February 12 of the lunar calendar is Baihua's birthday. What festival is this?

Flower Festival, referred to as Flower Festival, is commonly known as "Flower Festival", "Hundred Flowers Birthday" and "Flower Birthday".

Flower Festival is also called "Picking Vegetables Festival". Traditional festivals of Han nationality. Popular in Northeast China, North China, East China, Central South and other places. It is held on the second day of the second lunar month, and there is also the Lantern Festival on 10/2 and 15. During the festival, people go to the suburbs to enjoy flowers together, which is called "outing". Girls cut five-color paper and stick it on the flower branches, which is called "enjoying the red". There are also customs such as "putting lion flowers" and "putting magic lanterns" in various places.

It is a very important traditional folk festival in ancient China. Festivals vary from place to place. The second day of February in the summer calendar is the flower dynasty in the Central Plains and Southwest China. February 15 is the flower dynasty in Jiangnan and Northeast China. It is said that this corresponds to the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15, which is called "Flower Dynasty" versus "Moon and Evening". In addition, in some areas, February 12 or 18 is the Flower Festival. This phenomenon may be related to the delivery time of letters in various places.

The date of the flower festival in the Gregorian calendar is March, which is roughly between the solar term "fright" and "vernal equinox". At this time, spring returns to the earth, everything revives, plants germinate, and flowers are in bud or in full bloom. It is very appropriate to designate a certain day as "Hundred Flowers Birthday". There are not many ethnic groups in the world who set up flower festivals like China, which shows that the Chinese nation has a long tradition of loving flowers. "Baihua birthday is a good season, and the flower dynasty is not half spring; Colorful, or hard to decorate. " This is a portrayal of the folk custom of celebrating birthdays with a hundred flowers in the south of the Yangtze River in the old society. At night, "Lantern" hangs on the top of the flower branch, and the light contrasts with the red flowers and green branches. Young men and women stroll through the flowers, enjoy flowers and talk about love; Literati and writers touch the scene, recite poems and paint ... for gardeners or flower lovers from all over the world, this is a good time to show their skills.

The History of Flower Festival

China is a country of flowers. It has a long history, which was first recorded in Tao Zhugong in the Spring and Autumn Period. As for the "flower god", it is said that it refers to Nu Wa, the female disciple of Mrs. Northern Wei. It is said that she is good at planting flowers, and is honored as the "Flower God" by later generations, and attached a flower festival as her festival.

The book "Local Conditions and Customs" written by Jin people at the beginning of Zhou Dynasty: "The custom in Zhejiang says that spring is in the middle and bloom is flourishing. There is a saying in the world called bloom sooner or later. " In the middle of the spring preface is February 15th of the lunar calendar, and it is clearly recorded in the book Xi Chaole by Amintian Rucheng: "February and August are half of the spring and autumn, so February and half are the flower dynasties, and August and a half are the moonlit nights."

Flower Festival is very popular all over the country. It is said that it began during the reign of Wu Zetian (690-705 AD). Wu Zetian loves flowers like life. Every year on February 15th in the summer calendar, on the Flower Festival, she always asks the ladies-in-waiting to pick flowers, mash them with rice, steam them into cakes and give them to ministers. From the official to the folk, flower shows are very popular. At that time, the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month, the flower show on February 15th and the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th were regarded as equally important traditional festivals. But in Song Dynasty, the date of Flower Festival was advanced to February 12 or the second day of February. According to "Guangfang Qunpu Shi Tian Pu 'er", Cheng Zhai's poem said: "Tokyo (now Kaifeng) called the Flower Dynasty on February 12, which was a butterfly-catching meeting." He also quoted Mohan Ji: "Luoyang custom takes February 2 as the flower festival. The scholar is playing, and it is also a vegetable picking festival. " It can be seen that the date of the Flower Festival also varies from place to place. In the Qing Dynasty, February 15th was generally the flower dynasty in the north, and February 12th was the birthday of a hundred flowers in the south. The climate conditions in the north and south of China are different, so it is reasonable that the south will celebrate the festival a few days earlier than the north.

Flower festival of past dynasties

The Flower Festival was formed at the latest in the Tang Dynasty, because it is very common to record the Flower Dynasty in the poems and historical records of the Tang Dynasty, such as Si Kongtu's Mourning with the Guests, the Flower Dynasty is Sick (Early Spring) and Lu Lun's Void Smelling the Night, Cleaning the Rain Flower Dynasty (Inscription on the Upper Courtyard of Kisdiwan). There are also written records in the Book of the Old Tang Dynasty (AD 945) and the Legend of Luo Wei, which was written by the Jin Emperor two years after he left Jin. "Every time Wei spends every month, he is very affectionate with Binzuo House." According to folklore, Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, personally presided over the "picking vegetables" in the imperial garden at the Flower Festival. During her reign (AD 690-705), Wu Zetian, who was fond of flowers, always asked the ladies-in-waiting to pick flowers, mash them with rice and steam them into flower cakes for ministers. At that time, people regarded the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month, the flower show on February 15th and the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th as equally important festivals.

The festival period of "Flower Festival" is different from February 15, 12 and 2 due to different time and region. For example, the book summary says: "February 15th is the Flower Festival in the Tang Dynasty." Wu in the Southern Song Dynasty also said in "Dreaming, Looking at February": "The fifteenth day of mid-spring is the flower festival, and Zhejiang customs believe that when the spring sequence is in the middle and bloom is in full bloom, the tour is the most enjoyable." Wang Hao, a poet in A Qing, quoted Yang Wanli's poem about the walled city in Guangqunfangpu Tianshipu II: "Tokyo (now Kaifeng, Henan) held a flower party on February 12th, which was a butterfly-catching party." As for the record of taking the second day of February as the flower festival, it can also be found in the book Guang Fang Qun Pu, in which the second chapter of Shi Tian Pu quotes the Mohanji cloud: "Luoyang custom takes February as the flower festival. The scholars are playing, and it is also the' Picking Vegetables Festival'. " In addition, in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province and Guangshan, Henan Province, there are folk customs that February is the small flower festival and February 15th is the big flower festival. For example, the Records of Guangxu County in Qing Dynasty said, "On February 2nd, the popular cloud' Little Flower Dynasty' and on February 15th, the cloud' Big Flower Dynasty'."

Grand occasion of flower festival

"Hundred flowers are a good birthday season, and the flowers are not half spring. Colorful flowers are covered with brilliant flowers, and the flowers are decorated with gods. " Cai Yun's poem "Singing Flowers" is a portrayal of the custom of celebrating the birthday of flowers in the south of the Yangtze River in the past, but Wu described the flower show in more detail in "The King of February in Lu", so I won't repeat it here. At the Flower Festival, in addition to enjoying flowers, catching butterflies and picking vegetables, and the government going out to the suburbs to persuade farmers, in some parts of the old society, women also had the custom of cutting flowers and arranging flowers at the Flower Festival. For example, in A?vagho?a Xi Zhong's "Xuanfuzhi", "Flower Festival, women in the city cut flowers and tied them into a bun, thinking it would be a festival." In the Qing Dynasty, there was a custom of "rewarding the red" at flower fairs. The article "Birthday of Hundred Flowers" in Lu February in Qing Gulu also said: "February 12 is the birthday of a hundred flowers, and the girl in the boudoir cuts five colors and sticks them on the branches, which is called rewarding the red." A Qing poet Zhang Chunhua also said in his poem "Shanghai New Year Song": "In spring, the flowers are dyed green, the branches are cut, and the east wind blows. Steamed clouds and five colors fly to the sunny dock, and the pavilion is opened to help enjoy the red. "

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the Flower Festival was widely circulated in the court and among the people. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Flower Festival was often mentioned by scholars. For example, Yuan Hongdao, a writer in the late Ming Dynasty, wrote in his Travels that "it is cold after the flower festival", and Hong, a scholar in the Qianlong period, wrote in his poem that "looking at the Taibai Tower, blocking the wind at the estuary, can't get up". For some reason, this traditional festival gradually disappeared. At present, the Flower Festival only exists in the lives of Zhuang people in Ningming and Longzhou, Guangxi. Although Jiujie Town Flower Fair in Xinzhou District, Wuhan City, Hubei Province has been popular for more than 800 years, it has long lost its former poetry and evolved into a large-scale farmers' exchange meeting with merchants and influence as far away as more than a dozen cities and counties in Hubei, Henan and Anhui provinces. In addition, the flower festival is little known and rarely mentioned.

Flower festival custom

Watching flowers is an elegance in life. People in China have accumulated rich folk cultural achievements in flower viewing, such as the flower fairs popular in urban and rural areas in the old days.

In mid-spring of February, the wheat straw is in full bloom and the green branches are full of flowers, which provides a rich natural background for the activities of the Flower Festival. On this day, flower sellers usually tie flowers with red strips of cloth or red paper. Many flower farmers also hang colored silk and red paper on flowers, which is called "appreciating red" or "protecting flowers". The poem says, "When spring comes to bloom, the flowers are dyed green, the branches are cut, and the east wind blows. Steamed clouds and five colors fly to the sunny dock, and the pavilion is opened to help enjoy the red. " It is the realism of this custom. Many flower farmers, flower vendors and farmers engaged in other planting industries will gather in front of the flower beds on this day to offer sacrifices and fruits to wish God's birthday, or perform entertainment performances to attract crowds of tourists to watch and form a lively temple fair scene. A busybody or garden pavilion resort will hold a "flower fight" or "butterfly fight" similar to today's flower show, or gather people to hold a lantern parade at night, which is called "lantern". In Longzhou, Ningming and other places in Guangxi, young men and women still gather in Pingba to sing at the Flower Festival. There must be something in the song that praises the flowers fairy. So far, they throw hydrangeas at each other and linger.

The traditional flower show has now become a more dazzling seasonal flower show, and the trend of mass flower viewing often lasts for several months, far exceeding the ancient one-day period. However, if we trace back to the origin of this traditional custom, it is ambiguous.

According to the records of Mo Han Ji and Qin Zhong Sui Ji cited in Guang Fang Qun Pu, there was a custom of Flower Festival in Chang 'an and Luoyang in Tang Dynasty. Bo Yi Ji and Zhen also provide a beautiful legend for its origin: during the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, there was a flower fan named Cui Xuanwei, who was famous far and near. One February night, a group of gorgeous women transformed by the essence of flowers came to their garden and told him that they wanted to meet the blooming spring, but Shen Feng couldn't stop them, so they asked him for help. Cui Shi listened to his advice, prepared colorful silk and drew the sun, moon and stars on it. On February 2 1 day (12), at five o'clock, he hung colorful silk on the flowers in the garden. It was really windy at that time, but all the flowers on the branches were protected by colored silk, and none of them were blown away. People who love flowers flock to them, because it is a custom. Because the time for hanging colored flowers must be arranged in the fifth watch, it is called "Flower Dynasty".

According to the above explanation, the Flower Festival should be a festival to commemorate Cui Xuanwei's hanging flowers and protecting flowers. However, in some historical and geographical customs since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the Flower Dynasty is a sacrificial festival to celebrate the birthday of the flower god, that is to say, the meaning of hanging colored flowers is not to protect flowers, but to celebrate birthdays. For example, Volume 4 of "Casting Ding Yu Wen" quotes He Zhi's cloud from Xinyang, Kunshan: "February 12th is the birthday of the flower god, and all flowers are rewarded with red flowers." Lu said, "February 12th is Baihua's birthday. Huqiu Flower Temple offers sacrifices to wish the immortal a birthday, which is called' Flower Dynasty'. Wu Biao, a colorful cloud, says,' It's not half spring in bloom when flowers are in good season. Colorful, very not easy to decorate the flower god. ""In the notes of the Qing Dynasty and festival notes, Empress Dowager Cixi also cut the ribbon at the Summer Palace to watch the' Flower God's Birthday' at the Flower Festival. As for who is the flower god, there are different opinions. The Record of Hua Mu says that "Mrs. Wei's disciples are good at planting flowers and are called ancient paintings". "Month Order Generalized Year Order 1" states that "female foreigners are compulsory gods in spring and summer, that is, flower gods". The tenth volume of Yi Jian Zhi Zhi also describes the flower god, three gorgeous women in red skirts. The goddess of flowers is a female image.

In addition, some people think that the origin and development of Flower Festival is closely related to Buddhism. "Xi Chao Le" in Rucheng, Tian Ming, says: "February 15th is the Flower Festival, which is a secular saying ... There was a scene of butterflies flapping in the Song Dynasty. Although it is not mentioned today, nirvana will be held in the temple to talk about the Peacock Sutra, and people who burn incense will worship, which is still a legacy." It can be seen that this festival is related to Buddhist ceremonies, and worshipping Buddha in court is an important activity during the festival (Qian's Buddhism and China Festival). Accordingly, the Flower Dynasty was once again classified as a religious festival.

Li Zong and Liu Qun's "Folk Gods in China" have monographs on flower gods and flower festival customs. Critics believe that one of the contents of early human nature worship is plant worship. After "natural religion evolved into man-made religion", this form of worship gradually died out. However, the concept of animism has not been completely eradicated from people's minds, so there is the belief of the flower god and the emergence of the birthday of the flower god. This statement is concise, but it is still unable to obtain evidence from historical materials, outlining the tortuous footprint from ancient plant worship to the formation of flower festival customs. In this way, the origin of the flower festival still failed to get a convincing answer.

Zhuang nationality flower festival

Zhuang flower festival is also called "Hundred Flowers Fairy Festival". Folk festivals of Zhuang nationality. Popular in Longzhou, Ningming and other places in Guangxi. It is held on the second day of February in the lunar calendar every year. During the festival, young men and women gather in Pingba with kapok trees to sing. There must be some praise for the flower fairy in the song. Young men and women love songs deeply, so they throw hydrangeas and give gifts to each other. Hydrangeas are not taken home. When we break up at sunset, it will be hung on the kapok tree (the folk believe that Baihua Fairy will live in the kapok tree forever), so that Baihua Fairy can bless love forever and keep the soul white.

Flower festival record

"The fifteenth day of Mid-spring is the Flower Festival, and the customs are gradually heard, which is in the spring sequence. When bloom is competing for beauty, it is the most enjoyable time. "

-"Dream of Liang Lu in February" Southern Song Dynasty

"February is the flower festival. February and August are half of the spring and autumn, so February and half are flowers, and August and half are moonshine. This is a secular saying. "

-Records of ethnic customs in China.