What does it mean to send a new moon?

In ancient times, the emperor issued a new calendar to the rulers.

Awarded the new moon, also known as the "calendar", the ancient emperors presented the princes with a new calendar. In the Zhou system, at the turn of autumn and winter every year, the son of heaven presents the almanac of the last year to the princes, which is called "issuing new moons". Zhuangke sued the ancestral temple in Shuori, calling it "Gao Shuo". The ancient almanac in China is also called "calendar", "constitutional book" and "general book". In addition to arranging the year, month, day and solar terms according to a certain calendar, the content mainly focuses on guiding farming, staff life and choosing auspicious days.

Because it must be published in the name of the emperor, it is also called "Imperial Calendar". About the origin of this name, it is said that it has something to do with Song Taizong, because at the end of the year, this person will give every civil and military official an almanac, which records in detail the date and festival of the next year, as well as the common sense of farming and planting. The calendar recorded in the imperial calendar is generally limited to one year and changed in the following year. It is certainly inappropriate to look at this year's calendar with the imperial calendar of last year.

The promulgation of almanac has always been regarded as a national event, with major ceremonies and a series of links and etiquette procedures. As early as the Zhou dynasty, the emperor often issued the following year's political affairs to the governors at the end of each year, and the governors offered sacrifices to the ancestral temple and accepted them. However, the first new moon is not only about timing, but also about announcing next year's political affairs.