Before the Revolution of 1911, China had always used the lunar calendar (also known as the lunar calendar, lunar calendar, and old calendar). Although the Gregorian calendar (also known as the Gregorian calendar) has been adopted since the Republic of China, people are still used to celebrating seasonal festivals according to the lunar calendar according to customs that have been passed down for thousands of years. With the changes of the times, some festival customs have faded and disappeared, while others have According to legend, it has been passed down to this day. These festivals mainly include:
Spring Festival, Shangyuan Festival, Cangcang Festival, Dragon Head Head, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, June 6th, Chinese Valentine's Day, Hungry Ghost Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival, Winter Clothes Festival, Almanac, and Winter Solstice .
Spring Festival
According to tradition, the New Year's Day on the first day of the first lunar month in our country is the "Nian Jubilee", commonly known as the "Spring Festival". This is a grand traditional festival for all the people. During the Spring Festival, according to customs, there are generally activities such as offering sacrifices to gods, praying for good luck, praying for each other, visiting relatives and friends, visiting the temple ruins, entertainment, and improving life. The specific contents include Laba, sweeping the house, offering sacrifices to the kitchen stove, selling shops in the previous year, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, offering sacrifices to the God of Wealth, opening the market, "Ren Day", following the stars, etc.
Laba
Laba, which is the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the lunar calendar, is a traditional festival of the Han nationality. Zhang Shoujie of the Tang Dynasty said in "Historical Records of Justice": "The twelfth lunar month is also the day of the twelfth lunar month... people hunt birds and animals to sacrifice their ancestors at the end of the year, so this day is established." In the Han Dynasty, the third Wu day after the winter solstice was the "twelfth lunar month". In the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the eighth day of December was changed to the "Laba Festival". The ancient Spring Festival actually started on this day. The folk song says: "Old lady, don't be upset, it's the New Year after Laba Festival. How many days will you drink Laba porridge? It's twenty-three..." Among Buddhists, Laba Festival is called "Enlightenment Festival". Folks have the custom of making porridge to offer to Buddha, giving to relatives, friends and neighbors, eating for themselves, and soaking "Laba garlic".
In ancient times, Spring Festival cleaning was called "Sweeping the New Year", which originated from a religious ritual used by ancient people to drive away diseases. Later, it gradually evolved into a year-end hygiene cleaning. According to Wu Zimu's "Meng Liang Lu" of the Song Dynasty: "At the end of December... no matter how big or small, everyone should sweep the door, remove the dust, and clean the courtyard... to pray for a happy new year." A nursery rhyme in old Beijing says: "Twenty-three, sticky melons; twenty-four, house cleaning day..."
After cleaning the house, the whole family will start to prepare for the New Year, including making scented wax paper, making offerings, writing couplets, cutting window grilles, Buy money, New Year pictures, firecrackers... get ready for the New Year.
The Kitchen God is commonly known as the "Kitchen Lord". According to "Zhunnanzi", Emperor Huang and Emperor Yan "died as kitchen gods" and were responsible for good and evil in the world. Since the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, so-called good books have been circulated in Beijing. Among them, "The Stove King" said: "The Stove King left a scroll to read to good men and women who believe in me. My god's surname is Zhang from my country, and the Jade Emperor made me the chef. Come here. It is said that the Kitchen God is a god sent by the Jade Emperor to the world to supervise the good and evil on the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month every year. On the fourth day, I have to go to the Jade Emperor to report the good and evil words and deeds of the household where I live, so when I see him off on the 23rd night, I use sugar made from glutinous rice or malt to stick his mouth, which means Fill the mouth so that God cannot say anything more" ("Customs of China"), or paste a couplet asking the Stove Lord to "speak good things to God" so that "the lower realms can be kept safe".
Sacrificing stoves is a signal of the arrival of the Lunar New Year, and old Beijingers call it "Celebrating the Small New Year". A nursery rhyme goes like this: "Tanggua is offered to the stove, New Year is offered to the stove. When the New Year comes, the girl wants flowers, the boy wants cannons..."
The shop of the previous year
From the 15th day of the twelfth lunar month of the first year The streets generally enter the festive mood of the Spring Festival. "Kyoto Customs" records: "Those who sell New Year's goods in the market are scattered all over the place. For example, if there are a few ink strokes on the case and people are writing books, those who sell Spring Festival couplets with fresh five colors and thousands of strings will sell paintings and sidebars and rows of reed sheds. "There are stalls and stalls attached to each other, and there are Buddha flowers, cups, basins, pestles and mortars, all the daily objects used for worshiping the gods, piled up all over the road." There are many kinds of businesses that embellish and enhance the festive atmosphere. Each painting booth sells New Year paintings; the couplet stalls sell couplets, horizontal batches, door frames, holding pillars, bucket squares, spring strips, and Buddha pairs; those who buy hanging coins, sell ingots, sell flowers for offerings, and sell velvet flowers and silk flowers. There are those selling pine branches and sesame straw, those selling lanterns, those selling Guandong sugar, those selling mixed snacks, those selling fireworks, etc.
New Year's Eve
The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month in the lunar calendar is New Year's Eve, commonly known as New Year's Eve. The main activities for people to see off the old and welcome the new are concentrated on this day. The Spring Festival reaches its climax and is the most solemn and grand event. lively.
In order to embellish the scenery and heighten the atmosphere of "welcoming happiness and welcoming the new year", every household must post Spring Festival couplets, door signs, invitations, and write on red paper "As time goes by, people live longer, spring is full, the universe is full of blessings, and the door is full of blessings." ", "The grass is green again, and the apricot blossoms are still red." ", the family is happy, the population is safe", "recruiting wealth and treasure", "ten thousand taels of gold" and other festive and auspicious words. You also need to post door gods, hang money, etc. )
In the past, 90% of the households in old Beijing had Buddhist niches or statues all year round. On the New Year's Eve, offerings were made in front of the Buddhist niches and statues. The offerings included honey, cakes, noodles, fruits, fruits, Steamed food such as flower cakes, rice cakes and rice, vegetarian dumplings or steamed buns, vegetarian stir-fries, etc. The six gods of the house, such as the Kitchen God, the God of Wealth, and the Land, etc., all have to make offerings and burn incense. Because the Stove God was incinerated and ascended to heaven on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, a new image of the Stove God must be affixed on this day so that it can be worshiped all year round to "protect peace."
On New Year's Eve, there is also the custom of worshiping ancestors to reflect the traditional virtue of "filial piety comes first".
A family dinner is held on New Year’s Eve. In old Beijing, the New Year's Eve meals are eaten and drank, and the staple food and dishes have traditional fixed sets. The staple food is dumplings. The whole family gathers together for New Year's Eve dinner, which is called "reunion dinner". The dishes and rice should be as rich as possible, which indicates that there will be plenty of food and clothing in the coming year. During the dinner, you should say more words of blessing to each other and fill the atmosphere with joy. This meal can be eaten slowly, and some can be eaten until late at night, and then "stay up".
According to traditional customs, you cannot go to bed after dinner until night to greet the gods and pay New Year greetings. You must "stay up" until the early morning of the next day, which means that the elderly cherish the time when they bid farewell to the old year, and the young It means wishing the elders a long life. Anyone whose parents are still alive must stay up late on New Year's Eve.
The next step is to hold the god reception and group worship activities.
You can receive the gods when you enter the midnight hour (after twelve o'clock at night). The oldest person in the family will preside over the ceremony. According to the "Constitution", the gods of joy, wealth, fortune, and Yanggui on New Year's Day will be celebrated. , the directions of the Yin and Gui gods, the host held incense and led the crowd to the courtyard to kowtow to each direction in turn to express the reception of the gods. After completing a set of etiquette procedures for receiving the gods, the whole family performed group worship. First, they kowtowed to their ancestors and paid New Year greetings, and then the elders Sitting in the hall (or on the Kang) to receive New Year greetings from the younger generation, kowtow and say some auspicious words of blessing. As usual, the elders give some "New Year's money" to the younger generations.
New Year's Day
The first day of the first lunar month is New Year's Day. "Official guests" (men) among relatives, friends and colleagues pay New Year's greetings to each other. "Tangke" (women) have to wait until the sixth day of the first lunar month to go out to pay New Year greetings.
In the Qing Dynasty, officials paid New Year's greetings to each other. It was an unwritten etiquette and an opportunity to flatter their superiors and contact colleagues. In order to reduce the labor of traveling back and forth, "group worship" is carried out. Yi Lansheng of the Qing Dynasty said in "Si Mao Yu Tan": "At the beginning of the year, the capital routinely pays homage to each other to bond with each other, to express their nostalgia and sincere charity. "After the Republic of China, "group worship" of institutions and groups became more popular.
The scope of mutual New Year greetings among the people is very wide and takes various forms. For example, when visiting relatives, you must go to the home of your father-in-law and mother-in-law on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and other close relatives are not limited to before and after; courtesy visits to colleagues and friends, and visits to other people’s homes. Make a thank-you visit to those who are in need of gratitude, and hold your fists and say "Congratulations on getting rich" to neighbors with whom you often interact, etc.
Sacrifice to the God of Wealth
The God of Wealth is a god commonly believed in by many classes. On the morning of the second day of the first lunar month, residents and businesses in old Beijing will offer sacrifices to the God of Wealth.
Opening of the market
From the first to the fifth day of the lunar month, the shops on the street all put up window guards and some paintings with "Shuibo Liangshan", "Taoyuan Three Brothers", " The curtains in the comic strips such as "Serve the Country with Loyalty" represent a break during the New Year. After "Po Wu" (the fifth day of the first lunar month), the New Year's Eve has basically passed. Some shops will hold "god-sending" gifts, set off firecrackers, and open the windows and doors in a warm atmosphere of blessing, revealing the "send-off" gifts that have been posted in advance. With the red couplet "Good luck, everything goes well", the business started officially.
Ren Day
The seventh day of the first lunar month in the old calendar is called "Ren Day", "Ren Sheng Festival", or "Seven Yuan". This ancient festival has a history of more than two thousand years.
Taoism believes that "heaven and earth first gave birth to chickens, dogs, pigs, sheep, and horses, and then human beings were born." Dongfang Shuo of the Han Dynasty said in "Book of Divination": "The first day of the first month of the year is a rooster, The second day is for dogs, the third day is for pigs, the fourth day is for sheep, the fifth day is for cattle, the sixth day is for horses, the seventh day is for people, and the eighth day is for grains."
It is believed that if the weather is sunny on the seventh day of the first lunar month, it is auspicious, and the year will be smooth and the population will be safe. If it is cloudy, it will be a sign of disaster. In the Qing Dynasty, people in Beijing had an activity to measure the weather on the seventh day of the first lunar month. On "Human Day", they would eat spring pancakes (a double-layered lotus leaf pancake) and roll "box dishes" (cooked meat dishes such as marinated elbows and tripe). , and cut the cake in Gengyuan, called "Xuntian". However, the spread of this custom is getting smaller and smaller, and it is no longer common in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty.
Shunxing
Shunxing is also called Sacrifice Star. On the night of the eighth day of the first lunar month, regardless of whether people go to the temple to offer incense to worship the star king (i.e. Shunxing), after the stars in the sky appear together, each family will hold a sacrificial ceremony for Shunxing. When worshiping stars, one should place a "golden lantern" (yellow lantern flower) on the desk, stove, door threshold, pot stand, etc. and light it, which is called "scattered lantern flower", which means to avoid bad luck. After the star ceremony, the whole family gathered together to eat Lantern Festival.
Shangyuan Festival
"Lantern Festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month" and "Lantern Festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month". The fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the lunar calendar should be the traditional folk "Shangyuan Festival", also known as : "Lantern Festival", "Lantern Festival". As early as the Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was celebrated as the "Lantern Festival". "Historical Records" Yueshu says: "The Han family often worshiped Taiyi Ganquan in the first month of the first lunar month, and offered sacrifices at dusk at night to end in the morning." In the Tang Dynasty, Lao Zhuang was respected and Taoism was adopted as the state religion, in order to celebrate the "Shang Dynasty" of Taoism. The Lantern Festival was celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month by Emperor Ziwei, the Heavenly Official of the Yuan Dynasty, who celebrated his birthday. The Lantern Festival added a Taoist color and became a festival with the characteristics of Buddhism and Taoism. Activities include lighting up lanterns, setting off fireworks, eating Lantern Festival, etc. Fixed form.
Lighting up and viewing lanterns is an important part of the Lantern Festival activities. The 13th day of the first lunar month is "putting on the lantern"; the 14th day is "testing the lantern"; the 15th day is "maintaining the lantern"; the 17th day is "turning off the lantern". In the Ming Dynasty, there was the so-called "Light Market". At that time, the lanterns and the city were integrated into the Dongcheng Deng Market. In the Qing Dynasty, the lanterns and the city were separated, but they still used to call it the lantern market. In fact, it was a lantern festival, which was of an entertainment nature. At that time, Lantern Festival night markets were very particular about lighting up lanterns, and each shop would compete to hang out lanterns of different sizes, heights, and shapes, including gauze, glass, and sheep's horns, with figures painted on them, such as "All Nations". ", "Three Kingdoms", "Water Margin", "Journey to the West", "Feng Shen", "Liao Zhai", etc.; some painted flowers, orchids, chrysanthemums, plums, osmanthus, xuan, bamboo, peony, peony; some painted animals, shins Luans, phoenixes, dragons and tigers, as well as horses, cows, cats, dogs, insects, crabs, fish and shrimps, all have bright and varied colors, lifelike shapes and a wide range of varieties. Since the "lighting up" on the 13th day of the first lunar month, many different forms of revolving lanterns have been sold on the market. "Records of the Years of Yanjing" records: "The revolving lanterns use paper-cut wheels as wheels and use candles to shush them; then the carriages and horses will gallop and run in circles, and they will stop when the lights go out." From this day on, children gathered in groups. Carrying lanterns and playing around, everyone was very happy.
On the night of the Shangyuan Dynasty, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to watch the lanterns, "their elbows and feet touched each other without noticing, and the dust on their clothes stained the noble people." ("Dumen Bamboo Branch Ci") describes the lantern viewing at that time. The prosperity.
Setting off fireworks is also a major part of the Lantern Festival activities. Xie Wenqiao of the Qing Dynasty said in "Dumen New Year's Words": "The sound of firecrackers all night, the origin of fireworks from the Shengdi Palace, the roar of torches and silver flowers in the middle of the night, and the peace of singing and wind music on the Sixth Street."
The Lantern Festival There has always been a riddle-guessing activity in the Lantern Festival, commonly known as Lantern Tiger. This activity is very attractive. Guessing lantern riddles can increase people's knowledge, exercise their quick thinking, and activate the festive atmosphere. Zhao Junlie of the Qing Dynasty wrote in "Yanjing Lantern Market Bamboo Branch Poems": "The riddles of lanterns are more ingenious than the craftsmanship of nature, and they do not hesitate to treasure and red wine. Most talented people compete for the lanterns, exaggerating the good and competing with the short and walking in the alleys." This shows that the lantern market was decorated with tiger lanterns at that time. Attractive and warm atmosphere.
The food celebrated during the Lantern Festival is Yuanxiao, and every household will eat Yuanxiao on this day. "Yanjing Chronicles" says: "There are all kinds of fresh and dried foods sold in the market, and the Lantern Festival is the most popular. It is also decorated with festive scenery." To this day, Beijingers still retain the custom of eating Yuanxiao on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Filling warehouses
Old Beijing folklore says that the 23rd day of the first lunar month is "small filling warehouse" and the 25th day is "big filling warehouse". In the Qing Dynasty, many grain merchants and rice sellers in the capital would offer sacrifices to the God of War, and citizens would buy some rice, flour, and coal to enrich their living reserves. The Qing Dynasty's "Records of the Years of the Imperial Capital" states: "When this new festival is over, the warehouses are empty and should be restored and filled, so it is called filling the warehouse."
In fact, the real warehouse is empty. The "filling warehouse" activity is in rural areas. There is a proverb spread by farmers in the suburbs: "Fill the warehouse, fill the warehouse, millet, dry rice and mixed with noodle soup." Farmers usually live a very hard life, so eating a meal of millet, dried rice and mixed with noodle soup during the filling festival is considered good.
At dawn on the twenty-fifth day of the first lunar month, every rural household uses sifted cooking ashes to scatter circles of varying sizes in the courtyard or on the threshing floor, symbolizing grain hoarding.
The dragon raises its head on the second day of the second lunar month. The celebrity Liu Tong's "Scenery of the Imperial Capital" said: "On February 2, the dragon raises its head, fry the remaining cakes for the New Year's Day sacrifice, and smoke the bed and kang, saying that the insects will be smoked; it is said to attract the dragon, but the insects will not come out." As the saying goes. "It won't rain until the dragon raises its head." The dragon is an auspicious creature and the master of weather and rain. "Spring rain is as precious as oil." People pray that the dragon will raise its head and stir up clouds to make rain and nourish all things. At the same time, February 2 is around the time of the Waking of Insects, when insects are stirring and diseases are easy to occur. People hope that the dragon will raise its head and come out to quell the poisonous insects.
In those days, old Beijingers had a saying: "On February 2, if you shine on the beams of your house, there will be no place for scorpions and centipedes to hide." Out of the hope that the dragon would raise its head and come out to stir up clouds and rain and control all the insects, people try to use dragons to name food and various activities on February 2nd. For example, eating pancakes is called "dragon skin", eating dumplings is called "dragon ears", eating noodles is called eating "dragon whiskers", and eating rice is called eating "dragon seeds". Children shaving their heads on this day is called "dragon head shaving". Women do not do needlework on this day, saying that they want to avoid hurting their "dragon eyes".
Qingming
Qingming is an important solar term in the old calendar. The custom of sweeping tombs and worshiping ancestors during the Qingming Festival has a long history. The custom of tomb-sweeping existed before the Qin Dynasty, but not necessarily during the Qingming Festival. Tomb-sweeping during the Qingming Festival became popular from the Tang Dynasty. "Qing Tongli" says: "On the New Year's Day, during Cold Food and Frost's Descent Festivals, people pay homage to the tomb sweepers. During the period, they go to the tomb in plain clothes, equipped with wine and food and a tool for cutting grass and trees. They seal the trees and cut off the thorns and grass, so it is called tomb sweeping." "On the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" of the Ming Dynasty records: "On Qingming Day in the third month, men and women sweep tombs, carry couplets, hang ingots on the backs of sedans and horses, and the streets are filled with charms." The custom of sweeping tombs during the Qingming Festival has been passed down to this day. In the old days, the Qingming tomb-sweeping ceremony of Beijingers was not held on the day of Qingming, but on the "odd" day close to Qingming. Due to different family economic and other conditions, the methods of sacrifice and sweeping are also different. When going to the suburbs to sweep tombs, some people sit around to have dinner and drink wine after the memorial ceremony, some fly kites, and some make a loop of wicker sticks and wear it on their heads, saying, "If you don't wear willows during the Qingming Festival, you will turn into a yellow dog in the next life." It’s spring outing again. We not only express our condolences to our ancestors, but also enjoy our own spring outing.
Dragon Boat Festival
The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the Dragon Boat Festival, which is commonly known as the May Festival by old Beijingers. The Dragon Boat Festival is also called the Duanyang Festival. "Duan" and "Chu" are synonymous, and "Five" and "Wu" are connected. According to the order of the earthly branches, May is the "Wu" month, so the fifth day of the Lunar New Year is called "Dragon Boat Festival". Noon hour is "Yangchen", also known as "Duanyang".
The Dragon Boat Festival began in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and originated in the south of the Yangtze River. There are many theories about its origin. The most widely circulated among the people, and the most influential one is to commemorate the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan, Doctor of Chu. In order to commend Qu Yuan's "loyalty", the Song Dynasty named him "Loyal Lord" and officially gave the Dragon Boat Festival on May 5 the meaning of commemorating Qu Yuan. During the Anti-Japanese War, May 5th was designated as "Poet's Day".
During the Dragon Boat Festival, "dragon boat races" were held in the south, while "Xiyou to avoid disasters" was held in Beijing during the Ming and Qing dynasties. On the morning of the fifth day of the lunar month, people went to the Temple of Heaven to "avoid poisons". The Temple of Heaven is a holy place for praying for good luck, and they can not only rely on the power of heaven to avoid poisons, but also have fun. After noon, some went to the fish pond, sorghum bridge, manjing, grass bridge, and Jishuitan. Waiting for "drinking wine and enjoying the tour".
Dragon Boat Festival food is rice dumplings, usually jujube rice dumplings dipped in sugar. The seasonal products are cherries and mulberries. The pastry shop sells a peach-shaped round pastry called "Five Poison Cake" with patterns of snakes, centipedes, scorpions, spiders and toads carved into molds. People use these seasonal and seasonal cakes as offerings or as gifts to each other.
Beijing people say that "the first month is good, the fifth month is bad". Since the weather in May is warm and prone to viral plagues, the Celestial Master Talisman and the statue of Zhong Kui are used to guard the house and ward off "evil spirits". Chai Sang of the Qing Dynasty wrote in "Yanjing Ji": "A few days before the Dragon Boat Festival, people would use yellow paper to stamp red seals, or draw images of the Heavenly Master, Zhong Kui, or the five poisons. People would buy them and stick them on their doors to drive them away. "Evil spirits." From the beginning of May, each family will put calamus and mugwort on both sides of the door, one is called "Pu Jian" and the other is called "Moxa Tiger", also to ward off evil spirits and drive away plague. In order to ward off evil spirits, during the Dragon Boat Festival in Beijing, people buy cattail slippers and wear them during the festival.
Dragon Boat Festival also has a saying of "throwing disaster". Before the festival, skillful women use colorful silk to make the shapes of tigers, gourds, cherries, mulberries, melons, beans, onions, and garlic, string them together with colorful threads, and tie them on children's hairpins, backs, or chests on the first day of May. The little girl also folds cardboard strips into diamond-shaped "zongzi", wraps them with colorful silk threads, and wears them on her body, commonly known as "gourd" and "life-extending thread".
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, after noon, the gourds were removed, along with the paper-cut gourds affixed to the lintel of the door, and still outside the door, which was called "throwing disaster".
During the festival, people also drink rice wine and use realgar to draw the word "king" on their children's heads. Some even use realgar to paint their children's ears and nostrils, saying that it can avoid centipedes and other poisonous insects in summer. Go into the ears and nostrils.
June 6th
The sixth day of the sixth lunar month in the lunar calendar is not a festival, because it is the hot summer and the food is damaged by mold and mildew. Therefore, in old Beijing, everyone from the royal family to the common people has to dry, Bathing habits.
On June 6th, if the weather is fine, the palace hangs chariots, ceremonial guards, and classics, temples hold "Sutra hanging meetings," and people hang clothes, bathe, and shampoo. According to folklore, on this day, clothes will not be mothed when hanging out, books will not be mothed when drying, and domestic animals will not get lice when bathed. Cats, dogs and other domestic animals will have to rush to the river to take a bath. Before the tenth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1884), Luan Yiwei's Elephant Taming Station had set up a guard of honor on this day every year. With drums leading the herd, the elephants were driven to the West Bank outside Xuanwu Gate to bathe. There were crowds of spectators. Quite spectacular.
Most farmers in the suburbs pay attention to the growth of crops around June 6th, saying "June 6th, watch the grain show." Some people also call this day the "Insect King's Day", and people are burned in the fields and courtyards to offer sacrifices, hoping to prevent insect disasters and ensure a good harvest.
Chinese Valentine's Day
The night of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month in the old calendar is commonly known as "Chinese Valentine's Day". According to legend, this is the moment when Altair and Vega meet the Milky Way once a year in the sky. In the old days, there was a custom of "begging for skillful things" among the people, which was called "Begging for Skillful Skills Festival". The Weaver Girl was ingenious and taught the women the skills of weaving and embroidery in the mortal world. On the evening of July 7th, the women met with mortals, burned incense in the courtyard or garden, worshiped the Milky Way and the double stars, and silently prayed for their wishes. If they are lucky and clever, girls hope to be more beautiful or marry a good man; young women hope to have a child early or be favored by their husbands and parents-in-law.
In the early years, Liyuan (drama circles) performed "Special Opera" such as "Magpie Bridge Party" or Kun Opera "Palace of Eternal Life" and "Tianhe Pei" every Chinese Valentine's Day.
Hungry Ghost Festival
The 15th day of the seventh lunar month is the Hungry Ghost Festival, which is as ancient as the Shangyuan Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month and the Xiayuan Festival on October 15th traditional festival.
The Ghost Festival is a Taoist festival. Taoism believes that "Sanyuan" is another name for "Three Officials". Shangyuan Festival, also known as "Shangyuan Tianguan Festival", is the birthday of Emperor Ziwei, the heavenly official who blessed Shangyuan; Zhongyuan Festival, also known as "Zhongyuan Diguan Festival", is the birthday of Qingxu Dadi, the official who pardoned sins in Zhongyuan; Xiayuan Festival, also known as "Xiayuan Shuiguan Festival", is the birthday of Xiayuan Jiehe Shuiguandongyin Earth. The Taoist "Tai Shang San Gu Jing" says: "The Heaven Official confers blessings, the Earth Official forgives sins, and the Water Official relieves misfortune." "All living beings are governed by the Heaven, Earth, and Water Officials." During the Ghost Festival, Taoist temples such as the Di'anmen Fire Temple and the Baiyun Temple outside Xibianmen regularly hold "prayer and auspicious dojos" to pray for "good weather, peace and prosperity for the country and the people."
Buddhists will hold a grand Bon Festival on this day, also called Bon Festival and Bon Offering. The Bon Festival has been popular in the Tang Dynasty. In the late Qing Dynasty, there were more than 840 temples in Beijing. Those with conditions include Guangji Temple, Fayuan Temple, Nianhua Temple, Guanghua Temple, Jiaxing Temple, and Changchun Temple. Temples and other temples hold Bon Bon Festival and Zhongyuan Dharma Assembly of different sizes. Since the Republic of China, Beihai Park, Zhongshan Park Concert Hall and other places have held "memorial ceremonies for fallen soldiers" at this time every year. The three sutras of Fan (Lama), Dao (Taoist) and Zen (monk) are used to hold a memorial tablet for "the fallen soldiers of the sea, army and air force" for public sacrifice.
During the Ghost Festival, old Beijing also held activities such as making dharma boats, setting off lotus lanterns, lotus lanterns, worshiping ancestors, and singing "occasion operas".
Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Reunion Festival, and commonly known as the August Festival. The fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar falls in the midst of the three autumn seasons, hence the name "Mid-Autumn Festival". "Zhou Li" says: "On the mid-spring day, the drummers played Binya to welcome the heat; on the Mid-Autumn night, they welcomed the cold like clouds." It is said that the Mid-Autumn Festival took shape in the Han Dynasty, and in the Tang Dynasty, people went to the stage to watch the moon and go boating. Activities such as admiring the moon and drinking wine against the moon. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, August 15th was officially designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival. During the festival, there are customs of offering sacrifices to the moon, worshiping the moon, appreciating the moon, and eating moon cakes. This custom has been followed in the capital since the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Many kinds of fruits are ripe and on the market during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Some old Beijingers directly call it the "Fruit Festival". During the Mid-Autumn Festival, every household has the traditional habit of eating mooncakes. Before the festival, major pastry shops in Beijing sell Mid-Autumn mooncakes on time, with "Zilai Red" and "Zilai White" being the main varieties.
The custom of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival as a holiday gift to bring relatives and friends together has been passed down to this day.
Double Ninth Festival
The ninth day of the ninth lunar month in the lunar calendar is commonly known as "Double Ninth Festival". The ancients believed that nine is the number of Yang, so this day is also called the Double Ninth Festival. As far back as the Three Kingdoms period, the name Double Ninth Festival has appeared. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Double Ninth Festival has become a festival that the Chinese people attach great importance to.
In ancient times, there were many activities during the Double Ninth Festival, including climbing mountains, admiring chrysanthemums, drinking chrysanthemum wine, planting dogwood, etc. In the Ming Dynasty, the imperial palace began to eat flower cakes together in early September. On September 9th, the Double Ninth Festival, the emperor personally went to Longevity Mountain to climb. The common people also followed suit. During the Double Ninth Festival, people would bring wine sets and tea sets to the Xiangshan or Lingxian Palace or the high pavilions of Baoguo Temple to have banquets and have fun.
In the Qing Dynasty, many residents of Beicheng went to the Vajra Throne in the five pagodas of Zhenjue Temple. Many residents of Nancheng go to the Amitabha Pagoda of Fazang Temple in Zuo'anmen to climb up. In addition, Diaoyutai outside Fuchengmen is the most popular place. Since after the Double Ninth Festival, the weather gets colder and the trees and flowers are about to wither, so people call this move "Quiqing".
When climbing high and "resigning from youth", it is customary to have a picnic, mainly using pine branches and pine cones to light a fire, sit around and eat barbecue together, and drink white wine and chrysanthemum wine to add to the fun. Among the literati, there are those who improvise poems and write lyrics.
After the Republic of China, this custom gradually faded away. By the 1930s and 1940s, only the legends of the old people remained, and there were no actual activities among the people. Before and after the Double Ninth Festival, only the customs of eating roasted mutton, boiling mutton and eating flower cakes remained among the people.
Cold Clothes Festival
The first day of October in the lunar calendar is the Cold Clothes Festival, also known as the Mingyin Festival. It is one of the three major ghost festivals in the year. As usual, old Beijingers "send cold clothes" to their deceased ancestors.
At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, most Beijingers followed the old custom and went to Nanzhidian to buy winter clothes paper before the first day of October. It is a kind of colored wax paper, the pink one is printed with white patterns, the white one is printed with green lotus color pattern, the yellow one is printed with red pattern, there are also plain ones, in short, they are just symbolic things. They are usually cut into long strips in the shape of cloth, some are cut into the shape of clothes and trousers, and some are not cut and put directly into a package containing paper money and ghost money to burn on fire.
Almanac
In the old days, the Imperial Heavenly Supervisor issued the calendar on the first day of October. "Yanjing Chronicles" records: "After the issuance of the calendar in October, large and small bookstores sell constitutions, and there are also sellers in the alleys."
The imperial calendar is the "constitution", also It's called "Tongshu". At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the so-called "Da Ben New Year Calendar" was sold on the market, which was printed with "The Complete Preface of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty" and "The Complete Preface of the Republic of China".
The part other than the calendar of the general book is called the "preface", and some have more prefaces than the main text.
Even the "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Family Surnames", "Qian Ziwen", and "Zhu Xi's Maxims on Family Governance" are all attached. After the Republic of China, there were portraits of contemporary great figures, pictures of civilized wedding ceremonies, etc.
The header of the calendar section has a train schedule (only station names in order) and a Christmas date schedule for gods and Buddhas. The calendar is based on the lunar calendar.
After people bought this general book, they first wrote on the cover with a red pen: "Nothing under the lamp, good luck at night."
This "general book" was issued until 1949.
Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice (the 21st or 22nd of December in the Gregorian calendar) is the beginning of the ninth month. The ancients believed that at the winter solstice, the days are getting longer day by day, and the sun is rising. When Qi rises, it is an auspicious day. So it's worth celebrating. The emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties all held ceremonies to worship the sky, which was called "Winter Solstice Suburban Sky". There is a ceremony in the palace where hundreds of people present congratulations to the emperor, and they also congratulate each other, just like New Year's Day. However, the folk do not regard the winter solstice as a festival, but there are some activities that suit the time.
On the day of the winter solstice, there is a grand Dharma meeting at Da Dao Temple in the capital. Taoist priests recited sutras and raised the table to celebrate the birthday of Yuanshi Tianzun. Taoism believes that Yuanshi Tianzun symbolizes the undivided chaos and the undivided Taoism. There is an ancient folk custom of eating wontons. In fact, "wonton" and "chaos" are homophones. Ancient folk extended eating wontons to break the chaos and open up the world.
During the winter solstice, there is a folk custom of painting "Nine-Nine Pictures to Eliminate the Cold". The cold-repelling picture records the cloudy and sunny weather after the ninth lunar month to predict good harvests and shortages in the coming year.