The historical development of the Spring Festival

There are different opinions about the origin of the Spring Festival, among which there are several representative ones, such as the Spring Festival originated in La Worship, the Spring Festival originated in witchcraft ceremony, and the Spring Festival originated in Ghost Festival. However, it is generally believed that the Spring Festival rose during the Yu Shun period.

One day more than 2000 BC, Shun became emperor and led his men to worship heaven and earth. Since then, people have regarded this day as the beginning of a year. It is said that this is the origin of the Lunar New Year, which was later called the Spring Festival. The dates of the Spring Festival in China are not consistent:

The Xia Dynasty used January in Meng Chun as the first month.

The twelfth month (December) was the first month in Shang Dynasty.

After Qin Shihuang unified the six countries, it was stipulated that October was the first month, and the Qin calendar was used in the early Han Dynasty.

In the first year of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, that is, BC 104, astronomers Luo and others formulated a calendar, which changed the beginning of October to the beginning of the first month, and later generations basically improved it to the lunar calendar that we use today. Luo is also known as the "Spring Festival Old Man". Since then, China has been using the Gregorian calendar (also known as the lunar calendar) until the end of the Qing Dynasty, which lasted for 2080. In different times, the Spring Festival has different names.

In the pre-Qin period, it was called "going to Japan", "January Day", "changing the year" and "offering the year". In the Han Dynasty, it was also called "Three Dynasties", "Sui Dan", "Zheng Dan" and "Zhengri". Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were called Chen Yuan, Yuan Ri, Fuehrer and Sui Dynasty. In the Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, it was called New Year's Day, Yuan, New Year's Day and Singapore dollar. In the Qing Dynasty, it was always called "New Year's Day" or "Yuan Day".

It was not until after the Revolution of 1911 that the Lunar New Year was officially named Spring Festival. During the period of Beiyang government in the Republic of China, Yuan Shikai defined New Year's Day as Gregorian calendar 065438+1October 0 1 and renamed the first day of the first lunar month as Spring Festival. In the pre-Qin period, there was a prototype at the age of 18. "Poetry in July" records the gathering scene of people making wine and slaughtering sheep after a bumper harvest. "Rice is harvested in October, so spring wine is used to celebrate longevity. ..... wash the floor in October, ... kill the lamb, ... and live forever. "

Ancestor worship is an important activity and custom in the Spring Festival of Han Dynasty. Cui Mang's April People's Order in the Eastern Han Dynasty mentioned that "the first day of the first month is the right day. Bow to your wife and ancestors. " The custom of celebrating the New Year on the first day of the first month is becoming more and more abundant.

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the custom of keeping old on New Year's Eve was formed. According to the Records of Local Customs written in the early Zhou Dynasty of Jin Dynasty, on New Year's Eve, everyone gave gifts to each other, which was called "Feeding the Year". Young and old get together and wish a complete song called "age division"; Sleeping all the year round, waiting for dawn, is called "guarding the age".

In the Tang Dynasty, people not only visited their homes to pay New Year greetings, but also invented a "New Year greeting card". Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, made a greeting card with red gold foil and gave it to ministers as a royal book "Celebrating the World". This form soon spread among the people and changed to plum blossom stationery. At that time, this kind of "New Year greeting card" was called "flying card".

People in the Song Dynasty began to eat jiaozi during the Spring Festival, and the Song Dynasty called jiaozi "the trough". In the Song Dynasty, it was widely used to make firecrackers by wrapping gunpowder in paper. The custom of setting off firecrackers on New Year's Eve and Spring Festival has gradually become popular. "Dream of Tokyo" said: "It is night, firecrackers are forbidden in the mountains, and the sound is heard outside." By the Ming Dynasty, Kitchen God, Door God, New Year's Eve and Lantern Festival were all popular. It is recorded in the annals of Wanli Jiaxing: "On New Year's Eve, Yimen gods, peach symbols and spring posts are all sealed. Firecrackers burn purple, wine and fruit gather and drink, and gongs and drums stay all night, which is to keep the year. "

The Qing Dynasty attached great importance to the Chinese New Year, and the court was very luxurious. The emperor has the custom of writing down blessings and giving them to his ministers. China New Year doesn't end until the Lantern Festival. Solve riddles on the lanterns is a very popular form of entertainment.

The Revolution of 1911 brought a brand-new era. The government advocates a new calendar, and the traditional China New Year is no longer a holiday. In terms of etiquette, new etiquette, such as taking off one's hat, bowing, shaking hands and clapping, has gradually become the "civilized etiquette" in China's interpersonal communication. Spring festival time

China people have celebrated the Spring Festival for more than 4,000 years.

In modern times, people set the Spring Festival on the first day of the first lunar month, but it generally doesn't end until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month (Shangyuan Festival). In the folk, the traditional Spring Festival refers to the sacrificial stove from La Worship or the 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month to the 19th of the first month.

The Spring Festival (the first day of the first lunar month) travels from June 65438+1October 2 1 to February 2 1. The earliest Spring Festival (such as 65438+65438+12 1 in 0966) and the latest Spring Festival (such as February 20th in 1985) are a whole month apart. According to the calendar, if the lunar calendar is not adjusted artificially, February 2 1 and February 23 19 will usher in the "latest Spring Festival in history". Previously, the Spring Festival appeared on February 20th of Gregorian calendar at the latest, which were 1920 and 1985 respectively.

Leap spring festival

Leap Spring Festival, also known as the first month of leap, began in A.D. 1645 and adopted the calendar leap system. In 2800, leap in the first month of the lunar calendar only happened six times, which was very rare, and its years were 165 1, 2262 and 2357 respectively.

How to celebrate the Spring Festival?

If there is a leap month in a year, it is in principle the first month of the Spring Festival, but there will be no holiday in the leap month. Of course, in a few areas, after the Spring Festival in the first month, the Spring Festival in the leap month should also be celebrated. Because the first month of leap is also called the first month, the first day of the first month of leap is also regarded as the Spring Festival.