Chinese charm lights up the opening day of the Winter Olympics, the world's grand event, just in time for spring

Source: People's Daily

Pictured: The manga "Spring Season".

Cao Yizuo (Xinhua News Agency)

On February 4, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics kicked off, coinciding with the traditional Chinese New Year and the spring of the 24 solar terms. On the occasion of spring, the covenant of ice and snow arrives as promised, and the romantic, aesthetic and warm Chinese charm lights up the world event.

"Spring is fighting for the day, summer is fighting, and the major events of the year should not be too late", Li Chun prompts a new beginning. When the Winter Olympics meet Lichun, people expect that the "City of The Two Olympics" will call to the world to "go together to the future", athletes will fight for speed and passion in the ice and snow arena, and the ancient Chinese culture will burst with vitality and vitality; "Chinese Fan" will hold up the "Olympic Situation" and "Chinese Red" and "Ice and Snow White", which will surely add more times marks to this year's Lichun and write a heavy stroke in the history of the development of ice and snow sports.

The Spring and Autumn Dynasties are endless

Twenty-four solar terms condense Chinese wisdom

Spring rain shocks the spring valley days, summer is full of summer and summer are connected.

Autumn dew autumn frost falls, winter snow snow winter small cold.

A "Twenty-Four Festivals Song" is widely circulated in mainland china. The "twenty-four solar terms" are the knowledge system and social practice formed by Chinese by observing the annual movement of the sun and recognizing the changes in the seasons, climate, and phenology of the year. In fact, the twenty-four solar terms strictly determine the seasonal time of the four seasons of the year in strict accordance with the law of the sun's apparent movement, which is the real solar calendar. Liu Kuili, member of the Honorary Faculty of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and honorary president of the Chinese Folklore Society, explained, "The Taichu calendar, which has been used by the mainland since the Xia Dynasty and promulgated by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in the first year of the First Year, is the Yin-Yang calendar, which is what we call the 'Xia Calendar' and 'Lunar Calendar', or the commonly known 'Lunar Calendar' and 'Old Calendar'. ”

The twenty-four solar terms are mainly formed in the Yellow River Basin, with the observation of the temporal changes of celestial phenomena, temperature, precipitation and phenology in the region as the benchmark, as a time guide for the production and life of the farming society, which is gradually adopted throughout the country and shared by many ethnic groups. According to Xiao Fang, a professor at the School of Sociology of Beijing Normal University, as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, people had used the method of measuring the sun shadow of Tugui to determine the four major solar terms of spring equinox, autumn equinox, summer solstice and winter solstice. The Shang Shu Yao Dian is the earliest document on the determination of the time of the spring equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox, and winter solstice. During the Warring States period, the twenty-four solar terms have appeared, but the names of individual names are different. There is a complete account of the twenty-four solar terms in the Huainan Zi. In 2016, the "Twenty-Four Solar Terms" were officially inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

1 day of Risshun 100 grass buds

The east wind sends warmth to play the prelude to cultivation

According to the traditional ordering method, Li Chun is the first of the twenty-four solar terms. The specific date, generally From February 3 to 5 of each year in the Gregorian calendar, is lichun when the sun reaches 315 degrees of ecliptic longitude. "Standing" means beginning, as explained in the "Explanation of the Seventy-Two Waiting Collections of the Moon Order": "Li Chun, The First Moon Festival, Li, The Beginning ... Summer, autumn and winter are the same. ”

Each solar term is divided into "three seasons", and the three weathers of Lichun are: one wait for the east wind to thaw; the second wait for the stinging insects to start vibrating; and the third wait for the fish to be negative ice. This means that in the first 5 days of Lichun, the east wind warms up and the frozen earth begins to thaw; in another 5 days, the insects sleeping in the cold winter will slowly awaken; in another 5 days, the ice in the river begins to melt, the ice floats on the surface of the water, and the fish begin to swim to the surface of the water. After the spring, the temperature rises, and the spring plowing busy season begins in most parts of the country.

In the astronomical sense, lichun is the symbol of spring, which means the beginning of spring, but for most parts of the continent, it is only the prelude to spring at this time. In a meteorological sense, the first time in a year, the average daily temperature reaches more than 10 degrees Celsius for 5 consecutive days. "Spring to the earth grass and trees know", at the beginning of spring, although some areas are still cold, in the process of transition from winter cold to spring warmth, but people still love to find the information of spring, "the east wind blows water green jagged", especially those who work hard to seize the new harvest, are creating a real spring with their hands.

Spring hats are stacked with green leeks

Folklore activities inherit the aspirations of the people

Spring goes to spring and back, lichun is the starting point of the four hours, full of expectations and expectations. In ancient times, Lichun was not only a festival but also an important festival, and folk activities such as welcoming spring, beating spring, biting spring, and pasting spring cattle pictures were passed down from generation to generation.

"Welcoming Spring" - "Welcoming" the auspicious wishes of arriving home. "Welcoming Spring" is an important activity of Lichun, which must be prepared in advance and rehearsed, commonly known as "Spring Performance". Then it can be officially welcomed on the day of spring.

"A laughing spring breeze is warm, the four seasons are peaceful and beautiful", on a spring day, you can hang a spring flag, each door frame should be pasted with a couplet written on red paper, and the wall of the door in the courtyard is also plastered with the words "Welcoming Spring", "Yichun" and "Fu". Adults and children to change into clean new clothes, in some places, beauty-loving girls will also insert the red velvet flowers with the word "spring" and "Fu" on their heads, or use colored chiluo to cut out the spring swallow flowers and birds that symbolize the arrival of spring on the bun, and some use red paper to cut and carve into the shape of a rooster and paste it on the door of the house, because the chicken and "Ji" are harmonious, which has the meaning of auspiciousness.

"Fighting spring" -- "fighting" out of the grain abundance. In many places, Lichun is commonly known as "playing spring". "Fighting spring" means "beating spring cattle", also known as "whipping spring cattle" and "whipping earth cattle". Playing spring cattle on the spring day is an important part of the traditional folk culture of the mainland, the origin is earlier, after the promulgation of the Song Dynasty's "Tuniu Classic", the custom of playing spring is more widely spread.

"Bamboo embraces the creek bridge and the wheat cover slope, and the earth cattle line is also sung." Spring cow is also very particular about image and workmanship. For example, the body of the cow is painted with five colors representing the color of the five squares; the cow is four feet high, symbolizing spring, summer, autumn and winter; the cow is eight feet long, which means the eight seasons of spring, spring equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox, winter, winter solstice; ox tail is one foot and two inches, representing 12 months, and so on. At the moment when spring comes, "playing spring" is playing with joy and joy, auspiciousness and blessings.

"Biting spring" - "taste" endless family fun. "Biting spring", also known as "food spring plate", is popular in Beijing, Hebei and other places. In the "Imperial Age Jisheng", it is introduced, "The New Spring Day offers a xinpan. Although the house of shishu will also cut chicken and pork, cook noodle cakes, and mixed with lettuce, green leeks, croissants, punches and vegetable skins, and raw water carrots, known as biting spring. ”

The way to make spring cakes is not complicated, the crust can be baked or steamed with warm water, the shape can be as large as a fan, as small as a dish, 1 kg of flour can be baked out of about 16 rounds, two pages for one. In addition to the dishes rolled in the cake, there are essential shallots and sweet noodle sauce, and other dishes can be as much as or as little according to the family's hobbies, both raw and cooked, and complete with meat and vegetarian. To eat spring cakes, be sure to roll them into a cylinder and eat them from the beginning to the end, as the saying goes, "there is a head and a tail".

On spring day, the family gathers around the table to enjoy spring, travel to spring, and enjoy spring poetically, and the fun is endless.