Regarding the origin of the Valley Rain Festival, it is said that it originated from astronomy, the position of the sun reached 30 ° Ecliptic Longitude, and the valley rain came. "Qunfang Spectrum": "The fifteen days after the Qingming Dynasty are the rain of the valley, the rain is the aiki of heaven and earth, and the valley is born of rain." "The Pipe": "When the rain falls, the grain and the fruit are deng." "When the rainy season comes, the spring sun sprinkles its last dazzling light on the earth, and the rainwater moisturizes the life of the earth." Rain born a hundred grains", get the rain to breastfeed, green grass, spring wind green shore, twilight spring look back, willow flying down, peony spit, everything around, instantly alive.
Valley rain three times
"The willows dance with the wind, and the summer of the rain is coming." As the last festival of spring, gu rain has three seasons, one waiting for Ping to start, the second waiting for the dove to whisk its feathers, and the third waiting for Dai Sheng to descend on Sang. "Ping Shi Sheng", Ping, water weed, and water level, so called "duckweed"; because of the drifting with the wind, it is also called "drifting Ping". After entering the valley rain, duckweed grows rapidly, and in just three or five days, people can enjoy the prosperity of duckweed in those ponds, rivers and lakes that usually lack greenery. Then the cuckoo (the great cuckoo, the songbird) also began to move, and it kept shaking its feathers, and finally it could not hold back its enthusiasm and let out a loud chirp.
"The song dove whisks its feathers", the dove is the eagle incarnation, the cuckoo. Regarding the cuckoo, there is also an allusion, the Song Dynasty Liu Kezhuang's "Remembrance of Qin'e" mentions a folk legend: at the end of the Zhou Dynasty, Du Yu, the king of Shu, was called emperor and called emperor. At that time, there was a man who had come back from the dead, called turtle spirit, who became the prime minister. At that time, the flood was a disaster, the people did not have a good life, and the turtle spirit chiseled the Wushan Mountain and opened the Three Gorges, except for the flood. When Emperor Wang saw his high achievements, he ceded the throne to him and lived in seclusion in the Western Mountains. Du Yu paid attention to teaching the people to farm before he died, and after his death, he still did not change his nature, he turned into a sub-regular bird (that is, a cuckoo bird, also known as a cuckoo), and every spring, he always called people to "cuckoo", "fast cuckoo", "cuckoo" and "sowing valley", as if to prompt people not to delay sowing seeds when farming.
At this time, Dai Sheng fell on the mulberry tree, which was also the waiting for the silkworm to be born. Even more beautiful than the cuckoo is the Daisheng bird. As the cuckoo sound reverberated through the mountains, the daisheng bird flew to the branches of the mulberry tree. Although it is not very pleasant to call, it can fly more beautifully and vividly, and it moves forward in waves together, and the posture is very similar to a fluttering flower butterfly, so it is also called "flower fan". The bird's intricate feathers, alert and upright temperament, and loyal habits have made it one of the symbols of folklore since ancient times. As an auspicious ornament, the Daisheng bird pattern also often appears in various utensils. Not only the image of Dai Sheng appeared in gold and silver ware and paintings, but also the shadow of Dai Sheng bird was often seen on ceramics, silk fabrics and other utensils, such as the Pastel Dai Sheng Green Bamboo Pattern Wash in the Qing Yongzheng Period.
Myths and legends
The origin of the Guyu Festival is derived from humanities, because Cangjie made characters. According to the "Han Feizi Wuyin" record: "The ancient Cangjie's work is also a book, the self-ring is called private, the back is called public, and the public and private are also the opposites of the public and private, which is the knowledge of Cangjie. The record of the Huainan Zi BenJing is the most influential: "In the past, Cang Jie wrote a book and the sky rained and millet, and the ghosts cried at night." "What does Cangjie look like?" The ancients made a very interesting imagination. The "On Balance and Bone Phase" records: "The Four Eyes of Cangjie". Like the ancient texts of Shun's double pupils, Cangjie had an extraordinary appearance, "full of hair, a broad head and a wide forehead, and four overlapping eyes on the face".
Cangjie was a historical official of the Yellow Emperor. He was given the important task of creating a visual symbol to issue decrees, rule the people, and preach indoctrination. Once, Cangjie went out hunting with a hunter, and the hunter pointed to the traces of various beasts left on the ground and told the whereabouts of the beasts, and Cangjie was deeply inspired. He climbed mountains and waded through the water, did not hesitate to ask, and expressed all kinds of things he saw according to their characteristics. So according to the pictogram, in the ravine of Yangwu Village in Baishui County, Shaanxi Province, no one began to create characters. It took three years to create as many words as a bucket of rapeseed. The Jade Emperor listened, was greatly moved, and decided to reward Cangjie heavily. That night, Cangjie was sleeping sweetly when he overheard someone shouting that Cangjie had accepted the award. Cangjie opened his eyes confusedly, and he saw a room full of bright lights, and a large golden man stood on the ground. He remembered the shouts he heard in his dream, and understood that this golden man was a prize given to him by heaven. Therefore, he prayed three times into the air, which was a thank you to the gods. The next day, he asked someone to carry the belt and push the Jin people to the Yellow Emperor's Palace. When the Yellow Emperor asked about the origin of the Jin people, he only said that he had picked it up by chance, and said that this was a thing under the heavens and should be shared by the people of the world. The Yellow Emperor knew that his personality was noble, and he accepted it with a smile.
Who knows, within four or five days, a sudden flash of light flew in, and the golden man disappeared. The Yellow Emperor then sent someone to report to Cangjie. At that time, Cangjie was in a dream, and then he heard someone shouting: "Cangjie, you don't want the golden man who the Jade Emperor gave you the prize, what do you want?" Cangjie said in his dream, "I want to have abundant grains, so that the people of the world can have food to eat." "The next day, the weather was clear and cloudless. Suddenly the sky was falling down the grains. The grain fell denser than the raindrops, and it rained for half an hour, covering the earth and mountains. Therefore, Cangjie named the day of the rain in the valley rain as the Valley Rain Festival. Because of his meritorious writing, he touched the Heavenly Emperor, and at that time the world was suffering from famine, so he ordered the Heavenly Soldier Heavenly General to open the granary of the Heavenly Palace, and there was a rain of millet, and all the people of the world were saved.
Later, in cangjie's hometown of Shiguan Town, Baishui County, in the north of Shiguan Town, Cangjie's tomb door carved a couplet: Yusu felt the Heavenly Emperor in that year, and Tongwen Yongshi was paired with a bridge mausoleum, which is the highest praise for Cangjie. On the day of the Guyu Festival, a temple fair to worship Cangjie is held in the area of Shiguan Town, Baishui County.
Folk customs
Tea pan-fried valley rain spring
"Poetry write plum blossom moon, tea pan valley rain spring". Xu Cishu of the Ming Dynasty said of the tea picking season in the "Tea Shu": "Qingming is too early, the summer is too late, and before and after the valley rains, the timing is moderate. Zhu Quan talked about the method of drinking tea from four items in the "Tea Recipe": tea tasting, water tasting, decoction, and tea ordering, and believed that tea tasting should be tasted Guyu tea. Guyu tea is a spring tea picked during the rainy season of the valley, also known as erchun tea. The spring temperature is moderate, the rainfall is abundant, and the tea plant recuperates after half a year of winter, so that the spring buds are fat, the color is emerald green, the leaves are soft, rich in a variety of vitamins and amino acids, making the spring tea taste fresh and pleasant. The China Tea Society and other relevant departments have proposed to make the annual lunar calendar "Gu Rain" as the "National Tea Drinking Day" and hold various tea-related activities. Legend has it that Gu Yu tea, drinking it will clear the fire, ward off evil spirits, and blind the eyes. So no matter what the weather is on this day, people will go to the tea mountain and pick some new tea to drink back.
The river water of Guyu is also very precious, called "peach blossom water", peach blossom water is peach blossom flood, referring to the water that swells in the river when the peach blossoms are in full bloom. Legend has it that bathing with it can eliminate disasters and avoid disasters, which is called "bathing peach blossom water and eliminating disasters for a whole year". People bathe with "peach blossom water" and celebrate by shooting and dancing. On the day of the valley rain, young women have the custom of "walking the valley rain", walking to the village to visit relatives, and some go to the wild to walk around and come back. The meaning is integrated with nature to strengthen the body.
Gu Yu looked at the peony three times
Song Dynasty Ouyang Xiu "Luoyang Peony Record": "Luo hua, with the grain rain as the opening of the weather." "In history, the peony of Luoyang is the most, the flower color is gorgeous, the jade smile is fragrant, the style is elegant, the palatial, known as the "king of flowers" reputation, but also known as "the national color of heavenly fragrance". As early as the end of the Qing Dynasty, peony was recognized as the national flower of China. Gu Lu of the Qing Dynasty "Qing Jia Lu" said, "Peony flowers, commonly known as the valley rain flowers, are also opened at the valley rain festival." Proverb: 'Gu Yu Three Dynasties Look at Peonies'. "It means that it is time to watch the peonies in full bloom three days after the valley rain. Therefore, peony flowers are also known as "valley rain flowers". Peony viewing has become an important entertainment activity during the rainy season of the valley. So far, Shandong, Henan, Sichuan and other places have also held peony flower parties during the rainy season of the valley for people to play and gather.
The Mudanjiang River in northeast China has the name of "peony", but there is no "peony". Mudanjiang is a Manchu place name, manchu pronounced "Mudan Ula", meaning "the river of the bay", and has nothing to do with peony flowers. Changchun has a peony garden, founded in 1998, rebuilt in 2013, planted more than 11,000 peonies, peonies, every year must wait for the small full season, to see the blooming period. As a traditional famous flower on the mainland, peony has been endowed with a variety of meanings and symbols such as wealth, auspiciousness, consummation, happiness, good luck and prosperity, and prosperity since ancient times.
Forbidden Scorpion Spell
In the old days, in the Linfen area of Shanxi, Gu Yuri painted Zhang Tianshi's charm and pasted it on the door, called "Forbidden Scorpion". The forbidden scorpion spell in the Fengxiang area of Shaanxi is printed in woodcut, which shows that the demand is very large. It reads: "In the middle of March, the scorpion is mighty." The god chicken bites, and the poisonous insect turns into water..." In the center of the picture, the rooster is a worm, and under the claw is a large scorpion, and the painting is also printed with a spell. The saying that the rooster cures the scorpion has long been circulated in the folk, the fifty-fifth time in the divine and demonic novel "Journey to the West", Sun Wukong and the Eight Commandments of the Pig are not the scorpion essence, and Guanyin also knows that it is not close to it, so he had to let Sun Wukong go to the Pleiades Star Official, and the result was successful. In the book, it is described that the Pleiadian star official appeared in his true form, the double-crowned big rooster, and screamed at the scorpion essence, and the scorpion essence the size of the pipa immediately appeared in its original form. The big rooster barked again, and the scorpion was soft and soft, dying on the hillside. Shandong folklore also prohibits scorpions. The "Chronicle of Xiajin County" in the sixth year of the Qianlong Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty recorded: "Gu Yu, cinnabar book symbol forbidden scorpion." The folklore of "forbidden scorpions" reflects people's desire to drive away pests and desire a good harvest.
"Grand Festival" sacrifice to the sea
When the sea warms up during the rainy season, hundreds of fish travel to the shallow sea, which is a good day for fishermen to go out to sea to catch fish, that is, the "Zhuangxing Festival". As the saying goes: "Ride the valley rain to the internet", in order to go out to sea safely and return with a full load, fishermen will hold a sea festival on the day of the valley rain and pray for the blessing of the sea god. In the old days, by the sea, villages and villages had a sea temple or a niangniang temple, and when the sacrifice time came, the fishermen would carry the offerings to the temple to make offerings, and some would carry the offerings to the seaside, beat gongs and drums, set off firecrackers, and face the sea sacrifice, the scene was very solemn.
Diet regimen
Due to the increase in rainfall after the valley rain festival, the humidity in the air gradually increases, at this time, the health should follow the changes of the natural solar terms and be regulated according to its climatic characteristics. The diet should reduce the intake of high-protein, high-calorie foods. Choose to eat some low-fat, high-vitamin, high-mineral foods, such as fresh vegetables, including cabbage, spinach, maran head, toon head, etc., which can play a role in clearing heat, detoxification, cool blood and eyesight, clear stool, wake up the spleen and appetizer.
In terms of emotions and sports, we should keep a comfortable mood and a broad mind, listen to music, fishing, spring excursions, tai chi, walking, etc. to cultivate temperament, and avoid worrying and anxiety in case of trouble, and even move the liver fire.
Soil paste pulsates to plant fields
"The Seventy-two Seasons of the Moon Order": "In the middle of March, since the rain, the earth has pulsated, and now it is raining in the valley of water." The valley rains during the rainy season, like the rain of my public land. Gaigu sows seeds at this time, from top to bottom also. "At this time, the weather is mild and the rain is significantly increased, which has a great relationship with the growth and development of cereal crops."
The so-called "rain and hundred valleys" reflects the modern agricultural climate significance of "valley rain". Most of the weather proverbs of the valley rain festival also revolve around the center of rain and no rain, such as "the valley rain is gloomy, the summer rain is drenched", "the valley rains rain, forty-five days no dry soil", and so on. "Qingming is busy planting wheat, and the valley rain is planting fields." In the northeast, due to the strong winds during the rainy season in the valley, the temperature rises, and the surface water evaporates rapidly, it is important to rush the soil and sow seeds as soon as possible. In addition, there are unstable temperatures in early spring in the northeast, and even spring cold. However, in the contradiction between grabbing early seeds and preventing spring cold, grabbing seeds is still the main task, because during the rainy season in the valley, the northeast land has appeared "depending on the willows, dancing duckweed." The peach is dying, burning its glory. Magpies nest in tall trees, swallows in the mud in the guangting..." A vibrant spring scene. The northeast is generally planted at the end of March to the beginning of April in the lunar calendar, that is, around may 1 of the lunar calendar, when the temperature is just right and helpful for growth. If the sowing time is too early or too late, the temperature is relatively low, if it is precipitation, it will lead to mold; the sowing period will be shortened, affecting the yield of the year. "Valley rain planting fields", this is also called.
Author: Shi Lixue (Chairman of Jilin Folklore Society, Librarian of Literature and History of Jilin Provincial Government)
Source: China Jilin Net
Image source Figureworm Creative