How the ancients played with ice and snow

In the "Ice Drama Diagram" drawn by the Qing Dynasty court painter Jin Tingbiao, several children slipped on the ice, and several other children stood on the steps and watched and hesitated. (Source: The official website of the Palace Museum)

The winter solstice is as big as the year, and the festival condenses the wishes for a better life

Heavy snow has passed and the winter solstice is approaching. The winter solstice is one of the twenty-four solar terms, but it is different from the usual solar terms. Winter solstice in traditional culture has a more abundant connotation, the ancient saying has "winter solstice is as big as the year", the winter solstice day day is the shortest night is the longest, after this day the day gradually lengthens the night night is shorter, in the eyes of the ancients "cathode to the end" is "yang qi born", from this yang birth, spring breeze slowly coming, this is to some extent called the real "Vientiane update", so the ancients regarded the winter solstice as a very important time node of the year.

The winter solstice has both natural and humanistic connotations.

Let's start with nature. The ancients summarized three phenology for each solar term, and there were seventy-two weather conditions in the twenty-four solar terms, which may not be scientifically accurate from today's point of view, but reflect the ancient people's concept of nature. The three seasons of the winter solstice are "one waiting for earthworm knots; two waiting for elk horns to dissolve; three waiting for water springs to move", which means that earthworms in the soil are still curled up, the corners of the elk are gradually receding, and the spring water in the mountains has slowly begun to flow. See, mountains, lakes, seas, birds, animals, fish and insects are so sensitive to climate that they use their own changes to express the pulsations of natural rhythms.

The winter solstice is like a command, making people pay special attention to the cold and warm weather, and the form of embodiment is the number nine. Counting nine is a method of calculating the date from the ice and snow to the spring warm flowers, some say that from the day of the winter solstice, some say that from the first day encountered after the winter solstice, "1929 does not shoot, 3949 ice walks, 5969 looks up at the willow ..." Until "99 yang lands, nineteen apricot blossoms bloom", winter will really pass, and spring will really come.

And then there's the humanities. The ancients regarded the winter solstice as a "auspicious day", and many important events were held on the day of the winter solstice. It is said that since the Zhou Dynasty, there has been a custom of holding sacrifices on the winter solstice, praying for immunity to disaster relief and national peace. In the Han Dynasty, the winter solstice was already a very important festival, the Book of the Later Han Dynasty: "Before and after the winter solstice, gentlemen settle down and meditate, hundreds of officials are desperate, do not listen to the government", it seems that before and after the winter solstice of the Han Dynasty is a holiday, officials can rest, at the same time, the army is on standby, the border is closed, the business is closed, relatives and friends visit each other with food, and the whole country happily spends a festival of "settling down and quiet", which also reflects the concept of "winter Tibet" with jing as the mainstay and conforming to the seasons, which shows the ancient people's understanding of the relationship between man and nature in harmony and symbiosis.

In the Tang and Song dynasties, the winter solstice was equally important as the head of the year. In the poems left by the Tang Dynasty, we can see that the winter solstice has the custom of wishing each other a happy birthday, for example, Du Mu has a simple poem "Winter Solstice Day Sending Little Nephew Ah Yi": "Last year on the winter solstice day, worship me and stand next to me." Wish er is expensive, still long life. Elder Meng of the Song Dynasty once said in his book "Tokyo Dream Hualu", which recalls the customs of the capital city of the Northern Song Dynasty, that the people of Bieliang attach the greatest importance to the festival of the winter solstice, "Although the poorest people accumulate false loans during the year, it is easier to wear new clothes, prepare food, and enjoy the ancestors." Officials let go of the gate and celebrate the exchanges, just like the New Year's Festival. In just a few words, you can feel the hustle and bustle coming from your face. The Song people spent the winter solstice, and there is a custom of "fat winter and thin year", what should be the explanation for this? Jin Yingzhi of the Song Dynasty said in the "Drunken Man's Talk": "There is a saying that there is a fat winter and a thin year, and it is said that the winter solstice people give more gifts, except for the night", this is because the winter solstice has already spent a lot of money, and the financial resources are not enough in the New Year, it seems that the festival should still be frugal.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the winter solstice festival customs that had been formed in the past continued to be practiced officially and privately. The Palace Museum has a collection of "Yongzheng Emperor Sacrifice Xiannong Altar Picture Scroll", depicting the grand and solemn scene of the Yongzheng Emperor's sacrifice of xiannong altar. The Xiannong Altar inside the Yongding Gate, facing the Temple of Heaven across the central axis, was built in the eighteenth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1420), and was an important place for the Ming and Qing dynasties to worship the agricultural gods and pray for a good harvest, and the day of the altar was generally on the day of the winter solstice. Thinking of the ancients thousands of years ago, the sacrifice was also held on the day of the winter solstice, and the resilience of Chinese culture is touching.

"Hundreds of miles of different winds, thousands of miles of different customs." China is a vast region, and the customs presented also have their own characteristics. In northern families, hot dumplings are always brought to the table in the chanting of "winter solstice improper dumpling bowls, frozen ears and no one cares". In the south, where rice is the mainstay, the winter solstice cuisine is related to rice. Sociologist Lin Yaohua wrote a sociological masterpiece in the style of a novel in the mid-twentieth century, "The Golden Wing: A History of a Chinese Family", which mentions that on the day of the winter solstice, Fujian people will eat a soup dumpling made of glutinous rice, and the whole family will make this soup dumpling, "They happily press the small dough, and then put it in the palm of their hands to make a ball." I heard that the more round it is kneaded, the happier and more complete the home. ”

Chinese festivals are like this, an inventory can take stock of people hungry, full of fireworks, human touch, but also cherish the past and hope for the future.

In the poetry of the ancients, see the snow, listen to the snow, and think about the snow

The winter solstice is the midwinter solstice, and it is also the season when wind and snow meet.

In the world of ice and snow, the eyes are new and exciting, the breath is cool and smooth, and only by throwing yourself into the arms of the snow can you live up to the greatest gift given by winter.

Looking at the snow, you get its color, and you get its feelings. While admiring the snow, the ancients chanted countless famous passages. Li Zhiyi of the Song Dynasty said in "Bingshan Creek Quarry Value Snow": "On the moth eyebrow pavilion, today's winter solstice." It has been reported that a yangsheng has been reported, and the snow is better and the time is rui. Evenly flying dense dance, all are scattered ceilings, the mountains are not seen, the water is like a mountain, muddy in the curling. He wrote the flying snow in the sky as if it were in front of his eyes, and his essence seemed to be baptized by ice and snow, a good piece of crystal heaven and earth. In the border plug, the Tang Dynasty Zu Yong looked at the Jimen Gate and made such a sonorous voice: "The cold light of the thousands of miles gives birth to snow, and the dawn of the three sides is dangerous", and the boundless cold snow emits a cold and clear light, arousing the poet's desire to serve the country. When Du Fu was wandering in Kuizhou, facing the vast white snow covering the mountains and rivers, he could not help but write: "After the snow of the cane, the Dan Valley, the Mingyu Dynasty scatters the purple Chen", and the red rocks occasionally exposed in the mountains are like red plums in the snow, which arouses his homesickness.

Listen to the snow, get its voice, and get its charm. If you listen to it in the middle of the house, the sound of snow falling is always gentle. "I was surprised that the pillow was cold, and I saw the window again. At night, I know that the snow is heavy, and I hear the sound of bamboo folding. This is Bai Juyi's "Night Snow", the poet knows from the cold window that the snow has come, but what is the snow, he gets the answer from the bamboo folding sound he hears from time to time. Bai Juyi wrote this poem when he was degraded to Jiangzhou, for him, the current situation is quite difficult, and the lonely emotions are difficult to discharge, but it is always accompanied by snow, which is also a kind of pity for the sleepless night. Tang Dynasty Liu Changqing stayed at Furong Mountain at night and finally had to rest, and suddenly heard a noise, "Chai Men smell dogs barking, wind and snow night return to people", not only the sound of dogs barking, but also the sound of wind and snow, the sound of chai door opening and closing, these faint sounds are mixed together, that is, the warmth that is most needed on snowy nights.

If you want snow, you can get its realm, and you can get its soul. Snow has a tranquil power that can purify people's body and mind, and forget both things and things. Wang Ling of the Song Dynasty looked forward to it when the heat was unbearable, "The height of Kunlun has snow, and the distance of Penglai is often cold", but he cannot take the people of the world to enjoy the coolness, so why should he bear to go alone? Su Shi has always had a rich imagination, "as far as the Song of Qing is passed on, the wind rises, and the snow flies and the sea becomes cool", a Song of Qing can achieve the effect of a heavy snow, which is really an exaggerated thing. The Qing dynasty Nalan Rongruo, as the prince of Xiangguo, was not happy, he chanted the snow path, "Don't have roots and buds, not the rich flowers in the world", and the snowflakes have their own incomparable noble posture of "rich flowers in the world". For farmers, heavy snow is an excellent quilt for wheat seedlings, "The wildlings predict that the farming is good, and the snow has not completely disappeared in three winters." "Snow not only makes the heavens and the earth one color and everything pure white, but also arouses people's yearning for a good harvest in the coming year."

Skiing, skating, ice driving, the ancients also loved ice and snow sports

Although winter is the season of hidden vitality, in the ice and snow, people always can't help but go out indoors and embrace ice and snow, ice and snow sports are born, and some ice and snow sports projects were born in ancient China.

Geographically, the northern regions with more snowfall in winter are suitable for ice and snow sports, while the warmer southern regions are not developed. The Altay region in northern Xinjiang, with its long winters and heavy snowfall, is one of the first places where humans have carried out ice and snow sports. According to reports, archaeologists found a petroglyph in the Altay region, dating back to 10,000 years ago, "there is a row of 7 people on the rock painting, 4 of whom follow animals such as cows and horses, 3 people bend down and pout their hips, holding wooden sticks, experts and scholars call this a single pole, and the long strip of objects under the feet is very similar to skis, this petroglyph is the scene of the Altay people's single-pole ski hunting", Altay is also considered to be the origin of human skiing.

In the Sui Dynasty, in the snow-capped Daxing'an Mountains, a people called Beimuwei "rode wood" in the snow, riding wooden skis to drive quickly in the ice and snow, and the reason why they "rode wood" was because "the ground was full of snow and afraid of sinking into pits". Some literature also mentions the "wooden horse", which is also a ski, which does not look like a horse, according to the "Yuan Yi Tongzhi", it is "shaped like a slingshot, four feet long, five inches wide, one left and one right, tied to two legs, and the ice in the snow of the excitement can reach the galloping horse", which seems to be as fast as a galloping horse and gets its name.

Skating has appeared in the court of the Song Dynasty, called "ice play", also known as "ice play", since it is "play", it should have a strong ornamental, entertaining, no wonder the "History of Song" mentioned that the emperor "lucky back garden to watch flowers, as ice play". Ice play is a general term for various ice viewing and sports projects, the Ming Dynasty people mentioned a kind of ice play project: "winter solstice freezing, can be pulled tow bed, with wood as a flat, on the bed or recommended, one person in front of the rope, can pull two or three people, the ice like flying", this ice bed can also be connected to each other, like a dragon flying on the ice.

In the first month of the fifth year of the Ming Dynasty (1625), Nurhaci of Houjin led the crowd to hold a winter sports meeting on the Hun River, the main event was running skates, which were first made of animal skins, with ice knives on the soles, and other sports such as ice hockey, ice archery, ice martial arts, etc. A sport called "double flying dance", in which the two danced on the ice and performed various postures, quite like today's figure skating.

Women do not allow eyebrows, and women also participate in ice and snow sports. There is a project called "ice maple", using bamboo poles to support the raft on the ice, the late Qing Dynasty famous "Dianshizhai Pictorial" recorded: "The weather in the Beijing Division has been very cold recently, the moat canal has accumulated ice thick by a few feet, the ice maple has been going down the river, the people and women ride on it, very like flying shuttles, looking at it in the wind and snow, like a picture", the report also said that "there are three young girls in the North River outside fucheng Gate, hired to go to Xizhimen, the current star, fast and profitable", the next scene is surprising, they actually "overturned" in the middle, fortunately they were rescued.

Climbing comb historical materials can know that the ice sports of the Qing Dynasty were more diverse and difficult to count, which not only let people exercise in winter, but also gave people the enjoyment of beauty. "October ice beds all over the nine cities, tourists drag a dime light. Sit upright when the wind and the sun are warm, suspected of walking in the glass world", this is the Qing Dynasty Yang Jingting's "Dumen Miscellaneous Songs", "Doubt in the glass world line", which is a beauty that is difficult to create by summer sports.

There are less than fifty days to go before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, and in the next few days, let us take the taste of ice and snow culture, release our love for ice and snow, and move forward together! (Wang Xiaoxiong, Gao Wei)

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