How many festivals are there in China?

The traditional festivals in China mainly include Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Dragon Head Rise, Shangsi Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese Valentine's Day, Zhongyuan Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival, Xiayuan Festival, Winter Solstice Festival, Laba Festival and New Year's Eve.

Spring Festival:

The Spring Festival is the first year of the lunar calendar. Another name of the Spring Festival is China New Year, which is the biggest, most lively and most important ancient traditional festival in China, and it is also a unique festival for China people.

Origin:

There is a legend about the origin of the Spring Festival. In ancient China, there was a monster called Nian. Its tentacles were very long and fierce. One year on New Year's Eve, an old beggar came from outside the village. The villagers were in a hurry and panic. Only an old woman in the east of the village gave the old man some food and suggested that he go up the mountain quickly to avoid 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 Nian beast away." The old woman continued to persuade and begged the old man to laugh without saying a word. 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. When we were near the door, there was a sudden explosion in the yard, and 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 to disgrace and fled in confusion. 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 for the elderly. The story soon spread in the surrounding villages, and people all knew the way to drive away the "Nian" beast. From then on, every year on New Year's Eve, every family 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.

Lantern Festival:

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival, also known as Shangyuan Festival, Lantern Festival and Lantern Festival. The first month is the first month of the lunar calendar. The ancients called night "night", so they called the fifteenth day of the first month "Lantern Festival". It is one of the traditional festivals in China.

Origin:

Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China, and it takes a long time to form the custom of Lantern Festival. According to general data and folklore, the fifteenth day of the first month was paid attention to in the Western Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty worshiped Taiyi in Ganquan Palace on the night of the first month, which was regarded by later generations as the forerunner of offering sacrifices to the gods on the fifteenth day of the first month (historical records show that: "Han people often fainted in the new temple Taiyi Ganquan in the first month, ending in the Ming Dynasty. The introduction of Buddhist culture in the Eastern Han Dynasty is of great significance to the formation of Lantern Festival customs. During the Yongping period of Emperor Hanming, in order to promote Buddhism, Emperor Hanming ordered "burning lamps to show Buddha" in palaces and temples on the fifteenth night of the first month. Therefore, the custom of burning lanterns on the 15th night of the first month was gradually spread in China with the expansion of the influence of Buddhist culture and the addition of Taoist culture.

The dragon looked up:

On the second day of the second lunar month, it is commonly known as the dragon heads up, and the Qinglong Festival is also known as the Spring Dragon Festival, the Spring Farming Festival, the city of all gods, and the birthday of the land god.

Origin:

People in China think that the dragon is an auspicious thing and the master of weathering rain. The second day of the second lunar month is the day when the dragon will ascend to heaven. In terms of solar terms, the beginning of February in the lunar calendar is between "rain", "shock" and "vernal equinox". Many places in China have begun to enter the rainy season. People will hold dragons to pray for rain and release them, so as to have a lucky harvest in a year. It is said that the origin of this sentence is related to the understanding of star movement and agricultural solar terms in ancient astronomy.

Shangsi Festival:

Shangsi Festival, commonly known as March 3rd, is a traditional festival of the Han nationality. Before the Han dynasty, it was designated as the first day of March, and later as the third day of March in the summer calendar.

Origin:

On the festival of thinking, you can remember Fu. Fuxi and his sister, Nu Wa, unearthed human beings to reproduce. In eastern Henan, Fuxi is honored as the "ancestor", and the ancient temple of Taihaoling was built in Huaiyang (the capital of Fuxi). From February 2nd to March 3rd of the lunar calendar, the Temple Fair of Taihaoling was held. Good men and women all gathered in the mausoleum area to worship their ancestors. The third day of the third lunar month is also the day when the legendary Queen Mother opens a flat peach party. There is a poem in Zhi Zhu, Beijing, describing the grand occasion of the temple fair in the Flat Peach Palace: "Born in spring on the third day of March, the Flat Peach Palace burns incense; The wind rises slightly along the river and the red dust is everywhere. "

Legend has it that the Queen Mother of the West is the patron saint of a primitive tribe in western China. She has two magic weapons: one is to take the elixir of life, and the other is to eat peaches-flat peaches, which can prolong life. It also added the contents of banquets and water outings. After Wei and Jin Dynasties, Shangsi Festival was changed to March 3, which was followed by later generations, thus becoming a festival for Han people to drink by the water and have a spring outing in the suburbs.

Tomb-Sweeping Day:

Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as the outing festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, March Festival and ancestor worship festival, usually falls on or around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar.

Origin:

According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn Period, Zhong Er, the son of the Jin Dynasty, went into exile to escape persecution. On the way to exile, in a deserted place, I was tired and hungry, and I couldn't stand up anymore. I searched for it for a long time, but I couldn't find anything to eat. When everyone was extremely anxious, I went to a secluded place with the minister of reconciliation, cut a piece of meat from my thigh and cooked a bowl of broth for my son to drink. Zhong Er gradually recovered his spirit. Zhong Er was moved to tears when he found that the meat on his leg had been removed. Nineteen years later, Zhong Er became the monarch, that is, the historical Jin Wengong. After he ascended the throne, Wen Gong rewarded the heroes who accompanied him in exile at first, but forgot to push the meson. Many people complained about meson push and advised him to admire it. However, mesons despise those who strive for merit the most. He packed his bags and quietly went to Mianshan to live in seclusion with his old mother. Hearing this, Jin Wengong was ashamed and personally took someone to ask Jiexiu, but Jiexiu had left home for Mianshan. Mianshan Mountain is high and dangerous, with dense trees. It's hard to find two people. Someone offered a plan to burn Mianshan from three sides and force a meson to push out. The fire burned all over Mianshan, but there was no trace of meson push. After the fire was put out, it was found that Jiezitui had sat under an old willow tree with his old mother on his back and died. Jin Wengong cried. When I was buried, I found a skirt in a tree hole, which said, "May my Lord be clear forever." To commemorate meson tui, Jin Wengong ordered that this day be designated as Cold Food Festival. The following year, Jin Wengong led ministers to climb mountains to pay homage. When he discovered that the old willow tree had come back from the dead, he gave it the title of "Qingming Willow" and told the world that the day after the Cold Food Festival was designated as Tomb-Sweeping Day.

Dragon Boat Festival:

The Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month is an important traditional festival of the Chinese nation. Dragon Boat Festival was originally a festival to drive away plague and dragon boat festival in summer. This is a sacrifice to the dragon by the ancients, and it is also said in memory of Wu Zixu, Cao E and Jiezitui.

Origin:

The formation of the Dragon Boat Festival custom is related to primitive beliefs, sacrificial culture, the calendar of cadres and branches, and the astronomical phenomena of the seven nights of the Black Dragon in the south of the middle of the sky. In the Book of Changes, based on eight diagrams, sixty-four hexagrams are formed by overlapping each other. The heavy divination stem is formed by overlapping the upper and lower divination stems, and its divination shape is composed of six Yang divinations; To count from the bottom up, Yang is called "nine", so the fifth from the bottom is called "Ninth Five-Year Plan"; The ancient Yue people regarded the dragon as the protector of their tribe and compared themselves to the descendants of the dragon. They not only have the custom of "tattooing their hair" to "look like dragons", but also hold a grand totem festival every midsummer Dragon Boat Festival. The phenomenon of "flying dragons in the sky" has been endowed with multiple meanings and sustenance, forming the custom of repaying the kindness of dragon ancestors, suppressing evil spirits and praying for happiness during the Dragon Boat Festival, which has evolved into "Dragon Boat Festival".

Valentine's Day in China:

Valentine's Day in China, a traditional festival in China, is a traditional folk festival in China. On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, it is also known as Qiqiao Day, Seven Sisters Festival, Daughter's Day, Begging for Cleverness Festival, Seven Mothers' Meeting, Chinese Valentine's Day Festival, Niuniu Festival and Qiaoxi Festival.

Origin:

The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is China people's Valentine's Day. Some people call it Chinese Valentine's Day or Daughter's Day, which is the most important day for a daughter's family. The seventh day of July is called begging for cleverness because it is said that the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl will meet the Tianhe River, and the daughter's family will worship the sky with melons and fruits at night to beg for cleverness from the goddess. In addition to seeking the skills of the weaver girl, I also seek a clever match in marriage. Therefore, countless sentient men and women in the world will pray for a happy marriage to the stars on this night, in the dead of night. Begging for Qiao ceremony originated from the original belief of the ancient weaver girl, Sang Shen, and combined with the saying that the cowherd and weaver girl meet on July 7 every year, it has become the folk belief of our Qixi Qiqiao film today.

Mid-Autumn Festival:

Mid-Autumn Festival, commonly known as Ghost Festival, is also called July 30th, Day of the Dead and Bonihara Festival. On the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, people will take out the harvested new rice to offer sacrifices to their ancestors, which is also the inheritance of filial piety. ?

Origin:

With regard to the origin of Ghost Festival, it is said that after the death of his mother, the Tibetan Bodhisattva came to the underworld and was imprisoned in his cell. She is a filial daughter and can't bear to see her mother suffer. On July 15, she selfishly asked the child guarding the cell to secretly open the cell door and let his mother out. But it doesn't matter if she opens the cell door. The children in the cell swarmed out and ran to the world to harm the people, so there was. " Those ghosts who run back to their hometown ask for money from home, let them go back to life and get through their joints, hoping to support their lives as soon as possible. Later, people designated this day as the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Mid-Autumn Festival:

Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, is also called the Full Moon Festival, Moonlight Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Worship Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Reunion Festival.

Origin:

The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of celestial phenomena and evolved from the worship of the autumn moon in ancient times. At first, the festival of "Sacrificing the Moon" was held on the "Autumn Equinox" of the twenty-four solar terms in the Ganzhi calendar, and later it was moved to August 15th in the summer calendar (lunar calendar). In some places, the Mid-Autumn Festival is set on August 16 in the summer calendar.

Double ninth festival:

Double Ninth Festival, the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, is a traditional festival of the Chinese nation, also known as "Old People's Day". Because the Book of Changes defines "six" as a negative number and "nine" as a positive number, on September 9, two and nine are the most important, so it is called Chongyang, also known as Chongyang.

Origin:

According to legend, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a plague demon in Ruhe. As soon as it appears, every family will get sick and even die every day. It's terrible that people in this area have been ravaged by plague demons. At that time, there was a young man named Hengjing in runan county. One year, the plague took away his parents and he almost died himself. After Hengjing recovered from her illness, she bid farewell to her beloved wife and fellow villagers, and decided to go out to study art in immortals, so as to kill pests for the people. After going through difficulties and obstacles, Hengjing finally found a magical fairy on an ancient mountain. Immortal was moved by his tireless efforts and the spirit of eliminating evils for the people, and decided to accept him as a disciple, give him a demon-reducing sword, and secretly teach him how to do it. Hengjing forgot to eat and sleep, practiced hard day and night, and finally developed an extraordinary martial arts. One day, the immortal called Heng Jing to his side and said, "Tomorrow is the ninth day of September, and the plague god will come out to do evil again. Now that you have learned your skills, you should go back and kill the people! " . At this time, the immortal gave Hengjing a pack of dogwood leaves and a bottle of chrysanthemum wine, and gave him the secret of exorcism, so that Hengjing could ride a crane home immediately. Hengjing returned to his hometown. On the morning of September 9, according to the instructions of the immortal, he led the villagers to a nearby mountain and gave everyone a dogwood leaf and a cup of chrysanthemum wine. At noon, the wind roared, the north wind suddenly rose and it was dark. With a few piercing screams, the plague demon rushed out of the Ruhe River and rushed to the foot of the mountain. At this moment, Mo Wen suddenly smelled the strange smell of Cornus officinalis and the mellow fragrance of chrysanthemum wine, and his face suddenly changed, shaking all over, and he dared not go any further. Just then, Heng Jing rushed down the hill with a demon sword in his hand. After several rounds of fierce fighting, Hengjing stabbed Mo Wen to death and wiped out the plague. Since then, the custom of climbing mountains on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month has been passed down. It is said that in the traditional concept of Central Plains people, the Double Ninth Festival symbolizes longevity, health and longevity, so people call it the Festival for the Elderly.

Next yuan festival:

October 15th of the lunar calendar is a traditional folk festival in China, also known as "Xiayuan Festival" and "Xiayuan Festival".

Origin:

The origin of the next Yuan Festival is related to Taoism. There are three kinds of Taoist officials, namely, heavenly officials, local officials, water officials and God bless the people. Local officials forgive sins and water conservancy officials relieve Eritrea. The dates of birth of these three officials are the 15th day of the first month, the 15th day of July and the 15th day of October of the lunar calendar, which are called Shangyuan Festival, Zhongyuan Festival and Xiayuan Festival.

Winter solstice:

Winter solstice is one of the 24 solar terms and an important traditional festival. There are many aliases for winter solstice festival, such as winter festival, long solstice festival, short solstice festival, Asian New Year Festival, Yiyang Festival, Happy Winter Festival, Happy Winter Festival, Dragon Walking Festival, Tofu Festival and so on.

Origin:

Winter solstice appeared in the Zhou Dynasty, became a festival in the Tang Dynasty, prevailed in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has continued to this day. According to records, the shadow of the sun is the longest on the solstice in winter. The ancients believed that from the winter solstice, the yang of heaven and earth began to flourish, representing the beginning of the next cycle, which was a good day. Therefore, in the Zhou Dynasty, winter and 1 1 month are the first months, and winter solstice is the first year to celebrate the New Year. This custom remained until the Han Dynasty. During the Western Han Dynasty, the solstice in winter was called "Winter Festival".

Laba Festival:

Laba Festival on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, commonly known as "Laba".

Origin:

Since ancient times, Laba has been a ritual to worship ancestors and gods (including door gods, kitchen gods and well gods) in order to pray for good harvest and good luck. According to the Book of Rites, "La Worship" is the year of December, and it is also a place where everything gathers. The Xia Dynasty called La Ri Jia Ping, the Shang Dynasty called Qing Si and the Zhou Dynasty called Da Wax. Laba is held in December, so it is called the twelfth month, and La Worship is called the twelfth day.

Off-year:

On the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month, it is a traditional day of offering sacrifices to stoves in China, also known as "off-year". Off-year is a prelude to the Spring Festival and a traditional festival.

Origin:

According to legend, Kitchen God was originally a civilian, Zhang Sheng. After marriage, he spent all his time drinking, losing everything and begging in the streets. One day, he begged at his ex-wife Guo Dingxiang's house, ashamed and burned to death under the stove. When the Jade Emperor knew about it, he thought that Zhang Sheng would change his mind, and it wouldn't be bad in the end. Because he died at the bottom of the pot, he was named the kitchen god. Every year, he went to heaven on the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month and returned to the bottom of the stove on the New Year's Eve. The people think that the kitchen god must be respected because he wants to repay the kindness to heaven. Therefore, people celebrate the "off-year" on the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month, praying for peace and wealth in the coming year.

New Year's Eve:

New Year's Eve, also called New Year's Eve, is the night on the last day of the Lunar New Year, that is, the night before the Spring Festival, so it is also called New Year's Eve.

Origin:

According to legend, in ancient times, there was a monster named "Xi", which hurt people, especially beautiful girls. "Xi" is elusive It only appears after sunset and disappears after midnight. Nobody knows where it lives. People hate it, but they can't help it. A hunter named Qi Lang is very powerful. His arrow is not empty, and his hunting dog is also very powerful. Seeing that the villagers were hurt by "Xi", he decided to get rid of "Xi" He has been looking for "Xi" everywhere with his dog for a year. It was the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month. He came to a small town and saw people happily preparing for the Spring Festival. He thought, This small town is very big and crowded, and there are girls everywhere. Maybe "evening" is coming. He went to consult the people in the town, saying that "Xi" was most afraid of noise, and told everyone not to sleep when it was dark, and to find more things that knocked loudly at home, and knock hard when there was any movement to scare "Xi" out and drive it away. That night, "Xi" really came. As soon as he broke into a house, the family knocked on pots and pans, and then the whole town followed suit. "Xi" was scared to run around and was seen by air billow. "Xi" got into a fight with Qi Lang and the dog. "Xi" was at a loss and tried to escape, but his hind leg was bitten by a hound. air billow took the opportunity to shoot "Xi" with an arrow. Since then, people have called the 30th of the twelfth lunar month "New Year's Eve". On this night, every household should keep watch and shoot guns to drive away the ominous and welcome happiness and auspiciousness.