Spring in the Ice and Snow (Decoding the Twenty-Four Solar Terms)

On February 4, in The West Lake Park in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, flowers attracted birds to "play with flowers in spring". That day is the beginning of the twenty-four solar terms of this year. Xinhua News Agency reporter Wei Peiquan photographed

The "Twenty-Four Solar Terms" is a knowledge system and social practice formed by the Chinese by observing the annual movement of the sun and recognizing the changes in the seasons, climate and phenology of the year, and was included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016. In order to let readers at home and abroad better understand the 24 solar terms, this newspaper will launch the "Decoding the 24 Solar Terms" column from now on, introducing the knowledge and historical and cultural connotations related to the solar terms, and explaining the Chinese wisdom contained in them.

- Editor

On February 4, the Beijing Winter Olympic Games opened, coinciding with the Spring Festival. At the opening ceremony, the countdown to the 24 solar terms stunned the world, showing the magnificence and romance of Chinese culture. In this ice and snow event, the high-spirited Olympic spirit and the warm and long-term Chinese charm blend and mirror each other, making people feel the spring and full of vitality.

According to the changes in the weather, climate and phenology, the ancient Chinese people "gridded" the days of farming in one year, and the twenty-four solar terms in the grid condensed the great wisdom of the Chinese nation through heaven and earth.

Lichun is the first of the twenty-four solar terms, announcing the beginning of a year of spring ploughing, summer cultivation, autumn harvest and winter hiding. In the agricultural era, Lichun was a solemn festival, and the state held ceremonies to pray for the smooth progress of farming. The Book of Rites and The Order of the Moon records that on the day of the establishment of spring, tianzi personally led the three princes and nine princes to the eastern suburbs to worship the spring god. After returning to the dynasty, he rewarded the courtiers and ordered the boudoir to benefit the people. Fighting spring cattle is an important festival related to farming. Local guard officials led their subordinates, sheng Chen halogen book ceremonial guards, carrying mangshen (spring god Sentence Mang), spring cattle (indigenous cattle), mixed with rice songs, dragon lanterns, stilts, dry boats, etc., to welcome the spring in the eastern suburbs highlands. The leader of the team whipped the spring cow, and the spring official chanted: "One dozen wind and rain are smooth, two dozen soil and fertile land are noisy; three dozen three Yang Kaitai, four dozen four seasons are safe; five dozen five grains are abundant, six dozen six contract spring; seven dozen seven stars are high, eight dozen eight kangning; nine dozen nine nine to one, ten dozen world peace." "Whipping, lifting the spring cattle slowly forward along the ridge, walking 120 steps (symbolizing december of the year), placing the spring cattle on the ridge top, and the earth keeper pickaxe to the south of the "Nongxiang Star" direction to plan the soil to show the beginning of agricultural work. After the spring cow is broken, people compete for the head of the cow, which is called the spring, and then rob the candy in the belly of the spring cow, thinking that it is the sweetness of one year old. Sprinkle the soil of the spring cattle in the cattle pen in the hope that the cattle and livestock will flourish.

"The east wind blows away the plum snow and saves the world in one night." On the occasion of the spring, people carry out colorful spring activities, such as sending spring posts, pasting spring strips, and wearing caisheng. Literati write beautiful spring posts and give them to each other. Ouyang Xiu of the Northern Song Dynasty wrote twenty spring poems, one of which is: "The climate begins with three yangs, and all things are new." The thunder began to sound, and the world knew spring. Folks post spring strips on Kangtou: "Spring spring spring water flow, spring cattle are released on the spring grass, spring flowers bloom in the spring garden, and spring birds like to fall on spring trees." "Women use colored silk or paper to cut into small flags, swallows, butterflies, flowers and other shapes, and wear them on their heads to show spring, collectively known as "caisheng".

Biting spring is also a long-standing folk custom, on the day of Spring, biting spring plates, spring cakes, turnips, etc., has a health effect. Song's "Chronicle of the Years" quotes Tang's "Four Hours Treasure Mirror" Cloud: "Li Chun Eclipse Lotus, Spring Cake, Lettuce, Number Spring Plate." According to legend, the spring plate originated from the "five spicy plates" of the Han Wei Dynasty, that is, five kinds of vegetables with spicy flavors were served on the plate and eaten as cold dishes. Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica" explains: "The five spices are the meaning of welcoming the new onion, garlic, leeks, artemisia annua, mustard, spicy and tender vegetables and food. "Food has the effect of regulating qi and blood and emitting evil qi. Spring cakes are pancakes baked with flour and often wrapped in rolled radish shreds and eaten with other spicy vegetables. The Qing Dynasty's "Yanjing Chronicle" Yun: "On the day, the rich family eats more spring cakes, and women and so on buy more turnips and eat them, which is called 'biting spring'." It is said that it can be but spring sleepy also. ”

"Spring, stupidity, and movement." After the spring, although the chill between heaven and earth has not subsided, under the ice and snow, the stinging insects gradually awaken, the fish float to the surface, and the vitality quietly sprouts.

The plan of the year is spring. When the spring returns to the earth, it will start a new year of struggle, plant the hope of the new year, and print the footprints of pursuing dreams with a thriving China.

(Shi Lixue is the chairman of Jilin Folklore Society, and Song Jiajia is a master's student of Jilin Art College)