In ancient China, before the spring, there were acts of reducing or exempting prisoners from punishment and giving them pity and pension. "The Book of Rites and the Moon Order" wrote: "Martial morality and the life of order, celebration and benefit, trillions of people. Sacrifice is useless, logging is forbidden, nesting is not allowed, children are not killed, and eggs are not allowed. " When Emperor Wen, Zhang and Zhang were in power, they often issued imperial edicts to support prisoners, reduce punishment and relieve loneliness. For example, in the second year of Emperor Hanyuan, he made an imperial edict for three days: "Fang Chun gave birth to a child and everything should be improved. Should help Meng Yang, to educate things at that time. There must be a division of labor, and sin does not kill. Don't investigate the case, tell the officials, and don't listen. I hope to make peace and respect the weather. " The ancients thought that the sun be the spirit in spring, and everything began to grow. It would be unreasonable to exclude only human beings, so the Book of Rites has a sentence of "spring loneliness". "Spring and Autumn Annals" also has the five elements of water control: "beginning of spring gives a light rehabilitation, goes to detention, removes oranges, opens and closes worshippers, blocks obstacles, defends young orphans, and regrets loneliness." All these have the significance of the times in education.
Therefore, in ancient beginning of spring customs, officials at all levels often deal with all the backlog cases one by one in the week before beginning of spring, and according to the seriousness of the cases, some criminals who are "unforgivable" are relieved or exempted from punishment, in order to refresh their minds and increase the population. Those who turn themselves in are allowed to repent and turn over a new leaf as a sign of rebirth.
The beginning of the custom of the Spring Festival.
The day before in beginning of spring, people used to greet the Spring Festival first. Spring brings life to everything. The ancients called farming spring, busy farming spring. "Book Biography" records: "Nothing happens in winter, and people get along with each other. Since spring, Ding Zhuang has succeeded. " Huang Tingjian wrote in a poem: "The countryside is just busy in spring." Spring is also the season of sowing, so when it comes to cultivated land, it should also be called spring ploughing.
The beginning of farming customs in the Spring Festival.
China is an agricultural country and attaches great importance to festivals. "Moon Order" recorded the etiquette of welcoming the Spring, which was gradually improved by Emperor Han Ming in the East, and later generations even listed it as a ceremony. Local officials also held a Spring Festival ceremony the day before the beginning of spring. In the folk, the ceremony of welcoming the Spring is more grand and warm. On the one hand, its purpose is to persuade farmers to pay attention to the birth of June 1, on the other hand, it shows that people should cherish glory and not live up to the best season of the year.
The custom of spring-riding for a walk
Riding a horse in beginning of spring custom is riding a horse, which prevailed in Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty. At that time, someone said, "You don't need to read when you are born. Fighting cocks is better than reading." Northerners like riding horses since ancient times because of their geographical terrain.
Beginning of spring custom-Cuju
Cuju was very popular in ancient times. According to legend, it originated from the Yellow Emperor, and it is also a custom that began in spring. "Historical Records": "Lagging behind leads to setbacks." "Later Han Dynasty": "Six Bo Cuju." There are twenty-five articles about crossbows in Literature and History. Yan Shigu wrote in his notes: "Bowing with Wei (skin) is a thing, kicking is a play. The matter of Chen Li was attached to the art of war in the past. " "Tai Yu Ping Lan" quoted Sanzang Jiehua as saying: "Bow, send pills, you can hit."
Cuju plays football today. In the Han dynasty, when playing this game, you had to dig a hole in the ground and kick the ball in. Because the ball is easy to run to other places and needs to be chased hard, you have to dig a boundary line to indicate the limit. (See Biography of Lady Qi and Biography of Huo Qubing in the Later Han Dynasty. There was a special stadium in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, which was wide and flat, no different from today's stadium. When making a bow, insert two bamboo poles tens of feet high into the ground and net the bamboo poles as the goal. Whoever can kick to the goal wins. Players are divided into two teams, left and right, to play against each other. Another kind of entertainment is called stepping on the ball, that is, running around the corner with your feet on the ball. "Tang Yulin Volume 5": "Today, musicians have a scene of pinball, making colored wooden balls, one or two feet high, and female prostitutes climb high. The ball turns around and everything goes well, which is also the legacy of Gaigu. " The rules listed in Cuju Atlas written by Wang Yuncheng in Ming Dynasty are very detailed, involving the division of left and right teams, goals, social rules, kicking methods and many other detailed rules. In Lin 'an in the Southern Song Dynasty, all the clubs played cuju.
Beginning of spring Customs-Chuntai Opera
Various recreational activities are held in various places to welcome spring, which bodes well. People set up a stage in an empty place, raise funds to invite the troupe to perform and pray for prosperity, which is called spring stage play. After beginning of spring was sold in spring, the weather became warmer and warmer, which often made people feel sleepy and lazy. Beginning of spring's children had to get up early that day, shouting "Selling Spring Sleepiness!" Cheer up. In the Song Dynasty, Lu You wrote the poem "Old Potato": "Don't sell it from now on, sleep until the sun rises three feet." In addition, there is the Chronicle, "Selling sleepy children from the fifth watch", and there is a self-explanation note after the poem: "beginning of spring is not clear, and it is also a cliche to call' selling sleepy spring'."
The beginning of spring custom-the son of heaven plows the land.
In ancient times, emperors and generals had the etiquette of ploughing, which was also one of the customs in beginning of spring. Precision field is a field cultivated by the ancient emperors by requisitioning people's power. According to ancient books, the son of heaven has a thousand acres of refined fields and a hundred acres of princes. There is a record about Meng Chun in The Book of Rites: "It is the moon, and the son of heaven prayed to God for the moon. Chen Yuan was chosen, and the son of heaven personally carried him to rake him, so he took measures in Baojie's imperial room. He was handsome, was the doctor of three princes and nine princes, and devoted himself to the emperor. The son of heaven pushed three times, three times and five times. The Qing princes pushed it nine times. " Jie Bao, that is, armor; Ginseng is the horse you ride. Warriors wear armor to protect the king, and farm tools are placed between the horse and the driver. Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Jing issued imperial edicts one after another, announcing that the whole country would "farm together to give Su Sheng a place in the ancestral temple" and that "farming together is the best in the world".
Since then, the emperor Yu Lichun personally cultivated in the refined fields, sacrificed to the early farmers, and built a refined grain warehouse, all of which were used as sacrifices to gather grain, that is, sacrifices. Since then, several generations have followed this rule, with only a small difference in time, either in the first month or in February. Emperor Gaozu Zhang, Emperor Taizong and Emperor Wu of Jin all used the first month, while Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Wu of Qi used February.
In the Qing Dynasty, from the fifth year of Yongzheng, the capital and all the states, prefectures and counties had to choose clean and lush fields in the eastern suburbs to build the Xiannongtan. There are four acres and nine cents, a bull and a pair of farm tools on the altar. Choose two industrious and cautious farmers, remove them from their posts, and ration them as appropriate, so that they can guard irrigation in the farm altar. Field as a sacrifice, thought Su Sheng. Every February, choose an auspicious day, at dawn. Local venerable elders and farmers' representatives, led by officials, paid homage in front of the Xiannong altar. After the sacrifice, the officials took off their embroidered robes and performed nine ceremonies in accordance with Jiuqing's farming regulations. The farm tools are red, the cows are black and the seed boxes are blue. In the county, the magistrate of a county helped to plow the fields and plant scriptures. A venerable old man led a cow and played music to celebrate the harvest. Finally, the farmer plowed all the fields, and all the seeds used should be carefully selected according to the nature of the local land. The ceremony was very grand.
Beginning of spring Customize-Manage Farm Tools
After beginning of spring, farming is about to begin. Farmers must sort out farm tools, sort out what can be used and buy what can't be used again. In the Song Dynasty, Lu You wrote a poem: "beginning of spring is the head of agricultural machinery in the new drama." When farmers test farm tools, they beat drums to celebrate, which is called long seedling drum, in order to hope that the seedlings will grow well and have a good harvest.
Beginning of spring custom-beekeeping
After beginning of spring. The weather is getting warmer and warmer, and plants begin to sprout and bloom. At this time, the bees that had been lurking in the nest for the winter will gradually start to move. Therefore, it is necessary to check and arrange the beehives recently, and prepare all the appliances needed for honey cutting and packaging, such as beehives, relay boxes, partitions, bee traps, bee sweepers, smokers, masks, gloves, honey cutters, queen bee cages, bait feeders, etc., so as to make all the work go smoothly. As for those who have just started beekeeping, they have little experience. The management is immature, and it is particularly convenient to start in spring. As the weather is mild, even a small negligence will not easily lead to failure.
Beginning of spring custom-chewing spring.
Beginning of spring eats spring cakes and lettuce, commonly known as chewing, biting or tasting spring. In the Tang Dynasty, beginning of spring had the custom of cooking spring dishes on this day. "Four Seasons Treasure" contains: "On the day of beginning of spring, people in the Tang Dynasty made spring cakes and lettuce, and the number was spring plate." Du Fu wrote in "beginning of spring": "Fine lettuce is in the spring, and when I suddenly remember the second Jingmei, the high door went out of White King, and the vegetable hand fled the moss." Cen Can has a poem: "Runan looks far away and goes to Spring Festival travel rush early." Su Shi in Song Dynasty said: "Qing Chu and Huang Fei tried spring." Yuan in the Jin Dynasty also asked: "Li's country is striving for spring and hongxia is moving." These poems are to welcome the new year.
In the past, in the days of spring, the court would give the courtiers a dish of spring vegetables, which was very beautiful. This was true in both the Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty. (Records of Song Shili) records: "beginning of spring gave a spring banquet." < Travel Notes of Yan Dou: "Every year, on the day of beginning of spring, at the noon gate, spring cakes are sent to Guan Bai." According to the Chronicle of Gan Chun, each dish of spring vegetables produced by Hou Yuan is worth tens of thousands of yuan. Feng Yingjing wrote in "Generalized Moon Order": "Spring cake makers, thin agents melt vegetables and meat to cover food." Jiangnan is commonly known as spring rolls, which are mostly fried in oil pan, but also baked into pancakes with flour and eaten by rolling things, so it is also called pancakes. "Suiyuan Recipe" has: "Shandong Kongfantai family, making pancakes, as thin as cicada wings, as big as a tea tray, soft and greasy." There is also: "Qin people make Xiaoxi Bear, and there are 30 cakes in it, one for each guest. The cake is as small as an orange, and the male has a lid. They can store stuffing and use fried shredded pork, which is as thin as hair, as well as onions, and pigs and sheep can use it together. " In recent years, seasoned people use ham, shrimp, chicken, crab powder, winter bamboo shoots and shredded pork as stuffing to make spring cakes to entertain guests, which is particularly popular.
Beginning of spring custom-biting spring.
Spring radish was sown in late autumn last year. Radish root is fat, sweet and crisp, and red in color can also wake up the spirit, replenish qi, eliminate phlegm and clear heat, and keep fit and beautify. Radish is best eaten raw. The more juice, the better the effect. Suffering from stomach acid, it is best to eat raw carrots every meal, especially fresh and tender ones. In the north of China, eating radish in the early spring is very popular, and it is said that it can relieve the spring sleep. According to "Poetry in the North of the City", the custom in Beijing is that beginning of spring eats radish, which is called biting spring. At this time, it is often in the middle of the night, and there are people selling radishes in the market, shouting "Better than crisp pears!" Peng's Youzhou Folk Songs Bite Spring says: "Radish is spicy and famous for biting spring. This is the original meaning of ancient cuisine. You can be ashamed to eat 10 thousand yuan, eat 10 thousand yuan and play games. You get drunk when you sing, you can't go to the water in the mountain village, and you have been sleeping for 90 years. Spring people who know the taste of spring. "
Beginning of spring custom-Spring Festival.
Cinnamomum camphora leaves are leaves of Cinnamomum camphora, which are warm and delicious. Burning camphor leaves can ward off evil spirits, dehumidify and kill insects. Today, people in eastern Zhejiang burned camphor leaves in the yard, which made them creak. It is said that it can dispel yin evil, commonly known as Jiequan, also known as bonfire spring.
Beginning of spring custom-simmering in spring.
Tea is mild and bitter, slightly cold. Drinking tea can clear away heat, reduce fire, help digestion, wake up, cure sores, induce diuresis and eliminate phlegm, clear away heat and dry dampness, make people sleep less and treat fatigue and neurasthenia. Boiling tea leaves into thick juice is helpful to spit out wind-heat phlegm and saliva. Tea juice has a powerful bactericidal function, and it can prevent infectious diseases if you drink it regularly. Today, the purpose of making tea is to achieve yang and cheer up the spirit, commonly known as simmering spring.
Beginning of spring custom cut flowers.
Dressing colored paper to take it as the image of flowers and fruits was very developed in the Han Dynasty. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Wang Fu once mocked the cost of colored flowers in On the Hidden Husband, which shows the prevalence of ribbon-cutting at that time. The people of Xinyejun clan in Jin Dynasty cut flowers, made hibiscus flowers with dyed silk, and twisted them into the shape of lotus root with wax. The cut plum blossoms are more like real objects. Emperor Jinhui once ordered the ladies-in-waiting to insert colorful medulla tetrapanacis into the bun as decoration. The folk customs in Jingchu area were all cut out and put on their heads that day in beginning of spring. Under the system of the Tang Dynasty, when beginning of spring was in China, Japanese Langguan and officials above the suggestion and history would give Zaifu, the prince and the near minister "a win in spring" and "a win in gold and silver", and they could take them home after they entered the palace to pay their respects. Folk ribbon-cutting is made into a spring plate instead of on the head. Between Tang Zhongzong and the Year of the Dragon, beginning of spring cut the ribbon at sunrise; Beginning of spring, the eighth day of the first month of Jinglong four years. Zhongzong ordered courtiers to welcome the Spring Festival, and Ouchi sent colored flowers, one for each person. "Youyang Miscellaneous Sister" contains: "On the day of beginning of spring, it is the home of scholar-officials. Paper-cutting is a small broadcast, or it is the first in Yu Meiren. Or put it under flowers and cut it for spring butterflies, spring and money. " This custom remained until the Song Dynasty. Ouyang Xiu wrote in a poem: "* * * I'm glad the swallow came." Wang Zeng wrote in "Spring Post": "Chae Yeon welcomes the spring and people fly." On this day in Lin 'an and beginning of spring in the Southern Song Dynasty, women all like to sow in spring and win in spring, with colorful gold threads and different colors. Make Ziyan Huang Die, etc., and give them to friends and relatives.
Beginning of spring custom-posting Spring Festival couplets
Sticking the word "Yichun" on the lintel is a sign of a happy New Year.
Beginning of spring custom made-plastic Niu
The children carved the local calf to praise the diligence and strength of the spring ox.
Spring custom-tug of war
Tug of war means dragging a hook, dragging a hook. It was originally a custom in Jingchu area. In the Tang Dynasty, I was berthing. I heard that tug-of-war was called a tug-of-war in ancient times. It is customary in Xiang Han to watch the sun in the first month. According to legend, Chu will attack Wu Jiaozhan. In ancient times, people looked down on cables. Today, people use hemp rope, which is forty or fifty feet long and has hundreds of small ropes tied at both ends. Divide into two friends and hug each other. When you are in the middle of the rope, set up the flag as the boundary, drum and shout, let the other side pull, the quitter wins, and the loser calls it tug-of-war. " It flourished in the Jin and Tang Dynasties. Soldiers, maids, prime ministers, generals, etc. It was used as a play in the Tang Dynasty. "Book of the Tang Dynasty Volume 5 Military Records": "The six armies are all residents of the city. The rich sell colorful meat, while the strong are fighting and tug-of-war, carrying wood and iron. The chaos in Lushan Mountain cannot be closed. " "Book of the Tang Dynasty Volume IV Zetian Biography" has: "Jinglong was ugly in February of the third year, and the queen was fortunate to announce the Wumen Gate and watch the palace maid tug-of-war, which was a palace drama." In the past four years, Jinglong "dragged the tug-of-war with the queen's concubine and the palace master and watched more than three products." By the time of Zhongzong and Xuanzong, the tug-of-war was even larger, with thousands of people holding the rope, and the audience was horrified. Hedong Xue Sheng, who was admitted as a scholar at that time, wrote Tug-of-War Fu, which was used to record the spectacular scenes at that time and was circulated by everyone.
Tug of war in the custom of spring
The Beginning of Spring Custom-Spring Rebellion
People in ancient times held weddings. Mostly in spring, the Book of Songs has the sentences of "Taoyao" and "Livable". Beginning of spring is a day of revival. Anyone who has lost the time to get married before can get married today, so that everything can be conceived in spring. Guangzhou area is commonly known as the Spring Chaos.
Beginning of spring custom-coronation ceremony
Crown ceremony is the beginning of etiquette, so we must be respectful and cautious. In ancient times, a man was crowned at the age of 20, indicating that he was qualified to become an adult. You can get married or be an official. As for folk customs, when a man reaches the age of 15, he can hold coronation ceremonies at the beginning of the year, Tomb-Sweeping Day and the winter solstice to pay homage to the ancestral hall of heaven and earth and the monarch. For the sake of convenience, people who are about to get married can also hold a coronation ceremony at the same time as the wedding season. Therefore, it is also possible to hold a coronation ceremony at the beginning of spring, which means that the three suns will open up Thailand, and everything will be brand-new, and it also places the good wishes of young people to be brave and enterprising.
Beginning of spring custom-plum blossom letter
This month in Hua Xinfeng, it is commonly known as Plum Blossom's letter 24 times a year, and Meixin is the earliest. Due to the climate and land, the opening time of Chun Mei varies from place to place, and it began to blossom after beginning of spring. Modern Luofu Mountain in Huizhou, Guangdong, Dagengling in Nanxiong, Fujian, Meihua Mountain in Quanzhou, Guilin in Guangxi, Caotang in Chengdu, Sichuan and Baihuatan are all famous for plum blossoms. In addition, in the cemetery in Nanjing, Meiyuan in Wuxi, Dengwei Mountain in Suzhou, Gushan Mountain in Hangzhou, Chaoshan and other places, plum blossoms are in full bloom in early spring, red, English and green. It can be called a fragrant country.