Firecrackers originated from ancient firecrackers. Firecrackers are also called "firecrackers" and "firecrackers" They were written as "blasting poles" in the Tang Dynasty and also called "paper cannons" and "firecrackers" in southern China. If many individual firecrackers are connected in a string, they are called firecrackers, whips and whips.

The origin of firecrackers is very early, with a history of more than two thousand years. Firecrackers, like Fu Tao and Spring Festival couplets, were originally used to drive away evil spirits and ghosts. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it was a custom to set off firecrackers during the New Year. This custom is recorded in the Chronicle of Jingchu: "The first day of the first month is the day of three yuan. It is said that at the end of the month, chickens crow and firecrackers are burned in front of the court to eliminate mountain evils. " This is also the origin of people setting off firecrackers during the Spring Festival. It can be seen that the original meaning of the word "firecrackers" is to burn bamboo and explode.

After the invention of gunpowder, people no longer burned bamboo, but filled it with saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal. Burning in a bamboo tube, causing "explosion". However, until today, people still use the word "firecrackers".

Why should firecrackers be set off during the Spring Festival? People set off firecrackers in the Spring Festival out of superstition, believing that firecrackers can drive away evil spirits, avoid plagues, and protect their families. There is another interesting legend about setting off firecrackers. Because firecrackers will be set off during the Chinese New Year, I'm afraid many people will think of a monster called Nian.

According to legend, in ancient times, there was a fierce monster called Nian, which was in the deep sea all the year round, but at the turn of the old and the new, it came out to trample on crops and hurt people and animals, and the people complained bitterly. Once it went to the village to do evil again and was scared away by the red clothes hanging at the door. When I arrived at another place, I was scared by the lights and ran around.

So people have mastered the weakness of Nian's fear of sound, red and fire. At the end of each year, people put up red couplets at home, set off firecrackers and hang red lights, burn firewood in the yard, and chop vegetables and meat with kitchen knives, making a noise. So everyone should set off firecrackers during the Spring Festival.

Setting off firecrackers originated from the act of exorcising ghosts, but today people set off firecrackers to celebrate the New Year, because ghosts are driven away and bad luck is driven away.

exorcize

According to legend, people in ancient times were attacked by a fierce beast called Nian, and every New Year's Eve. "Nian" will break into the village, hurting people and swallowing livestock, making the people feel uneasy all day long. An old man came to the village when he fled in 2008. With the help of the old woman in the village, he promised to drive away the New Year for people. The old man put red paper on the door, lit a lot of flames, lit the room brightly, and burned bamboo in the yard, making a "scratching" sound. When Nian arrived in the village, he was scared and ran away in a panic. The villagers were ecstatic and put on new clothes one after another, decorating and congratulating each other. Since then, people have imitated the old people's methods on New Year's Eve. Every household sticks red couplets, lights candles, sets off firecrackers, and keeps vigil with gongs and drums to welcome the arrival of the New Year. The next morning, people will visit relatives and friends and congratulate each other. Since then, this custom has spread more and more widely, and it has been passed down from generation to generation, becoming today's Chinese New Year.

Today, the custom of setting off firecrackers on New Year's Eve has a history of more than 2,000 years in China. Jing Zong's Chronicle of Jingchu in the Southern Liang Dynasty recorded: "The first day of the first month is also the day of three yuan, which is called the end of the month. When the cock crows, set off firecrackers in front of the court to ward off evil spirits.

Documentary record

Setting off firecrackers in the New Year is a traditional folk custom in China.

People are most familiar with the poem describing this scene, which is Yuan Ri written by the Song Dynasty poet Wang Anshi.

Except for the one-year-old in firecrackers,

The spring breeze brought warmth to Tusu,

Thousands of families have a bright future.

Always trade new peaches for old ones.

In the earlier Tang Dynasty, the poet Lai Hu also described the burning of bamboo poles during the Spring Festival in early spring:

The new calendar can only be half-opened,

The pavilion is still full of dust.

Hating willows is hard to rule,

Provoked the east wind again

"Jing Chu sui Shi Ji" also records: "the first day of the first month. Today is the day of Sanyuan. Spring and autumn is the end of the month, and chickens crow. Firecrackers in front of the court. Repel evil spirits. "

According to "Narrative", Dong Fangshuo mentioned in "Nerve": "There are people in the Western Hills who are more than a foot long. They are not afraid of people, but they are hot and cold when committing crimes. It's called Shan Sao. Bamboo makes a sound in the fire. There is also the fear of Sao on the mountain ... "These words are the earliest records of the origin of firecrackers. This also confirms the more familiar legend-using firecrackers to drive away the "Nian beast".

The sound and firecrackers in folk customs have placed a good wish to exorcise evil spirits and avoid disasters and pray for blessing.

However, firecrackers will bring great troubles to cities in 2 1 century: air pollution, garbage debris and noise disturb people. During the Spring Festival, hospitals will treat many patients injured by firecrackers.

When people saw the negative social effects of firecrackers, they began to discuss whether they should be completely banned and banned. Although the number of cities banned is increasing year by year, the tradition of setting off firecrackers cannot be eradicated by rational thinking. Obviously, setting off firecrackers has deeper sociological and psychological significance besides exorcism.

As stated in the annotation of Jing Chu Sui Ji above, Huang Xuan Jing says: "laity thinks that firecrackers originated in the imperial court and the country should not be abused by the king." That is, secular people think that firecrackers originated from the torch used for lighting in the imperial court. Governors, doctors and ordinary people should not abuse this king's ceremony.

This seems to have something in common with Zeus' refusal to provide fire for mankind in Greek mythology.

In Civilization and its Dissatisfaction, Freud believed that human civilization originated from the use of tools, the control of fire and the construction of houses. And think: "As a rather unique achievement, gaining control of fire is particularly outstanding, which is unique ...". He mentioned in a footnote:

"To satisfy the' baby desire' related to fire with' urinating and extinguishing fire' ... Primitive people regarded the' fire tongue' that spouted upward as a symbol of male genitalia."

Later, Freud wrote "The Acquisition and Control of Fire" for this footnote. In this article, he thinks that Prometheus can't hide fire in hollow sticks and fennel stalks. On the contrary, what Prometheus hid in the penis symbol was to put out fire and urine.

He believes that after getting the fire, people use urine to douse the fire in order to gain control of the fire. So the two incompatible parts of water and fire are unified in the acquisition and control of fire by human beings. Just as male sex organs need to serve the fire of desire and bladder urination at the same time, urination function and reproductive function cannot be obtained at the same time. As a result, people drown their desires with their own urine.

It can be seen that setting off firecrackers to exorcise evil spirits also has the same psychological significance. Fire is difficult to control. The spread of mountain fires will destroy houses and cities, and uncontrollable desires will make people lose their minds. Driven by the subconscious control/desire for fire, people gain control over themselves and nature by symbolizing and sublimating the bursting of bamboo tubes, firecrackers and fireworks.

This is the deeper psychological meaning of firecrackers: the control of one's own desires. In the setting off of firecrackers, we not only vent, but also douse our own desires and realize self-control. This is also the reason why countries all over the world use fireworks to entertain and highlight the achievements of civilization on the occasion of large-scale cultural performances, important international conferences and the coming of the New Year.

In the large-scale fireworks display, the amazing footprint of the Beijing Olympic Games is amazing! Such art sublimates the control of fireworks/desires by human civilization to a new height. The Ladder, another work by director Cai Guoqiang, pushed this sublimation to the extreme.

Why should firecrackers be set off during the Spring Festival?

Setting off firecrackers is said to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new year, which means a beautiful yearning for the new year. According to legend, in ancient times, there was a fierce monster called Nian, which was in the deep sea all the year round, but at the turn of the old and the new, it came out to trample on crops and hurt people and animals, and the people complained bitterly. Once it went to the village to do evil again and was scared away by the red clothes hanging at the door. When I arrived at another place, I was scared by the lights and ran around. So people have mastered the weakness of Nian's fear of sound, red and fire. At the end of the year and the beginning of the year, people put up red couplets at home, set off firecrackers and hang red lights, burn firewood and gather fire in the yard, and chop vegetables and meat with kitchen knives, which makes a lot of noise, so everyone should set off firecrackers during the New Year.

Setting off firecrackers during the Spring Festival: 12 am

Generally, firecrackers are set off on the morning of the first day of junior high school 12, which means to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new.

In addition to the reunion dinner, the customs of setting off fireworks in different regions are different. For example, some villages will set off firecrackers when guests come to visit the New Year during the Spring Festival, and some families will set off toy fireworks with their children at night.