What festivals are there in the lunar calendar and why are they established?

The formation of traditional festivals is a process of long-term accumulation and cohesion of national or national history and culture. There are various traditional festivals in China, which are an important part of China's long history and culture. Traditional festivals in China, which developed from ancient ancestors, clearly recorded the rich and colorful social life and cultural content of the Chinese nation. Since 2008, three traditional festivals have been added to the national statutory holidays: Tomb-Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival.

Major festivals

form

Traditional festivals in China are diverse in form and rich in content, and they are an important part of the long history and culture of the Chinese nation. It is a legal system of "civilized society ruled by law". It is the basic framework of regional civilized countries.

The origin and development of festivals is a "cultural process of gradual formation and perfection" of human society, and it is the product of the evolution of civilization from apes to humans.

The traditional festivals in China are loaded with myths, legends, astronomy, geography, numbers, calendars and other humanistic and natural cultural contents.

Documentary records can be traced back at least to Zheng Xiao and Shangshu in Xia Dynasty. By the Warring States period, a year was divided into 24 solar terms, which was basically completed. Later traditional festivals are closely related to these solar terms.

Every traditional festival in China has its own origin and necessary conditions for its formation.

develop

Solar terms provide a prerequisite for the emergence of festivals. Most festivals began to appear in the pre-Qin period, but the enrichment and popularization of customs still need a long development process. The earliest custom activities are related to primitive worship and life taboos; Myths and legends add a bit of romance to the festival; There is also the impact and influence of religion on festivals; Some eternal commemorations of historical figures have infiltrated into festivals, and all of them have been integrated into the contents of festivals, giving China festivals a deep sense of history.

By the Han Dynasty, the main traditional festivals in China had been finalized. People often say that these festivals originated from the Han Dynasty, which was the first great development period after the reunification of China. The political and economic stability and the development of science and culture provide good social conditions for the final formation of festivals.

This festival has developed into the Tang Dynasty and has been liberated from the mysterious atmosphere of primitive worship and taboo. Become a type of entertainment etiquette and a real festive occasion. Since then, festivals have become cheerful and festive, rich and colorful, and many sports and recreational activities have appeared, which soon became a fashion. These customs continue to develop and continue.

Teach and inherit

It is worth mentioning that in the long history, scholars and poets of all ages have written many famous works for festivals. These poems are well-known and widely praised, which makes the traditional festivals in China permeated with profound cultural heritage, wonderful romance and elegant elegance. Festivals in our country have strong cohesion and extensive inclusiveness, which are celebrated all over the country as soon as they are over. They are in the same strain as our nation's long history and are valuable spiritual and cultural heritage.

Editors of major traditional festivals

On 24th, it was learned from the press conference of seven traditional festivals in China that seven traditional festivals in China, such as Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese Valentine's Day, Mid-Autumn Festival and Double Ninth Festival, were officially released. It is reported that this is one of the actions initiated by China Cooperation Association, a festival of the Chinese Culture Promotion Association, to connect with seven traditional festivals and apply for the World Heritage. Guo Daorong said that traditional festivals in China have lasted for thousands of years and accumulated profound cultural connotations. However, the absence of an image identification system is not conducive to the promotion and dissemination of traditional festival culture in modern society.

The release of the logo of the seven traditional festivals in China will help China's traditional festival culture to go global. At the same time, the Measures for the Administration of Traditional Festival Image Logo was also drafted on the same day. According to the requirements of the Measures for the Administration of Traditional Festival Image Logo, China Cultural Promotion Association owns the copyright of the traditional festival image logo collected and evaluated this time, and any unit or individual should ensure its legal use when using the traditional festival image logo.

the Spring Festival; Chinese New Year

That is, the summer (lunar) year.

Time: the first day of the first lunar month in a narrow sense, and the first to fifteenth day of the first lunar month in a broad sense.

L 1: Spring Festival

Ancient names: Yuanri, New Year's Day, Jacky, Chen Yuan, Yuanshuo, Suidan, Suishou, Suichao, Xinzheng, Shouzuo, Sanyuan ("Zheng" means "Zheng" in the first month).

Commonly known as "Chinese New Year"

Introduction of Spring Festival

Spring Festival is the first day of the first lunar month, also known as lunar calendar, commonly known as "Chinese New Year". This is the biggest and most lively traditional festival in China. The Spring Festival has a long history, which originated from the activities of offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors in the beginning and end of the Shang Dynasty. According to the China lunar calendar, the first day of the first month is called Yuanri, Chen Yuan, Jacky, Yuanshuo and New Year's Day. Commonly known as the first day of the first month. It was changed to Gregorian calendar in the Republic of China. The first day of the Gregorian calendar is called New Year's Day, and the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar is called Spring Festival.

origin

The Spring Festival refers to the traditional Spring Festival in the cultural circle of Chinese characters. The traditional names are New Year, New Year and New Year, but they are also verbally called New Year, Celebrating New Year and New Year. In ancient times, the Spring Festival refers to the beginning of spring in solar terms and is also regarded as the beginning of a year. Later, it was changed to the first day of the first lunar month as the New Year, and it is generally believed that it will not end until at least the fifteenth day of the first lunar month (Shangyuan Festival). 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: "It's ripe." . It is difficult to know when the Spring Festival (the New Year in the summer calendar) originated, but it is generally believed that it originated from the activities of offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors at the end of the Yin and Shang Dynasties (La Worship) in China.

The summer calendar produced in Xia and Shang Dynasties takes the moon's profit and loss period (now called the first lunar month) as a month, and a year is divided into twelve months, starting with the day when the moon is not seen (the first lunar month) and taking the return period from winter to the sun (now called the tropic year or the solar year, later called the solar year) as a year, and setting leap months to adjust the lunar year. A year begins at midnight on the first day of the first month, which is the beginning of the year. At the end of the year and the beginning of the year, we will celebrate the harvest of the old year and pray for the harvest of the new year, so there will be a series of activities such as offering sacrifices to gods, ancestors, celebrations and prayers.

The name "nian" began in the Zhou Dynasty. As for the determination of the beginning time of a year (in other words, the arrangement of the order of months), it is also related to the astronomical calendar (as mentioned above). According to legend, summer was in the lunar month (the first month of the lunar calendar), Shang was in the ugly month (the December of the lunar calendar), Zhou was in the child month (the November of the lunar calendar, that is, the winter month), Qin was in the sea month (the October of the lunar calendar), and it was restored in the Western Han Dynasty.

But in ancient times, the first day of the first month was called New Year's Day, Yuanri, Xinzheng and so on. Until the victory of the Revolution of 1911 in modern China, in order to conform to the agricultural season and facilitate statistics (in fact, the solar calendar part of the summer calendar guided the agricultural season-the twenty-four solar terms), it was stipulated that the people used the summer calendar (the lunar calendar), and the organs, factories, mines, schools and organizations implemented the Gregorian calendar (the chronological law of the Republic of China should be adopted instead of the AD law). On the eve of the founding of New China,1September 27th, 949, China People's Political Consultative Conference officially designated the Lunar New Year as the "Spring Festival", so many people still call it the Spring Festival.

In fact, the ancient "Spring Festival" refers to the "beginning of spring" in the twenty-four solar terms of the lunar calendar.

Related legends

In ancient China, there was a monster called Nian. Its tentacles were very long and fierce. Nian lived on the seabed for many years, and climbed ashore every New Year's Eve, devouring livestock and hurting people.

Therefore, every New Year's Eve, people in the village fled to the deep mountains to avoid the harm of the "Nian" beast.

On New Year's Eve this year, people in Taohua Village were taking refuge in the mountains when an old beggar came from outside the village. He was leaning on crutches, carrying a bag on his arm, with elegant silver whiskers and staring at Matthew. Some villagers sealed windows and locked doors, some packed their bags, some herded cattle and drove sheep, and people shouted boo everywhere, which was a scene of panic. At this time, who still has the mind to take care of this begging old man?

Only an old woman in the village east gave the old man some food and suggested that he go up the mountain quickly to avoid the "Nian" beast. The old man smiled and said, "If my mother-in-law lets me stay at home for one night, I will definitely drive the Nian beast away. The old woman looked at him carefully in surprise and found that he was handsome, energetic and different. But she continued to persuade and begged the old man to laugh without saying a word. My mother-in-law had no choice but to leave home and take refuge in the mountains.

At midnight, Nian beast broke into the village. It found that the atmosphere in the village was different from previous years: the old woman's house at the east end of the village had red paper on the door and bright candles in the room. The beast Nian trembled and let out a long whistle. Nian stared at her mother-in-law's house for a while, then screamed and rushed over. As we approached the door, there was a sudden explosion in the yard. Nian trembled and dared not go any further.

It turns out that Nian was most afraid of red, fire and explosion. At this time, my mother-in-law's door was wide open, and I saw an old man in a red robe laughing in the hospital. Nian was frightened and ran away in a panic.

The next day was the first day of the first month, and the people who came back from refuge were very surprised to see that the village was safe and sound. At this time, the old woman suddenly realized and quickly told the villagers the promise of begging from the old man. The villagers flocked to the old woman's house together, only to see red paper on her mother-in-law's door, a pile of unburned bamboo still exploding in the yard, and a few red candles still glowing in the house ... The ecstatic villagers put on their clothes and hats to celebrate the auspicious arrival and visit relatives and friends. The story soon spread in the surrounding villages, and people knew the way to drive away the "Nian" beast.

Since then, every year on New Year's Eve, every family has posted red couplets and set off firecrackers. Every household has a bright candlelight, so it is better to wait for the New Year. In the early morning of the first day, I want to say hello to my relatives and friends. This custom has spread more and more widely, and has become the most solemn traditional festival among the people in China.

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

At the end of the year, we will set off firecrackers, post Spring Festival couplets, eat jiaozi sausages and eat bacon to watch the Spring Festival Gala (only in recent years).

folk song

Pull up the sweet dust of Bala porridge and go to the old and welcome the new.

From the 23rd to the next year, honeydew melons will be offered to the Kitchen God.

Twenty-four ancestral houses offer incense money used in their early years.

Twenty-five families posted great blessings to visit sages.

Post Spring Festival couplets to celebrate a happy New Year.

Twenty-seven new clothes, new clothes, formal clothes, Lu Shouqi.

Twenty-eight stick grilles Yu Yi auspicious Dafa

There are cakes and fruits on the table for a long time.

Jiaozi, which is thirty years old for the Spring Festival, is full of vegetables.

On New Year's Day, the first day of the new year, "One Yuan Initial" was completed ~

Related poems

Tian Jia's New Year-Meng Haoran

Last night, I returned to the north and began to live in the East.

I'm already a strong official, but I'm still worried about agriculture.

Mulberry field plows and hoes with the shepherd boy.

Tian said that the climate is abundant this year.

Yuanri (Yulouchun)-Maopang

One year, the lotus fell out of the blue well, and Tu Su froze the wine.

Han Xiao is cold and deceitful. In spring, he is slim and arrives in Liu first.

Beauty urges longevity of cypress leaves, peppers, flowers and delicate sleeves.

Deep in my hometown, I don't know each other, but I only stay with Dong Jun.

Wang Anshi in Yuan Dynasty (Song Dynasty)

In addition to the one-year-old firecrackers, the spring breeze sends warmth into Tu Su;

Thousands of families always trade new peaches for old ones.

Try to write on New Year's Day (choose one)-Chen Xianzhang

When the clouds in the sky celebrate, the temple competes for grass and grass knowledge.

Adjacent to the city wall, we entertain guests, drink, sing together and enjoy New Year's poems.

When you get old and spring comes, you will have better flowers.

Where is the night breeze when the flute blows at the bottom of the river?

Ding Mao Yuan Riqian Qian Yi

One-year-old wine worships the court, except for the younger son's clothes to comfort the screen.

Serve the mother's heart, eat meat, occupy years, and prefer to dream of fish.

Fishing curtains want to welcome the new nest, and Yan Di inkstone also sparse old books

I have nothing to do with my neighbor's chicken and millet.

Wu Jia New Year's Day-Kong Renshang

Xiao Shu's white hair is not full, and the stove is destroyed.

Cut the candle and dry the midnight snack wine, and buy spring money everywhere.

Listening to firecrackers, childlike innocence, watching the change of peach blossom characters, old and biased.

Drum horn plum blossom plus five smiles to pay New Year's greetings.

Selling Dementia-(Don) Fan Chengda

On new year's eve, people don't sleep, tired of being depressed and forcing the new year;

Children are told to take the long street, and clouds are called to sell if they have dementia.

In addition to the night-(Tang) Lai Jia

It's a matter of unity being empty, and Wan Li is lovesick overnight.

Worried that the crow dies, you will see the spring breeze again.

Except at night-Wen Tianxiang (Southern Song Dynasty)

Dry kunkong, years go to the church;

The end of the road is stormy, and the poor side is full of ice and snow.

Life disappears with the years, and the body is forgotten;

There is no such thing as killing Su Meng. It's still early at night.

Happy New Year-(Ming)

I don't want to meet, but I want to talk about it. The famous papers are all us.

I also throw some paper at people. The world is too simple and empty.

You are new and correct-(Ming) Ye.

The wind and frost in heaven and earth are exhausted, and the weather in Gankun is harmonious;

Add the New Year, and the old mountains and rivers will spring.

Mei Liufang is full of pride, sloppy and old;

Tu Sucheng was drunk and laughed at Baiyun.

Today is New Year's Eve. -(Qing) Huang Jingren

A thousand laughs were delayed,

Worry is hidden outside,

People standing quietly at the stone bridge don't know,

Watching a week for a long time is like January.

Fengcheng New Year Speech —— (Qing) Cha

Cleverly cut Silla and paint colorful gold like a moth;

Since then, the scissors have been idle for a month, and there are more sewing in the boudoir before the age of 20.

On New Year's Day, he occupied Liu Yazi's mouth with charm-Dong.

* * * Laughing and laughing for the New Year, Hongyan Lady sends plum blossoms;

Everyone toasted each other in the toast to express their wishes for the New Year. After all the people were not satisfied, they tasted the tea of victory together and talked about current affairs.

Only loyal to the country, there is no paradise at home;

Song and dance accompany Beijing to welcome the festival and overlook Yan' an scenery.

Spring Festival-Jiangnan Shi Jing

Temporary solution to the ban on setting off fireworks and firecrackers in urban areas, Zhaofeng Xueji was years ago.

The streets are decorated with colorful decorations, and every household dusts, sweeps peach blossoms and changes couplets.

Dragon Head Raising Day (Dragon Head Raising Festival)

Dragon Head Raising (February 2nd), also known as Spring Farming Festival, Farming Festival and Spring Dragon Festival, is a traditional folk festival of Han nationality. The dragon heads up on the second day of the second lunar month every year, commonly known as the Qinglong Festival. Legend has it that this is the day when dragons look up. It is a traditional festival in urban and rural areas of China. People celebrate "Dragon Head Festival" to show respect for dragons and pray for rain, so that God can help ensure a bumper harvest.

Winter solstice festival

The winter solstice is a very important solar term, and it is also a traditional festival in China's lunar calendar. Up to now, there are still many places where the winter solstice festival is held. The winter solstice is commonly known as "Winter Festival", "Dragon Solstice Festival" and "Asian New Year Festival". As early as 2500 years ago, during the Spring and Autumn Period, China had determined the winter solstice by observing the sun through the soil return, which was the earliest of the 24 solar terms. The time is between February 22nd and 23rd of Gregorian calendar 12.

The winter solstice is the year with the shortest day and the longest night in the northern hemisphere. After the solstice in winter, the days will get longer day by day. The ancients said this about the winter solstice: As soon as the cathode arrived, the yang began to grow, the sun went south, the day was short and the shadow was long, so it was called "the winter solstice". After the winter solstice, the climate everywhere has entered the coldest stage, which is what people often say. There is a folk saying in China that "it's cold in March and hot in dog days".

According to modern astronomical science, the sun shines directly on the tropic of Capricorn from the winter solstice, and the sun is most inclined to the northern hemisphere. The northern hemisphere has the shortest day and the longest night. After this day, the sun gradually moved to the north.

In ancient China, people attached great importance to the winter solstice and thought it was a grand festival. There is a saying that the winter solstice is as big as a year, and there is a custom to celebrate it. "Han Shu" said: "The sun shines on the winter solstice, and you are long, so congratulations." People think that after the winter solstice, the days become longer and longer and the sun rises. This is the beginning of a solar cycle and an auspicious day, which should be celebrated. The Book of Jin records: "On the winter solstice of Wei and Jin Dynasties, people from all over the world celebrated ... its appearance was not as good as that of Zheng Dan." Explain the ancient emphasis on the winter solstice.

Now, some places still celebrate the winter solstice as a festival. The northern region has the custom of slaughtering sheep and eating jiaozi and wonton from winter solstice, while the southern region has the custom of eating glutinous rice balls and long noodles from winter solstice on this day. There is also the custom of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors in winter solstice in various regions.

Customs: After thousands of years of development, a unique seasonal diet culture has been formed from winter solstice to Sunday. Such as wonton, jiaozi, glutinous rice balls, red bean porridge, millet and rice cakes. Can be used as new year's goods. The once popular "Winter Solstice Day Annual Banquet" has many names, such as eating winter solstice meat, offering winter solstice dishes, offering winter solstice groups, and worshiping winter with wonton.

There is a custom of eating wonton on the solstice in winter. As early as the Southern Song Dynasty, people in Lin 'an ate wonton on the solstice in winter. At first, it was to worship ancestors, and then it gradually became popular. There is a folk saying that "there are wonton on the solstice in winter and noodles on the solstice in summer". Today, wonton has become a famous snack with many kinds, different productions and delicious taste all over the country, which is deeply loved by people. Wonton has many names, such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang Wonton, Guangdong Wonton, Hubei Noodle, Jiangxi Clear Soup, Sichuan Wonton, Xinjiang Ququ and so on.

Eating jiaozi is also a traditional custom from winter solstice, especially in the south of the Yangtze River. "Tangyuan" is an essential food from winter solstice, and it is a round dessert made of glutinous rice flour. "Round" means "reunion" and "perfection". Eating glutinous rice balls on the winter solstice is also called "the winter solstice group". There is a folk saying that "eating glutinous rice balls is one year older". The winter solstice group can be used to worship ancestors or give gifts to relatives and friends. In the past, Shanghainese were most particular about eating jiaozi. An ancient poem said, "Every family beats rice to make glutinous rice balls, knowing that it is the winter solstice of the Ming Dynasty."

In many places in the north, there is a custom of eating dog meat and mutton from winter to Sunday, because the weather enters the coldest period from winter to the future. Chinese medicine believes that mutton and dog meat have the functions of aphrodisiac and tonic, and there is still a folk custom of tonic in winter to day.

In Taiwan Province Province, China, the tradition of offering nine-layer cakes to ancestors from winter to the sun is still preserved. Glutinous rice flour is used to knead animals such as chickens, ducks, turtles, pigs, cattle and sheep. , a symbol of good luck, and then put it in a steamer and steam it layer by layer to worship the ancestors to show that they don't forget their ancestors. In the early days of the winter solstice or before and after the agreement, people with the same surname and clan gather in the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors one by one in the order of generations. After the ceremony, there will be a grand banquet for the people who come to worship their ancestors. Everyone drinks heartily and meets again after a long separation, which is called "food ancestor". The ancestors of the winter solstice festival are handed down from generation to generation in Taiwan Province to show that they have never forgotten their roots.

Winter solstice is a rich festival. It is said that New Year's Day was the winter from the Japanese to the Zhou Dynasty in history, which used to be a very lively day. In today's Jiangnan area, there is another saying that eating winter makes you one year older, commonly known as "adding years"

Poems related to the winter solstice:

Closely related to the winter solstice is the Jiujiu Song, which has been circulating in Beijing for hundreds of years. Starting from the winter solstice, nine days are counted as a unit, and nine days are counted continuously. By the 8th1day, winter had passed.

multiplication table

1929 did not shoot; Walking on the ice in 3949;

5969 see willows along the river; 79 rivers open 89 geese;

99 plus 19, plowing cattle everywhere.

Ash Ketchum

Du Fu (Tang Dynasty)

The days and personnel change quickly every day, and then the winter solstice, after the winter solstice, after the weather gets warmer, spring comes back.

Embroider five elements with weak lines and blow six tubes of dynamic fly ash.

The river bank seems to be waiting for the last month to pass, so that the willows can stick out their branches and take out new buds, and the mountains can break through the cold so that the plum blossoms can bloom.

Although I am in a foreign land, the scenery here is no different from my hometown, so let the children pour wine and have a drink.

Winter solstice

Du Fu (Tang Dynasty)

I'm a guest all year round, and I'm worried about killing people!

Jiang Shang described me as a lonely old man, and the custom of Horizon is self-dating.

After the snow, the staff came to Danhe, and the Jade Dynasty came to disperse Chen Zi.

My heart is broken at this time, where can I see Sanqin?

Solstice night in winter in Handan

(Tang) Bai Juyi

Every winter solstice, I am accompanied by the shadow in front of the knee lamp.

If you want to sit at home late at night, you should also talk about travelers.

......

References:

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