The Liao state was a regime established by the Khitan people, with a wide range of rule, "ten thousand miles", and confronted the Northern Song Dynasty, forming a situation of juxtaposition between the north and the south. Although the Khitan people came from the steppe, in the process of ruling the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, they accepted the influence of Han culture and gradually sinicized. Since the Liao Shengzong Yelü Longxu, the level of Sinicization of its rulers has been very high.
According to records, Liao Shengzong was able to compose poems at the age of ten, composed more than 500 poems in his lifetime, and often wrote questions to let the group of courtiers give poems. During his reign, Emperor Shengzong of Liao actively absorbed the advanced experience of Han culture and promoted the feudalization process of the Liao state. Although the emperor of the Liao State gradually Sinicized, in terms of the Spring Festival, many national traditions were still retained, full of mysterious atmosphere. So how did the Emperor of the Liao Dynasty celebrate the New Year?
On the night of Chinese New Year's Eve, the Emperor of the Liao Dynasty will personally preside over the ceremony of the age of the palace, which is both mysterious and full of the atmosphere of the steppe people. First, the emperor's emissary, Yi Libi (the northern official in charge of the prison), led the deacon Lang Jun to the front of the temple and put salt and sheep paste into the fire to burn. Then the witch and the witch follow the order and praise the fire god.
Finally, the emperor, accompanied by the envoys of the Gatekeeper, came to the front of the temple and bowed again to the furnace. This custom is probably related to the early shamanism of the Khitan people. Shamanism advocates nature, and the most common ritual is "fire worship", which they believe is the most sacred and can sweep away all the filth in the world.
However, with the improvement of the sinicization of the Liao emperor, his religious beliefs also changed. Initially, the Emperor of the Liao Dynasty would personally worship the fire during the New Year, starting with the Liao Daozong, before changing his life to leave the Bibai Fire. The fire worship ceremony is held on the night of Chinese New Year's Eve, and on the first day of the first lunar month, there are some very special events in the Liao Kingdom.
On the first day of the first lunar month, the Emperor of the Liao Dynasty mixed glutinous rice with white sheep marrow and squeezed them into fist-sized balls, giving them forty-nine in each account. When it was time for the fifth change, the emperor and the tents would throw the rice balls out of the tents. Then send someone to count the numbers. If it were singular, the emperor would not let people play music or drink alcohol, but would have twelve shamans ring bells and arrows outside the tent, and sing and shout.
The people inside the tent burst salt in the brazier and lit a kind of fireworks that hovered on the ground, called ground mice. This ritual is called "ghosting". This method seems to have the same significance as the Han people's use of firecrackers to drive away evil spirits. If the number of rice balls was an even number, the emperor would order drinking, playing music, and holding grand banquets to stay up all night.
However, due to the continuous Sinicization of the Emperor of the Liao Dynasty, they also adopted the way of the Central Plains Dynasty when celebrating the New Year. For example, on the first day of the first lunar month, the emperor would hold a grand meeting to receive the congratulations of the civil and military officials, and then give a feast, and the monarch and the courtiers would enjoy the music. All in all, the way the Liao emperor spent the New Year not only retained some of the customs of the Khitan people, but also adopted the way of the Han people.
References: 1. "The Chronicle of the Ages"; 2. "History of Liao"