Eight Ancient Festivals in China

Eight major festivals in ancient China:

1, Spring Festival

The Spring Festival refers to the traditional Lunar New Year in the cultural circle of Chinese characters, commonly known as the "Chinese New Year Festival". The traditional names are New Year, New Year and New Year, but they are also verbally called New Year, Celebrating New Year and New Year. This is the most solemn traditional festival of the Chinese nation.

The Spring Festival originated from the activities of offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors in the beginning and end of the Shang Dynasty. It is the biggest, most lively and most important ancient traditional festival in China. In China, the traditional Spring Festival refers to the sacrificial ceremony from the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month or the 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month to the 15th of the first lunar month in La Worship, with New Year's Eve and the first day of the first lunar month as the climax.

2. Shangyuan Festival

In the ancient customs of China, Shangyuan Festival (Tianguan Festival), Zhongyuan Festival (Diguan Festival, Yulan Festival) and Xiayuan Festival (Shuiguan Festival) are collectively called Sanyuan Festival.

The formation of Lantern Festival custom has a long process. 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 sacrificed "Taiyi" in Ganquan Palace on the first night of the first month, which was regarded by later generations as a precursor to offering sacrifices to the gods on the fifteenth day of the first month. However, the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month is indeed a folk festival after the Han and Wei Dynasties.

Since ancient times, the custom of Lantern Festival has been based on the warm and festive custom of watching lanterns. Traditional customs include going out to enjoy the moon, lighting lanterns and setting off flames, liking solve riddles on the lanterns, eating Yuanxiao and pulling rabbit lanterns. In addition, in many places, traditional folk performances, such as playing dragon lanterns, playing lions, walking on stilts, boating, yangko dancing and playing Taiping drums, have all joined the Lantern Festival.

3. Tomb-Sweeping Day

Tomb-Sweeping Day, the abbreviation of Tomb-Sweeping Day, was originally the fifth of the 24 solar terms, "Spring begins with spring, and the Qingming Valley Day", and later it merged with the cold food custom: it rained successively in Tomb-Sweeping Day. See "Xunzi Revealing the Secret": "Those who are empty and quiet are called big and clear."

4. Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Festival originated in China. Originally, it was a totem festival for the tribes who worshipped dragon totem in Baiyue area (the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the south area). Before the Spring and Autumn Period in Baiyue area, it was customary to hold totem festivals in the form of dragon boat races on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

Later, because Qu Yuan, a poet of the State of Chu (now Hubei) in the Warring States period, threw a huge stone into the Miluo River that day, the ruler took the Dragon Boat Festival as a festival to commemorate Qu Yuan in order to establish the label of loyalty to the monarch and patriotism. In some areas, Wu Zixu and Cao E are also commemorated. Dragon Boat Festival, Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day and Mid-Autumn Festival are also called the four traditional festivals of the Han nationality in China.

5. Chinese Valentine's Day

Chinese Valentine's Day, also known as Qiqiao Sister's Day, Qiqiao Sister's Day or Seven Sisters's Birthday, originated in China and is a traditional festival in China and East Asian countries. The festival comes from the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, and is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month (after the Meiji Restoration, it was changed to the seventh day of the Japanese solar calendar).

Because the main participants in this day's activities are girls, the content of the festival activities is mainly begging skills, so people call this day "begging skills festival" or "daughter's day" or "daughter's day". On May 20th, 2006, Tanabata was listed in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage by the State Council.

6. Mid-Autumn Festival

Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival, Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, August Festival, Moon Chasing Festival, Moon Appreciating Festival, Daughter's Day or Reunion Festival, is a popular traditional cultural festival in many ethnic groups and countries in the Chinese character cultural circle in China, and falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. Because its value is only half that of Sanqiu, it is named, and some places set the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 16.

The Mid-Autumn Festival began in the early years of the Tang Dynasty and prevailed in the Song Dynasty. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become one of the major festivals in China, which was as famous as the Spring Festival. Influenced by China culture, Mid-Autumn Festival is also a traditional festival for overseas Chinese in some countries in East and Southeast Asia, especially local Chinese.

Since 2008, Mid-Autumn Festival has been listed as a national statutory holiday. On May 20th, 2006, it was listed in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage by the State Council.

7. Double Ninth Festival

Double Ninth Festival, the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, is called "Double Ninth Festival". People have the custom of climbing mountains on that day, so the Double Ninth Festival is also called "Mountaineering Festival". There are also sayings such as Double Ninth Festival, Cornus officinalis and Chrysanthemum Festival. Because the homonym of "99" on the ninth day of September is "long" and has a long-term meaning, activities to worship ancestors and respect the elderly are often carried out on this day.

The Double Ninth Festival and the three festivals of "the first day", "the Qing Dynasty" and "Chongqing" are also the four major festivals for ancestor worship in Chinese traditional festivals. 20 12 February 28th 12 The law makes it clear that the ninth day of the ninth lunar month is the festival for the elderly.

8. Winter solstice festival

The winter solstice, also known as "Winter Festival" and "Happy Winter", is one of the twenty-four solar terms in China and one of the eight astronomical solar terms, which is opposite to the summer solstice. The winter solstice begins when the sun reaches 270 degrees of the yellow meridian, which is about 65438+February 22 of the Gregorian calendar every year. According to legend, the solstice in winter is the New Year's Day of the Zhou Dynasty in history, and it was once a very lively day.