In view of the impact of firecrackers on the atmospheric environment and safety, in recent years, various localities have successively issued relevant regulations prohibiting the display of fireworks and firecrackers. Everyone is also very conscious of "changing customs and customs" and choosing a more environmentally friendly way of celebrating the New Year.
However, the new year's firecrackers have a long history. According to the conclusion reached by folklorists after study, firecrackers originated from the "firecracker sacrifice" activities in the pre-Qin period, and the ancients set off firecrackers to achieve a beautiful vision of worshiping gods and driving away evil spirits and praying for peace.
What is the difference between the firecrackers set off by the ancients and the firecrackers of today? Is there a direct connection between setting off firecrackers and driving away the Beasts of the Year?
In the pre-Qin period, there was a kind of sacrifice called "burst sacrifice", which was a religious act of burning firewood, which was similar to the "nine sacrifices" and the third sacrifice "burst sacrifice" recorded in the "Zhou Li Chun Guan".
"Bursting sacrifice" is not simply to light a bunch of bonfires with firewood, this religious act requires a sound when the flames burn. The ancients thought of using bamboo stacked together for combustion, and the heat caused the water inside the bamboo to evaporate to form a sudden explosion sound, achieving the effect of explosion.
Therefore, bamboo has become an indispensable raw material in the "explosion sacrifice" ceremony. As it passed, the word firecracker spread.
"Poetry Sutra Xiaoya Yongye": "There is the head of the rabbit, and the burnt of the cannon." ”
The Western Han Dynasty scholar Dongfang Shuo wrote a work entitled "The Book of Divine Anomalies", in which it is clearly recorded: "There are people in the mountains of the West, who are more than a foot long, and who are thin, catching shrimp and crabs... The name is Yama. Its tone is self-proclaimed. People tasted bamboo on fire, burst out, and all were shocked. It's chilling and hot. ”
This is also the earliest written account of the firing of firecrackers.
Of course, whether the author of the Divine Anomaly Sutra is Dongfang Shuo or not, and whether the time of its writing is in the Western Han Dynasty, is still unknown. But one thing is for sure, the Book of Divine Anomalies was written no later than the Six Dynasties period, and Chinese New Year's Eve firecrackers were at least a thousand years old on the mainland.
Southern Dynasty Liang Zongzhuo's "Records of the Jingchu Years": "On the first day of the first lunar month, firecrackers were first made in front of the court to split the mountain and shame the evil ghosts." ”
From these written records, it is clear that at least during the Six Dynasties period, people set off firecrackers to drive away fierce beasts in the New Year. At this time, the firecrackers, which are the huge noise produced by the burning of bamboo, are not filled with any gunpowder, which is quite different from today's firecrackers.
In the Tang Dynasty, a Taoist monk named Li Bi boasted about the miraculous effect of setting off firecrackers to drive away evil spirits. Therefore, firecrackers have gradually become a daily pastime of the general public, even if it is not the New Year, people will set off firecrackers to pray for good luck.
Yuan Shu's "Twenty Songs of Shengchun": "Riding firecrackers randomly, competing for small whirlwinds." ”
Zhang said in "Yuezhou Shou Nian Ii": "Peach branches can ward off evil, and firecrackers are good to sleep." ”
In the Song Dynasty, gunpowder technology was rapidly developed, and the folk appeared to wrap gunpowder rolls with paper, which could not only make a huge sound after being ignited, but also accompanied by firelight, and the scene was spectacular.
In the last years of the Northern Song Dynasty, firecrackers filled with gunpowder began to be used in the army, which was called "firecracker battle". "Explosive war" is not only an important weapon to resist foreign enemies, but after it spread to the people, it has become an indispensable "New Year's goods" for every household.
Lu You's "Huijizhi": "Chinese New Year's Eve firecrackers smell each other, or use sulfur as explosives, the sound is particularly strong, called 'explosive battle'." ”
During the Southern Song Dynasty, firecrackers have entered thousands of households, and the way of firing has produced many changes. At the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, firecrackers wrapped in paper into paper rolls and made of hemp stems as a fuse appeared on the market.
This kind of firecracker is relatively low-risk, filling gunpowder dose is small, similar to today's fireworks, is the children's New Year's Festival favorite firecracker breed.
During the Yuan Dynasty, firecrackers were widely popular in the north and south of the river, from the night of the Chinese New Year's Eve to the fifteenth day of the first month, and different types of firecrackers were set off every day.
Chinese New Year's Eve that night, the firecrackers were set off called "door closing cannons", and after the firecrackers were released, the family could not go outside and gathered around the table together, waiting for the arrival of the New Year.
Firecrackers are also set off on the morning of the first day of the first lunar month, called "opening the door cannon", which expresses the meaning of opening the door in the new year.
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, merchants will fire the "market opening cannon", also known as "burning profit city". The fifth day of the first lunar month is said to be the birthday of the god of wealth, and the display of firecrackers on this day can not only celebrate the birthday of the god of wealth, but also means to make a fortune in the new year. This traditional custom has been passed down to the Ming and Qing dynasties, and even today.
After talking about the history of firecrackers in China, let's see if firecrackers are related to the expulsion of new beasts.
According to legend, many years ago in the forest there was a fierce beast called the "Nian" beast. Every year on the Chinese New Year's Eve of the summer calendar, the "year" has to come out to eat people and poultry. Because no one can subdue the "Nian", people can only kill sheep and slaughter pigs on the day of the Chinese New Year's Eve to honor the "Nian", let it eat enough and return to the old nest to rest.
One year, the harvest was not good, and everyone was unable to honor the "year", which also caused the dissatisfaction of the "year" and wanted to eat people. People had to go home and close the gate and run to the bamboo tower to hide from the nian beast. There was a bamboo building on fire, the fire was very large, the bamboo burned and made a "crackling" sound, "Nian" heard such a noise, and finally frightened and fled back to the forest.
After everyone discovered this secret, they cut a lot of bamboo every year on the day of Chinese New Year's Eve to burn it, making a deafening noise, frightening "Nian" to never dare to eat people again.
In order to better drive away the Nian beasts, everyone also dyed the peach wood board red, hung it on both sides of the gate, and used gunpowder to make firecrackers, which means that the louder the sound, the more auspicious the coming year.
In fact, setting off firecrackers to drive away the Nian Beast is the expulsion of the mountain fish recorded in the Divine Anomaly Sutra. The mountain fish, which is now a common animal in Africa, carries a strong infectious virus.
The ancients lacked medical knowledge, and after being infected with these infectious diseases, the cure rate was extremely low, so they regarded these beasts as demons and ghosts. "Nian" is the embodiment of the mountain fish, so firecrackers are used to drive them away from human habitation.
In general, the firing of firecrackers and the expulsion of new year beasts, whether it is recorded in ancient books or myths and legends, the ultimate purpose is to drive away evil spirits and pray for peace in the coming year, as a traditional culture has also been effectively inherited.
However, in recent years, some areas have begun to completely ban the display of firecrackers, and I personally feel that this one-size-fits-all behavior is very undesirable. Firecrackers during the Spring Festival are a traditional custom that has been passed down for thousands of years and should not be banned in our generation.
If the display of firecrackers and fireworks is really causing environmental pollution, then we can stipulate a certain area to limit the discharge. But what is puzzling is that fireworks and firecrackers are prohibited here, but Disney can set off fireworks every night.
The New Year's ban on firecrackers really has no New Year's flavor, we can advocate less release, but should not be banned, you can reduce the forbidden area, I hope to return everyone a cheerful and peaceful Spring Festival.