China's successive generations of New Year's Day of the month is not consistent. Xia dynasty in the first day of the first month, the Shang dynasty in the first day of December, the Zhou dynasty in the first day of November, Qin Shi Huang united the six countries, and the first day of October for the New Year's Day, and since then the successive generations have not been changed ("Records of the Grand Historian"). The first year of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, Sima Qian created the "Tai Chu Calendar", which is the first day of the first month for the New Year's Day, and the same provisions of the Xia Dynasty, so it is also known as the "Xia Calendar", has been used until the Xinhai Revolution. The establishment of the Republic of China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen in order to "line Xia Zheng, so along with the farming season; from the Western calendar, so the statistics", the first day of the first month (New Year's Day) for the Spring Festival, and the Western calendar January 1 for the New Year.
September 27, 1949, the first plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference adopted the use of the "Western calendar chronology", the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar called "Spring Festival", the Western calendar January 1 as "New Year's Day". On New Year's Day, people wish each other well in various ways, and New Year's cards are one of the main forms.
The origin of Teachers' Day
September 10th of the Gregorian calendar is Teachers' Day in China.
There was a Teachers' Day in China's history. 1931, educators Tai Shuangqiu and Cheng Qibao gathered at Nanjing Central University and issued a manifesto calling for "improving the treatment of teachers, safeguarding their work and enhancing their training", and agreed that June 6 would be the Teachers' Day, which is also called the Double-Sixth Day. Soon after, the Kuomintang government first agreed to designate June 6 as Teachers' Day, but later changed it to August 27 (Confucius' birthday). After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Central People's Government had restored June 6 as Teachers' Day, and the Ministry of Education notified educators everywhere that they could organize their own celebrations according to the actual situation.In 1951, the National Education Trade Union was established, and educators were recognized as a part of the working class.On April 19, 1951, the Minister of Education and the Chairman of the National Committee of the China Education Trade Union issued a written statement declaring "May 1 International Labor Day is also Teachers' Day. However, due to the lack of teachers' characteristics on this day, the results of the implementation were not satisfactory. Especially after 1957, under the influence of the "left" ideology, teachers were not emphasized, and Teachers' Day practically ceased to exist.
In recent years, the Chinese government has taken many measures to mobilize society as a whole to respect teachers, raise their status, and improve their working and living conditions. In order to further improve the political and social status of teachers, to form a social trend of respecting teachers, respecting knowledge and respecting talents, and to promote the development of education, based on the repeated proposals of deputies to the National People's Congress, members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and people from all walks of life, especially teachers in various parts of the country, as well as the experience of carrying out activities to respect teachers in various parts of the country, the State Council, on January 11th, 1985, submitted a proposal to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress to On January 11, 1985, the State Council proposed to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress a motion to establish September 10 of each year as Teachers' Day. At the Sixth National People's Congress, held on January 21 of the same year, it agreed to the motion on the establishment of Teachers' Day and decided that September 10 would be Teachers' Day.
To determine September 10 as Teachers' Day, because the beginning of the new student enrollment, that is, the beginning of the activities of respect for teachers, teachers can teach, students learn to create a good atmosphere. At the same time, fewer national festivals in September, easy for all parties to focus on the time to organize activities and highlight publicity and reporting, and promote the formation of a nationwide respect for teachers, respect for knowledge, respect for talent and a good social trend.
The establishment of Teachers' Day signifies that teachers are honored by the whole society in our country. This is because the work of teachers largely determines the future of our country. The work of teachers is closely related to every family, every child, teenager and youth. Teachers play a great role in the development and progress of human society. Teachers are the engineers who forged human civilization, and they are the transmitters and builders of human civilization. The continuity of the development of human civilization depends on the labor of teachers from generation to generation. If a society, a country or a nation does not have the hard and effective work of teachers, then the civilization process of that society, country and nation will suffer losses. Therefore, a history of civilization is inconceivable without the factor of teachers.
Since then, every year on Teachers' Day, teachers all over the country have celebrated their day in different ways. By selecting and rewarding them, presenting their experiences, helping to solve practical difficulties in salary, housing and medical care, and improving teaching conditions, the enthusiasm of the majority of teachers to engage in the cause of education has been greatly enhanced.
The origin of the winter solstice festival and legend
The winter solstice festival originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties, and continues to this day. Qingjiazhu" even has "winter solstice is as big as the year" said. This shows that the ancients attached great importance to the winter solstice. People believe that the winter solstice is the natural transformation of yin and yang, is a blessing from heaven. The Han Dynasty to the winter solstice for the "Winter Festival", the government should be held to congratulate the ceremony known as "He winter", routine vacation. After the Han Book" has this record: "before and after the winter solstice, the gentleman to be quiet and quiet body, all the government officials, do not listen to politics, choose the auspicious moment and then save." So this day the court up and down to take a holiday, the army on standby, the border closed, business, friends and relatives with food gifts, visit each other, happy to have a "quiet body" holiday.
Tang, Song period, the winter solstice is the day of sacrifice to the ancestors, the emperor on this day to the outskirts of the ceremony held in heaven, the people on this day to the parents of the elders of worship, and now there are still some places in the winter solstice this day to celebrate the festival.
One of the winter solstice legends
In the past, the old Beijing had "winter solstice wontons summer solstice noodles". According to legend, during the Han Dynasty, the Huns in the north often harassed the border, and the people had no peace. At that time, there were two leaders of the Hun tribe, the Huns and the Tuns, who were very cruel. The people hated them so much that they wrapped them into horns with meat and took the sound of "Hun" and "Tun" and called them "Hundun". Hate to eat, and seek to quell the war, can live in peace. Because the first made of wontons is in the winter solstice this day, in the winter solstice this day every family to eat wontons.
Eating "pinch frozen ears" is the winter solstice in Henan people eat dumplings commonly known. The reason for this custom? According to legend, Nanyang medical saint Zhang Zhongjing had been an official in Changsha, he returned home when he sued for his old age in the snowy winter, the cold winds piercing the bones. He saw the villagers on both sides of the White River in Nanyang clothes, there are a lot of people's ears were frozen rotten, the heart is very sad, and asked his disciples in Nanyang Guandong set up a medical hut, with mutton, chili peppers and some cold-expelling medicinal herbs placed in a pot to cook, fish out and chopped up, wrapped in dough to look like an ear, and then put down in the pot to cook and make a kind of medicine called "Cold-expelling Ear Soup and then put down the pot to cook, making a kind of medicine called "Cold Driving Ear Correction Soup" to give to the people to eat. After serving, the folks' ears were cured. Later, every winter solstice people will imitate to do to eat, so the formation of "pinch frozen ears" this custom. Later, people called it "dumplings", and some called it "flat food" and "hot noodle dumplings", and people also have legends of eating winter solstice dumplings do not freeze.
Winter Solstice Legend No. 2
The custom of eating dog meat on the winter solstice is said to have begun in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, ate dog meat cooked by Fan Kuai on the winter solstice and found the flavor particularly delicious and praised it. Since then, the custom of eating dog meat on the winter solstice has been formed in folklore. Nowadays, people have to eat dog meat, mutton and all kinds of nourishing food on the winter solstice, in order to have a good omen in the coming year.
Winter Solstice Legends of the third
In the Jiangnan water towns, there is the winter solstice night the whole family gathered **** eat red beans and glutinous rice custom. According to legend, there is a person called **** Gong's, his son is not talented, evil, died on the winter solstice this day, after death into an epidemic ghost, continue to brutalize the people. However, the ghost of the epidemic is afraid of red beans, so people cook and eat red beans on the day of the winter solstice rice, to avoid the ghost of the epidemic, disaster prevention and relief.
The origin of the Lantern Festival and the legend
The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival, as early as 2000 years ago in the Western Han Dynasty, the Lantern Festival began in the Eastern Han Dynasty Ming Di period, the Ming Di advocated Buddhism, heard that the Buddhist monks on the 15th day of the first month of the Buddha's relics, lamps and honor the Buddha's practice, the order of the night in the Imperial Palace and temples lamps and honor the Buddha, so that the scholarly populace have hung lamps. Later, this Buddhist ceremonial festival gradually formed a grand folk festival. The festival has gone through a process of development from the palace to the folk, from the Central Plains to the whole country.
In the time of Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty, the 15th day of the first lunar month was designated as the Lantern Festival. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the festival of "Taiyi God" was held on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar. (Taiyi: the god who dominates everything in the universe). When Sima Qian created the "Taichu Calendar", the Lantern Festival was already recognized as a major festival.
Another theory is that the custom of burning lanterns at the Lantern Festival originated from the Taoist "Three Elements"; the 15th day of the first month is the Upper Elements Festival, the 15th day of the 7th month is the Middle Elements Festival, and the 15th day of the 10th month is the Lower Elements Festival. In charge of the upper, middle and lower three yuan respectively for the sky, earth, human three officials, the heavenly officials happy, so on the first yuan festival to light.
The Lantern Festival festival period and festival activities, is with the development of history and extend, expand. In terms of the length of the festival, the Han Dynasty only one day, to the Tang Dynasty has been three days, the Song Dynasty is up to five days, the Ming Dynasty is since the eighth light, until the night of the seventeenth day of the first month of the lights, the whole ten days. With the Spring Festival, the daytime for the city, bustling, night lights, spectacular. Especially the delicate, colorful lights, making it the climax of the entertainment activities during the Spring Festival. To the Qing Dynasty, and added a dragon dance, lion dance, running boats, stilt walkers, rice-planting songs and other "hundred plays" content, but the festival was shortened to four to five days.
On the origin of the Lantern Festival, there are several interesting folk legends:
Legend of the lamp
Legend of a long time ago, there are a lot of fierce birds and beasts, all around the harm to people and livestock, the people will organize to fight them, there is a bird of God trapped in a lost and landed on the earth, but accidentally was unknowingly hunters to shoot dead. When the emperor knew it, he was very angry, and immediately sent a decree, ordering the heavenly soldiers to come to the earth on the 15th day of the first month to set fire to the human and animal properties on the earth to be burnt to death. The emperor's daughter is kind-hearted, can't bear to see the people suffer innocently, so she risked her life and secretly drove the auspicious clouds to the earth, and told the news to the people. When the people heard the news, it was as if a thunderbolt had rung over their heads. They were so scared that they didn't know what to do. After a long time, an old man came up with an idea, saying, "On the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth day of the first month, every family will put up lanterns, light firecrackers, and set off fireworks at home. In this way, the Heavenly Emperor will think that people have been burnt to death".
All of them nodded their heads in agreement and went their separate ways to get ready. On the night of the fifteenth day of the first month, the Heavenly Emperor looked down and found the earth red and loud, for three nights in a row, and thought it was the flames of a great burning fire, and was greatly quickened in it. The people thus preserved their lives and their property. In honor of this success, from then on, every first month of the fifteenth, every family hangs lanterns, fireworks to commemorate this day.
Another legend has it that the Lantern Festival was set up in honor of "Ping Lu" during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty
Another legend has it that the Lantern Festival was set up during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty to commemorate "Ping Lu". After the death of Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, Liu Ying, the son of Empress Lu, ascended the throne as Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Hui was weak and indecisive, and the power gradually fell into the hands of Empress Lu.
After the illness and death of Empress Lu, all of them were afraid of being harmed and ostracized. So, they secretly gathered at the home of General Lu Lu and ****planned for a rebellion in order to completely seize the Liu's kingdom.
This matter spread to Liu's royal family, King of Qi, Liu Sang's ears, Liu Sang in order to protect Liu's kingdom, decided to start a military crusade against all the Lü and then with the founding of the veteran Zhou Bo, Chen Ping contact, designed to lift the Lü Lü, "all the Lü's chaos," and finally was completely pacified.
After the rebellion was quelled, Liu Heng, the second son of Liu Bang, was crowned Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, and the Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the second son of Liu Bang, was given the title of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty. Deeply impressed by the hard-won peace and prosperity, Emperor Wen set the 15th day of the first month of the year in which the "Lü's Rebellion" was quelled as a day of joy for the people, and every house in the capital was decorated with lanterns and colors to celebrate the occasion. Since then, the 15th day of the first month has become a folk festival celebrated by all the people - the "Lantern Festival".
Dongfang Shuo and the Lantern Girl
This legend is related to the custom of eating the Lantern Festival: According to legend, Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty had a favorite minister named Dongfang Shuo, who was kind and funny. One winter day, it snowed heavily for a few days, so Dongfang Shuo went to the imperial garden to fold plum blossoms for Emperor Wu. When he entered the garden, he found a courtesan in tears, ready to throw herself into a well. Dongfang Shuo rushed to her rescue and asked her why she wanted to commit suicide. It turned out that the courtesan's name was Yuan Xiao (元宵), and she had two parents and a younger sister at home. Since she entered the palace, she never had the chance to meet her family. Every year to the end of the spring season, more than usual miss their families. She felt that it would be better for her to die than to be able to fulfill her filial piety in front of her parents. When Dongfang Shuo heard her story, he sympathized with her and assured her that he would try to reunite her with her family.
One day, Dongfang Shuo went out of the palace and set up a divination booth on Chang'an Street. Many people were eager to ask for his fortune. Unexpectedly, every person's request was "the 16th day of the first month, the fire burns my body". For a while, Chang'an was in a great panic. People asked for a solution to the disaster. Dongfang Shuo said, "On the evening of the 13th day of the first month, the Fire God will send a red-clothed goddess down to visit the earth, and she is the messenger who has been ordered to burn Chang'an, I will give you the copied verse, so that the present Son of Heaven can think of a solution." After saying this, he threw down a red post and went away. The common people picked up the red post and hurriedly sent it to the palace to report to the emperor.
Han Wu Di received a look, only to see written on it: "Chang'an in the robbery, the fire burns the Imperial Palace, fifteen days of fire, the flame red curfew," he was shocked, and hastened to invite the resourceful Dongfang Shuo. Dongfang Shuo pretended to think for a moment, then said: "I heard that the fire god gentleman loves to eat dumplings, the palace Lantern is not often for you to make dumplings? On the fifteenth night, you can let the Lantern make soup dumplings. Banzai burned incense and made offerings, and ordered every family in Kyoto to make dumplings to honor the Fire Goddess. Then, you will summon your subjects to hang lanterns together on the fifteenth night, and light firecrackers and set off fireworks all over the city, as if the city is on fire, so that you can hide it from the Jade Emperor. In addition, notify the people outside the city, the fifteenth night into the city to watch the lanterns, mixed in the crowd to eliminate disasters and solve the problem". When the Jade Emperor heard this, he was very happy, so he sent a decree to do as Dongfang Shuo's method.
To the fifteenth day of the first month of the Chang'an city of lights, colorful, tourists come and go, very lively. The parents of the courtesan Yuan Xiao also took their sister into the city to watch the lanterns. When they saw the words written "Lantern" large palace lanterns, surprise shouted: "Lantern! Yuanxiao!" The Lantern, hearing the shouts, was finally reunited with his relatives at home.
After such a lively night, the city of Chang'an was indeed safe and sound. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very happy, then ordered every first month of the future to make dumplings for the fire god king, the first month of the 15th, as usual, the whole city hanging lights and fireworks. Because the best dumplings are made by Yuanxiao, people call the dumplings Yuanxiao, and this day is called the Lantern Festival.
The origin of Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day is a gift-giving holiday in three ways: most Americans give thanks to God for his bounty over the past year, people traditionally entertain their friends and family with seasonal fruits, and people give food to those who are hungry.
Thanksgiving was first celebrated in 1621 by Englishmen who came to Plymouth, Massachusetts, on the ship Mayflower. The sixty men, who had survived a difficult winter, invited the local Indian chief, with whom they had negotiated and signed an agreement, to enjoy the fruits of the harvest. To their surprise, the Indian chief brought ninety well-dressed but hungry Indian warriors! Apparently, they had not prepared enough food. The Indians quickly went back and brought deer and other food. The feast consisted of turkey, goose, duck, lobster, popped corn, clams, tortillas, cranberries, fruit and apple juice, etc.*** It lasted three days.
Since 1863, when Abraham. President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday, most Americans have celebrated it. It is a day when families gather to give thanks and celebrate God's mercy and goodness over the past year. Americans and Canadians (on the second Monday in October) celebrate Thanksgiving with a feast of roasted turkey, duck, and goose, usually seasoned. People far from home were invited as guests. Food is also given to those who are less fortunate. Local organizations, schools, and churches collect food and put it in food baskets for distribution to the poor. Some store owners also gave turkeys to their employees and some regular customers. (Fourth Thursday of November)
Ying Pei Che