the moon.

Gong Bei ordered flutes and drums. The South Pavilion is full of people.

Embroidered column supports the flying pavilion. Diaoxuan is next to Quchi.

Drunk fish sink far away. Floating date overflow and clearing.

Falling flowers hang in the shadows. Flying silk does not hinder branches.

The tree moved and Dan Lu went out. The mountain is steep and green.

Li Zhou Yujue era. Times have changed.

Tang Wangwei

March 3 Qujiang catering system

shangsi festival

Thousands of officials like to travel in Henan. Welcome to the middle reaches from the upstream garden.

The grass and trees are connected, and the mountains and rivers are crowned together. Draw a flag and shake it, and spring clothes will fill Tingzhou.

Shen Gaofeng stayed under the hands of Shenlong Media. Since then, hundreds of millions of years old, Tianbao Ji Chunqiu.

"Sanctification system and the coping system of the prince and the king for the Spring Festival on March 3rd"

The story is a Spring Festival, and the new palace exhibition is a tour. The monarch moved the phoenix chariot, and the prince went out of the dragon building.

Covering Wang Chen's work, the cup is like a flowing water. The Jin people came, holding swords and drawing snipes, and returned to the boat.

Garden trees float in the palace, and Tianchi shines on the crown. Zhang Chen hangs on the cloud table like a complete imperial country.

On March 3rd, the dining system of Qin Zheng Building.

Colorful battles are connected with the night, and Qionglou is connected with Shushu. In March, flowers are in full bloom in the palace.

If you don't count the days of the king of Qin, who will be with waterinfo? The banquet is too sloppy, and the sleeves are afraid of the spring breeze.

God bless virtue, people enjoy themselves without meritorious service. Still at the nine-way banquet, it is even more brilliant.

Wang Chunguan made a system dedicated to peace and sacredness.

Qingmenwai, Changle, Little Far East, Yichun. The building is open to thousands of wells and runs through the flowers.

Draw a snipe, move it to a prostitute, and the golden mink will be listed in public. Qingge invites the sunset and dances with the spring breeze.

Qin Ming Temple in Weishui, and Han Palace in Huangshan. When the king was still in infancy, he also worshipped this Sect.

Shi zhengyan

Qin and Yan, Fang Fang.

Scholars and women, Fang Bingxi.

What do women think? Scholars say both. Watch it?

Outside, I am eager and happy.

The wizard and the woman teased each other with chess and fed them a spoonful of medicine.

Both Qin and Yan know it.

Scholars and women are full of money.

What do women think? Scholars say both. Watch it?

Outside, I am eager and happy.

Wizards and women, novelle will Doby them and give them a spoonful of medicine.

In the Analects of Confucius, "bathing in explanation, wind in dance and singing in return" is the custom of thinking. "Witch Zhou Li Chun Guan": "Witches don't bathe when they are old." Zheng Xuan's note: "It was demolished when I was old, and now it's March, like water;" Bathing means bathing with aromatic herbs. "There is a vivid description in the Songs of the South, that is, worshipping God requires fasting, fasting requires bathing, and bathing uses blue soup, so blue soup and blue grass are connected with God." "On Etiquette in the Later Han Dynasty": "It is the fourth day of the month, and the officials and the people are all (clean) on the east running water. It is a big problem to wash away the pollution. " [2] ? " Zhou Li's Zheng Xuan Note: "When I was old, I was removed from the list, but now March is like water. In addition, the Shangsi Festival on March 3rd corresponds to the Double Ninth Festival on September 9th, as Han Liuxin said in Xijing Miscellanies: "The Shangsi Festival in March, the Double Ninth Festival in September, let girls play games and climb mountains." "One is in late spring and the other is in late autumn, and the outing and resignation have also reached a climax." "Book of Rites II of Song Dynasty" quoted Han Shi as saying: "The custom of the State of Zheng began in March, attracting the soul of the aquatic spring tree and the aquatic spring tree, and catching bluegrass is an ominous sign. "