In ancient times, the imperial court celebrated the Spring Festival, and the officials of the Song Dynasty were the most elegant and comfortable. The yamen were uniformly "sealed" on the twentieth day of the Waxing Moon, that is to say, it was going to be the New Year, and the office was suspended until the twentieth day of the first month was "opened" and the imperial court "suspended" for a month.
During this month, officials at all levels can visit relatives and friends, visit the Qinglou, gather and gamble. The "Tokyo Dream Hualu Volume 6 and The First Month" says: "The first day of the first lunar month, the third day of the Kaifeng Province."
In short, a variety of entertainment activities, fully enjoy the joy of the festival.
The royal family naturally also has to enjoy with the people, sometimes participating in gambling.
"Emperor Renzong tasted the palace people and paid a thousand dollars." If you lose, you will take it half way. Everyone in the palace laughed and said, "The official family is too poor, and they both lose and pity, and they refuse to do everything." Ren Zong said: "Ru knows for whom this money is also money?" This is not my money, but the people's money. I have spent a thousand dollars on the people today. (Southern Song Dynasty Shi Decao,"Records of the North Window")
This record means that Song Renzong and the eunuchs gambled, and when they lost the gambling, they still fought.
The above is all about the Han court celebrating the Spring Festival.
So, after the Qing Dynasty unified the world, how did they spend the Spring Festival?
The Spring Festival of the Manchus is more tired, the emperor is tired, the officials are tired, and the eunuch palace ladies are even more tired -- they have to wait around the emperor and officials all the time!
The Spring Festival in the Qing Palace generally begins on the 23rd day of the Waxing Moon and does not end until around the 20th day of the first month.
The Qing Dynasty also had the terms "sealing the pen" and "sealing the seal".
The so-called "sealing seal" is to seal all the emperor's seals, this date is not fixed, Qin Tianjian calculated the auspicious day of the zodiac in advance. On this day, a yellow case was set up at the Qianqing Gate, and the chief eunuch of the Tai Palace served, and when the auspicious time came, the emperor performed the incense ceremony, and after the ceremony, the seals were collected in the box. The "pen sealing" ceremony is roughly the same, and it is also extremely solemn and solemn.
In addition to the emperor's imperial pen and the great seal to be temporarily sealed, the government offices and offices must also seal the seals before taking a holiday for the Spring Festival.
Once the pen sealing ceremony was completed, the emperor would not move the imperial pen and seal. Even if something big happens, I don't change the rules.
One year, the Qianlong Emperor encountered such a time. When Chinese New Year's Eve shen this year, there was a special urgent report about the war in Jinchuan, which was suddenly sent to the palace. Although the stakes were high, the emperor could not use the imperial pen to approve the approval, so he had to use dictation, which was issued by the ministers.
Emperors generally take a holiday from the 26th day of the lunar month to the first day of the first lunar month.
Chinese New Year's Eve the Chinese New Year's Eve meal on this day, the emperor would eat with all his wives at the Bohol Palace or the Qianqing Palace. The emperor has one table per person, and the table is the "Golden Dragon Feast Table", and the table is surrounded by a golden embroidered table.
There is a long table between the big banquet table and the emperor's throne, and the dishes are placed on the big banquet table, and the emperor eats it and then takes it to the long table.
However, this Chinese New Year's Eve meal was not held by the imperial chef in the palace, but was "honored" by the courtiers.
According to the regulations, the prince offered 8 tables per person, 3 sheep, and 3 bottles of wine (10 catties per bottle); the king of the county offered 5 tables per person, and the others were equivalent to the prince.
Baylor offers 3 tables per person, 2 sheep and 2 bottles of wine; Baylor each enters 2 tables, and the others are the same as Baylor.
In this way, if there are not enough banquet tables, they will be filled by the Guanglu Temple.
According to the "Continuation of the History of the State Dynasty Palace", at dawn on the morning of the first day of the first lunar month, the Qianlong Emperor would go to the Beihai Xiangfu Temple to make sacrifices, and he would climb the Great Buddha Tower and pray for incense and blessings.
After the ceremony, we came to chonghua Palace and wrote the word "Fu" with a black lacquer pole brush engraved with "Blessing Cangsheng" and known as "Ten Thousand Years of Clearing Pipe", dipped in cinnabar.
The first "Blessing" word must be solemnly sealed and never opened, indicating that the blessing should be retained. The next word "Fu" was written to be used when it was ready to be given to the prince and the minister.
At the time of the day (7 a.m.), the Officials of the Qin Heavenly Supervision announced that the hour had arrived, the bells and drums were sounded at the noon gate, the orchestra played music, the Emperor ascended to the throne of the Taihe Temple, the Luan Yiwei officials threw a quiet whip, and the salutatorians shouted "Schedule".
The princes and ministers and civil and military officials who participated in the pilgrimage were divided into two classes, east and west, according to the main order of grades, marked by the "grade mountain", facing north, arranged horizontally from east to west, eighteen rows in each row, and each row had a royal history, all of whom prayed and shouted according to the ceremony.
Then two university scholars kneel down to hold the greeting table, which is read out by the propaganda officer.
After reading, the hundred officials performed three kneeling and nine prostrations.
At the end of the ceremony, the ministers and envoys would respectfully present their carefully prepared "greeting sheets" to the emperor.
Next, the emperor will give tea to the seat, and the hundred officials will prostrate their heads in thanksgiving.
After the tea is finished, the whip is played again, the band is played again, the emperor goes down to the temple, the hundred officials retire from the dynasty, and the ceremony of celebrating the New Year is completed.
It is time for the ministers to officially celebrate the New Year and enjoy the rare Spring Festival holiday.
On the nineteenth day of the first month, there is also an important feast called "Feast Nine". The meaning of hosting this feast is similar to our current "heart-closing meeting". Because the next day, the holiday officially ended. The emperor is going to work normally, and the courtiers are going to work officially.
On this evening, the emperor feasted on the princes and ministers, as well as the kings and foreign envoys of the new dynasty, and the emperor gave them refreshments. At this tea party, many programs were to be performed, including Western swings, Manchu, Mongolian, Korean and other national songs, wrestling, pole climbing and other acrobatic programs.
After the show, fireworks are set off at the end.
At this time, the tea party is really over. The next day, the monarchs will begin a busy year.