The origin of January?

Lunar calendar: Spring Festival (the first day of the first lunar month), Lu Shen’s birthday (the fifth day of the first lunar month), Lantern Festival (the fifteenth day of the first lunar month), the twenty-fifth day of the first lunar month (the fifth day of the first lunar month and the twenty-fifth day of the first lunar month vary depending on the place) It’s different, some places celebrate it, some places don’t. )

Spring Festival

Spring Festival generally refers to New Year’s Eve and the first day of the first lunar month. But among the people, the Spring Festival in the traditional sense refers to the period from the twelfth lunar month on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, or the twelfth lunar month on the 23rd or 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, with New Year's Eve and the first day of the first lunar month as the climax. During the Spring Festival, my country's Han and many ethnic minorities hold various activities to celebrate. These activities mainly focus on offering sacrifices to gods and Buddhas, paying homage to ancestors, eradicating the old and bringing in the new, welcoming the new year and blessings, and praying for a good harvest. The activities are rich and colorful with strong national characteristics.

The first day of the first lunar month of the lunar calendar has more than 30 names in ancient times, including Yuan Day, New Year's Day, Yuan Zheng, Yuan Chen, Yuan Shuo, San Yuan, San Chao, San Zheng, Zheng Dan, Zheng Shuo, etc. After the Revolution of 1911, After changing to the Gregorian calendar, this day was designated as the Spring Festival to distinguish it from the New Year's Day in the Gregorian calendar. However, generally people are still used to treating it as a New Year's Day, commonly known as "Chinese New Year", "Chinese New Year", "Old Calendar Year", and "Lunar New Year". The New Year Festival was first mentioned in "Shang Shu Shun Dian". By the Han Dynasty, folk customs had become quite numerous. It is still the most solemn festival of the year. Public officials have a three-day holiday and folk celebrations last for half a month.

According to the old custom, the Spring Festival starts at midnight on the first day of the Lunar New Year. In Shandong Province, parents usually get up first to "hand out papers" and put a fire whip before opening the door before they can speak. Men, led by their parents, worship the gods of heaven and earth. This is the first meal of the Spring Festival. Dumplings are eaten with rice. When cooking dumplings, firecrackers are set off. In order to drive away evil and seek good luck, some areas use sesame straw to cook dumplings, which means that the new year is like sesame seeds blooming steadily, and the days are getting better and better. The dumplings need to be cooked a lot, so there must be enough. After the meal, steamed buns should be put in the pot to have more. After the dumplings are cooked, first fill a bowl to worship heaven and earth, and then fill a bowl to honor the kitchen god. When dining, except one bowl for each person In addition to the bowl, one or two more bowls should be filled, which is intended to hope that the population will be prosperous. Eating dumplings is full of festive joy. During the Spring Festival, dumplings are often filled with money, dates, chestnuts, etc. Eating red dates means a new year. If you can get up early and work in the new year, you will get rich through hard work; if you eat chestnuts, you will be able to work hard and sweat profusely in the new year; if you eat peanuts, you will live a long life; if you eat money, you will get rich. No matter who Everyone heartily congratulates the child who eats any of them. If the child eats the money, the parents are even more happy and think that the child has a promising future. In addition to encouragement, they also give money to express their congratulations. In many places, dumplings with vegetarian fillings are eaten on the first day of the new year. Taking the meaning of "a year of quietness". In Linqing, people eat various kinds of steamed buns, date cakes, glutinous rice cakes, etc. for breakfast on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and they also eat a "whole dish" made of various kinds of meatballs, vermicelli, and cabbage, which is called "Eat meals for the whole year."

The custom of paying New Year greetings during the Spring Festival has a long history and continues to this day. First of all, family greetings are carried out. In a family, the younger generation pays New Year greetings to the elders, and the same generation greets each other; Worship means paying New Year greetings to the elders who have not left the fifth server; the last is distant greetings, which means New Year greetings to the elders and relatives and friends who have given the fifth server. In the old days, people would kowtow when paying New Year greetings, but now they usually just say hello. When businessmen pay New Year greetings, in addition to saying hello, they also have to say hello to each other. Congratulations on making a fortune. When the younger generation pays New Year greetings to their elders, the elders must give New Year's money. On the first day of the New Year's greetings in the Qing Dynasty, men and married women attend, and men and women are separated. They pay homage to their own elders, and then pay homage to the elders in the clan. This is called "joint clan New Year greetings." After that, the clan chiefs led the people to worship the gods in various temples and ancestral halls of different surnames. This is called "the village year of worship". Finally, the village chief directed the whole village to worship each other at the crossroads in the village to resolve the disputes and grievances of the past years. This is It is called "Worship the Year of Unity". There is a custom in Yuncheng and other places of "Begging for elders at the fifth watch of the Spring Festival". After getting up, children silently hug the chun tree tightly, and at the same time sing "chun tree king of chun tree, you have grown thicker" Come and let me grow, you will grow thicker and make materials, and I will grow thicker and wear clothes." Zoucheng has a special custom of digging rat holes. On the morning of the first day of the new year, they use a rolling pin to dig rat holes, and while doing so, they say "poke, poke, poke." , poke and poke, nine out of ten mice are blind, and there is one that is not blind, and you have to ask me to poke it." It is intended to ensure food security.

There are many taboos on the first day of the new year, and they are similar in different places. Ju In the south, it is taboo to push the mill (the mill was sealed in the first year of the year, and it is not allowed to be used until the fifth day of the lunar month), to fetch water, to sweep the floor, and to beat and curse people. In Linyi, it is taboo to use needles and money, to make dumplings, to eat meat, and to pound garlic. It is forbidden to light lamps on the night of the first day of the Lunar New Year in Yiyuan. It is said that if you light the lamps, rats will become infested. It is most taboo in Jiaodong to break things on the first day of the Lunar New Year. If you break something, you should hold the fragments in your hand, do not look back, do not speak, go straight to the well, and put the Throw the fragments into the well, otherwise they will be "the main culprit". In some places, after breaking the utensils, they recite the auspicious saying "Sui Sui (broken pieces) peace" to crack it. When boiling dumplings on the first day of the Lunar New Year, do not say "broke" if they are broken, but say "broke" instead. "Earned (earned)". When eating dumplings and garlic during the New Year in the store, because "garlic" and "san" have the same pronunciation, garlic is renamed "Yihe cuisine".

Entertainment activities are carried out during the Spring Festival. It is very common among people in Shandong. There are various forms such as Yangko, dragon lanterns, lion dance, land boat racing, martial arts performances, ball games, etc. From the second to the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, there is a Drum Tower Gate Party in Qufu City, and the Confucius Temple is open. At the meeting, there are flower drums and blind tunes. There are local opera performances, folk art performances, and various vendors selling toys, fireworks, flowers, fried cakes, etc. The festival is most popular on the 14th, and many people from the countryside come to the city to attend the festival, which is commonly known as "go shopping" "Hui". In order to watch the lively scene of the meeting, the ladies and wives of the Confucius Mansion built a platform and a shed by the wall inside the gate of the Confucius Mansion, hung lanterns and colorful decorations, and hung bamboo curtains on the street side of the platform to allow sightseeing through the curtains.

.

The origin of Lu God’s birthday festival on the fifth day of the first lunar month every year:

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, “Lutou God” is a god of wealth believed in by Wu. This is his birthday, and it is quite spectacular to offer sacrifices and greet him.

"Lutou" is also known as the "Five Road God". It is said that there was He Wulu in the late Yuan Dynasty, and he died to resist foreign invaders. People therefore He was worshiped as a god and named "Five-Road God". However, this "Five-Road God" seems to have nothing to do with the "Lutou Five-Road God" as the God of Wealth. Or the "Five-Road God" is actually the "Five Holy Gods". Or "Wutong God". After Tang Bin destroyed and banned the Wutong Temple in Fangshan Mountain during the Kangxi period, people did not dare to worship the "Wutong God", so they changed its name to "Lutou" and worshiped it. Generally speaking, it is called "Lutou". "Head" is the "walking god" in the ancient Five Sacrifice. The so-called five roads refer to the east, west, south, north, and center. Wealth all travels along the road. Therefore, people regard the walking god as the god of wealth and add sacrifices to it in the hope that it will bring money to the door. Traveling is profitable. When ancient people traveled, they worshiped the road god to seek peace. This was the custom of "ancestral customs". Wu customs connected the road and worshiped the road god. This road god became the god of wealth due to the development of commerce. The circulation of goods has intensified. Goods travel between land and water. People intuitively believe that the road dominates the goods.

It is commonly believed that the earlier the road is connected, the better. The earliest to receive the goods. The god is the real god and is particularly efficacious, so it is called "rushing for the road". In some places, people really "rush for the road" on the fourth day of the first lunar month, and it has become a custom. Since the road god is no longer a traveler Protector, people no longer worship it when traveling.

As for people worshiping the Lutou God on the fifth day of the first lunar month and using this day as his birthday, it is one of the "five Lutou Gods" among the five. "It is related to the "five" on the fifth day of the lunar month. It is the same in the north to worship the "five poor" on this day. In the first month instead of other months, it is to take the new year and new weather, hoping for auspiciousness in the year, abundant financial resources, wealth in the east, west, south, north, center Five roads go hand in hand.

Every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month about the origin of the Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China. It existed as early as the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. Lantern viewing began during the Ming Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Emperor Ming advocated Buddhism. Hearing that on the 15th day of the first lunar month in Buddhism, monks viewed the Buddha's relics and lit lanterns to worship the Buddha, he ordered that on this night, lanterns be lit in palaces and temples to worship the Buddha. Lanterns. Later, this kind of Buddhist ritual festival gradually became a grand folk festival. The festival experienced the development process from the palace to the folk, from the Central Plains to the whole country.

During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was ordered. It was designated as the Lantern Festival. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the sacrificial activities for "Taiyi God" were scheduled on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. (Taiyi: the god who dominates everything in the universe). When Sima Qian created the "Taichu Calendar", he had already designated the Lantern Festival as a major festival.

Another theory is that the custom of lighting lanterns during the Lantern Festival originated from the Taoist "Three Yuan Theory"; the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Shangyuan Festival, the fifteenth day of July is the Zhongyuan Festival, and the fifteenth day of October is the Zhongyuan Festival. It is the Xiayuan Festival. The three officials in charge of the upper, middle and lower elements are heaven, earth and man respectively. The heavenly officials are happy, so lanterns must be lit during the Shangyuan Festival.

The festivals and festivals of the Lantern Festival Secular activities have been extended and expanded with the development of history. In terms of the length of the festival, it was only one day in the Han Dynasty, three days in the Tang Dynasty, and five days in the Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, lanterns were lit from the eighth day of the lunar month until The lights are turned off on the night of the seventeenth day of the first lunar month for ten days. In conjunction with the Spring Festival, the city is busy during the day, and the lights are lit at night, which is spectacular. Especially the exquisite and colorful lights make it an entertainment activity during the Spring Festival. The climax of the festival. In the Qing Dynasty, dragon dance, lion dance, land boat racing, stilt walking, Yangko dancing and other "Hundred Opera" contents were added, but the festival period was shortened to four to five days.

About the Lantern Festival There are several interesting folk legends about the origin of lamps:

The legend about lamps

It is said that a long time ago, there were many ferocious birds and beasts, hurting people and livestock everywhere, so people organized themselves When we went to fight them, a divine bird got lost and landed in the human world, but was accidentally shot to death by an unsuspecting hunter. When the Emperor of Heaven found out, he was very angry and immediately issued a decree, ordering the Heavenly Soldiers to set fire to the human world on the 15th day of the first lunar month. All the human and animal property in the world were burned to death. The daughter of the Emperor of Heaven was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see the innocent people suffering, so she risked her life and secretly drove auspicious clouds to the human world and told people the news. Everyone heard the news , it was like a Jiao Lei ringing above my head. I was so frightened that I didn’t know what to do. After a long time, an old man came up with an idea. He said: "On the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth of the first lunar month, every household will Everyone decorated their homes with lanterns, lit firecrackers, and set off fireworks. In this way, the Emperor of Heaven would think that everyone had been burned to death."

Everyone nodded in agreement after hearing this, and then went separately. Arrived. Arrived

On the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Emperor of Heaven looked down and found that the world was filled with red light and loud noises. This was the case for three consecutive nights. He thought it was the flames of a fire and was enjoying himself. In this way, people saved themselves. In order to commemorate this success, from then on every fifteenth day of the first lunar month, every household hung lanterns and set off fireworks to commemorate this day.

It was set up to commemorate "Ping Lu" during the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty

Another legend is that the Lantern Festival was established during the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty to commemorate "Ping Lu". After the death of Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Ying, the son of Empress Lu, ascended the throne as Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Hui was weak and indecisive by nature, and gradually gained power. He fell into the hands of Empress Lu again. After Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty died of illness, Empress Lu took over the affairs of the country and turned the Liu family into the Lu family. The old officials in the court and the Liu family were deeply indignant, but they were all afraid of Empress Lu's cruelty and dared not speak out.

/p>

This matter reached the ears of Liu Nang, the king of Qi, the Liu family. In order to protect the Liu family, Liu Nang decided to launch an army to attack Zhu Lu. Then he contacted the founding veterans Zhou Bo and Chen Ping, and planned to remove Lu Lu. The "Zhu Lu Rebellion" was finally put down completely.

After the rebellion was over, the ministers supported Liu Bang’s second son Liu Heng to ascend the throne and became Emperor Wen of Han. Emperor Wen was deeply aware that peace and prosperity were hard-won, so he designated the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which was the day when the "Zhu Lu Rebellion" was quelled, as a day for people to enjoy themselves. Every house in the capital would put up lanterns and colors to celebrate. From then on, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was celebrated. A folk festival celebrated by everyone - "Lantern Festival".

Dongfang Shuo and the Yuanxiao Girl

This legend is related to the custom of eating Yuanxiao: According to legend, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had a favored minister named His name was Dongfang Shuo, he was kind and funny. One winter, after it snowed heavily for several days, Dongfang Shuo went to the imperial garden to pick plum blossoms for Emperor Wu. As soon as he entered the garden gate, he found a palace maid with tears streaming down her face and about to throw herself into the well. Dongfang Shuo hurriedly stepped forward. He rescued her and asked her why she wanted to commit suicide. It turned out that this palace maid was named Yuanxiao, and she had parents and a younger sister at home. Since she entered the palace, she has never had the chance to see her family again. Every year when the Spring Festival comes, she will She missed her family more than usual. She felt that if she could not fulfill her filial piety in front of her parents, it would be better to die. After hearing her story, Dongfang Shuo felt deeply sympathetic and promised her that he would try to reunite her with her family.

One day, Dongfang Shuo left the palace and set up a divination stall on Chang'an Street. Many people rushed to ask him for divination. Unexpectedly, what everyone asked for was the sign of "the body will be burned on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month" . Suddenly, there was a great panic in Chang'an. People asked for solutions to the disaster. Dongfang Shuo said: "On the evening of the 13th of the first lunar month, the God of Fire will send a red-clothed goddess down to earth to investigate. She is ordered to burn Chang'an." Messenger, I will give you the copied verses so that you can think of a solution today." After saying this, he threw down a red post and walked away. The people picked up the red post and hurriedly sent it to the palace to report to the emperor.

When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took it and took a look, he saw that it read: "Chang'an is in tribulation, Emperor Huo burns the palace, fifteen days of fire, flame red supper", he was shocked, and quickly invited a resourceful man. Dongfang Shuo. Dongfang Shuo thought for a while and said, "I heard that Lord Vulcan loves glutinous rice balls the most. Doesn't the Yuanxiao in the palace often make glutinous rice balls for you? On the night of the 15th, you can let Yuanxiao make glutinous rice balls. Long live the incense and offer them to you." , ordered every household in Kyoto to make glutinous rice balls and worship the God of Fire together. Then he ordered the subjects to hang up lanterns on the night of the 15th, light firecrackers and set off fireworks all over the city, as if the city was full of fire, so that they could hide it from the Jade Emperor. In addition, Inform the people outside the city to come to the city on the night of the 15th night to watch the lanterns and mingle with the crowd to solve problems." After hearing this, Emperor Wu was very happy and sent an order to follow Dongfang Shuo's method.

On the 15th day of the first lunar month, On that day, the city of Chang'an was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and tourists were busy coming and going. The parents of the palace maid Yuanxiao also took their sister to the city to watch the lanterns. When they saw the big palace lantern with the word "Yuanxiao" written on it, they shouted in surprise: "Lanxiao!" Yuanxiao! ", Yuanxiao heard the shout and was finally reunited with his relatives at home.

After such a lively night, Chang'an City was indeed safe and sound. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was overjoyed and ordered that every day on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month from now on. Tangyuan are made for the God of Fire, and on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, lights are hung up all over the city to set off fireworks. Because the glutinous rice balls made for the Lantern Festival are the best, people call the glutinous rice balls Yuanxiao, and this day is called the Lantern Festival.

The Origin of the Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival, also known as the "Lantern Festival" and the "Lantern Festival", is a very grand and lively entertainment-based festival in our country.

The Lantern Festival originated in the Han Dynasty. About the origin of the Lantern Festival There are different opinions.

One theory is Chinese

After the death of the great ancestor Liu Bang, Empress Lu (Pheasant) came to power, and the Lu family controlled the government. After Lu Fei's death, Zhou Bo and Chen Pingping rebelled against the Lus, proclaimed Liu Heng emperor, and called him Emperor Wen of Han. Because of the suppression of the rebellion, Zhu Lu's day falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, so every night, Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty would visit incognito and have fun with the people as a mark of commemoration. In ancient times, "night" was the same as "xiao", and the first month was also called "Yuan Yue". Emperor Wen designated the fifteenth day of the first lunar month as the Lantern Festival, and this night was called "Yuanxiao", also known as "Yuanxi" and "Yuanye".

Some historians believe that the Lantern Festival originated from the Han Dynasty The emperor worshiped Taiyi. According to historical records, when Sima Qian suggested that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty modify the calendar and build the "Taichu Calendar" (the first year of Taichu, 104 BC), the Lantern Festival was listed as a major commemorative festival. "Historical Records· "Book of Music" records: "The Han family often sacrifices to Taiyi Ganquan on the first day of the first lunar month, and at dusk at night, until dawn." "Taiyi" is also called "Taiyi" and "Taiyi", and is the god who dominates everything. "Xing" Sutra" says that Taiyixing is the "God of the Emperor of Heaven and the Lord of the Sixteen Gods". This theory believes that the Lantern Festival on the first lunar month is the imperial sacrificial ceremony, and the whole city is decorated with lights and colors all night long.

There is also a saying that Buddhism Inherited to China, Buddhists believe that the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the day when the Buddha manifested magical transformations and subdued demons. Dharma meetings were held to commemorate the Buddha's magical transformations. In order to show the power of the Buddha, large lanterns were set off. This spread to the people, including nobles and common people. Hanging lanterns. At this point, in addition to the old saying of worshiping the god Tai, there is also the meaning of lighting lanterns to worship Buddha. The combination of the original magic and Buddhist etiquette formed a unique custom of combining Chinese and Western styles. The emperors of the Han Dynasty advocated Buddhism , this custom also became popular due to the advocacy of the government. "Shijiyuan" said: In Chang'an City, the two capitals of the Han Dynasty, Jin Wu was responsible for the curfew. Wu Jin was banned for one day before and after, and the people were allowed to walk on the moon and watch the lanterns. This is the reason why "Jin Wu was not forbidden" was written in many places during the Lantern Festival.

Compared with the above legends, folk opinions about Dongfang Shuoqiao The legend of the Lantern Festival is even more legendary. It is said that during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there was a maid named Yuanxiao who wanted to die because she missed her parents and could not see each other. Dongfang Shuo, a resourceful and kind-hearted minister of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, was very sympathetic to Yuanxiao. In order to give Yuanxiao a chance After meeting and reuniting with his parents, he spread the news that the God of Fire would burn down Kyoto and Chang'an on the 15th day of the first lunar month.

Seeing that the people in the city were panicking, Dongfang Shuo persuaded Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to let everyone in the court know on the 15th day of the first lunar month. He went out to avoid the fire, and then asked the people in the city to hang up red lanterns and set off fireworks to deceive the God of Fire who was observing the fire, so as to ensure that Chang'an was peaceful and safe on the 15th day of the first lunar month. With the help of Dongfang Shuo, the palace maid Yuanxiao was able to leave the palace and reunite with her parents. From then on, on the night of the 15th day of the first lunar month, red lights and fireworks will be hung up everywhere.

Watching fireworks during the Lantern Festival

Another climax of the Spring Festival - the Lantern Festival is here. I heard that this year The fireworks show was particularly exciting. Just after dinner in the evening, we couldn’t wait to join the crowd of people going to watch the fireworks show.

Walking on the street, the first impression you get is that there are many people and cars. , there were a lot of firecrackers. We talked and laughed all the way and unknowingly arrived at the viewing place. There were so many people! The entire Yanhe Road was surrounded by water. People were laughing and chatting about the good things of the Spring Festival, waiting for the fireworks show to start. My son and I decided to compete to see who had the richest imagination and who gave the fireworks the most vivid names.

Amidst the sound of firecrackers and cheers, the fireworks show began. Countless flowers bloomed in the sky, and then turned into a rain of petals falling down one after another. I call this "a hundred flowers blooming", which symbolizes spring. Returning to the earth, all things are revived, and the scene of spring is harmonious... Before I finished speaking, where the petals fell, three silver dragons circled and flew into the blue sky, making a sweet sound. My son said, this is called "Silver Snake Song and Dance".< /p>

A group of fireworks continued to fly into the sky. My son and I, along with the audience, kept cheering loudly. We reviewed each group of fireworks and racked our brains to make up various names. Suddenly, something appeared in mid-air. A "waterfall", I pointed to the waterfall and said: "Son, look at the waterfall." He shouted: "The waterfall is hanging on the mountain. There is no mountain here, it is the Milky Way falling from the sky." I gave him a thumbs up and praised him. My imagination.

The fireworks show reached its climax. I saw groups of small snake-shaped fireworks rushing from the ground to the sky with chirping sounds, and instantly filled half of the sky. I said: " I gave it a nice name called "Dancing Snakes". My son said: "It's too cliché. It's better to call it 'Elves in Spring'. Look, the countless elves saw such a lively scene. I also came to attend the fireworks show by chance." I thought about it and thought

This name is very vivid.

As I was thinking about it, my son suddenly shouted, "Mom, look! Fireflies! They are flying around in the trees!" Look where he pointed, and there are still What a resemblance! The puffs of smoke rise high into the sky and scatter in all directions, really like a jade tree, and the scattered fireworks are like fireflies flying among the jade trees. (To be continued)

Groups of fireworks continue to fly into the sky, like a "meteor shower", like a "goddess scattering flowers"... There are more and more fireworks, and they are getting denser and denser. At this time, we only hate that we usually have too few words to describe it. Such gorgeous fireworks.

The wonderful party is over, and the audience has turned into a torrent, flooding in all directions. On the way home, I remembered a song "Unforgettable Tonight". Unforgettable Tonight, Tonight's fireworks show is unforgettable. I hope we can meet here again next year, when the fireworks will be wonderful and the motherland will be more prosperous and stronger.