The festival in the first month of the month has been bustling since ancient times

In China, New Year's Day, Spring Festival and Lantern Festival are all statutory holidays. On New Year's Day, which has passed, we have once again completed activities such as counting down to the New Year and celebrating the New Year with people from other countries in the world.

Some people may think that "New Year's Day" refers to the first day of the first month of the solar calendar, which is different from the Spring Festival and lantern, so it has nothing to do with mainland traditions. In fact, the word "New Year's Day" has an ancient history, and in literary works, it can be first seen in the "Nineteen Songs of The Three Dynasties of Liang" (its eighth) by the Southern liang literary scholar Shen Yue of the Southern and Northern Dynasties: "Four Qi New Year's Day, The Beginning of The Long Life and the Present Dynasty." Worship Qi Gunyu, Zhong Shi becomes Zhen Shao. Risheng and other imperial fortunes, HongJi Miao Riyao. ”

The Shuowen has clouds, "Yuan, Shiye." From one from Wu", there are meanings such as beginning and beginning; dan, which refers to the beginning of the night and the beginning of the sun, is the earliest pictogram, indicating that the sun rises from the horizon; the meaning of "New Year's Day" is combined to be "the first day of the first year", that is, "the first day of the first month of the first month" (the first day of the first month).

In the Republic of China, the Provisional Government decided to use the Western Gregorian calendar (i.e., the Gregorian calendar) as the chronology. On January 1, 1912, Dr. Sun Yat-sen's oath of office as "Provisional President of the Republic of China" ended with "New Year's Day of the First Year of the Republic of China", representing the first day of the first year of the Republic of China. In 1914, the Republic of China government mentioned in the submission of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that "it is proposed to designate the lunar new year's day as the Spring Festival", so that there is a modern new year's day and spring festival.

In 1928, the authorities believed that adhering to tradition was a stumbling block to "Westernization" and "rejuvenation", and that the coexistence of the old and new calendars would "ridicule the nations and resist the state system, which is also extremely contrary to the purpose of our revolution", so they ordered the abolition of the old calendar (lunar calendar) nationwide, the universal use of the new calendar (Gregorian calendar), and the cessation of holidays and celebrations of old calendar festivals.

Courtesy of Visual China

However, the spring festival, the first day of the traditional Lunar New Year, is still the traditional festival that the Chinese nation values most. On February 13, 1934, Ji Xianlin wrote in the "Diary of Tsinghua Garden": "Tomorrow is the first day of the old Chinese New Year, and tonight is the Chinese New Year's Eve." I think I still have a head of feudal ideas. I have always been a champion of the New Year, especially the old calendar year, because it reminds me of the beautiful and poetic New Year's life in my childhood. ”

Coincidentally, the next day, on the first day of the Lunar New Year (February 14, 1934), an issue called "School Life" published a small poem written by students: "Today is the 'new years day' of the abolition calendar. But the 'boss' still called us to study at school, and I remembered how sorry it was. It can be seen that at that time, the "new calendar" was difficult to implement in the private sector, coupled with the sudden change in the military and political situation of the country at that time, the government had no time to implement it, and finally it was not resolved.

On September 27, 1949, the first plenary session of the Chinese Political Consultative Conference decided to adopt the "Common Era Chronology Method", and the festivals of the Gregorian New Year "New Year's Day" and the Lunar New Year "Spring Festival" are still in use today.

"Spring Festival" as the name of the "Lunar New Year" is less than a hundred years old, but it has a long history as an important festival itself. During the Yin Shang Period, people held worship activities at the beginning and end of the year, and since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty switched to the lunar calendar, Chinese dynasties have taken the Lichun in the twenty-four solar terms as the "Spring Festival", and used the sacrifice of the heavens, the god of agriculture, the god of spring, the whipping of spring cattle, and the celebration of the year of abundance as a celebration ceremony to pray for the harvest of the coming year.

According to the old custom, the period of time from the 23rd/24th day of the new year to the night of the 15th Lantern Festival or the 19th day of the first month is "New Year"; if you start from the preparation of "New Year goods", it will enter the New Year's Gate from about the fifteenth and sixth day of the new year. The Chinese New Year is full of diverse folk cultures, with the main contents of retiring the old and welcoming the new, worshiping gods and ancestors, driving away evil spirits and disasters, and praying for the New Year.

As soon as the Spring Festival passes, the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar ushers in the second important traditional festival of the first month, the Lantern Festival, which continues the celebration of the Spring Festival by eating tangyuan, enjoying flower lanterns, and guessing lantern riddles. The first month of the lunar calendar is the first month of the lunar calendar, the ancients called the night "supper", "Lantern Festival" hence the name.

During the Western Han Dynasty, the fifteenth day of the first month was already valued, but the Lantern Festival, as a festival officially celebrated nationwide, was after the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. At the beginning of the Sui Dynasty, the Lantern Festival customs were fully mature. The Book of Sui, vol. 62, "The Biography of Liu Yu", reads: "Eavesdropping on Jingyi, Ye and waizhou, every night with the first moon, filling the streets with strangers, gathering and playing with friends." Drums ring in the sky, torches shine on the ground, people wear animal faces, men wear women's clothes, advocate excellent acrobatics, and strange aliens. ”

The lively festival scene was further upgraded during the Sui Dynasty Emperor period, and sima Guang of the Northern Song Dynasty compiled the "Zizhi Tongjian Sui Ji V" recorded: "In the first month of the sixth year of dayi, the emperor took the chieftains of Zhufan, Bi ji Luoyang, Ding Ugly, and celebrated a hundred plays in Duanmen Street, around the theater for 5,000 steps, 8,000 people who carried silk and bamboo, tens of thousands of people, tens of miles, from dusk to Dan, the lights and candles in the world; the end of the month, the cost was huge. Self-righteousness. ”

In the Tang Dynasty, the lantern custom was even more popular. Su Wei "Fifteen Nights of the First Moon": "The fire tree and silver flowers are combined, and the iron lock of the star bridge is opened." Dark dust goes with the horse, and the bright moon comes one by one. The wandering tricks are all plums, and the songs are all plums. Kingo couldn't help but be at night, and the jade leaked uncontrollably. The Southern Song Dynasty Xin Abandoned the Disease and Popular "Qingyu Case • New Year's Eve" also recorded the grand scene of the Lantern Festival at that time: "Flowers and trees bloom at night in the east wind." More blowing down, the stars like rain. BMW carved car fragrant road. The sound of the phoenix vibrates, the jade pot turns, and the fish and dragon dance all night. ”

In the Ming Dynasty, famous works such as "Ming Xianzong's Lantern Xingle Map" and "Shangyuan Lantern Color Map" depicted the scene of the imperial palace and the folk lantern festival. The Lantern Festival of the Qing Dynasty was also very lively, according to the "Qing Jia Lu", "Before and after the Lantern Festival, Bihu used gongs and drums to beat cymbals, knocking on the text, called the Lantern Festival, there are running horses, sleet, seven five three, jumping god of wealth, under the west wind and other names." Or groups of three or five, each holding a device, children around the line, and line and hit, the street is boiling, the common call to walk the horse gong and drum. ”

The 2022 Chinese New Year festival is coming, and festivals are still an indispensable and important part of our lives. It is now called "ritual sense", but in the long course of history, it reflects the history, traditions and spiritual core of a region, a nation and a country.

The emphasis on the specific day of the "New Year" is rooted in the hearts of Chinese people, which gives rise to a prayer for the renewal of Vientiane and a vision of a happy and satisfying life. Although the ceremonies and activities of the "New Year" have been changing, whether the temple is high or the rivers and lakes are far away, festivals are the "common denominator" that is deeply rooted in the cultural genes of all Chinese. People are always the ultimate decision-makers of "how to celebrate the festival", and the festival always belongs to the people.

(The author is a librarian of the Comprehensive Business Department of the Gongwangfu Museum of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism)

Source: China Youth Daily client