The first day of October is a very important day in ancient Chinese society. Folk proverb: "The beginning of October is a yin, charcoal firewood is as expensive as gold", "the beginning of October is sunny, single clothes are cold in winter", "cold clothes are added to the ancestors, the ancestors have warm clothes and do not worry"...
So, this is a festival that is often overlooked – the Winter Clothing Festival.
Zhou Qin and Han Dynasties
The Winter Clothing Festival originated in the Zhou Dynasty, which is the first day of the tenth month of the lunar calendar every year, and the festival pays special attention to the sacrifice of the first deceased, which is called sending cold clothes.
The Book of Rites and Moon Orders describes the situation of the Zhou Dynasty La sacrifice: with prey as sacrifices, the Son of Heaven sacrificed the gods of the sun, moon, stars and stars on the altar, and sacrificed five generations of ancestors in the door room, while comforting the peasants and promulgating a new work and rest system.
The Winter Clothing Festival marks the arrival of a harsh winter and is also a day to send warm clothes to people who care about parents and lovers.
The Book of Poetry, Wind, and July mentions that "the fire flows in July, and the clothes are given in September", which means that from September onwards, the sky gradually becomes colder. It's time for people to buy clothes to keep them warm,
Therefore, the first day of October is also commonly known as the Clothing Festival.
Note here:
After the Qin Emperor unified the Six Kingdoms, October was the first month.
Therefore, the tenth month of the lunar calendar at the end of the year has become the most solemn festival, in this grand festival, the sacrifice of heaven and earth has become a custom, and the Qin Emperor, who is strong in military strength, will also sacrifice the "lord of soldiers" Xuan You in this grand festival. According to the "Records of Emperor Gao of the Book of Han", after Liu Bang entered Guanzhong, he did not change the calendar of the Qin Dynasty, until Emperor Wu of Han promulgated the "Taichu Calendar", with October as the first month.
Therefore, the winter is in October, the beginning of winter, and the ancient lunar calendar October is a relatively cold season.
"It is the moon also, the son of heaven begins to qiu" . The Son of Heaven put on a leather coat, and of course he also had to sympathize with the warmth and coldness of his subordinates and the people.
As a result, the "October Dress" became part of the festival.
The Son of Heaven rewarded the courtiers with clothes, the people also bought thick clothes for the winter, and the local government distributed winter clothes to the poor.
The Tang Dynasty Liu Jian has a verse cloud:
"In October, the hibiscus flowers are full of branches, and the Heavenly Court Rider gives winter clothes."
The word "stagecoach" indicates that the "October gift" is rain and dew, and all officials of a certain rank, no matter where they serve, will be rewarded by the Son of Heaven.
Two Song Dynasties
In the Northern Song Dynasty, the customs of the Winter Cloth Festival mainly had two aspects: teaching clothes and burning clothes.
The so-called gift of clothes, that is, the emperor rewards cotton clothes to civil and military officials to show concern.
Elder Meng said in "Tokyo Dream Record":
"On the day of October, Zaichen has been dressed in brocade for three days."
In the "Tokyo Dream Record", it is described in this way that the scene of sending winter clothes in the capital city of Kaifeng (Bieliang) on October 1:
In the second half of September, he sold his boots, shoes, hats, and clothes, and burned them on October New Year's Day. ”
It can be seen from this that at that time, people attached great importance to the issue of sending winter clothes, and before the arrival of the winter clothes festival, the clothing shop prepared clothes, shoes and hats for sacrifice, for people to burn on the first day of October.
During the Southern Song Dynasty, the people began to rise to sweep tombs and burn clothes on October New Year's Day.
Song Dynasty Meticulous "Past Events of Wulin":
"In October Shuo, everyone went out to visit the tomb in the suburbs, and used cotton fur to dress and so on."
Ming and Qing dynasties
In the Ming Dynasty, the custom of sending cold clothes was further developed, and cold clothes were more colorful.
The Winter Clothing Festival is also listed as a day of three festivals a year.
Because this day commemorates the first deceased, together with the Qingming Festival in spring and the Zhongyuan Festival in autumn, it is called the three "ancestor worship festivals" in the year.
In the Ming Dynasty Liu Tong and Yu Yizheng's "Imperial Capital Scenery and Material Strategy", a more detailed account of the situation of the Winter Clothing Festival in the capital at that time was made: "On October 1, the paper was cut in five colors, made for men and women, and the length of the ruler was close, and the cold clothes were known as the cold clothes, and there were loose prints and lines that knew his surname and characters, such as sending books. The family repairs the night, burns its door, and sends winter clothes. ”
The Hanyi Festival of the Qing Dynasty basically followed the old customs of the Ming Dynasty, such as Pan Rongxi's "Ji Sheng Sending Winter Clothes in the Age of Emperor Jing": "October Shuo ... Scholars' families worship ancestors to sweep the tombs, such as Zhongyuan Yi.
In the evening, the book was written in the evening, and the five-colored drapery was made into a crown and clothing, and burned outside the door, and the cold clothes were sent. ”
But in terms of scale and the items sent, it is more exquisite than before, not only sending clothes, but also sending banknotes.
For example, in the Beijing area, before the first of October every year, people go to the South Paper Shop to buy winter clothing paper (that is, the colored wax flower paper burned alive in the dark cloth shop), buy it home, and then cut it into strips in the shape of cloth, and then print various color patterns such as peonies, chrysanthemums, butterflies, etc., and some also cut the winter clothing paper into clothes and pants.
However, no matter what kind of winter clothes are used, they must be mainly paper money and paper ingots.
It can be seen that the Qing Dynasty people sent cold clothes and paid more attention to the role of money.
"Seven Laws of Winter Clothing Festival"
This section has never been about me,
This year, I will fry my heart.
Looking northwest of cross streets,
Three more revealed dream soul invasion.
Star insular Qi Han Tsubaki Tree,
Send cotton coats and feathers.
When the paper money is removed, go around me,
Yi Yi should be two strings.
Seven Absolute Winter Clothes Festival
Green smoke sunset is more twilight
The road fire is full of traces
Send it to the undead to burn the coins
The path of meditation is cold and distant to the family
Seven absolutes. Eclipse wounds
Shinma cut out brocade makeup
Kneel to the southwest and be sad
The old man Quancheng and do not wait
Send paper money to the underworld
Seven absolutes. Send condolences
Winter clothes are delivered on the street tonight
Indebtedness to family affection for self-knowledge
Suddenly remember the human housing stock
Chat will be sent together with mourning
Song Liu Kezhuang's "Reading the Seven Absolutes of the Qin Dynasty"
The head of the qian died in the city,
The body of the beam is straight with a speck of dust
I don't know if I was recruited on that day,
There are a few people who send winter coats
Life is still going on, and good health is the best.
Send a winter coat, may the relatives of heaven no longer be lonely;
Burn a piece of incense, may the deceased rest in peace, and the living be at peace;
Send a message of mourning, may the loved ones in heaven, all be well;
Light a heart lamp, illuminate the road of heaven, let the deceased in heaven no longer be lonely and cold, and send the remembrance of the deceased.