The origin of traditional festivals?

The origin of the Spring Festival:

The Spring Festival and the concept of the year, the original meaning comes from the agricultural, the ancient people of the growth cycle of the grain is called "year", "Shuowen. Wo Department": "year, the grain is also ripe:. In the Xia and Shang dynasties produced the summer calendar, the cycle of the moon for the month, a year divided into twelve months, each month to not see the moon for the day for the first day of the first month of the first day of the month of the son of the time is called the head of the year, that is, the beginning of the year, also known as the year, the year's name is from the Zhou Dynasty, to the Western Han Dynasty to formally fixed, and has been continued to the present day. But the first day of the first month in ancient times was known as "New Year's Day", until China's modern Xinhai Revolution victory, the Nanjing Provisional Government in order to comply with the agricultural season and facilitate statistics, the provisions of the summer calendar in the civilian population, in the government agencies, factories, mines, schools and organizations in the implementation of the Gregorian calendar to the Gregorian calendar for the first day of the first month of New Year's Day, the first day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, known as the Spring Festival.

September 27, 1949, the founding of the new China, in the first plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, adopted the use of the world's common calendar, the first day of the first month of the Gregorian calendar as New Year's Day, commonly known as the solar year; the first day of the first month of the Lunar Calendar is usually in the spring before and after the start of the first lunar month, and thus the first day of the first month of the Lunar Calendar is designated as "Spring Festival ", commonly known as the year of the lunar calendar.

Traditionally, the Spring Festival refers to the period from the Lunar New Year festival on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, or the Zaos Festival on the twenty-third day of the Lunar New Year, until the fifteenth day of the first month of the Lunar New Year, which culminates in New Year's Eve and the first day of the first month of the lunar year. In the Spring Festival this traditional holiday period, China's Han Chinese and most ethnic minorities have to hold a variety of celebrations, most of these activities to worship God and Buddha, ancestors, in addition to the old and the new, to welcome Jubilee to receive the blessing, praying for a good year as the main content. The activities are colorful, with strong national characteristics.

Chinese New Year food customs:

In the ancient agricultural society, about since the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, housewives will be busy with the New Year's food. Because of the long time needed for curing preserved meat, it must be prepared as early as possible. Many provinces in China have the custom of curing preserved meat, among which the preserved meat in Guangdong Province is the most famous.

Steaming rice cakes, which are known as "nian gao" (yearly high) and have a wide variety of flavors, has become a must-have food for almost every family. There are square-shaped yellow and white rice cakes, symbolizing gold and silver, which are meant to bring wealth in the New Year.

The flavor of rice cakes varies from place to place. Beijingers enjoy red date rice cakes, white rice cakes and white rice cakes made from river rice or yellow rice. People in Hebei like to add jujubes, small red beans and mung beans to their rice cakes and steam them together. Northwestern Shanxi in Inner Mongolia and other places, New Year's Eve used to eat yellow rice flour fried rice cakes, some also wrapped with bean paste, date paste and other fillings, Shandong people with yellow rice, red dates steamed rice cakes. Northern rice cakes are mainly sweet, or steamed or fried, some people simply dip sugar to eat. In the south, rice cakes are both sweet and salty, such as those in Suzhou and Ningbo, which are made of round-grained rice and have a light flavor. In addition to steaming and deep-frying, they can also be sliced and stir-fried or boiled in soup. Sweet rice cakes are made from glutinous rice flour with sugar, lard, roses, osmanthus, mint and veggie paste, and are so well made that they can be steamed or dipped in egg white and deep-fried.

The night before the real New Year is called the Night of Reunion, when people who are away from home have to travel thousands of miles to come back home, and the whole family has to sit together to make dumplings for the New Year. The dumpling method is to make dumpling skin with flour, and then use the skin to wrap the filling, which is a variety of contents, including various kinds of meat, eggs, seafood, seasonal vegetables, etc., and can be put into the filling, and the orthodox way of eating dumplings is to boil it with water, and then fish it up to be accompanied by vinegar, garlic, and soy sauce. The orthodox way of eating dumplings is to boil them in water and then dip them in soy sauce flavored with vinegar, garlic, and sesame oil. Dumplings can also be deep-fried and cooked (potstickers). This is because the word "he" (和) means "to merge" (合), and the words "饺子" (饺子) and "交" (交), which mean "to merge" and "to merge" (合), harmonize with each other. The words "合" and "交" have the meaning of getting together, so dumplings are used to symbolize reunion and happiness; they are also taken as the meaning of a new year's handover, which is very auspicious; in addition, dumplings resemble a Yuanbao (元宝), so eating dumplings on New Year's Day carries the auspicious meaning of "inviting wealth and prosperity" (招财進宝). In addition, eating dumplings on New Year's Day also carries the auspicious meaning of "inviting wealth and prosperity". Families get together to make dumplings and talk about the New Year, and it's a joyous occasion.

The origin of the winter solstice festival:

The winter solstice festival originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties, and has been followed to the present day. Qingjiazhu" even "winter solstice is as big as the year" said. This shows that the ancients attached great importance to the winter solstice. People believe that the winter solstice is the natural transformation of yin and yang, is a blessing from heaven. The Han Dynasty to the winter solstice for the "Winter Festival", the government to hold a congratulatory ceremony called "He winter", routine vacation. After the Han Book has this record: "before and after the winter solstice, the gentleman to settle down and quiet body, all officials are no business, do not listen to the government, choose the auspicious moment and then save." So this day the court up and down to take a holiday, the army on standby, the border closed, business, friends and family with food gifts, visit each other, happy to have a "quiet body" holiday.

Tang, Song period, the winter solstice is the day of sacrifice to the ancestors, the emperor on this day to the outskirts of the ceremony held in heaven, the people on this day to the parents of the elders of worship, and now there are still some places in the winter solstice this day to celebrate the festival.

Winter Solstice Food Customs:

The winter solstice has developed over thousands of years, forming a unique seasonal food culture. Such as wontons, dumplings, dumplings, azuki bean porridge, corn cake, etc. can be used as the New Year's food. There were more popular "winter solstice feast" also has a lot of names, such as eating winter solstice meat, offer winter solstice plate, for winter solstice group, wonton winter worship.

The more common custom of eating wontons on the winter solstice. As early as the Southern Song Dynasty, Lin'an people ate wontons on the winter solstice, began to worship ancestors, and then gradually spread, folk "winter solstice wontons summer solstice noodles," said. Hundun development so far, more become a variety of names, production of different, fresh and delicious, all over the country, loved by the people's famous snacks. Wonton name a lot of places such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang and most of the places called wontons, while Guangdong is said to be wonton, Hubei, said the bag of noodles, Jiangxi, said the soup, Sichuan, said the copious, Xinjiang, said Qu Qu and so on.

Eating dumplings is also a traditional winter solstice custom, especially prevalent in Jiangnan. "Soup dumplings" is the winter solstice necessary food, is a kind of glutinous rice flour made of round dessert, "round" means "reunion", "complete! "Round" means "reunion" and "complete", and eating soup dumplings on the winter solstice is also called "winter solstice dough". Folk have "eaten dumplings a year older" said. Winter Solstice Dumplings can be used to offer sacrifices to ancestors, and can also be used to give gifts to friends and relatives. In the old days, Shanghainese people paid most attention to eating soup dumplings. There is an old poem that says: "Every family pounded rice to make soup dumplings, knowing that it is the winter solstice day of the Ming Dynasty."

There are many places in the north, in the winter solstice this day have eaten dog meat and mutton custom, because the winter solstice after the weather into the coldest period, Chinese medicine that mutton and dog meat have yang tonic body has the effect of the folk so far there is the winter solstice have the custom of tonic.

In our country Taiwan also preserved the winter solstice with nine layers of cake ancestor tradition, with glutinous rice flour pinched chicken, duck, turtle, pig, cow, sheep and other symbols of good luck in the meaning of Fuk Luk Shou animals, and then steamed with a steamer layer steamed to ancestor, to show that we do not forget the old ancestors. The same family name with the clan on the winter solstice or around the agreed upon date, set to the ancestral shrine in accordance with the order of the eldest and youngest, one by one to pay homage to the ancestors, commonly known as "ancestor worship". After the ceremony, a banquet is organized to entertain the ancestors. We all drink freely, and contact each other's feelings after a long period of separation, which is called "eating ancestors." The Winter Solstice Festival has been passed down from generation to generation in Taiwan as a sign of not forgetting one's "roots".

The Dragon Boat Festival:

The Dragon Boat Festival is an ancient traditional festival that began in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods in China and has a history of more than 2,000 years. Dragon Boat Festival origin and legend of many, here only the following four:

1. Originally from the commemoration of Qu Yuan 2. Originally in honor of Wu Zixu 3. Originally in honor of filial piety Cao'e 4. Originally in the ancient Yue national totem sacrifice

Duanwu food dumplings:

Duanwu Festival to eat rice dumplings, which is the Chinese people's yet another traditional custom. Zongzi, also known as "corn", "tube dumplings". It has a long history, a variety of patterns.

According to records, as early as in the Spring and Autumn period, with Zizania leaves (wild rice leaves) wrapped in millet into a horn-shaped, called "corner of millet"; bamboo tube with rice sealed and baked, called "tube zong". The end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, to grass ash water soaked in millet, because the water contains alkali, with Mushroom leaves wrapped in millet into a quadrangular shape, cooked, became the Guangdong alkaline water dumplings.

Jin Dynasty, dumplings were officially designated as Dragon Boat Festival food. At this time, the package of raw materials in addition to glutinous rice, but also add the Chinese medicine Yi Zhi Ren, cooked zongzi called "Yi Zhi Zong". Zhou Zhou, "Yueyang customs and local records" recorded: "Commonly wrapped in millet with Aizome leaves, ...... cooked, and rotten, in the fifth of May to the summer solstice to eat, a zong, a millet." North and South Dynasty period, the emergence of mixed rice dumplings. Rice mixed with animal and poultry meat, chestnuts, jujubes, adzuki beans, etc., more varieties. Zongzi also used as a gift for interaction.

The Tang Dynasty, rice dumplings, has been "white as jade", the shape of the cone, diamond-shaped. Japanese literature recorded in the "Tang dumplings". Song Dynasty, there has been "candied rice dumplings", that is, fruit into the dumplings. Poet Su Dongpo has "in the dumplings see prunes" poem. At this time also appeared with zongzi piled up into buildings, pavilions, wooden cars, cows and horses for the advertisement, indicating that the Song Dynasty to eat zongzi has been very fashionable. Yuan, Ming period, zongzi parcel material has changed from zongmu leaf for Ruo leaf, and later appeared with reed leaf package zongzi, additional material has appeared bean paste, pork, pine nuts, jujube, walnuts and so on, varieties are more colorful.

Till today, the beginning of May every year, the Chinese people have to dip the glutinous rice, wash zongzi leaves, package zongzi, its more colorful varieties. From the filling point of view, the north more packages of small jujube Beijing jujube zong; the south has bean paste, fresh meat, ham, egg yolk and other fillings, which is represented by Zhejiang Jiaxing zongzi. Eat zongzi custom, for thousands of years, in China prevailed, and spread to North Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian countries.

The origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival:

The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history, as with other traditional festivals, is also the slow development of the formation of the ancient emperors had a spring festival of the sun, the fall festival of the moon ritual system as early as in the book of the "Zhou Dynasty", there has been a "Mid-Autumn Festival," the word recorded. Later, the aristocrats and scholars also followed suit, in the mid-autumn festival, to the sky and bright and round round moon, ornamental worship, to send feelings, this custom is so spread to the people, forming a traditional activity, until the Tang Dynasty, the custom of the moon festival more people attach importance to, the Mid-Autumn Festival has become a fixed festival, "the Book of the Tang Dynasty - record of the Emperor Taizong," recorded in the "15th of August, the Mid-Autumn Festival "

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the major festivals in China, and it was celebrated in the Song Dynasty, and has become one of the major festivals in China, along with the New Year's Day.

The legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival is very rich, Chang'e Runs to the Moon, Wu Gang Fells the Cinnamon, the Jade Rabbit Pounds Medicine, and other mythological stories have been widely circulated.

Zhu Yuanzhang and the mooncake uprising

Mid-Autumn Festival eating mooncakes is said to have begun in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the people of the Central Plains were unable to endure the cruel rule of the Yuan Dynasty ruling class and rose up against the Yuan. Zhu Yuanzhang united various resistance forces to prepare for the uprising. However, the imperial court officials and soldiers searched very closely, and it was very difficult to pass the news. Liu Bowen, the military advisor, came up with a plan to order his subordinates to hide the note with the message "Rise on the 15th of August" inside a cake, and then sent people to deliver it to the rebel armies around the world, informing them to rise on the night of the 15th of August to respond to the revolt. On the day of the uprising, all the rebel armies responded together, and the rebel army was like a prairie fire.

Soon, Xu Da captured the Yuan capital and the uprising was successful. The news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was so happy that he hurriedly sent down an order, in the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, so that all the generals and soldiers with the people to have fun, and will be the year when the army to secretly transmit information "moon cake", as a holiday pastry reward for the ministers. Since then, the "moon cake" production more and more fine, more varieties, as large as a disk, become a gift of goodies. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the custom of eating mooncakes was spread among the people.

Origin of the Festival:

The 9th day of the 9th moon, as early as in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period of the "Chu words" has been mentioned. Qu Yuan's "Far Journey" wrote: "Set Chongyang into the emperor's palace Ruoxi, making ten years to start and watch the Qingdu". The word "Chongyang" here refers to the day, not yet to the festival. Cao Pi, the Emperor of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period, in his "Book of the Ninth Day and Zhong Yao", clearly wrote about the Chongyang feast: "The years go by and the months come and go, and suddenly it is the ninth day of the ninth month. Nine is the number of yang, and the sun and the moon should be together, so the common people honored its name and thought it was suitable for a long time, so they used it to enjoy the banquet."

Tao Yuanming, a literati of the Jin Dynasty, said in the preface to the poem "Nine Days of Idleness": "I live in idleness, love the name of the ninth. Autumn chrysanthemums fill the garden, while holding the mash by and by, empty clothing nine Chinese, sends the mind to the words." Here both chrysanthemum and wine are mentioned. Probably in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Chongyang Day has been the practice of drinking wine, chrysanthemum appreciation. By the Tang Dynasty Chongyang was officially designated as a folk festival.

By the Ming Dynasty, on the 9th day of the 9th month, the whole palace had to eat flower cakes together to celebrate, and the emperor himself had to climb to Mount Banzai to enjoy the autumn spirit, a custom that was passed down until the Qing Dynasty.

Eat the sun cake

According to historical records, the sun cake, also known as flower cake, chrysanthemum cake, five-color cake, the system is not fixed, more random. September 9 when the sky is bright, to piece of cake on the forehead of the children, the mouth read the words, wishing the children all things high, is the ancient people in September for the cake's original intention. The delicate Chongyang cake to be made into nine layers, like a pagoda, the top is also made into two small sheep, in line with the meaning of Chongyang (sheep). Some also inserted a small red paper flag on the cake, and light candles. This is probably the "light", "eat cake" instead of "high" meaning, with a small red paper flag instead of cornelian cherry. Today's Chongyang cake, there is still no fixed varieties, all over the Chongyang Festival to eat the fluffy cakes are called Chongyang cake.

Appreciating chrysanthemums and drinking chrysanthemum wine

The Chrysanthemum Festival is the time of the year when chrysanthemums are in full bloom, and it is rumored that the appreciation of chrysanthemums and the drinking of chrysanthemum wine originated with Tao Yuanming, a great poet of the Jin Dynasty. Tao Yuanming was famous for living in seclusion, famous for poetry, famous for wine, and famous for his love of chrysanthemums; later generations followed his example, and the custom of chrysanthemum-appreciation on Chrysanthemum Day came into being. In the old days, the literati combined chrysanthemum-appreciation with banquets and drinks in order to get closer to Tao Yuanming. In Kaifeng, the capital of Northern Song Dynasty, the chrysanthemum-appreciation style was prevalent, and there were many varieties of chrysanthemums with a variety of shapes and sizes. Folk also called the ninth month of the lunar calendar "the month of chrysanthemums", and in the Chrysanthemum Festival where chrysanthemums blossomed in the frost, viewing chrysanthemums became an important part of the festival. After the Qing Dynasty, chrysanthemum appreciation is especially prosperous, and is not limited to the ninth day of the ninth month, but is still the most prosperous before and after the Chrysanthemum Festival.

The origin of the Lantern Festival:

The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival, as early as 2000 years ago in the Western Han Dynasty, the Lantern Festival began to enjoy the lights of the Eastern Han Dynasty Ming Di period, the Ming Di advocated Buddhism, heard of the Buddhist monks on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Buddha's relics, lamps and honor the Buddha's practice, the order of the night in the Imperial Palace and temples lamps and honor the Buddha, so that the common people of the clergy and the people are hanging lamps. Later, this Buddhist ceremonial festival gradually formed a grand folk festival. The festival has gone through a process of development from the palace to the folk, from the Central Plains to the whole country.

During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the 15th day of the first month was designated as the Lantern Festival. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the festival of "Taiyi God" was held on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar. (Taiyi: the god who dominates everything in the universe). When Sima Qian created the "Taichu Calendar", the Lantern Festival was already recognized as a major festival.

Eating Lantern Festival:

New Year's Eve to eat Lantern Festival, "Lantern Festival" as a food, in our country has a long history. Song Dynasty, the folk that is popular to eat a Lantern Festival novelty food. This kind of food, the earliest called "floating yuanzi" later called "Lantern", businessmen also beautifully called "Yuanbao". Lantern that is "dumplings" to sugar, rose, sesame, bean paste, yellow cinnamon, walnuts, nuts, jujube paste, etc. for the filling, wrapped in glutinous rice flour into a round shape, can be meat or vegetarian, with a variety of flavors. It can be boiled in soup, deep-fried or steamed, and has the meaning of reunion. Shaanxi dumplings are not packaged, but in the glutinous rice flour "roll" into, or cook Division or deep-fried, hot fire, reunion.