In fact, since the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the Qing Palace has been busy. During the Qianlong period, when offering sacrifices to the stove in the off-year period, Emperor Qianlong would personally go into battle, beating gongs and drums and singing on the kang. Yao Yuanzhi recorded in Bamboo Leaf Pavilion Miscellaneous Notes:? The Kunning Palace offers sacrifices to stoves every year, and a drum board is set on the kang. Last in, first out. When I arrived, I sat on the kang and knocked on the drum board, singing a song "Visiting the Sage". ? The emperor sang opera, which is very interesting to think about.
New Year's Eve has just passed, but before New Year's Eve, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty had one more important thing to do, that is? Seal the pen? . ? Seal the pen? Also called? Seal? As the name implies, on this day, emperors will stop their official duties and give themselves a holiday. As for the holiday time, it is usually the first day of the first month.
After the closure of Yuanmingyuan, the emperors will return to the Forbidden City and begin to prepare for the Spring Festival. Of course, emperors don't have to do anything. Palace, its own maid-in-waiting concubines to worry about. Emperors just have to wait for the banquet on New Year's Eve.
However, the emperor who doesn't have to work has his own business. On New Year's Eve, they have been busy since they opened their eyes. At four o'clock in the morning on New Year's Eve, the emperor will get up? Pick up the gods? . There is a special ceremony to receive the gods. The emperor must first go to the Health Hall and other Buddhist temples in the palace to burn incense and salute, and firecrackers must be greeted when he enters and exits to show his sincerity in asking for heaven.
Raise your head and ask God, but lower your head? Step on the age? . On New Year's Eve, the road from home to the gate is covered with sesame stalks, and people walk on it to pray. "Yanjing years old? There is a record about stepping on the age in the year of death:? On New Year's Eve, from home to the gate, every place you walk is covered with straw. This is the so-called year of death. ?
On the morning of New Year's Eve, the emperor and the queen had breakfast together. It's just breakfast, but as long as it's with? Rice? If you take the top, you can't be shabby. It is recorded in the dictionary of the Forbidden City: one product of yellow rice, one product of hanging duck from bird's nest, one product of hanging duck meat, one product of Italian hot pot with game, one product of stewed duck hot pot with evergreen wine, one product of stewed fat chicken with bird's nest and apple in Baxian bowl, and one product of duck with soup in blue and white jade bowl? There are 21 items for breakfast alone, which shows the luxury of the imperial court.
Of course, brunch and lunch are just the groundwork, and dinner in the evening is the highlight. It is no exaggeration to say that this meal is a state banquet in the Qing Dynasty. After all, the emperor, empress, concubines and ministers of civil and military affairs will attend this dinner. The richness of the dinner is very imaginable, and there are countless treasures on the table. However, don't think that this meal is enough. In fact, this meal is very painful for the inferior.
At the dinner party, everyone's position is sorted according to the size of the official position, even the position of concubines is no exception. The higher the status, the closer to the emperor. When the emperor is eating, the people below are not allowed to eat. They should kowtow and congratulate the emperor. In this way, the people who eat are unhappy, and the people below have no food. So many people are still hungry after this meal and need to go home and have another meal with their families.
On New Year's Day, the most important meeting of the year will begin. It is said that it is a court meeting, but it is actually equivalent to a hundred officials paying a New Year call to the emperor. On the first day of the new year, before dawn, officials waited in front of the temple early. When the emperor arrived, the ceremony official presented a glass of Tu Su wine, which was made of gold and weighed one kilogram. It is called the Golden Ou Gu Yong Cup, which means that this country will always be solid. After drinking wine, the emperor will write a letter on New Year's Day, that is, the emperor will write a congratulatory letter himself, and the content is similar. It is nothing more than praying for peace in the world and the well-being of all people. From beating gongs and drums on the kang on the 23 rd of the twelfth lunar month to writing on the first day of the New Year, the Spring Festival of the Qing Palace is really full of ritual and grounded in private.
Time is up, and the New Year greeting ceremony officially begins, with bells and drums ringing and firecrackers ringing. The emperor boarded the Hall of Supreme Harmony, sat on the dragon chair and was bowed down by the officials below. At this time, the ceremony official announced that he was seated, congratulating the Qing dynasty on its prosperity and security, and long live the emperor. After reading, officials will also give a gift of three kneels and nine knocks. After the ceremony, officials can stand up, sit in the seats given by the emperor and listen to the emperor carefully. After drinking tea, the New Year greeting ceremony officially ended. The emperor walked out of the hall first and the officials stepped down in turn.
This day is the most tiring and exciting day for ladies-in-waiting and servants, because although they have to work hard day and night for the New Year, the emperor and nobles will also give them red envelopes on this day. Of course, as for how much money there is in the red envelope, it all depends on their impression in the emperor's mind. Generally speaking, the higher the status, the better the red envelopes and rewards.
Children in the palace and children of the Eight Banners will also get lucky money, and elders will put the lucky money at the end of the bed in the shape of Jackie Chan and distribute it to children.
After the first day of the first month, the Spring Festival in the palace continues. The custom of having lights in the Qing court. The so-called lanterns are lit during six days, such as New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, to pray for the emperor's health and longevity.
It was not until the sixth day of the first month that the emperor went to court to handle government affairs, the holidays of officials ended, and shops in Beijing began to open their doors one after another, and the Spring Festival in the Qing Palace ended slightly. However, the Spring Festival in the Qing Dynasty didn't end until the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month, which was regarded as the Spring Festival.