The origin and customs of' 99'

The method of counting nine is passed down from mouth to mouth among the people in our country. Jiujiu, also called "Winter Jiujiu", is a folk solar term in winter in China.

The number nine is a folk solar term, which mainly starts from winter to Sunday, from September 19 to September 9, and it reflects a weather change process, that is, from cold to warm, and blooms in spring. The number nine has been handed down for a long time. Jiujiu, also known as Winter Jiujiu, is a folk solar term of the Han nationality. Counting from the "winter solstice" in the 24 solar terms of the lunar calendar every year is nine.

"Liang Chao Shu Jing Chu Chun Qiu" records: "The winter solstice is 998 1 day, which is the end of cold." Count nine cold days, that is, from the solstice of winter, count a "nine" every nine days until the "99" of 81 days, and the weather will warm up. According to the Chronicle of Yanjing, "March 9 to Sunday is a difficult winter." It means that it has entered the coldest stage in cold weather since March 9.

The custom of counting to nine

There are many customs of "counting nine", among which "Jiujiu Song" is the most extensive and has a long history. These songs skillfully use the phenological phenomena in nature and vividly reflect the laws of weather changes during the Ninth Five-Year Plan period. As far as most parts of China are concerned, the weather was not the coldest when the 29th passed, but "1929, I can't reach it."

At the end of April 9, it was almost the "Great Cold" solar term, so we said "March 9, freezing cats and dogs". After May 9, the earth gradually rejuvenated and the weather gradually warmed from cold, so "May 969, look at the willows by the river; 7989, walking alone. " By 1999, it was already a "shock pad" solar term, so "1999 thundered for a long time."

The custom of "painting nine" appeared in the Ming Dynasty. The so-called painting is actually a painting that calculates the warm date from winter to spring. In the Ming Dynasty, "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" contained: "From winter to the sun, draw a plum flower, one in eighty petals. Dye one petal a day, and 99 petals will come out, then the spring will be deep, saying that 99 will eliminate the cold. "

In addition, in the Qing Dynasty, there were "Poems and Pictures of' Eliminating Cold in the Nineteen Years'", including four sentences and thirty-six sentences every nine days. The content ranges from "Huang San ruled the world in ancient times" to "the golden years of Qing Dynasty" in this dynasty, which is a beautiful historical "memorabilia".