Characteristics and customs of the Spring Festival

1, the characteristics of the spring festival season

The spring season, East Asia, the south branch of the westerly rapids have begun to weaken, but the north branch of the westerly rapids strength and location of the basically unchanged, the Mongolian cold high-pressure and the Aleutian low pressure is still relatively strong, but in the strong cold air impact of the intervening period, the frequency of southerly winds increased, and accompanied by a clear process of temperature rebound. Spring, in nature, the most notable feature is that everything begins to show signs of recovery. From the beginning of the Spring Festival, the time sequence into the spring, in the natural world and in people's minds, "spring" means the wind and the sun warm, means that everything is recovering. When the spring, in China, the Tropic of Cancer and south of the belt, Yang and hibernation, all things spring, can clearly feel the breath of early spring. And in most areas north of the only that can be said to enter the prelude to spring, is still in the winter of all things closed, some places are still snowing. For areas north of the Tropic of Cancer, the farther away from the Tropic of Cancer, the later it is to enter spring.

China is a vast country, located mainly in the low and middle latitudes. Low latitude refers to the earth's surface between 30 degrees north and south latitude space range, that is, 30 ° N to 30 ° S within the region, including the tropical, subtropical two heat zones, is the global solar radiation and heat is more concentrated zone. China's low latitude (southern region), abundant precipitation, abundant light, humidity, winter and summer temperature difference is small, seasonal transition of sunshine, precipitation and other climatic elements change significantly. The mid-latitude is the latitudinal zone between 30 degrees and 60 degrees north latitude, where the prevailing air masses of high and low latitudes overlap with each other and cyclonic activities are frequent. The mid-latitude region (northern region) has little precipitation, dry, winter and summer temperature difference, seasonal change when the climate elements change significantly is the temperature. The climate varies greatly from one latitude to another.

The beginning of spring is one of the "Four Lives". "The four seasons are marked by the change of seasons, reflecting the pattern of change of weather, climate and other aspects, such as spring, summer growth, autumn harvest, winter, as well as changes in light, precipitation, air temperature and so on. Spring is the time when Yang Qi is born, everything is revived, everything with Yang Qi rising and sprouting growth. China's vast territory, complex geographic conditions, the climate varies greatly from place to place, "Li" of the specific climatic significance does not apply to all parts of the country. For many regions, "Li" is only a reference. The corresponding region is located in the yellow and red corner of the Lingnan, the demarcation line between winter and spring, in Guangxi Guilin to Jiangxi Ganzhou line, when the bucket refers to the c (or the sun's yellow meridian up to 315 °), that line south of the area, there has been the breath of spring; but 93% of the land area of our country is still winter, to the Heilongjiang province, often in the valley rain or the summer before the spring.

2, the Spring Festival weather customs

(1) playing the spring bull

Spring bull made of mulberry wood for the skeleton, is dedicated to "playing the spring bull" customary activities with the "cow". After the winter solstice festival, we take the soil and synthesize the clay blank, and carve it into the shape of a similar size cow. Painted on the four times eight sections, 360 days 12 hours pattern. On the day before spring, the government and the people first agreed to sacrifice on the farm altar. Later by the county deacon (prefect) personally hold the plow whip hit "spring cow", to show the beginning of spring plowing. Then, the people will plough the land by holding the plow. Plowing while playing "spring bull", shouting: a dozen "wind and rain"; two dozen "national prosperity and people's peace"; three dozen "five grain harvests "and other auspicious words.

(2) Wearing a spring chicken

is an ancient custom of the people around Tongchuan, Shaanxi Province. Every year on the first day of spring, the mother made a cloth about 3 centimeters long rooster, sewn on the top of the child's hat, expressed the wish "Chunji (chicken)" on the first day of spring, the women use the line through the beans hanging in the cow's horn, or with the withdrawal of hemp beans in the cow's body, that is, you can make the young children free from measles. The former is known as "avoid child rash", the latter is known as "scattered rash".

(3) Jumang God

Jumang is the god of spring, i.e., the god of grass and trees and the god of life. Jumang's image is a human face, bird body, the rules, the spring of folk customs on the day of the main spring. In the Zhou Dynasty, there is set up the East Hall to welcome the spring, indicating that the festival sentence Mang has a long history. In Shandong, when Jumang was sacrificed in the spring, the weather conditions of the year were foretold according to the costume of Jumang: wearing a hat showed spring warmth, bald head showed spring cold, wearing shoes showed more spring rain, and bare feet showed less spring rain. In Guangzhou, before and after the first day of spring, drums are beaten to drive away epidemics and pray for peace.

(4) paste the spring cow

Paste the spring cow this customary activity is in the spring before the start, according to the traditional way, by the county government (county office) to hire the paper tie good craftsmen, in the spring before the party to the county, elaborate spring cow image. Generally tied with bamboo gabions into the skeleton of the cow, with the spring wood to do legs, and then paste the paper, paint, a cow image on the production of success. It is said that the paste on the red and yellow paper, the year on the "grain harvest"; paste on the black paper, the year's harvest is not good. So the county arranged to use more red and yellow paper, in order to win the hearts of the people. After the spring cow paste, held a ceremony to open the eyes, that is, set up incense, worship.

(5) welcome spring

In order to welcome the spring, the first in the county field to choose a piece of good feng shui, set up a "spring shed" ready to welcome the spring. Spring shed is generally built in the main traffic, easy to concentrate the crowd. Surrounded by colorful flags. Spring activities are held on the day of spring, the specific time to the calendar table shall prevail, sometimes in the day of the hour, sometimes in the middle of the night. Spring activities are generally in the vast ceremonial procession, carry on the spring official parade show power, the front and back of the crowd, the wind is immense. And there are newspapers, such as the horse in robes and coats, or a variety of strange costumes, sitting on the two people to lift the one-wood bar, the side of the side of the play, playing muddy fun, attracting people to laugh. Welcome the spring team from all directions to the spring shed in front of the concentration, and then to the county government (county office) to welcome the spring.

(6) Spring tour, spring

The spring tour started after the welcome to the Spring Annunciation, the villages and societies of the gongs and drums and honor guards in the front, by four or eight people to carry a huge statue of the Spring Bull in the back. Walking and dancing, drums and gongs, firecrackers. The procession is very spectacular. Touring the surrounding villages, streets and alleys.

The procession of spring into the spring field (parade ground), around the field swim two laps, and then each stand in formation in the arrangement of the field. At this time, the governor is invited to sit in the spring shed, the spring ceremony. According to traditional custom, there is a spring platform, dressed in fancy dress newspaper, hand-held red and yellow colored flags, on the first newspaper - "good weather", the masses echoed; the second newspaper - "a bumper crop", the masses also echoed; the third newspaper - "national peace and prosperity", the masses and then echoed in the same voice. Every person who comes to report is rewarded.

(7) Chunshe

It is the ancient spring day to worship the land god. In the Zhou Dynasty, it was held on the A day, and later it was mostly held on the fifth E day after the beginning of spring. Rites - Mingtang bit": "is therefore summer _, autumn taste, winter Excel, spring society, autumn province, and then the big wax, the Son of Heaven's sacrifice." Before the Han Dynasty, there was only the Spring Society, but after the Han Dynasty, there were the Spring and Autumn Societies, which were held around the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes. Social day to worship the gods, and also has the meaning of the gathering of neighbors. In the Southern Dynasty, Liang Zong懔《荆楚岁時记》："Social day, the four neighbors and the combination of society, livestock and mash, for the house under the tree, the first sacrifice to the gods, and then entertained their yesterday." Tang Dynasty poet Wang Dai "social day" poem: "mulberry and cudgel shadow slanting spring community scattered, the family helped the drunken return." It can be seen that the ancients attached great importance to the worship of the gods, and later became a custom passed on to future generations, becoming a sacrificial activity, meaning that the earth reproduces all things, prayers and sacrifices, in order to pray for the prosperity of the six animals, and the abundance of grains.

(8) posting spring painting

Spring has arrived, to the door wall posting spring painting, this custom in Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty. According to records: spring day, Chang'an people in the Tang Dynasty often posted on the door to welcome the spring wish auspicious words and paintings, the word called "Yichun word", painting called "Yichun painting". Such as "welcome spring", "spring color is pleasant", "spring is bright", "spring blossoms" and so on. There are also people who post a message on the lintel of the door to express their willingness to welcome spring. If you know how to paint, often give the lintel painting a "plum picture".

(9) eating spring rolls

Eating spring rolls was originally an integral part of the Spring Festival celebrations. However, this festive custom has now faded a lot, and even many young people are no longer aware of this custom. Now, people eat more noodles and dumplings instead of eating spring plate, spring cake, spring rolls, to meet the arrival of spring, so the folk widely rumored to have "welcome spring dumplings playing spring noodles" said. Spring custom spring rolls have become a favorite flavor food. To this day, the golden color, crispy skin, tender meat filling, the aroma of the spring rolls have become many big hotels on the banquet a unique flavor, the popularity of the famous points.