Frost
The last festival of autumn,
Winter is coming.
Frost bell rings
The earliest record of "frost fall" can be traced back to before the pre-Qin.
In the Classic of Mountains and Seas and the Classic of Zhongshan, it is recorded:
"Three hundred miles to the southeast, Mt. Feng... There are nine bells, which are the sound of frost. Guo Pu's note: When the frost falls, the bell rings, so the words know it. Things have natural induction and can not be done. ”
Translation: Three hundred miles to the southeast, there is a mountain called Fengshan, and there are nine bells (also said to be nine-ear bells) on Fengshan Mountain, and the bells will ring with the frost. Combined with Guo Pu's annotations, later generations used the Toyoyama Bell as the natural induction of things.
Classic of Mountains and Seas, Zhongshan Classic
Work break
During the frost season, it is in the late autumn, the weather is cold and cold, and the leaves are withered and yellow.
The jackal is a type of animal that begins to catch prey and hoard for the winter, and the animals that need to hibernate are also hiding in the cave, not moving or eating and beginning to hibernate, and people must also prepare for "retreat" to recuperate and prepare for "cat winter".
In the Sixth Book of Rites and Monthly Orders, it is recorded: "It is the moon, and the frost begins to fall, then a hundred work breaks." It is said that the cold is always there, and the people are overwhelmed, and they all enter the house. ”
Etiquette: The Sixth Order of the Moon
In this month of autumn, frost begins to fall, and various craftsmen no longer make utensils. At the same time, he ordered Situ to say, "When the cold has come, the people cannot withstand such a cold, so let them not work hard, but go into the house and prepare for the winter." ”
We know that in ancient times, the main work was farming.
During the frost season, the temperature difference between day and night is large, the water mist on the ground begins to condense into "white frost", which is no longer suitable for crop sowing and growth, and the autumn harvest is basically completed, so during the frost season, no longer busy farming, it is also a decision to conform to nature.
Frost starts and stops
In the "Moon Order General sense Twenty-four Volumes Of the First Volume Appendix I" it is recorded:
"Qingming frost stops. Note: Dispel doubts: If the wind and flowers go out to sea and it is a drifting wind, the mountains and rivers are out of the clouds and it rains, and the farmer sees frost the day before the frost falls, then knows that the frost stops the day before the Qingming, and the frost sees the frost one day after the frost falls, then knows that the frost stops one day after the Qingming, and the five days and ten days are occupied together, and if the seedlings are out, they must wait for the frost to stop, and every year is inferred, if it is in accordance with the festival. ”
It can be seen that the frost season lasts from frost to Qingming, and for such a long time, people always have to find something to do, such as making persimmon cakes.
Appendix I to the First Volume of the Twenty-Four Volumes of the Moon Order in the Broad Sense
Make persimmon cakes
During the frost season, because of the large temperature difference between day and night, the persimmons in this season are large, thin-skinned, sweet, have the best taste and high nutritional value.
It's a shame that such a delicious bite is only enjoyed in autumn, so people make persimmons into persimmon cakes.
The uneaten persimmons are peeled and skewered and hung under the eaves. Persimmon cake during the frost season, after the natural frost falls, the sugar slowly precipitates, and a thin layer of white frost is gradually formed on the surface of the persimmon, the crust is glued and flexible, and the inside is a loose texture, sweet and soft.
Sacrifice flag
In ancient times, in addition to making persimmon cakes during the frost season, there was also a more solemn custom, which was the qí dào (sacrificial flag).
This is also recorded in the "Moon Order Broad Sense Twenty-four Volumes of the First Volume Appendix I": "Wu Xue Editor: Frost Descending Sacrifice Banner, Heaven and Earth Guardhouse. ”
"Moon Order Broad Sense Twenty-Four Volumes First Volume First Appendix Volume I"
So why sacrifice the flag?
Flags, the large flags of toba decorated in ancient armies.
In the Zhou Li Xia Guan Sima (周礼夏官大司馬), it is recorded:
"Zhongchun, Jiao Zhen Brigade, Sima Zhi banner to the people, Ping Lie Chen ... Mid-Autumn Festival, teaching and governing soldiers, such as the Chen of the Zhen Brigade, the use of distinguishing flags..."
This chapter is mainly about the details of Sima Da's training in the four seasons, in addition to the basic formation and combat methods, but also to teach the soldiers to understand the role of the flag and the specific use of the method.
This can also be seen that the ancients attached great importance to the role of the flag and the importance of the flag in ancient warfare. Therefore, in ancient times, military activities such as military expeditions, squad divisions, and triumphs were mostly sacrificed to the god of the flag.
"Zhou Li Xia Guan, Sima Da"
Autumn ends with the winter solstice
As soon as this year's frost falls, the autumn of 2021 is gone forever.
Autumn is gloomy, always giving people the illusion that autumn is long, but the actual autumn color is hurried. The flowers and leaves wither into nutrients, and if you cover them with a layer of frost, everything will be clear.
Crab leaves are green, trees are yellow, and in these yellow and gray spaces, people also become trance-like. Only the fiery red persimmons hanging under the eaves remind everyone that autumn has come and is leaving.
【Reference】
The Classic of Mountains and Seas
It is an ancient Chinese book describing ancient Zhiwei, which mainly includes geographical knowledge of folklore such as mountains and rivers, geography, medicine, sacrifice, witch doctors, etc. There are 18 surviving chapters in the book, and the rest of the chapters are early. There are 5 Tibetan Mountain Classics, 4 Overseas Classics, 5 Hainei Classics, and 4 Great Wilderness Classics.
The full name of "Li Ji • Moon Order" is "Li Ji • Moon Order No. 6"
It is a Confucian book written by two Han Chinese, with a total of 13 articles. This miscellaneous collection is the earliest and most complete surviving historical document of the recording of star observations in the 12th month of the year.
"Moon Order In broad sense"
Synopsis of the Four Libraries: Written by Ming Feng Yingjing and continued by Dai Ren. A comprehensive discussion of astronomy and climate, and a non-agricultural book that describes things according to the order of the month, the whole book is a total of twenty-four volumes, which is the earliest geographical and climatic book that can be found in ancient China.
《Zhou Li》
It is a Confucian classic, which is said to have been written by Zhou Gongdan, a famous politician, thinker, writer and military figure of the Western Zhou Dynasty. The content of the Zhou Li is extremely rich, used to maintain the sub-sealing system, and can be called a treasure house of ancient cultural history.
More ancient books can be consulted in the Meszy Online Library
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Typography | Cat her (part of the picture comes from the Internet, invaded and deleted)