What are the customs of Shangsi Festival? What are the traditional customs of Shangsi Festival?

What are the customs of Shangsi Festival? What are the traditional customs of Shangsi Festival?

Shangsi Festival is a festival for Han people in China. Generally speaking, the pre-Han solar terms are on the fourth day of March, and the post-Wei solar terms are fixed on the third day of March in the Han calendar (lunar calendar), not necessarily on the fourth day.

On this day in ancient times, people went to the water's edge to wash the filth to drive away the ominous, which was called "Zan". According to the Book of Jin Etiquette, "Hanyi has gone to the third place, and the officials and the people are all in the east ..." In addition, it also means praying for fertility. According to legend, the ancestral Covenant of Shang tribe was born after the mother was born. "Historical Records Yin Benji" records: Mother Zhu Di has a daughter Yi, who is a second princess. Once a threesome took a bath, he saw a mysterious bird drop its egg. Judy took it and swallowed it because she was pregnant. "Later generations even regarded Judy as the god of fertility.

Besides offering sacrifices and bathing by the water, people will hold banquets, entertainment and outings. For example, Du Fu's "Two for the Road": On the third day, it was sunny and sunny, and many beauties enjoyed the cool by the Chang 'an River.

tie

Sickness (refers to disaster relief, given by ancient witches. Hot springs were very popular in the Tang and Song Dynasties. In the past, people bathed by the water and the river, washed their bodies with bluegrass, and nodded with willow branches dipped in petal water to bless disaster relief. Because at this time, the seasons are changing, and the yin is not exhausted, people are prone to get sick and need to go to the water to wash. The so-called "crisp" means "clean", so "crisp" is a ceremony to eliminate evil spirits through self-cleaning. Why choose the third day? Ying Shao explained that "the dead are also blessed", which not only removed the pathogenic factors, but also prayed for the arrival of Ankang ("custom Yi Tong, sacrificial ceremony"). This view has been recognized by many scholars, such as Wu Bingan, a modern scholar, who believes that the original intention of the festival is "the ancient custom of health care in spring to ward off evil spirits and avoid epidemics." In ancient times, the function of festivals was to ward off evil spirits and avoid disasters. The actual reason is that the river is too cold in winter, and the water temperature is just right in early March, so people are eager to take their first bath after winter.

Sacrifice Gao Qing

On Shangsi Festival, the most important activity is to offer sacrifices to Gao Yun, the god who manages marriage and childbirth. Gaoqing, also known as Jiao Qing, is named after its use in the suburbs. Through this witchcraft activity, people avoid evil spirits and pray for fertility. Therefore, Shangsi Festival is also a courtship festival and a fertility festival.

Panyu

Bathing (bathing, ancient people went to the river, hot springs were popular in the Tang and Song Dynasties, especially in the open-air hot spring pool) and washing dirty with spring water. It is believed that this can remove the diseases accumulated throughout the winter, clean up immunity and make the New Year auspicious. At that time, people thought that women's infertility was caused by ghosts and gods, so they used the bath of Shangsi Festival to treat infertility. In this way, over time, bathing has become an important part of Shangsi Festival.

Xiumao

There are also activities such as swaddling, pruning or bathing in Shangsi Festival. Bathing is for disaster relief. Prehistoric humans believed that fertility was the result of totem entering women. After entering the era of male chauvinism, people realized that copulation between husband and wife was the cause of childbirth. However, both the concept of totem worship and the understanding that copulation between husband and wife leads to fertility admit that women are the embodiment of fertility and children are conceived by their mothers. However, not every woman can give birth normally, and some women are often unable to get pregnant because of illness. At that time, people thought that women's infertility was caused by ghosts and gods, so they used the bath of Shangsi Festival to treat infertility. In this way, over time, bathing has become an important part of Shangsi Festival.

feather

Feather is a kind of binaural wine glass in ancient China, named after it looks like a bird. There is also a saying that it is named "feather" because it can be inserted with feathers. It is made of various materials, such as wood, jade and pottery. Wood feather is relatively light, and other materials need to be put on the lotus leaf to "walk" on the water smoothly.

Pray for fertility

On Shangsi Festival, the most important activity is to offer sacrifices to Gao Yun, the god who manages marriage and childbirth. Gaoqing, also known as Jiao Qing, is named after its use in the suburbs. From the same media, the same place. The original Shu Gao was a woman. She was a pregnant adult woman. In fact, in ancient times, some nude female statues had very developed thighs and breasts, as well as protruding abdomen, which was a symbol of fertility. Stone reliefs in the Han Dynasty have the image of Gao Qi, which is also associated with babies. Pottery sculpture, the goddess of Hongshan Culture site in Liaoning Province, is the god of fertility. Later, Gao Qi changed a lot. For example, Fuxi, enshrined in the ancestral temple in Huaiyang, Henan Province, is the God of Gao Qi under the patriarchal clan system. At the same time, the worship of sexual tools appeared, including female genital worship and male root worship. Shangsi Festival was originally a witchcraft activity. By offering sacrifices to Gao Qi, meeting men and women and other activities, it is used to ward off evil spirits and pray for fertility.

Give each other vanilla

The ancients believed that vanilla had the function of exorcising evil spirits and was of great benefit to the body.

Go for a spring outing in the suburbs

Spring outing in the suburbs (the first thought) is not only a festival to eliminate disasters and evil spirits, but also a free and happy spring outing. Young men and women go out for an outing, splash water on each other and choose their spouses freely. It is the real Valentine's Day in China, and it is based on peony)

Enjoy the hot spring

Soak in hot springs (I went for a spring outing in the suburbs during the Tang and Song Dynasties, and later went to wild hot springs)

Drink water in the winding canal with a glass floating on it to wash away evil.

The winding water is also called floating eggs near the water (floating eggs near the water are the oldest, and boiled eggs are put in the river and left to be eaten by whoever finds them). Winding water is called "drinking winding water in a flowing cup". The so-called "flowing cup", also known as "flowing cup", is to throw a cup upstream of the water, listen to it drift down, stop somewhere, and then people pick it up and drink. Generally speaking, water is curved. "The Story of Jingchu Times" "Scholars go out of the river pond together, all drinking a cup of water." Everyone sits by the winding water, puts the cup full of wine on the running water and lets it flow down. Whoever stops in front of it will gulp down the wine in the cup and write a poem, otherwise three glasses of wine will be fined. Wei Mingdi has specially built a flowing cup pavilion.

It is worth mentioning that the winding scenery should be elegant, except for the early natural waterside, mixed with natural beauty. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, due to the rise of literati culture, nobles have lived in elegant courtyards, solemn houses, fake pavilions and rocks, and artificial meandering water. People sit neatly on the grass, put screens better, and have attendants with fans and incense burners. After drinking water, there are poems, which should be relative to people.

On the third day of March.

1, five-color glutinous rice

Before the festival, every household prepared colorful glutinous rice and eggs. People collect red bluegrass, yellow rice flowers, maple leaves and wisteria, and soak glutinous rice with the juice of these plants to make red, yellow, black, purple and white glutinous rice.

According to legend, this kind of food was handed down after winning the appreciation of fairies; Some people say that this is a sacrifice to the Song fairy Liu Sanjie. After eating this kind of meal, people will be prosperous and healthy. Eggs are objects used by young men and women in Gewei to communicate and convey their feelings.

Step 2 catch the fireworks

On the third day of the third lunar month and after the autumn harvest, folk associations in some minority areas in Guangxi spontaneously organized fireworks grabbing activities.

Eight people from each team took part in the fireworks grab. Players rush into the opponent's battery by breaking through, blocking people, changing direction and sprinting. , and put the fireworks into the music. The rules are similar to western football, so it is called "Oriental football".

The traditional "fireworks" is an iron ring, about 5 cm in diameter, wrapped in red cloth or red silk. The competition venue is generally located on the river bank or hillside, and the number of people and teams is not limited. Every shot must be robbed, and the third shot is over.

3. Love of hydrangea

Hydrangea in Xu Ge is a handicraft made by girls before the festival. Exquisite craftsmanship, all silk crafts: 12 petals are connected into a sphere, each petal represents a month of the year, embroidered with flowers of that month. Some hydrangeas are made into squares and polygons. Hydrangeas are filled with beans, millet or cottonseed. The balls are connected by ribbons, and the tassels and decorative beads symbolize pure love.

Step 4 carry a pole

Playing pole dancing is a traditional self-entertainment activity. Every banker is an actor performing in the hall. Women's movements are light and graceful, while men's movements are powerful. The "theater" that entertains itself places the Zhuang people's desire for a bumper harvest.

The dance forms of the pole are duet, four people wearing flowers, and many people wearing flowers. Dancers are mostly even. Performers hold pole, surround the bench or rice turning trough, beat the bench rhythmically, and sometimes hit each other with pole.

5. Talk about love with songs

The "March 3rd" Song Festival is a good opportunity for young men and women to communicate. Every time, young men and women within dozens of miles of Fiona Fang will gather at the concert. The young man sang against the girl he liked under the guidance of the singer.

Usually, young men take the initiative to sing "sightseeing songs" first, observe and look for opponents, and sing songs that will be invited when they meet the right person. If the woman is interested, she will agree. The young men sang inquiry songs again, and became friends with each other, singing love songs and making love songs. The lyrics are all improvised and blurted out.

If the girl thinks that the young talents and talents in front of her are satisfied, she will quietly give the hydrangea in her arms to the right person while others are not paying attention. "He" will return it with handkerchiefs, towels and other items, and then the song will be sweeter, so she will order Qin Jin's good.

Step 6 play the bronze drum

Some ethnic minorities in Guangxi have always had the habit of beating bronze drums during festivals or sacrifices, and this custom has been passed down to this day. Now, the Zhuang people in Donglan and Tiane celebrate "March 3rd" and the Spring Festival every year, while the Yao people in Du 'an, Bama and Dahua celebrate festivals, and the Yao people in Nandan hold funeral ceremonies. When the Miao people in Nandan Zhongdao celebrate the Spring Festival or meet festive occasions, they should beat gongs and drums to express their feelings of celebration or mourning.

7. Touch eggs

Eggs are things that dye boiled eggs in various colors to convey feelings. The young man took an egg in the song fair to touch the egg in the girl's hand; If the girl doesn't want to, don't touch the egg. Let the boy touch it if she wants. After the egg cracked, they ate the egg, which sowed the seeds of love. Now touching eggs means "touch, touch good luck".