The origin of the Spring Festival (I)

Legend has it that many years ago, there was a small village under the beautiful Dingyang Mountain. On the hillside at the head of the village, there is a small stone house where a young man named Wannian lives. He came from a poor family and made a living by collecting firewood and digging medicine. At that time, the festivals were so chaotic that farmers could not farm. Wannian is a young man with calculation. He wants to set the festival accurately, but he doesn't know where to start.

One day, Wannian went up the mountain to collect firewood and sat under a tree to rest. The movement of the shadows inspired him, so he made a sundial and measured the shadows to calculate the length of the day. However, it is cloudy, cloudy, foggy and rainy, which affects the measurement. He wanted to make another timekeeper to make up for the sundial. That day, he went up the mountain to dig medicine and came to the spring to drink water. The spring on the cliff was ticking rhythmically, which caught his attention. He looked at the spring and lost his mind After thinking for a while, I came home, drew a picture, tried it, and made a five-story clepsydra. From then on, he measured the sun's shadow, looked for leaks, and worked hard. Slowly, he found that every 36 days, the length of the days would be repeated from the beginning. The shortest day is in the winter solstice.

at that time, the son of heaven was called Zu Yi. The disorder of the festival made him very anxious. Just call a hundred officials. The difficulty of discussing the disorder of festivals in the DPRK. The festival official's name is Ah Heng. If he doesn't know the laws of the sun and the moon, he says that people have done things carelessly and offended the gods. Only by kneeling devoutly can we get God's forgiveness. Zu Yi took a vegetarian bath. Take officials to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices, and send a message to the whole country to set up a platform to offer sacrifices to heaven.

But the sacrifices come and go, and there is no effect, and the season is still very chaotic; People all over the country have to serve and donate in order to build the altar. It's really bile mixed with coptis chinensis. Add bitterness to suffering. I can't help it for ten thousand years. He took his sundial and clepsydra to meet the son of heaven.

I met the son of heaven in ten thousand years, and talked about the winter solstice and the running cycle of the sun and the moon. When Zu Yi listened to this, he was overjoyed. Even if he built a large-scale building, he built a Sun Moon Pavilion, a sundial platform and a leaky pot pavilion in front of the Temple of Heaven. And set aside twelve boys to serve for ten thousand years. Let six boys keep the sundial and six boys keep the leaky cauldron for ten thousand years, carefully record and report on time.

One day, Zu Yi asked Ah Heng to go to Riyuege to inquire about the calendar making. Wannian pointed to the calendar and said, "Sunrise and sunset are 36, and it starts all over again. The vegetation is divided into four seasons, and there are twelve circles in a year. " Hearing this, Ah Heng was deeply sensible, but his heart was uneasy. He thought to himself: if the festival is fixed in ten thousand years, the son of heaven will be happy and reuse it for ten thousand years, who will listen to me? Ah Heng thought and thought, bent on getting rid of Wan Nian.

On that day, Ah Heng found out that he was a good marksman, so he sent someone to his house, put on a wine feast, explained the reason, and promised him a heavy gift. The assassin promised to assassinate him that night. At the second drum of the day, the assassin left Aheng while intoxicated and ran to Riyuege. However, around the Temple of Heaven, your Excellency Sun Moon was guarded by guards, and the assassin could not come near, so he drew his bow and arrow and shot at Wannian, who was watching the stars on the Sun Moon Pavilion. Who knows that the assassin drank too much, his eyes were faint, and the arrow only hit Wan Nian's arm. Ten thousand years fell to the ground with a sigh, and all the boys cried for the thief. When the guards heard the shouts, they went out together, caught the assassin and twisted to see the son of heaven.

Zu Yi asked the truth, sent an order to put Ah Heng in prison, and made a seal and went to the Sun Moon Pavilion to visit Wan Nian. Wan Nian was very moved, pointing to Shen Xing, and said, "Shen Xing has caught up with the silkworm, and the astrology has recovered. When the children are handed in at night, the old year is over, and it is spring again. Let's hope that the emperor will make a festival."

Zu Yi said, "Spring is the first year of the year. Let's call it Spring Festival. Ai Qing entered the cabinet for three years, and she was brave enough to make a lunar calendar based on the full moon. It was really a great achievement. Now that Aiqing has been assassinated by a traitor, come with me to the palace to recuperate. "

Wan Nian said, "Although the lunar calendar was first created, it is still not very accurate, and there are still a few hours left at the end of the year. If you don't embellish the end of this year, the sun and the moon will fly like a shuttle, and it will be wrong to come and go. I am disappointed by the expectations of all sentient beings, and I am deeply grateful to the Emperor. I am willing to break my heart, carefully calculate and set the grass calendar. "

In this way, in the Riyuege for ten thousand years, I carefully observed the prosperity and decline of the vegetation and wheat bran, calculated it carefully, and moistened the accumulated time at the end of the year. In May of that year, Zu Yi went to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices to the gods, and then boarded the Sun and Moon Pavilion to give the May peaches to the gods for ten thousand years. The lunar calendar was presented in ten thousand years, and Zu Yi looked forward to the ten thousand years of hard work day and night. His eyebrows were white and his beard was white. He was deeply moved, so he named the lunar calendar the perpetual calendar and named it the birthday star of the sun, the moon and the moon. Therefore, people later called the Spring Festival "Year". Every time during the Spring Festival, Shou Xingtu was hung in the house, symbolizing the longevity of the new year, and it was also a tribute to the great achievements of the year.

the origin of the spring festival (2)

among the people in Guanzhong area of Shaanxi province, there are magical legends about the spring festival.

according to legend, the Jade Emperor sent Maitreya from the Heavenly Palace to earth in order to govern the world. When the Tathagata knew about this, he thought, I am the Buddha's Lord, why not let me go? So, I went to the Jade Emperor to argue. The Jade Emperor was speechless and had to say, "Let's discuss it." Taking advantage of the discussion, the Jade Emperor thought of a solution.

He invited Maitreya Buddha and Tathagata Buddha, put two pots of flowers in front of them, and said, "You should each take care of one pot of these two pots of flowers. Whoever blooms first will come down to earth to manage the world." The Tathagata is thoughtful and thoughtful, knowing that the Jade Emperor must be partial to Maitreya, because he guessed that the Jade Emperor was afraid that what he said would be hard to accept, so he took the service of flowers as an excuse to do it. I'm afraid the Jade Emperor has secretly made arrangements for these two potted flowers, so he also came up with a subtotal. He took the opportunity of Maitreya Buddha's closing his eyes to thank him and quietly changed the position of the two pots of flowers. The next day, the Tathagata's flowers opened, so Maitreya took care of the world for one day, which was the first day of the first month. Legend has it that Maitreya Buddha is kind-hearted. On this day, he made people eat well, wear well and sleep well, so on the first day of the first month, people spent the day in high spirits. Later, in order to commemorate Maitreya Buddha, people called the moment when the two Buddhas handed over in early spring "Spring Festival". Some people say that, because the Tathagata was blinded by stealing flowerpots, until now, there are still petty theft in the world.

the origin of the spring festival (3)

among the people in Fujian province, there are wonderful legends about the spring festival.

According to legend, in ancient times, there was a ferocious monster with a huge body and horns like horns on its head. Eyes are round. Like two lanterns. A big mouth with a big mouth can swallow a person. The name of this monster is Nian.

I lived in a cave in, and it is the overlord in the mountain. Tigers, lions and black bears run for their lives when they see it; Goats, monkeys and rabbits heard its roar and collapsed to the ground. I hunted animals in the mountains in 28, and when I was full, I purred and slept in the cave. Whenever the cold is almost over and the Spring Festival is coming, Nian runs down the mountain and eats people in the village. Therefore, human beings are also very afraid of it, and children cry. As long as their mothers say "the year is coming", the children are too scared to cry.

At that time, there were two children herding cattle, one named Ashan and the other named Ashui. They were good partners, and they were both very courageous. They often drove the cattle up the mountain to eat grass. The family said to them, "son, there are years on the mountain, so I can't go!" "

"not afraid!" A Shan and A Shui have a plan, saying, "We will carry bows and arrows on our backs. If the New Year comes, we will climb the tree and shoot it!" "

Having said that, they went up the mountain several times, but fortunately, they never met New Year. In a blink of an eye, it was the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, and it was dusk. A Shan and A Shui are driving the cattle home. It's strange that the cow screamed in panic and huddled together. What's going on here?

"hey, let's go!" A Shan and A Shui waved their bullwhip and slapped them a few times. Suddenly I heard a strange cry, and a monster ran towards the road in front of the village.

Ashan said, "Look, Shui, it's a year gone!"

"It's strange that Nian is a fierce beast, but he ran away in fear when he saw us." Water thinks it's strange.

"Well," Ashan said decisively, "let's go after it."

The two little shepherd boys are really bold. They keep waving the bullwhip to urge the cows to go. The sound of the bullwhip crackled, and Nian fled even faster. "Oh, yes!" Ashan suddenly realized, "I was afraid of the sound of bullwhip!"

Ashan and Ashui drove the cattle into the village, and they saw Nian running to Wu Gonggong's house in the distance. Wu Gonggong had a bright red dress in front of his house, so he turned his head in fear and ran towards the back of the village.

there is also a village over there. At this time, the night fell, and I saw the bright lights flashing in the windows of every household, which made it dizzy and turned its head and ran away. At this time, Ashan and Ashui have driven the cattle into the shed and chased them. They deliberately slammed the whip, and Nian screamed in horror and ran up the hill.

A Shan and A Shui saw all this clearly. When they returned to the village, they said to the villagers. "In the original afraid of ring, afraid of red, afraid of fire. We know its weakness and can resist it in the future. "

after listening to this, the villagers quickly came up with a good idea. Everyone lit a bonfire in front of the village, and Ashan and Ashui threw bamboo, and there was a crackling sound in the fire. A few years ran down the mountain. Seeing the bonfire and hearing the noise, I ran back as expected. In this way, the night passed and the villagers were safe. The next day, on the first day of the first month, the villagers took out delicious things such as red oranges and peanuts to eat together and congratulated each other: "Congratulations!"

Since then, people have called the first day of the first month "Chinese New Year". On this day, every household sticks red couplets, sets off firecrackers, lights red candles and wears red clothes, taking "red" as a symbol of good luck. It is said that these customs were gradually evolved by the way of resisting "Nian" in those years.

the origin of the spring festival (4)

among the people in Handan, Hebei province, there are fairy tales about celebrating the spring festival.

celebrating the spring festival, commonly known as the Chinese new year, is a traditional folk festival that people attach importance to. People put up couplets during the Spring Festival, and the words "Go to Xia Zhishi" are often written on the couplets. The lunar calendar in China began in the Xia Dynasty, so it is also called the Xia calendar.

according to legend, Xia Wang ruled the world, the weather was good, the country was peaceful and the people were safe, and people had plenty of food and clothing, lived and worked in peace and contentment, and had a good life! But then, I don't know how many years passed, and I don't know which dynasty, and the world was chaotic. Sometimes it is dry, sometimes it is waterlogged, sometimes it is windy, and sometimes it rains heavily. Some people are poor, some are rich, some become rich, and some become slaves.

at that time, there was a rich man in the village, and a few men were employed at home (that is, long-term workers). One day, after dinner, people offered sacrifices to the kitchen god. When Xiao Mihan saw it, he quietly knelt in front of the kitchen god and prayed: "The kitchen king shows his spirit. Don't be sunny when it is cloudy, and don't be bright when it is dark; If you are sick, don't kill yourself. " No, that's just what the rich man heard. After Xiao Mihan left, the rich man knelt in front of the kitchen king and prayed: "The kitchen king shows his spirit, and when it is cloudy, it will be dark, and when it is dark, it will be bright." If you want to get sick, tell him to get sick when he is free, and don't make a living when he is busy. "

at that time, the kitchen god was dozing off. Did not hear clearly; In a daze, I remember the words "cloudy, sunny, rainy, windy, sick, painful ...", so I firmly remember them in my heart.

while speaking, a year passed, and on the night of the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, all the immortals went to heaven to appear before the Jade Emperor, and of course the Kitchen God also went. He went earlier than anyone else, because he was always thinking about the prayer of the rich man and Xiao Mihan. When he met the jade emperor, he said without saying anything, "Your Majesty, the little god has an application. At present, the yin and yang in the world are disordered, and the wind and rain are disastrous, so people can't survive. We should send a great god to treat it as soon as possible ..."

The jade emperor couldn't help but be surprised: "Is this true?" "Really." "Really?" "True." Therefore, the Jade Emperor quickly issued an imperial decree: a great god should be appointed to take charge of the people's food, clothing, housing and transportation. Imperial decree, you all look at me, I look at you, no one will accept the decree.

at this time. Suddenly, outside the worse gate, he shouted, "The gods stand back, I'll do this job!" " When I looked up, I saw a bald, chubby, big-bellied, grinning deity-Maitreya. This Maitreya Buddha is broad-minded and generous. He is bored to watch the scenery outside the worse gate all day. He just wants to do something good for people, so he automatically assumes this important task.

The first thing Maitreya did when he came to earth was to let people have a good year, eat well, dress well and not work. As a result, people will follow his wishes and hold new year's goods at every gathering, which is really busy. Maitreya also specifically stipulates: 24, sweeping the house; Twenty-five, grinding bean curd; Twenty-six, steamed buns; Twenty-seven, shopping; Twenty-eight, kill the pig; Twenty-nine, playing yellow wine; Thirty, eat flat food. At the same time, all the immortals should be invited, and the preparations should be complete. On the first day of the first year, that is, the first day of the new year, every family will get up five watches, set off firecrackers, dress neatly, congratulate each other, and enjoy themselves. At the same time, we have to visit relatives and friends and pay homage to our ancestors ...

In this way, the world is really peaceful. The Jade Emperor brushed aside the clouds and looked down at the world. It was a happy scene, and he was naturally happy. A few days later, on the fifth day, it was just dawn, and suddenly there was a noise. It turned out to be Jiang Taigong's wife (people call her a dirty god, who specializes in toilets and dirt), who is quarreling with Maitreya with a big belly.

It turns out that on New Year's Eve, when people invite gods, they forget the dirty gods. She was angry, so she went to Maitreya to make trouble. Maitreya was all smiles, but he didn't answer. This dirty air is so painful that I am tearing my hair out. Seeing that things were about to get serious, Maitreya said, "Let's do this! Today is the fifth day, let people put a few more guns for you, pack a jiaozi, and spend a lot of money! " -This is the origin of "Breaking Five".

I don't want to. These guns reached the Heavenly Palace, where the Jade Emperor was playing chess. When he heard the guns, he thought something had happened on earth. He sent the God of Wealth to visit the world. The god of wealth is the god in charge of gold and silver treasures in heaven. When he came to the world, he saw that there were incense, foil and paper everywhere, so he was so happy that he forgot to go back.

The Jade Emperor sent Cang Guan to the world, who was the god in charge of warehouses. He saw that every household was full of steamed bread for incense, and he didn't want to return to heaven.

The Jade Emperor sent several immortals down to earth, but there was still no reply. It's been half a month, and the jade emperor's chess is finished. It suddenly occurred to him that several immortals who had been sent down didn't come back, so he went to the world to see for himself. When he saw people wearing new clothes; Eating rice, white flour and meat dishes, doing nothing, was very angry, so he called Maitreya to drink: "I told you to be in charge of the folk affairs, but who told you to let people eat well and wear well, not live?" Maitreya smiled and said, "Your Majesty, calm down. You asked me to take care of people's food, clothing, housing and transportation, but you didn't ask me to let people work!" In a word, the jade emperor was silent. When the Jade Emperor thought about it, he was right. Now that it has been done, there can only be one time in that year, and he will work in the fields after the spring. Therefore, since then, the old practice has been left, and there is a Spring Festival once a year.

After that, Maitreya can't go back to the worse place. To this day, in some temples, there are still statues of him. People say that Maitreya can't be blamed for this. After all, he wants to do good things for people. Therefore, people burned incense for him as usual. Keeping up with the new year

Keeping up with the new year is the custom of staying up late to welcome the new year without sleeping on the last night of the old year. It is also called keeping up with the new year's eve, and its common name is "keeping up with the new year". Exploring the origin of this custom, there is an interesting story circulating among the people:

In Archaean times, there was a fierce monster scattered in the mountains and forests, and people called them "Nian". Its appearance is ferocious, its nature is ferocious, and it specializes in eating birds and animals and insects. It changes its taste every day, from kowtowing insects to living people, which makes people talk about "Nian". Later, people gradually mastered the activity law of "Nian", which is to flee to the crowded places every 365 days.