"The leaky clock is still light at night, and the season is about to fall. Springs perch pine cranes, wind removes moon clouds. ”
On September 23rd, we ushered in the 16th of the 24 solar terms and the 4th of the autumn solstice, the autumn equinox. Since 2018, the "Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival" has been set up on the day of the autumn equinox to celebrate the abundance of grains, show deep concern for the vast number of farmers, and enhance the sense of honor, happiness and gain of hundreds of millions of farmers. To this end, a number of well-known people have also been hired as "Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival Promotion Ambassadors".
In fact, in ancient China, there were also farmers' harvest festivals: the Autumn Society.
Ancient China emphasized "agriculture-oriented". "The four people of the peasants, farmers, industry and commerce, and the stone people of the country." Farmers came in second place, after the readers. When autumn arrives, the whole country enters the harvest season. Whether it is the government or the people, they need to sacrifice to the gods of the land and express their gratitude. Therefore, the ancients took the 5th day after the autumn as a day of worship to the land god.
This is the Autumn Society.
So, how did the ancients celebrate the farmers' harvest festival?
1. Sacrifice to the land god with abundant food
On the day of the Autumn Festival, people will sacrifice the freshly harvested crops as sacrifices to the land gods. One is to express gratitude, and the other is to pray for a smooth wind and rain in the coming year, and a good harvest of grain.
The government holds a solemn ceremony of sacrifice.
In the Song Dynasty Wu Zimei's "Mengliang Record of August", it is recorded: "On the day of the Autumn Society, the imperial court and the prefecture and county sent officials to the altar, and the spring prayer was covered and the autumn was also reported. "This means that from the imperial court to local officials, they will all sacrifice the shrine at the Autumn Shrine." To this end, the Ming Dynasty also set up a shrine in the capital.
The emperors of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, no matter how busy the state affairs were, would personally come to the altar of the Society to hold a sacrifice ceremony on the morning of the Autumn Shrine, praying for smooth wind and rain, abundant grain, and national peace.
As a national level sacrifice ceremony, there are many complicated procedures, including greeting the gods, performing rituals, offering incense, entering the trick, making the first offering, offering the sub-sacrifice, the final offering, laying the jade veil, blessing, drinking blessings, three kneeling and nine worships, sending the gods, looking at the fire, etc., the whole procedure is carried out, which takes most of the day.
Folk is no exception.
The Song Dynasty Meng Yuanlao's "Tokyo Dream Hualu Qiushe" records: "In the August Autumn Society, each of them sent cakes and shejiu to each other. Noble relatives and palaces are made of pigs and mutton, loins, your room, belly lungs, ducks, cakes and melons and ginger, cut into chess pieces, slices, and mixed tastes, spread on the board, called 'social rice', and invite guests to provide. The women of the family all returned to the foreign home, and the late return, that is, the grandfather's wife and uncle were left behind by the new gourd and jujube, and the nephew of Yiliang was commonly known... When they return home, they scatter with flower baskets, fruits, food, and cakes. ”
You see, people worship the gods of the land with cakes and sake and make rice with rich ingredients. A married woman has to go back to her mother's house, and grandpa, uncle, etc. give gourds, dates, etc. to the children. When we came home in the evening, everyone returned home with a hearty load of food.
Second, the imperial court has a day off to let everyone enjoy the game
After the Tang Dynasty, the Autumn Shrine gradually diluted the meaning of sacrifice and became a folk and public activity. People regard the Autumn Festival as a kind of festival, stop busy work, hold many lively activities, and enjoy a variety of food.
The Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Shu wrote in "Miscellaneous Songs and Ballads , Wu ChuGe ( A Song of Yan Beauty)": "The sound of spring birds pecking at the forest before the court, and the red clips and slits have not been completed." The needle and thread stopped on this day and went down to the cherry blossom tree. The Song Dynasty Zhang Bangji's "Records of The Ink Village" records: "Tang and Song Sheri women do not use needle and thread, which is called taboo work." Xie Zhaochun's "Five Miscellaneous Tricks" of the Ming Dynasty recorded: "Men and women quit their jobs for one day on a social day, otherwise people are not deaf." ”
All these show that the ancients regarded the Autumn Society as a leisure day. In order to let everyone enjoy the fun, the imperial court will even take a special holiday for a day.
The Ming Dynasty Gao Lian's "Eight Notes on Zunsheng" records: "The society day orders men and women to quit their jobs for one day. "Men, women and children alike, are on holiday for one day. This is almost equivalent to the current statutory holiday.
During the Song Dynasty, whenever the Autumn Shrine came, the emperor would feast on the ministers. In the "Song Hui Zhi Manuscript", there are many records of the emperor's banquets for the ministers, such as "On August 9 of the fifth year of Emperor Taizong's Chunhua, the society, the zhao close ministers drank and feasted in Zhongshu, and sent internal servants to give them imperial poems" "On August 8 of the second year of Zhenzong Xianping, the society, the banquet was close to the ministers in Zhongshu. Since then, the society has been given on the day of the society" "On august 2nd, the society, the near minister feasted on Wang Dandi, and the handsome minister was given to the main division" and so on. The kings and courtiers are intertwined, and their happiness is harmonious.
However, in the event of a famine, the emperor would also "consciously" cancel the banquet. The "Song Hui Zhi Manuscript" records: "On August 26 (the sixth year of The Heavenly Saint), the floods in Henan and Jiangnan were flooded, and the day of the boycott was given a banquet. The sixth year of Tiansheng was 1028, and in this year, due to the floods in Henan and Jiangnan, Song Renzong felt uneasy in his heart and ordered the banquet to be cancelled.
In the folk, it is another grand scene.
The Song Dynasty poet Lu You wrote a poem "Autumn Society": "Every ming dynasty is a society day, and the neighbor music is rich in years." Rice crabs are exhausted in the rain, and the atmosphere of the sea is empty after autumn. There is no need to be a clay puppet, but to rely on the heavenly justice. The wine was full of silver and green, and they laughed. "After a thousand years, we can still feel the scene of the carnival of the people in the Autumn Society, from the nobles of the imperial palace to the people of Li Min.