/kloc-What is the origin of the 0/8-year-old festival?

/kloc-The festival of 0/8 years old originated from the calendar. Calendars appeared in the Xia Dynasty in China. The Shang Dynasty established a relatively stable timing system for a long time. At that time, the year was divided into 12 months, and the leap year was 13 months; The moon is determined by the period of the moon, which is divided into a big moon (30 days) and a small moon (29 days). The months are calculated according to the ordinal number of one, two and three.

The division of months laid the foundation for the emergence of the twenty-four solar terms in the China lunar calendar. Twenty-four solar terms divide a year into twenty-four segments according to the position of the sun on the ecliptic, which constitutes the calculation basis of the four seasons of the year and becomes the origin of various traditional festivals later. The original meaning of the customary "year" refers to the year and season determined by the calendar; The so-called "festival" refers to the solar terms contained in each season. Because solar terms are closely related to production activities, whenever solar terms come, people always hold ceremonies to celebrate or sacrifice activities, and gradually evolve the custom of festivals. Solar terms and festivals are actually the same thing.

However, festivals are not static. With the changes of society, some traditional festivals may be diluted or even eliminated, while some new festivals are constantly created. In the development of festivals, the "new moon" and "hope" formed at different times of each month are often regarded as festivals. The new moon, the first day of every month, is the first day of January. It was called "Yuan Day" in ancient times, symbolizing the meaning of vigorous beginning, and this day was usually chosen as a festival. The most important festival in China-Lunar New Year (Spring Festival) is on the first day of the first month. Look, it's the 15th of every month. This day is a full moon, which means a happy reunion and is often used as a festival. The Lantern Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated throughout the country are on the fifteenth day of the first month and the fifteenth day of August respectively.

In addition to the new moon and hope as festivals, many festivals are derived from the method of observing the day by the main branch. For example, in the Spring and Autumn Period, "Xin in the first month" was regarded as a festival for holding sacrificial activities. In ancient times, people thought these days were auspicious and festivals were beneficial.

In addition to the time factor stipulated in the calendar, there are also factors of faith and custom that constitute the New Year's festival. However, the changes of beliefs and customs have led to the constant updating and changes of festival contents. Many festivals originated in the pre-Qin period, but in the process of spreading, later generations continued to add new beliefs and customs, so that festivals can not only maintain the traditional form, but also show the color of the real times. This is why regular festivals are always novel and lasting.

In the process of the emergence and evolution of festivals, the results of cultural exchanges and ethnic integration between China and foreign countries also have an important impact. This is manifested in two aspects: on the one hand, cultural exchanges and ethnic integration can add new customs to ancient festivals. For example, Laba Festival, as a part of the Spring Festival, was originally a traditional festival in China, but after the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was linked to Buddhism and became a festival with strong religious color. On the other hand, cultural exchanges and ethnic integration can also bring brand-new festivals. For example, the so-called temple fair, which was formed by Buddhism to celebrate the birth of the Buddha, has gradually become a folk belief festival in China with the passage of time, and attracted the attention of ordinary people.

In a word, New Year's festivals from various sources are like a colorful picture scroll, showing the beautiful pursuit of the Chinese nation.