What are the traditional Chinese holidays? And the international ones, can you tell me?

Before the Xinhai Revolution, China had always used the lunar calendar (also known as the summer calendar, the lunar calendar, the old calendar). Since the Republic of China, although the solar calendar (also known as the Gregorian calendar), but according to thousands of years of traditional customs, people are still accustomed to seasonal festivals according to the Gregorian calendar, with the changes of the times, some of the festivals faded, disappeared, and some have been passed down to the present day. These festivals are:

The Spring Festival, the first year, fill the warehouse, dragon head, Qingming, Dragon Boat Festival, June 6, Tanabata, Mid-Yuan Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Chongyang Festival, Cold Clothes Festival, Calendar, Winter Solstice.

Chinese New Year

Traditionally, the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar in China for the "Jubilee", commonly known as the "Spring Festival". This is a grand traditional festival for all people. During the Spring Festival, according to custom, there are generally sacrifices to the gods, pray for good luck; mutual worship, visit friends and relatives; visit the first temple temple, entertainment, improve life and other activities. Specific content of the Lapa, sweeping, sacrificial stove, the year before the market, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, sacrifices to the God of Wealth, the opening of the market, "people day", Shunxing and so on.

LaBai

LaBai, that is, the eighth day of the twelfth month of the old calendar, is a traditional Han Chinese festival. Tang - Zhang Shoujie "historical justice," said: "December wax day also ...... hunting birds and animals to the end of the year sacrifices ancestors, due to set up this day." Han Dynasty to the winter solstice after the third e day for the "waxing day", North and South Dynasties began to change to December 8 for the "waxing day", the ancient Spring Festival actually began on this day. The folk song says: "Don't be upset, old lady, after Laha is the year. How many days do I have to drink the congee on the 8th day of the 12th lunar month? Mile after mile, twenty-three ......" Among Buddhists, Laha is known as the "Festival of the Path to Enlightenment". Folk have congee for Buddha, gift friends and neighbors, self-food, as well as to soak "Laha garlic" customary habits.

Anciently, the Spring Festival cleaning called "sweeping the year", originated in the ancient people to drive out disease and a religious ceremony. Later, it gradually evolved into a year-end cleaning. According to Song - Wu Zimu "Dream Liang Record" records: "December end ...... regardless of the size of the family, all sprinkled clean the door, to dust, net household ...... to pray for a new year of peace." The old Beijing nursery rhyme says: "twenty-three, sugar melon sticky; twenty-four, sweeping day ......"

Sweeping after the room, the family will begin to organize the New Year's goods, please incense, wax and paper yards, offerings, write couplets, cut window, buy hanging money, New Year's paintings, firecrackers ......prepare for New Year's Eve

The god of the stove, commonly known as "Zao Wang". According to "quasi-Nanzi" said, the Yellow Emperor, Emperor Yan Di "died as the God of the stove", the duties of the earth good and evil. Since the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, there have been so-called good books passed down in Beijing, in which the "Master Zao" said: "Zao Wang left a volume of scriptures to be read and listened to by good men and women. My god's name is Zhang Ziguo, and I was appointed by the Jade Emperor to be in charge of the kitchen. I came to the earth to check on good and evil, and before I did anything, I cleared it first." Folklore says, "The name of the God of the Cooker is Zhang, and he burns incense in a bowl of cold water." It is believed that Zao Wang Wang is the Jade Emperor sent to the earth to supervise good and evil God, every year on the 24th day of the Lunar New Year to go to the Jade Emperor, to report on the good and evil words and deeds of the households, so when the 23rd night to send him off, with rice or malt made of sugar to stick his mouth, "meant to be stuffed full of mouth, so that the heaven shall not say more" (Chinese National Customs), or stick on a pair of couplets, requesting that the Zao Wang Wang, "the heaven say good things," so that the "lower world to keep the peace". "to keep peace in the lower realms".

Sacrificing the stove is a signal of the arrival of the old calendar, which the old Beijingers called "a small year". Nursery rhymes say: "Sugar gourd sacrificial stove, New Year sacrificial stove, the New Year comes, the girl wants flowers, the boy wants guns ......"

The marketplace before the year

From the first year of the Lunar New Year on the 15th day of the month of the street will be generally entered into the Spring Festival festival state. According to the Kyoto Customs Journal, "The market is full of people selling New Year's goods, such as tableware, brushes and ink. Such as the case of a few pen and ink, people from the book, then sell the Spring Festival couplets, five-color fresh, thousands of string eyes, then sell the painting vice then as well as reed scaffolding scales, booths and racks, then the Buddha flower offerings, cups and pans, mortar and pestle. All the things used to worship the gods, piled up all over the road, everywhere". Embellish the rendering of the festive atmosphere of a variety of trades, colorful. Each painting shed sales of New Year's paintings; pairs of stalls to write and sell pairs of couplets, banners, door heart, holding columns, doufang, spring strips, Buddha; buy hanging money, sell Yuanbao, sell flowers, sell pom poms, silk flowers, sell pine branches, sesame stalks, sell lanterns, sell Kanto sugar, sell miscellaneous mixer, sell firecrackers, ...... a full range of things.

New Year's Eve

Old Lunar New Year's Eve on the 30th day of the month, commonly known as New Year's Eve, the main activities of the people to send the old and welcome the new are concentrated in this day, the Spring Festival reached a climax, the most grand, lively.

In order to embellish the scene, set the atmosphere of "Nafu Yingxin", every family has to paste the Spring Festival couplets, door heart, please note, written on red paper, "days and months of life, spring full of Qiankun Fukumo," "another year of green grass, still ten miles of apricot blossom red," "the treasure of things, the people of the world," "look up to see the happy," "the whole house bright," "groove prosperous," "suitable for a new year, blessed with the eyes, the family happy, safe population, the people. The family is happy, the population is safe", "fortune", "gold" and other festive, auspicious words. Also paste the god of the door, paste the hanging money and so on. )

In the past, 90% of the old Beijing home year-round for the Buddha or statue of God, to the year Jubilee, to be in front of the Buddha statue of God on the offerings, offerings are honey for the set of cakes, noodles, fresh fruit, fruits, fruit, flower cake, rice cake rice, vegetarian dumplings or steamed buns and other steamed food, vegetarian stir-fried vegetables, and so on. Household six gods, such as Zao Wang, God of Wealth, land, etc. should be offered, burn incense. Because Zao Wang Lunyue 23 incineration ascension to heaven, this day to ask a new Zao Wang like stick, in order to year-round worship "to protect the peace".

Year Jubilee is also the custom of ancestor worship to reflect the "hundred good filial piety first" traditional virtues.

New Year's Eve night held a family dinner. Old Beijing small New Year's Jubilee meal to eat and drink, staple food, dishes have a traditional fixed set. The main dish is mainly dumplings. New Year's Eve dinner family should be all, the so-called "reunion dinner". The dishes are as rich as possible, a sign of the coming year, full of food and clothing, the table to say more to wish each other words, full of joyful atmosphere, this meal can be eaten slowly, some have been eating late into the night, followed by "keep the New Year's Eve".

According to traditional custom, after the meal to the night to receive the god, before the New Year's Eve can not go to bed, to "keep the year" to the next day in the early hours of the morning, said that the old people in the resignation of the old year at the time of the time of treasuring the meaning of the time, young people have to wish the old generation is the meaning of life. Anyone whose parents are still alive must observe the New Year's Eve.

The next step is to hold a reception and reunion.

Entering the Zi Shi (after twelve o'clock at night) can receive the god, by the oldest generation of the family presided over, according to the "Constitution" on the day of the new year's day of the god of joy, the god of wealth, the god of fortune, as well as yanggui, yingui the god of the direction, the host of the incense rate of the host to the yard to the direction of the kowtow to each, said to receive the god, to complete the reception of a set of rituals and procedures, the whole family to worship, the first to the old ancestors kowtow to the New Year, and then elders sit on the hall (or on the bed) to receive the god. Hall (or on the kang) to accept the youngest generation of the New Year's Eve, bowing head salute, say some good luck words, the elders are routinely required to give the youngest generation is not yet the age of some of the "New Year's Eve money".

New Year's Day

New Year's Day is the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, when friends, relatives, and colleagues pay their respects to each other as "official guests" (men)." Tangke" (women) have to wait until the sixth day of the first month before they can go out to pay their respects.

The Qing Dynasty, officials pay tribute to each other on New Year's Day, is an unwritten etiquette, but also to meet their superiors, the opportunity to contact colleagues. In order to reduce the travel to and fro, Xingxing line "group worship". Qing - art Lansheng "side cap Yu Tan" said: "the capital at the beginning of the year, routinely worship, in order to link the friendship of the year, in order to which the feelings of the township, sincere good deeds, every year by the book red booking guests, food and drink banquet, for the end of the day happy." After the Republic of China, institutions, organizations, "reunion" more prevalent.

Folk worship each other a wide range of forms, such as walking relatives, the first day must be to the father-in-law, mother's home to pay homage to the New Year, other close relatives are not limited to before and after; colleagues, friends, courtesy visits, people owed to make a thank-you visit to the left and right neighbors usually often interact with a string of fists and said "congratulations on the wealth" and so on.

Sacrificing the God of Wealth

The God of Wealth is a deity that is commonly worshipped by many classes. On the morning of the second day of the first month, all households and businesses in old Beijing would offer sacrifices to the God of Wealth.

Opening of the Market

From the first to the fifth day of the first month, the stores on the street put up window guards and curtains with comic strips such as "Liangshan in the Water," "The Peach Orchard and the Three Junction," and "The Hero of the Kingdom of Heaven and Earth" on them, indicating that they were closed for the New Year's Eve. After the "broken five" (the fifth day of the first month), the Jubilee is basically over, some stores will hold "send God" gift, firecrackers, in a warm atmosphere of good wishes to open the window guards, revealing the pre-pasted "open the market lucky, everything is going well" of the red couplets, began to formally open for business.

People's Day

The seventh day of the first month of the old calendar is called "People's Day", "People's Victory Festival", or "seven yuan". This ancient festival has a history of at least two thousand years.

The Taoists believe that "Heaven and Earth were first born of a chicken, a dog, a pig, a sheep and a horse." Han Dongfang Shuo's "Cham Book" said, "the first day of the first month of the year accounted for the chicken, the second day accounted for the dog, the third day accounted for the pig, the fourth day accounted for the sheep, the fifth day accounted for the cow, the sixth day accounted for the horse, the seventh day accounted for the people, the eighth day accounted for the valley. It is believed that the seventh day of the first month of the year, if the weather is clear, it is said to be auspicious, the main year in and out of the smooth, safe population, if the cloudy signs of disaster. Qing Dynasty, Beijing people on the seventh day of the first month to measure the activities of sunny, "People's Day" this day to eat spring pancakes (a kind of double layer of lotus leaf cake) roll "box dishes" (sauce elbow, tripe and other cooked meat dishes), and cut the cake in the GengYuan, called "smoked day". But this custom is spread more and more small, the late Qing and early Ming Dynasty has been rare.

Shunxing

Shunxing is also known as the star festival. On the night of the eighth day of the first month, people, whether or not they go to the temple to worship the Star God (i.e., Shunxing), when the stars and dippers in the sky come out, each family has to hold a Shunxing sacrificial ceremony. Star festival, to be in the desk, stove, door, pots and other places to put a "gold lamp" (yellow lamp) and lighted, called "scattered lamps flower", there is to avoid the meaning of ominous. After the end of the star festival, the whole family get together to eat a meal of Lantern.

Superior Yuan

"Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar", "Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar" should be the traditional folk "Festival of the Superior Yuan", also known as: "Lantern Festival", "Festival of Lights". As early as two thousand years ago in the Han Dynasty began to the first month of the 15th should be "Lantern Festival". The Historical Records of China (史记), the book of music, says: "The Han family used to sacrifice to Taiyi Ganquan on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, at dusk and at night, and to the end of the day." In the Tang Dynasty, the reverence for the old. Zhuang, Taoism as the state religion, in order to congratulate the Taoist "on the Yuan blessing of heavenly officials Ziwei Emperor" in the first month of the fifteenth anniversary of the festival activities, the Lantern Festival and added a Taoist color, become a Buddhist, Taoist and religious characteristics of the festival, the activities of the lanterns, fireworks, eating Lantern Festival in the form of a fixed.

Opening lanterns and watching lanterns is a major part of the Lantern Festival activities. The 13th day of the first month for the "on the lamp"; 14th for the "test lamp"; 15th for the "lamp"; 17th "off the lamp". Ming Dynasty, there is the so-called "lamp market", then the East City lamp market is the lamp and the city of one, the Qing Dynasty will be separated from the lamp and the city, but still used to call the lamp market, in fact, is the lamp fair, is the nature of the entertainment. At that time, the Lantern Festival night market is very concerned about the lights, the stores compete to hang out the size, height, square and round form of lanterns, gauze, silk, glass, goat's horn of all kinds of differences, there are painted characters such as the "State", "Three Kingdoms", "Water Margin", "Journey to the West", "Fengshen", "Liaozhai" and so on; there are painted flowers, orchids, chrysanthemums, plums, laurel, daylilies, bamboo, peonies, peonies; there are painted beasts and animals, tibia luanfeng, dragon and tiger, and horses, cows, cats, dogs and other people, and the city is the same, but still used to call it a lantern fair. As well as horses, cows, cats, dogs, insects, crabs, fish and shrimp, colorful and different, realistic form, a wide range of varieties. From the thirteenth day of the first month "on the lamp" began, the market began to sell a variety of different forms of lanterns. "Yanjing times record": "horse lanterns, cut paper for the wheel, with a candle hush; then the car galloped horse suddenly, the group never stop, the lights are out, then stopping." From this day onwards, children in groups carrying lanterns around, no joy.

On the night of the first yuan, all the houses were empty, they went to the street to watch the lanterns, "elbow and foot next to each other do not realize that the dust of cloth stained the nobleman's sable." (Du Men Zh Zh Zhi Zhi) describes the flourishing of lantern watching at that time.

Fireworks were also a major part of the night's activities. In Qing Dynasty, Xie Wenjiao's "New Year's Words for the Capital Gate" said, "All night long the firecrackers sound, the fireworks are from the imperial capital, the treasure torch and silver flowers are noisy half of the night, and the six streets are full of songs and pipes."

The Lantern Market on the New Year's Day has always been a riddle-guessing activity, commonly known as playing the lantern tiger. This activity is very attractive, guessing riddles can make people increase knowledge, exercise quick thinking, and active atmosphere of the festival. Qing Dynasty Zhao Jun Lie's "Yanjing Lantern Market Bamboo Branch Lyrics" said: "Lantern riddles are more skillful than heavenly craftsmen, sparing no expense on wondrous treasures and wine red. Most of the talented people compete for the color, boast the length of the competition to walk the hutong." It shows the fascinating and enthusiastic atmosphere of the lantern market at that time.

The food for the Shanghai New Year Festival is Yuanxiao, which is eaten by every family on this day. The Yanjing Times Records: "market food, dry and fresh all ready, and to the Lantern Festival for the bulk. Also so embellish the festival scene ear." To this day, Beijingers still retain the custom of eating Yuanxiao on the 15th day of the first month.

Filling the Barn

Old Beijing is said to be the "Small Barn Filling" on the 23rd day of the first month, and the "Big Barn Filling" on the 25th day of the first month. During the Qing Dynasty, many grain merchants and rice traders in Beijing had to worship the god of the warehouse at this time, and the public had to buy some rice, flour and coal to enrich their own life reserves. Qing Dynasty - "the emperor of the capital of the age of chronological victory" plant: "when this new festival over, the warehouse for the virtual, should be reset and real, so the name of the day is called fill warehouse."

In fact, the real "fill the warehouse" activity is in the countryside. Suburban farmers circulated a proverb that "fill warehouse, fill warehouse, millet dry rice and noodle soup", usually farmers life is very hard, fill warehouse festival to eat a millet dry rice and noodle soup is not bad. First month 25 dawn, rural households in the yard or threshing floor with the sifted cooking ash sprinkled with a circle of varying sizes, symbolizing the meaning of grain hoard.

Dragon-raising

The dragon raises its head on the second day of the second month in the old calendar. Celebrity Liu Dong's "Emperor Beijing Scenery Brief" said: "February 2, said the dragon head, fried New Year's Day festival Yu cake, smoked bed bed, said, smoked bugs; said to lead the dragon, the bugs do not come out also." As the saying goes, "the dragon does not raise his head, the sky does not rain", the dragon is the auspicious thing, and the master of the rain." Spring rain is as expensive as oil", people pray for the dragon to raise the head of the clouds for rain, moisturize everything. At the same time, February 2 is just before and after the hibernation, a hundred bugs, disease prone to birth, people pray that the dragon head out to suppress the insects.

The old Beijingers had the saying "February 2nd, shine the beams, scorpions, centipedes have no place to hide". People out of the dragon head out of the clouds and rain and the power of the town of insects pray, February 2 this day will try to use the dragon to call the food and all kinds of activities. Such as eating cakes called eat "dragon skin", eat small dumplings called eat "dragon ear", eat noodles called eat "dragon beard", eat rice called eat "dragon child". Children shave their heads on this day called "shaving the dragon head", women do not do needlework on this day, said to avoid injuring the "dragon's eye".

Chingming

Chingming is an important festival in the old calendar. The custom of sweeping graves and paying homage to ancestors has a long history. Before the Qin Dynasty, there was already the custom of sweeping graves, but not necessarily on the occasion of Qingming, Qingming sweeping graves from the Tang Dynasty began to flourish. Qing Tongli" cloud: "year, cold food and frost festival, worship sweeping Xieng Khouang tombs, the period of plain clothes at the tomb, with wine and food and scythe cut grass and trees of the device, Zhou calloused seal tree, cut off the thorn grass, so called sweeping the tomb." Ming "Imperial Beijing Scenery": "March Qingming Day, men and women sweeping tombs, tandem with the honor pillar, sedan chair and horse hanging kozo ingots, charm full of road also." The custom of sweeping tombs at Qingming has been passed down to the present day. In the old days, Beijingers' Qingming Tomb Sweeping and Sweeping Ceremony was not held on the day of Qingming, but on a "single" day close to the day of Qingming. The way of sweeping was also different depending on the family's economic conditions. Go to the outskirts of the tomb, some sacrifices after sitting around the place to get together and lead wine, some flying kites, some with willow woven into a circle shape to wear on the head, said "Ching Ming do not wear a willow, the next life into a yellow dog," both the tomb and spring tour, both to send to the forefathers of the grief, but also to do their own spring tour of Xing.

Duanwu

The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the old calendar, which is commonly known as the May Festival in old Beijing. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Duan Yang Festival, "end", "first" synonymous, "five", "Wu" is connected, according to the Earth's branch of the Shun projection, May for the "Wu" month, so the first five days of the "Dragon Boat Festival", but also because of the noon for the "Yang Chen", also known as "Duan Yang".

Duanyang Festival began in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period, originated in Jiangnan, from a variety of sayings, the most widely circulated folk, the most influential statement is to commemorate the great patriotic poet Chu Daifu Qu Yuan. The Song Dynasty in recognition of Qu Yuan's "loyalty", posthumously awarded him "Zhonglie Gong", the official May 5th Dragon Boat Festival to commemorate the significance of Qu Yuan. The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression also set May 5 as the "Poet's Day".

Duanwu Festival, in the South, the Dragon Boat Race "in Beijing in the Ming and Qing dynasties is to pay attention to" Xiyou disaster avoidance "

The Dragon Boat Festival, in the South, the Dragon Boat Race "in Beijing in the Ming and Qing dynasties is to pay attention to" Xiyou disaster avoidance "in Beijing. On the morning of the fifth, the group into the Temple of Heaven "to avoid poison", the Temple of Heaven is a sacred place of prayer, the victory, both rely on the divine power of the sky to avoid poison, but also play; over the noon, some to the fish pond or sorghum bridge, full wells, grass bridges, Jishuitan, etc., "drinking and contributing to Xiyu".

Duanwu festival food is dumplings, usually small date dumplings, dipped in sugar to eat. The seasonal fresh products are cherries and mulberries. The pastry store sells a kind of peach-crisp round pastry with a pattern of snakes, centipedes, scorpions, spiders and toads carved out of the mold, called "five poison cake. People use these seasonal and festive pastries to make offerings or give gifts to each other.

Beijing people say that "the first month of the year is good, and the month of May is bad". Because the climate in May is warm and prone to viruses and epidemics, the Tianshi talisman and the Zhong Kui statue are used to calm the house and drive away "evil spirits". Qing Chai Sang, "Yanjing" cloud: "(Dragon Boat Festival) a few days before the restaurant with yellow paper covered with Zhu Yin, or painted Tianshi, Zhong Kui statue, or the shape of the five poisons, people buy and stick the door to drive away the evil spirits." From the beginning of May together, each family will also be calamus, mugwort inserted on both sides of the door, a said "bushy sword", a said "Ai Hu", but also to ward off evil spirits and drive away the plague. To ward off evil spirits, the capital of the Dragon Boat Festival, people also have to buy bushy shoes to wear for the festival.

Duanwu Festival also "throw disaster" said. Before the festival, skilled women to colorful damask made of small tiger, gourd, cherry, mulberry, melon beans, onions, garlic shape, with colorful threads strung up on the first day of May tied to the hairpin in the children's hairpin or back, chest; little girls also used cardboard strips folded into diamond-shaped "zongzi", wrapped around the colorful threads, worn on the body, commonly known as "gourd", "renewal of the wisp". To the fifth of May after noon to take off, together with the stickers on the lintel of the paper gourd unveiled, together with the still outside the door, called "throwing disaster".

During the festival, people also drink yellow wine, in the child's head with yellow paint a "king" word, some also use yellow paint children's ears and nostrils, said the summer can avoid centipedes and other venomous insects drilled into the ears and nostrils.

June 6

Old calendar June 6 this is not for the festival, because when the summer heat things doctor mold damage, therefore, the old Beijing to the royal family, down to the people have drying, bathing activities of the habit.

June 6 this day such as the weather is clear, the Imperial Palace drying the carriage, ceremonial, canonical books, temples held "drying the scriptures will", the people drying clothes, bathing, shampooing. Folk legend has it that this day drying clothes clothes do not moth, drying books books do not worm, livestock bathing lice, cats and dogs and other domestic animals have to be driven to the river to take a bath. Before the Qing dynasty Guangxu ten years (1884), Luanyiwei taming of the elephant, all the years in this day set up ceremonial battles, with drums and music in the lead, the elephant herd rushed to Xuanwumen outside of the West Order waterfront to take a bath, the viewers such as a tidal wave, quite a spectacle.

Suburban farmers before and after June 6, most of the attention to observe crop growth, said "June 6, to see the valley show". Some also call this day "King of Bugs Festival", in the field, courtyard burners to sacrifice, praying to prevent insect infestation, to ensure a good harvest.

Seventh night

The night of the seventh day of the seventh month of the old calendar, commonly known as "Tanabata". Legend has it that the star of the heavenly cowherd and the weaving maiden once a year over the Milky Way will meet at the moment. In the old days, the folk have "begging for coincidence" custom, called "begging for coincidence festival". Weaving maiden dexterity, once in the mortal world to the weaving, embroidery skills taught to women, women in the evening of July 7 mortals meet in the courtyard or garden incense worship Milky Way, worship double star, silent prayers for their own wishes, I hope they are lucky, but also dexterity up, the young girl hopes to grow more beautiful or marry a husband; young women hope to give birth to a noble son or to get a husband, the in-laws of the favor.

In the early years, the Liyuan (theater) would perform "The Meeting of the Magpie Bridge" or Kunqu's "Palace of Eternal Youth" and "The Match of Heavenly River" on the eve of the seventh day of the seventh month of the Lunar New Year.

Middle Yuan Festival

The Middle Yuan Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 7th month of the old calendar, and is one of the oldest traditional festivals, along with the Upper Yuan Festival, which is celebrated on the 15th day of the 1st month, and the Lower Yuan Festival, which is celebrated on the 15th day of the 10th month.

The Mid-Yuan Festival is a Taoist festival. According to Taoism, "Sanyuan" is an alias for "Three Officials". The first yuan festival is also known as "on the Yuan Tianjuan Festival", is the first blessing of the heavenly official Ziwei Emperor's birthday; the middle yuan festival is also known as "in the Yuan Di Guan Festival", is the middle of the Yuan to forgive the sins of the earth official Qingxu Earth's birthdays; the next yuan festival is also known as "the next yuan Shui Guan Festival", is the next member of the relief of water official Dongyin Earth's birthdays. Taoism "on the three official scripture" cloud: "heavenly official blessing, earthly official forgiveness of sins, water official relief", "all living beings are heaven, earth, water official domination". In the Mid-Yuan Festival, Taoist temples such as Di'anmen Fire Temple, Xibianmenwai Baiyunguan in order to pray for "good weather, the country's prosperity and people's peace" routinely held "pray for luck and good luck dojo".

Buddhists on this day to hold a grand bon, also known as bon fast, bon offerings. Bon has been prevalent in the Tang Dynasty, and during the late Qing Dynasty, there were more than 840 temples in Beijing, and those that were in a position to do so, such as the Guangji Temple, Fayuan Temple, Fenghua Temple, Guanghua Temple, Jiaxing Temple, Changchun Temple and so on, all held Bon and Zhongyuan Fairs of different scales. Since the Republic of China, Beihai Park, Zhongshan Park Concert Hall and other places have held "memorial service for fallen soldiers" at this time of the year. With Fan (Lama), Dao (Taoist), Zen (monk) three tablets of scripture, for a "naval, air and land forces of the fallen generals" tablets, for public worship.

During the Mid-Yuan Festival, old Beijing also held activities such as making boats, releasing lotus lamps and lanterns, offering sacrifices to ancestors, and singing "opera for the occasion".

Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the old calendar, which is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Festival of Reunion, and commonly called the August Festival. The 15th day of the 8th month of the old calendar is in the middle of the three autumns, so the name "Mid-Autumn Festival". The Zhou Li said: "in the spring day, drums beat the drums blow Bin Ya to welcome the summer; Mid-Autumn night to welcome the cold is also like a cloud." It is said that the Mid-Autumn Festival had already taken shape in the two Han Dynasty, and in the Tang Dynasty, activities such as watching the moon on a platform, enjoying the moon in a boat, and drinking wine to the moon were already underway. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, the 15th day of the 8th month was officially designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the festival, there are moon worship, moon worship, moon viewing, eating moon cakes custom, since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the capital, this wind has been inherited.

Mid-Autumn Festival is a time when many kinds of fruits are ripe for sale, and some old Beijingers simply called it "Fruit Festival". The Mid-Autumn Festival has the traditional habit of eating mooncakes in every household. Before the festival, the major pastry stores in the capital are in season to sell mid-autumn mooncakes, to "since the red" and "since the white" as the main, a wide variety of varieties. The custom of eating mooncakes on the Mid-Autumn Festival as a festive gift for friends and relatives has been passed down to the present day.

Changyang Festival

The ninth day of the ninth month of the old calendar, commonly known as the "nine". The ancients believed that nine is the number of Yang, so this day is also known as the Chongyang Festival. As far back as the Three Kingdoms period, the name of Chongyang has appeared, since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Chongyang Festival has become a festival that the Chinese people attach great importance to.

Anciently, the Chongyang Festival was rich in activities, such as ascending the heights, enjoying chrysanthemums, drinking chrysanthemum wine and inserting cornelian cherry blossoms. The Ming Dynasty Imperial Palace since the beginning of September together to eat flower cakes, September 9, Chongyang, the emperor himself to Mount Wanshoushan climbing. Folk people also follow suit, every Chung Yeung, people will bring wine, tea to Xiangshan or Lingxian Palace, the Temple of the State of the High Pavilion on the feast sitting music.

Qing Dynasty, residents of the northern city to the true sense of the temple five towers on the throne of the King Kong throne platform. South City residents to Zuoanmen Fazang Temple Maitreya Tower to go to the heights. In addition, more tourists are Fuchengmen Diaoyutai. Because after the Chongyang Festival, the weather is getting cold, trees and plants withered in the near future, so people call this move "resignation".

Denggao, "resignation of the Qing", as a rule, have a picnic, mainly to the pine branches, pine tower fire, sitting around eating barbecued meat, drink white wine, chrysanthemum wine to help. Literati have improvised poetry and lyrics.

After the Republic of China, this custom gradually faded, to the 30s and 40s, leaving only the legends of the old people, folk and no actual activities. Around the Chongyang Festival, only the custom of eating roasted mutton, shabu-shabu and flower cakes remained.

Cold Clothes Festival

On the first day of the tenth month of the old calendar is the Cold Clothes Festival, also known as the Festival of the Underworld, which is one of the three major ghost festivals of the year. It is one of the three major ghost festivals of the year. Old Beijingers routinely send "cold clothes" to their deceased ancestors.

Late in the Qing Dynasty and early in the Ming Dynasty, most Beijingers followed the old custom of buying cold clothes paper at the South Paper Point before the first day of October. It is a kind of colorful wax flower paper, pink printed with white patterns, white printed with green lotus color patterns, yellow printed with red patterns, there are also plain, in short, just symbolic things. Generally cut into long strips in the shape of cloth, but also cut into the shape of clothes and pants, but also do not cut, directly in the package wrapped in paper money, plutonium money burning fire.

Calendar

In the old days, the first day of October, Chintian Supervisor issued a calendar. According to the Yenching Youshi ji (Records of the Years of Yanjing), "After the calendar was issued in October, large and small bookstores sold gendarmes, and there were boxes of gendarmes for sale in the streets and alleys."

The Imperial Calendar, also known as the "Tongshu", was sold on the market in the late Qing and early Ming dynasties. In the late Qing and early Ming Dynasty, the market selling the so-called "large new calendar", printed above the "Qing Guangxu full sequence of the book", "Republic of China full sequence of the book".

Tongshu calendar outside the part called "preface", some preface more than the text.

Even the "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Sons", "Zhu Zi family maxims" are attached. After the Republic of China, there are contemporary portraits of great men, civilized marriage ceremony charts and so on.

The calendar part of the header has a train table (only the order of station names) and a table of the date of the Christmas of the gods and Buddhas. The calendar is based on the lunar calendar.

When people buy this tongshu, they first write on the cover with a vermilion pen, "There is no taboo under the lamp, and the night view is very auspicious."

The book was distributed until 1949.

Winter Solstice

The winter solstice (December 21 or 22 on the solar calendar) is the beginning of the ninth month of the year, and the ancients believed that the winter solstice was an auspicious day because the days were longer than one another and the yang energy was rising. Therefore it is worth celebrating. Ming and Qing emperors had a ceremony to the sky, called the "winter solstice suburb of heaven". Palace has a hundred view to the emperor to present the ceremony of congratulatory table, but also to cast each other to congratulate, the old like New Year's Day. But the folk do not take the winter solstice for the festival, but some of the activities of the season.

Winter solstice day, the capital of a large road view of the Grand Puja. Taoist priests recite sutras and present a table to celebrate the birth of the First Heavenly Father. According to Taoism, Yuan Shi Tian Zun symbolizes that chaos has not yet been divided, and the Taoist qi has not yet appeared in the first great century. Ancient folk have the custom of eating wontons. In fact, "wonton" and "chaos" harmonized. Ancient folk will eat wontons extended to, break the chaos, open up the world.

The winter solstice folk have the custom of posting and drawing "nine nine cold map". It is a record of the weather after nine days, in order to divine the abundance of the coming year.

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January 1

New Year's Day -

February 12 Lincoln's Birthday -

February 14 St. Valentine's Day - "Valentine's Day! " -

February 18 Washington's Birthday -March 17 Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day -

April 1 Fool's Day -

April ... Easter (generally the first Sunday after the full moon on the vernal equinox) -

May ... Day Arbor Day (the second Friday in May) -

May ... Day Mother's Day Mother's Day (the second Sunday in May) -

May 26 Memorial Day Memorial Day -

June 14 Memorial Day for the establishment of the U.S. flag -

June ...Day Father's Day Father's Day (third Sunday in June) -

July 4 Independence Day -

September 1 Labor Day labor Day -

October 12 Columbus Day -

October ... Veterans Day (fourth Monday in October) -

October 31 Halloween Halloween -

November 11 World War I Armistice Day -

November 27 Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving Day -Thanksgiving Day is celebrated annually on the last Thursday of November.

December 25 Christmas Day