The Spring Festival represents the arrival of the Lunar New Year. On this day, every household puts red couplets on their doors and sets off firecrackers, hoping for a smooth coming year. According to legend, a long time ago, there was a fierce monster named Nian who constantly created panic.
The gods imprisoned it in the mountains and released it only once every twelve months. Twelve months later, Nian was released and began to do evil. People discuss ways to deal with Nian beast. Some people say that Nian is afraid of seeing red, fire and noise. People put up red couplets with auspicious words, set off firecrackers and beat drums.
The monster trembled with fear. When night fell, all the people lit lanterns. The monster was frightened and hid in the mountains and never came out again. Nian beast was defeated, but the custom of Chinese New Year continues to this day.
2. Lantern Festival? ?
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival. This custom can be traced back to two thousand years ago. Legend has it that in heaven, the Emperor of Heaven lived a dull life. He was very angry when he heard that people on the ground lived happily. So he sent a burning crane to the ground and burned it on the fifteenth day of the first month. A kind fairy came down to tell people about it.
A wise man suggested that everyone should light a lantern at once. The fairy also said that the crane should be kept in a cage and the fire should be put out. When the crane came to the earth, it was caught and put into a cage that could not burn fire. People light lanterns and set off firecrackers and fireworks. Emperor Tiandi was very happy to see the fire on earth. He thinks that cranes have successfully destroyed the world. In fact, people paraded with lanterns to celebrate their victory. To commemorate this day, people hang lanterns or walk in the street with lanterns. This is the Lantern Festival.
3. Tomb-Sweeping Day?
April 1st every year is Tomb-Sweeping Day. On this day, people walk in the countryside, place sacrifices in front of graves and wear flowers or tender wicker.
The story goes back to the previous times. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Zhong Er, the prince of the State of Jin, was exiled by the Principality. 19 years later, he returned to the motherland. He rewarded and knighted those who remained loyal during his exile according to their merits. Among them, a man named Jie Zhitui was forgotten by Zhong Er. He carried his mother back to Mianshan. A doorman in Zhong Er told him about it. Zhong Er went to Jiezhitui with his entourage, but Mianshan was too big for them to find.
Another public guest suggested Zhong Er: "Let Yamakaji go, and the introduction will come out." Zhong Er then ordered the mountain to be burned. A fire destroyed the mountain, and Jie Zhitui and his mother persisted until their death. Zhong Er was very sad. He stipulated that no fire was allowed on this day every year. Every family should eat cold food. The custom of not firing guns in Tomb-Sweeping Day no longer exists. But inserting willows and cleaning the graves of ancestors continue to this day.
4. Dragon Boat Festival?
The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the Dragon Boat Festival. On this day, every household in rural areas will eat zongzi wrapped in glutinous rice, wear sachets and insert mugwort leaves.
Why do people eat zongzi? Some people say this is in memory of Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan played an important role in Chu State, and was highly praised for his outstanding achievements in the Chu-Han War. The treacherous king slandered his fault and he was removed from office. Soon after, he was exiled and lived a wandering life. He was indignant at the misfortune of the country and people. On the fifteenth day of the fifth lunar month, he threw himself into the river to arouse people's enthusiasm. Chu people threw rice grains into the river to offer sacrifices to Qu Yuan. People are worried that the grain will be eaten by fish and shrimp, so they wrap the rice with reed leaves and tie it with silk thread. People still wear sachets and children wear colored ropes. People stick mugwort leaves on the door, symbolizing repelling the enemy's sword.
5. Double Ninth Festival?
The ninth day of the ninth lunar month is the Double Ninth Festival. The custom handed down from this festival is to go hiking or climb mountains.
In the Han Dynasty, there was a wizard named Fei Changfang who could catch monsters. One day, Fei Changfang told his disciple Huan Jing that there would be a great disaster on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month and he should be taken to guard against it. He took out a bundle of dogwood and a small bottle of chrysanthemum wine and told him to bring it to the world. Take the crane and go to the world. He led the people to the top of the mountain, and each gave a piece of Cornus officinalis and took a sip of chrysanthemum wine. Keep monsters out of reach.
The monster came and hurried to the deserted village. Seeing people gathered on the top of the mountain, it rushed at them. But the smell of chrysanthemum wine and dogwood made him flinch. So Huan Jing killed him with a sword. From then on, on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, people took dogwood and chrysanthemum wine to climb mountains or have an outing.
The traditional festivals in China are diverse in form and rich in content, and they are an integral part of the long history and culture of the Chinese nation. The formation of traditional festivals is a process of long-term accumulation and cohesion of national or national history and culture. Most of these festivals in ancient China were related to primitive beliefs, astronomical phenology, calendars, mathematics and the solar terms divided later. Traditional festivals in China, developed from ancient ancestors, clearly record the rich and colorful social life and cultural content of the Chinese nation, and are unique to the Chinese nation.
Traditional festivals in China include New Year's Eve (the last day of the twelfth lunar month), Spring Festival (the first day of the first month), Lantern Festival (the fifteenth day of the first month), Cold Food Festival (the day before Tomb-Sweeping Day), Tomb-Sweeping Day (the solar calendar: around April 5th), Shangsi Festival (March 3rd), Dragon Boat Festival (May 5th) and Chinese Valentine's Day (July 7th). ?
In addition, the 24 solar terms are also traditional festivals in China. Such as: Cold Food Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, beginning of spring, Changchun, beginning of autumn, beginning of winter, winter solstice, etc. Among the 24 solar terms, these festivals also have very important traditional cultural customs.
In addition, the ethnic minorities in China have their own traditional festivals, such as the Water-splashing Festival of the Dai nationality, the Nadam Festival of the Mongolian nationality, the Torch Festival of the Yi nationality, the Danu Festival of the Yao nationality, the March Street of the Bai nationality, the Gewei of the Zhuang nationality, the Tibetan calendar year and the Guowang Festival, and the jump flower festival of the Miao nationality.
reference data
China Traditional Festival _ Baidu Encyclopedia