The origin of the Spring Festival and five customs

The Spring Festival is the traditional lunar New Year in the Chinese cultural circle, commonly known as the "New Year Festival", traditionally known as the New Year, the New Year, the New Year, but also known verbally as Dusui, celebrating the New Year, the New Year, and the Chinese New Year, and it is the grandest traditional festival of the Chinese nation.

The Spring Festival was started by Yu Shun. On a day more than 2,000 years B.C., Shun became the son of heaven and led his men to worship heaven and earth. Since then, people have taken this day as the first day of the year. This is said to be the origin of the Lunar New Year, later called the Spring Festival.

Folklore

So how did the "year" come about? There are two main folklore: one says that in ancient times, there was a ferocious beast called "Nian", every Lunar New Year's Eve, will be scurrying from village to village, foraging for human flesh, cruelty to living beings. One night on the 30th day of the Lunar New Year, Nian arrived at a village where two shepherd boys were competing with a cow whip. The Year suddenly heard the sound of whips snapping in mid-air and fled in fear. It scurried to another village, and looked head-on to the door of a family sun a big red dress, it does not know what it is, scared and quickly turned around and fled. Later it came to a village, towards a family door to look, only to see the lights inside, stabbing it dizzy, had to slip away again with his tail between his legs. People have thus recognized the weakness of the New Year, which is afraid of noise, redness and light, and have come up with many ways to defend themselves against it, which has gradually evolved into today's New Year's Eve customs.

Another theory is that our country's ancient word book put the "year" word in the Wo Department, to show that the wind and rain, the five grains. As the grains and cereals are usually cooked once a year. The word "year" was then extended to the name of the year.

Wannian created the calendar

Legend has it that in ancient times, a young man named Wannian saw that the seasons were very chaotic at that time, so he had the intention of trying to set the seasons right. But bitterly unable to find a way to calculate the time, one day, he went up the mountain chopping wood tired, sitting under the shade of a tree to rest, the movement of the shadow of the tree inspired him, he designed a sundial measuring the shadow of the sun counting the time of the day, determine the time of the day, and later, the dripping springs on the cliffs of the mountain inspired him, he made a five-tiered funnel pot, to calculate the time. Over time, he realized that every 360 days or so, the seasons rotated and the length of the day was repeated.

The king of the country at that time, named Zu Yi, was also often distressed by the unpredictability of the weather and wind. When Wannian learned of this, he took a sundial and a funnel pot to the emperor, and explained to Zuyi the reasoning behind the operation of the sun and the moon. Zu Yi listened to the dragon's face, felt reasonable. So left Wannian, in front of the Temple of Heaven to build the Sun and Moon Pavilion, built the sundial and funnel kiosk. And he hoped to measure the law of the sun and the moon, to project the accurate time of morning and evening, and to create a calendar for the benefit of the people of the world.

On one occasion, Zu Yi went to learn about the progress of the Ten Thousand Years Test Calendar. When he ascended to the Altar of the Sun and the Moon, he saw a poem engraved on the stone wall beside the Temple of Heaven:

Sunrise and sunset are three hundred and six, and the weeks begin at the beginning.

The grass and trees wither and prosper in four seasons, and there are twelve rounds in a year.

Knowing that Wannian's creation of the calendar had come to fruition, he personally ascended to the Sun and Moon Pavilion to see Wannian. Wannian pointed to the sky and said to Zuyi: "It is now the twelve full months, the old year is over, the new spring begins again, pray for the king to set a festival." Zu Yi said, "Spring is the first day of the year, let's call it Spring Festival". This is said to be the origin of the Spring Festival.

Winter to spring, year after year, Wannian after a long period of observation, careful projection, developed an accurate solar calendar, when he presented the solar calendar to the succeeding king, already full of silver beard. The king of the country was y touched, in order to commemorate the achievements of Wan Nian, the solar calendar named "Wan Nian Calendar", Wan Nian as the sun and moon life star. Later on, people put up a picture of the Longevity Star at New Year's Eve, which was said to be in honor of the highly respected Wannian. [2]

The gods and goddesses gathered together said

In the folklore around Handan, Hebei Province, there are myths circulating about the Spring Festival.

Legend has it that when King Xia ruled the world, the winds and rains were favorable, the country was prosperous and the people were at peace, the people were well fed and clothed, and lived in peace and happiness, and the days were good! But then, I don't know how many years, I don't know which dynasty, the world is in chaos. Sometimes there were droughts, sometimes there were floods, sometimes there were strong winds, sometimes there were heavy rains. Some people became poor, some became rich, some became wealthy, some became slaves.

At that time, there was a rich man in the village who employed a few foragers in his house. One day, after dinner, people were sacrificing to the God of Stove. The small foraging man saw, then quietly kneeling in front of the Zao Wang Wang prayer, said: "Zao Wang Zao Wang show spirit, the sky is cloudy not sunny, black not bright; size to a disease, do not want to take a life." I don't want to, this just called the rich man heard. After the little foraging man left, the rich man also knelt down in front of the stove king and prayed, "stove king stove king show spirit, the sky is cloudy on dark, dark on bright; to be sick to call him sick at leisure, busy not to miss doing business."

At that time, Zao Wang was dozing off. Did not hear clearly; vaguely remember "cloudy, sunny, rain, wind, disease, pain ......" a few words, then firmly in mind.

Talking, a year has passed, the night of the 23rd day of the lunar month, all kinds of gods and goddesses have to go up to the sky, to see the Jade Emperor, of course, Zao Wangwang also went. He was there earlier than anyone else, because he had been thinking about the rich man and the little foraging man's prayer in his heart. When he saw the Jade Emperor, he said, "Your Majesty, the Jade Emperor, the little god has a matter to declare, now the earth's yin and yang are in chaos, the wind and rain are plagued by disasters, and people can't survive, so we should quickly send a big god to govern ......"

The Jade Emperor heard this, and couldn't help but be shocked! : "Is this true?" "True." "Not false?" "Not false." So, the Jade Emperor hastened to send down an imperial decree: to send a big god as a post, to manage the people's food, clothing, housing and transportation. As soon as the imperial decree was issued, all the gods looked at me and I looked at you, and no one refused to accept the decree.

Then. Suddenly heard outside the South Heavenly Gate, a yell: "All the gods back, this errand I do it!" When I looked up, I saw that it was a bald head top, fat, shy a big belly, squinting a pair of eyes, smiling honored God - Maitreya Buddha. This Maitreya Buddha broad-minded, generous, all day outside the South Heavenly Gates to view the scenery, but also feel bored, just want to do something good for people, will automatically take up this important task.

This Maitreya Buddha came to earth, the first thing is to let people have a happy year, eat well, wear good, do not work. So, people will follow his wishes, will be organized on the set of New Year's goods, the real busy. Maitreya Buddha also specified: twenty-four, sweep the house; twenty-five, grinding tofu; twenty-six, steamed buns; twenty-seven, buy things; twenty-eight, kill the pig; twenty-nine, playing yellow wine; thirty, eat flatbread ............. At the same time, to all kinds of gods and goddesses are invited to, incense foil paper ingot, ready to go. To the first day of the year, that is, the first day of the New Year, families should be up five, firecrackers, dressed, congratulate each other, enjoy eating, drinking and playing. At the same time, but also to visit friends and relatives, on the grave ancestral ......

This way, the earth really peace and quiet. The Jade Emperor dialed the clouds, looking down on the earth, a joyful scene, the heart is naturally happy. After a few more days in this way, on the fifth day of the first month, when the sky was just dawning, there suddenly came a noisy noise. It turned out to be Jiang Taigong's wife (people call her the dirty god, specializing in the outhouse, feces), is quarreling with the big belly Maitreya Buddha.

Originally, on New Year's Eve, when people invited the gods, they forgot the dirty god. She was so angry that she approached Maitreya Buddha to make trouble. The Maitreya Buddha was all smiles and just wouldn't answer. The dirty god was so angry that he beat his chest and smoked through his seven orifices. Seeing that the matter was going to be a big one, Maitreya Buddha spoke up and said, "Let's do it this way! Today is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, let the people set off a few more cannons for you, make dumplings once more, and break the bank once more!"

This is the origin of the "5th Day of the Lunar New Year".

The Jade Emperor, who was playing chess there, heard the sound of the cannons and thought that something had happened on earth. So he sent the God of Wealth to the earth to check it out. The God of Wealth is the god in charge of gold and silver treasures in heaven. He came to the earth and saw that there was incense foil and paper ingots everywhere, and he was so happy that he forgot to go back.

The Jade Emperor sent Cang Guan down to the earth, who is the god in charge of warehouses. He saw that every household was full of steamed buns and incense, and he did not want to go back to heaven.

The Jade Emperor sent a few more gods down to earth, and still no reply. Said time has passed half a month, the Jade Emperor's chess is finished. Suddenly he remembered that the several immortals sent down had not returned, so he went to the earth to see for himself. When he saw people wearing new; eating rice and white flour with meat and vegetables, what work is not done, the heart is very angry, they called Maitreya Buddha drank: "I asked you to be in charge of civil affairs, who asked you to let people eat good, wear good, not to live?" Maitreya Buddha said with a smile: "Your Majesty, please calm down, you want me to control people's food, clothing, housing and transportation, but did not ask me to let people work ah!" One sentence, said the Jade Emperor closed his mouth. When the Jade Emperor thought about it, he realized that since he had already done so, he could only do it once a year, and that he would have to work on the ground after the beginning of spring. So, from then on, the old rule was left, and there was a Spring Festival once a year.

After that, the Maitreya Buddha could no longer return to the Southern Heavenly Gate. Until today, there are still statues of him in some temples. People say, this thing can not be blamed on the Maitreya Buddha, he is after all trying to do good things for people. So, people offer him incense as usual.