How did the emperor spend the Spring Festival?

190 1 How did the Qing court celebrate the Spring Festival?

Source: Jiangnan Times

Date: February 2005-10

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, although the regime was on the verge of extinction, the imperial court still lived a life of luxury and enjoyment. 190 1 New Year's Eve is coming. After the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the Ministry of Internal Affairs informed the palace managers to prepare for the New Year. After the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the Empress Dowager, it was announced that Fujin, Mingmu, Gege and the daughters of one or two senior officials would enter the palace for the New Year on the 25th of the twelfth lunar month.

Fujin Gege entered the palace for the New Year.

At 8 o'clock this morning, all the people gathered in front of the treasures in the Forbidden City. I saw Li, the eunuch in charge, also put on an embroidered robe to mend his coat and greeted him in front of Cang Zhen. Fujin of every government is embroidered with red clothes and pink shirts. Gege were all dressed up and led by Li to Ningshou Palace. After Empress Dowager Cixi ascended the throne, the first wave appeared in front of Gege. Gege filed in, saluted the Queen Mother and stood beside her. After saying a few auspicious words to them, the Queen Mother asked her age and knowledge, and then withdrew. The second set was attended by Fujin and Mingfu of each government, and the empress, concubines and palace officials Gege were responsible for the reception. The Queen Mother said, "The Chinese New Year is coming. Everyone should celebrate happily, but don't be idle. My family law is strict. Women should know how to manage the family and know how to sew first. The clothes and shoes worn by the emperor have always been made by the queen and the imperial concubine themselves. I think all houses are different and sex is flashy. Not to mention skillful tailoring, even sewing seems to be not your own business. Always enjoy success, how to become a monk in the future? Today, please ask the queen, concubine, Fujin and Mingmu to cut one piece each, and ask Gege to sew one piece each for two days. " Some Fujin listened to the imperial edict of the Empress Dowager, sweating with fear, because they knew her daughter's sewing skills, while others hoped her daughter would show her talents. The queen mother told Li to hand over the prepared cloth and put it on the case with the needle and thread. The Queen Mother said, "When you have finished your work, you can go to the theatre. Gege only watches the drama today, and I'll let you perform it well in 26 or 27 days. Don't panic. " Gege, who can't work, secretly gave the cloth to her sister who can cut and sew when the Queen Mother and Fujin were playing cards for fun, and then put the sewn clothes on the record. Some people don't want to cheat, just do what they have to do. After a day's work, some play in the imperial garden and some go to the theatre. Two days later, everyone gave their clothes to the queen and the imperial concubine for acceptance, marked their surnames and displayed them on the record. Before the Empress Dowager Cixi put the case on file, she had a cursory tour, which was evaluated by the Empress and the Concubine and rewarded according to the grade. On 28th and 29th, the Empress Dowager and Fujin continued to play cards or watch a play. The rest of the crowd, including vendors, people pushing wine, people drawing promotional pictures, people throwing the Eight Immortals to celebrate their birthdays, and people hunting, were very lively, but many people sneaked back to No.1 Middle School.

Greetings on New Year's Eve are constant.

On New Year's Eve, the Empress Dowager got up earlier than usual, and the Empress and others came to the temple at dawn. Before dawn, the gege girls have finished washing and dressing. People's clothes are unusual. Empresses, concubines, big princess and Fujin all wear official clothes, Dai Cuigang, shirts, red and blue gowns, buttons with jewels and earrings. Gege people are still dressed in red, but everyone wears red velvet on their heads to make the word "longevity", and each has red ears that hang down to their shoulders. The Queen Mother came out of the dormitory. After her promotion, the Jade Dragon Queen led the crowd to inquire after the Queen Mother. After the ceremony, the Empress Dowager ordered the Empress to lead Fujin to lay flowers in front of the Buddha. Big princess led Gege and others to arrange offerings in front of the Buddha, and was busy until lunch. The Empress Dowager personally wrote 20 words of blessing and longevity three feet square. She said: "whoever loves to write, just write according to my words." Don't be afraid of ugliness. The more you practice, the better. It is impossible without courage. " Say that finish, some GeGe filed a large sum of money, crooked to write. The queen mother smiled and said, "You can't draw a tiger or a dog." Gege laughed and blushed with bold writing. At five o'clock in the afternoon, Emperor Guangxu led the imperial clan, the prince of Manchu and the second-class officials of Manchu and Han to Ningshou Palace to hold a abdication ceremony for the Empress Dowager. This etiquette is an old custom in Manchuria. First of all, Li Zan Lang from the Ministry of Rites sang hymns in Manchu in the temple. At this time, the emperor and his ministers danced with the song in front of the queen mother. The emperor and the prince of propriety are a pair, the prince of celebration and the prince of wine are a pair, and the son of Aaron and the king are a pair, with more than ten pairs. After the dance, the emperor was in front, the king was in the back, and the queen mother was knocked three times. The empress dowager each received a pair of purses, and then the emperor and ministers returned to the Qing palace.

When the emperor retired, the queen led the crowd to salute the queen mother, which was sung and guided by the female commendation officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Finally the maid-in-waiting eunuch kowtowed. The Queen Mother ordered Li to give each person twelve taels of silver. The queen mother returned to the dormitory to rest. At this point, the princess led big princess, Fujin and Mingmu to salute the Jade Dragon Queen. Then, Fujin, Akiki, etc. Bow to the princess. Secondly, Fujin and Akimu, young and old, bowed to each other and resigned. Gege also paid New Year greetings to his elders and resigned. Manchu etiquette is like this. All Miss Gege will not even kowtow to her biological parents except to worship Buddha or kowtow to the Queen. Because the flag girl is supreme at home before marriage. Those who quit their elders, such as Gege, maid-in-waiting, eunuchs, etc. , can get 1820 two silver. The bell will be twelve o'clock on New Year's Eve, and the Queen Mother will order everyone to gather in the temple. There is a long queue, and all kinds of vegetarian dishes prepared in advance will be served by the chef. The Queen Mother will order everyone to start making vegetarian cakes together, so they will cut, cut and cut, and jingle all the time above the hall. Cut it and give it to the Empress Dowager. Empress, concubines, big princess and others mix the stuffing, and the taste is salty and light, which is decided by the Empress Dowager. At dawn, jiaozi has been wrapped. The queen mother ordered everyone to go back and change clothes and comb their hair again. After a while, people returned to the temple. The queen mother sat at the end of the case, and the queen and others stood by. Empress Dowager Cixi ordered the maid-in-waiting to bring the cooked cake (jiaozi). Empress Dowager Cixi said, "Now is the beginning of the New Year, the new moon, a new day and a new time. We can't forget the present and present of last year. Today, we can eat a bowl of Taiping rice. This is the blessing of the Buddha and the protection of the ancestors. " Say that finish, life everyone to eat. Everyone kowtowed to the Queen Mother. Genius shines when you eat and make cakes. Empress dowager cixi ordered all the government orders to return Fujin and Mingfu to the government.

The emperor, concubines, and conference leaders pay New Year greetings to the Empress Dowager.

At this time, a letter came from outside, saying that the emperor had come to pay a New Year call to the Queen Mother. Everyone quickly hid behind the screen, and the emperor came to the temple, holding a wishful knife, kneeling in front of the queen mother and saying, "Happy New Year to you." The queen mother got her wish and the emperor bowed to her. In order to get lucky, the queen mother was kind-hearted and said with a smile, "I wish the country prosperity day by day and the emperor good health." After the emperor kowtowed, the empress dowager took a seat and ordered the emperor to make vegetarian cakes in the hall, while the queen and Princess Jin stood at the table to serve. Although it was a red-letter day, Emperor Guangxu was preoccupied and looked unhappy. He barely ate two boiled cakes, stood up to deal with the queen mother and said, "This year's vegetarian stuffing is very good." The queen mother said, "This year's sesame oil smells better than usual." After the emperor washed his mouth and hands, the Jade Dragon Queen led his concubines and a group of ladies-in-waiting to pay a New Year call to the emperor, and a group of eunuchs also called "new lovers" to kowtow to Viva. After accepting the ceremony, the emperor resigned and went to Baohe Hall to receive gifts from ministers.

At this time, I only listened to the distant gongs and drums. Li said: "The leaders of all kinds of meetings have been called by our ancestors to pay New Year greetings." The queen mother said, "Tell them to go to Haizi." The Queen Mother led a group of empresses, maids and eunuchs to Zhongnanhai like a swarm of bees. The coaches knelt on the ground and said "Happy New Year" to the Queen Mother. After the Queen Mother accepted the gift, the meeting host began to offer his skills. In an instant, I saw the abbot of Hufang Bridge and Shao Shi, the five tiger sticks in Nangong Jiangying, the drums, the ten flags in You 'anmen, the yangko in Lumicang, the stone locks in Di 'anmen, the five-legged stick stilts in Liulangzhuang, the Dragon Lantern Festival in Tianqiao, the Tianjin Car Club and the deer-cutting roller boat.

The queen mother was elated. The performance didn't end until noon. The Queen Mother rewarded Qian 120 with silver every time she met, and then went home happily with other girls.

Fujin throws a silver dollar to see "throwing people"

1904 When the New Year arrives, Cixi will drag an ice bed on the ice in Zhongnanhai. Fujin and Gege of each government paid their respects to the Empress Dowager in Yiluan Hall. Later, the queen mother and others came to Zhongnanhai and told every three people to sit on a Zhang Bing bed, dragged by two eunuchs.

The queen mother said, "Gege can run in front of my ice bed, and the rest of the ice beds follow me behind the bed." So the bed that mopped the floor began to walk slowly and accelerate gradually, like jumping on the ice. Seen from the shore, it looks like Youlong soaring in the vast sky. About an hour later, Tai Hou sent a message to stop delaying and ordered Li to take five thousand pieces of Qinglong Yuan. Hearing this, Li ordered two little eunuchs to move them away. We don't know what to do with these silver dollars. Just then, the eunuch suddenly shouted: "The ancestors ordered that all the staff come to the Queen Mother to mop the bed and listen to the order." I saw concubines, ladies-in-waiting, eunuchs, Fujin, domestic servants and so on, stumbling and crawling around the Queen Mother.

The queen mother smiled and said, "You are divided into three rows. The first row is queens, concubines, princesses, maids-in-waiting, the second row is eunuchs, and the third row is women from various governments. " Then Li sent eunuchs to carry the silver dollar. Empress Dowager Cixi said to four Mongolian Fujin: "You have the strength, each of you takes 500 yuan and throws it into the center of the sea." At this time, everyone knows that the Queen Mother will watch autumn. The Queen Mother said to Fujin of Mongolia, "When I say throw-throw hard."

Hearing this, the young man jumped with joy, while the old Fujin was worried. The Queen Mother said, "Throw at the command-"Everyone wins with money, and the silver dollar thrown away rolls far away against the smoothness of the ice. You chased me, and a hundred people slipped and nearly burst the queen mother's stomach. Laughter, screaming and falling were intertwined, and everyone was in tears. Just together, they lay down again. Only eunuchs who wear toothed shoes to mop the bed grab the most money, only old Fujin, covered in mud, grabbed at most three yuan, and little eunuchs and Gege, some robbed more than one hundred yuan.

Large flower boxes, watched by hundreds of officials.

From the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, every day, provincial governors send people to pay tribute and set off fireworks and firecrackers. The provinces with the most fireworks are Jiyang County, Liling County and Youxian County in Hunan Province. Dongguan and Nanhai in Guangdong; Jiangxi Wanzai, Yichun.

On the fifteenth day of the first month, flower boxes are placed in Sanhai, and princes, civil servants and officials above the third class can go to Sanhai to see the flower boxes. After dinner, Fujin, Mingfu, Gege, etc. All the houses are dressed in Hua Fu Gate, and they go to a Luan Hall to meet the Queen Mother. Then, the Queen Mother led the people to Zhongnanhai to enjoy the Lantern Festival. Put a whip first, then put all kinds of fireworks, fireworks, flower pots, grape racks, all kinds of birds and animals fireworks. Xianggong fireworks rose into the air, and with the crisp explosion, clusters of silver lights flashed, just like Xia Hong dancing, silver rain pouring down, or jumping on the sea, or soaring in the sky, shining brightly. There are plants and clusters, red as agate, blue as amber, white as pearl and green as jade. The flower boxes in Donglu County, Zhili tribute, are decorated with all kinds of fireworks. After rising, there are trees, flowers, pavilions, as if it were a garden. When the fireworks reached their climax, the whole sea was illuminated as day, and bees and butterflies were flying everywhere in the sky and underground.

After the flower boxes were put out, the Queen Mother ordered officials from various countries such as Fujin to enjoy Yuanxiao in a Luan Hall. When everyone was eating Yuanxiao, a dozen eunuchs played with two dragon lanterns in the palace, fighting with each other and entertaining them. About an hour later, the Queen Mother gave everyone countless Kit Kat lanterns prepared by the Ministry of the Interior. These lanterns are all masterpieces of the painter. Among them, there are all kinds of birds, animals, fish and shrimp. After getting the lanterns, everyone kowtowed and thanked them, and then left happily.