Lichun is the first of the twenty-four solar terms, also known as the First Moon Festival, the New Year Festival, the Year Change, the Year Dan and so on. Standing means "beginning"; spring represents warmth and growth. The twenty-four solar terms were originally formulated according to the "Bucket Turning Star Shift", which was Li Chun when the handle of the Big Dipper seven stars pointed to the Yin position.
Spring marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. "Spring is a day, the grass returns to buds", the east wind thaws, the sting insects begin to vibrate, the fish are negative ice, and all things in nature are revived.
Spring planting, summer long, autumn harvest, winter Tibet, in the traditional farming society, the ancients attached great importance to the first spring year, as early as the pre-Qin period, some convenient inheritance of the spring worship of the gods and ancestors, na fu pray for the age, exorcism of evil spirits, remove the old cloth and other themes of the festival activities.
Lichun is an important season for starting agricultural cultivation, and there are customs in various places to welcome and beat spring. In ancient times, every spring, the emperor and local officials had to persuade the people to cultivate through a series of spring ceremonies, and the common people also prayed for abundant grain and good luck through the spring ceremony.
"Fighting Spring Cattle" Weixian County, Shandong Inscription: Liang Nengwei
The cultivated cattle, which symbolize the harvest, are an indispensable and important role in the "whip spring cow" ceremony during the spring, and the soil sculpture spring cattle prepared in advance are led to the front of the house and whipped by special people, also called "beating spring", which is aimed at worshipping the god of mango and persuading the farmers to sang.
According to traditional customs, the spring day should also be posted with the "Spring Cow Map". The "Spring Cow Diagram", which was born in response to the custom of "whipping the spring cow", is an indispensable content in the New Year paintings, and is also a guide for the former farmers to predict the climate and harvest, and in the old days it almost became a must-have for the new spring scene.
The spring cow diagram in the New Year painting not only depicts the customs of people's production and life in ancient times, but also carries the most simple and kind spiritual needs of the working people. The motifs of the "Spring Cow Diagram" are mainly composed of the god of mango and the spring cow, the god of mango is the god of spring in charge of agricultural affairs, the shepherd boy-like god of mango and the spring cow, representing the messenger sent by heaven to drive away disasters on earth, implying the hope of a good harvest, the hope of happiness and the prayer for the wind and rain.
"Spring Cow Diagram" Shanxi Xindi Qing Dynasty Edition
Shanxi Xindi's "Spring Cow Picture", the center of the picture is the god of man and the spring cow with the peony flower on its back, next to the inscription: "I am a spring cow above, send me to swim all over the place below, do not eat human grass mixture, Dan eats the head of the little devil who scatters disasters", indicating that the cow has the effect of warding off evil spirits. At the bottom there are the words "three people and nine cakes, five grains and abundant", symbolizing that there is more than enough to eat. If it is barefoot, it indicates that the rain will be heavy in the coming year, and it is necessary to be prepared for flood prevention. If you wear grass shoes on both feet, it indicates a drought in the coming year, and farmers are required to make arrangements for drought-resistant water storage. If one foot is bare and the other is wearing straw shoes, it indicates that the coming year is a good year with no drought or flood, and the peasants must work hard and do not miss the time of farming.
Planner: Zhile
Design: Small drop
Edit: Zhile
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