On May 4, 1919, young students in Beijing held a huge demonstration to protest the imperialist countries' support for Japan's aggression against the mainland at the Paris Peace Conference, which eventually developed into an anti-imperialist and anti-feudal patriotic movement with the participation of the people of the whole country.
The May Fourth Movement demonstrated the strong will of the Chinese people to defend national independence and fight for democracy and freedom, and marked the beginning of China's new democratic revolution.
In 1939, the Northwest Youth National Salvation Federation of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region designated May 4 as Chinese Youth Day. In December 1949, the Administrative Council of the Central People's Government of China officially declared May 4 as Chinese Youth Day.
This is the origin of the May Fourth Youth Day that we are familiar with. So since it's a holiday, is this day a holiday?
According to the "National New Year and Anniversary Day Holiday Measures" promulgated by the State Council, "Youth Day (May 4), young people over the age of 14 have a half-day holiday", but this provision does not specify the upper age limit of the group to whom the holiday applies. With the consent of the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council, the "Youth Day" holiday is applicable to young people aged 14 to 28, so May Fourth Youth Day is a statutory holiday and commemorative day that only belongs to some citizens.
In addition to the Youth Day in the mainland, what day is the Youth Day abroad and what is the origin?
1. Venezuelan Youth Day
The earliest youth festival in the world is Youth Day in Venezuela. On February 12, 1820, university and secondary school students in Caracas formed an uprising force and fought fiercely against the Spanish colonial army. After Venezuela's independence, February 12 was designated as Youth Day to commemorate the brave patriotic zeal of young students.
2. Turkish Youth Day
On May 19, 1920, General Kemal, the "father of the Turkish nation", officially announced the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence and led the people to oppose the aggression of the European powers against Turkey. After the victory in the war, Mustafa Kemal designated May 19 as Turkish Youth Day. Turkey's Youth Day is also a sports festival, believing that youth are the future of the country, and strong youth are the foundation for building a rich and strong country. So on this day, Turkish youth come outdoors to participate in various sports activities.
3. Finnish Youth Day
Every year on 30 April is Finland's Youth Day. On this day, young men and women in Finland wear school hats and sit together to chat, sing and dance until dawn the next day. If you see someone with a "braid" on their white hat, it indicates that the person is not low-learning, at least a master's degree; Don't be funny if you see grandfathers and grandmothers proudly walking down the street wearing old yellowed hats, this is the respect that Finns give to learned elders.
4. Russian Youth Day
In Russia, Youth Day is celebrated every year on the last Sunday of June. On this day, young men and women cheerfully participate in various celebrations. In some areas, young people perform voluntary work on this day, clean up the environment or participate in tree planting. Some areas hold various theatrical performances and parties. In addition, weddings in the festive atmosphere have become a fashion trend sought after by many young Russians.
5. Indonesian Youth Day
Indonesia's Youth Day is November 10, also known as Heroes' Day, which commemorates the struggle of Indonesian youth against foreign invaders on November 10, 1945. Indonesia had just declared its independence, and the army tried to invade Indonesia under the pretext of accepting the surrender of the Japanese army, and when they landed in Surabaya, they were met with stubborn resistance from Indonesian youth. Therefore, November 10 is also designated as "Hero's Day", aiming to promote the fighting spirit of the Indonesian military and people who are brave and tenacious and not afraid of strong enemies.
Finally, let's take a look at the ancient Youth Day on the mainland.
In ancient times, "Youth Day" was called "Crown Ceremony". The Chinese crown ceremony first originated in the Zhou Dynasty, mainly for twenty-year-old men, but this age rule is not very strict. According to ancient ritual law, a young man can only choose a mate after performing the crown ceremony. It is recorded in the Book of Rites that the higher the status of a man, the more likely he is to perform the crown ceremony earlier, such as the Son of Heaven, the princes and the Son of Heaven, and the Son of Heaven can even perform the crown ceremony at the age of twelve.
Most of the crown ceremonies are held in spring. The ancients believed that spring was the season when all things grow, and it was best to perform the crown ceremony. The coming-of-age ceremony of ancient men was mostly held in temples and temples at home, and the process was divided into five steps: divination, crowning, mother-worshiping, taking words, and meeting relatives and friends, of which crowning was the most important. Ancient men began to grow their hair from an early age, and until adulthood, their hair was draped. When the crown ceremony is performed, it is necessary to tie the hair into a bun to indicate adulthood. There were three official crowning ceremonies, the first of which was crowned to indicate that he was an adult; the second time he added a piben, indicating that he would serve in the military from now on; The third time he added a knighthood, indicating that he had the right to participate in the sacrifice from now on.
In ancient times, not every dynasty had a crowning ceremony. During the Han Dynasty, the crown ceremony was prevalent, but in the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the crown ceremony weakened, and by the Song Dynasty, some people even did not understand what the crown ceremony was. Later, the Guanli suffered the abolition of the Yuan Dynasty, the revival of the Ming Dynasty, and the decline of the Qing Dynasty again. Although the modern crown ceremony is undergoing a renaissance, due to the changes of the times, its meaning is no longer as profound as in ancient times.