The time of the Beginning of Spring in 2020 is 17:3 on February 4, 2020 in the Gregorian calendar, January 11th in the Gengzi Year of the lunar calendar

Customs of the Beginning of Spring

1. Welcome the Spring and Join the Sentence of Mangshen

Welcoming the Spring is an important activity on the Beginning of Spring, and the time is the day before the Beginning of Spring. This event is very important and has a large number of participants. The purpose of the event is to bring back Spring and the Goddess of Mang after their break from work.

Jumang God is the god in charge of spring. It is said that she has a human face and a bird body and is in charge of the reproduction and reproduction of all vegetation. To welcome spring and the god of light, a spring official will be set up to announce the specific time of the beginning of spring. Most prostitutes are beggars or women in bad professions. The reason may be that this role is somewhat funny and normal people are not willing to play it.

On the day before the beginning of spring, people will carry the awn gods and parade through the streets. People come out to watch the excitement and throw grains and grains, which is called "watching the spring." Finally, the team will leave the city and go up the mountain to the sound of drums to complete the sacrifice.

2. Whipping the spring ox to bring spring

The whipping of the spring ox was popular in the Tang and Song Dynasties in my country, and has been passed down ever since. This custom is still practiced in rural areas of Shandong and Hebei. , that is, the form is slightly changed.

In ancient times, the whip spring cow was shaped into a clay cow in advance, and the cow's belly was stuffed with grains. On the day of the Beginning of Spring, people use whips to smash clay cows, pick up the grains that have fallen on the ground, and put the grains into their own granaries, indicating that they will have enough food next year. People will also compete to take away the pieces of the mud cow, and the one who grabs the cow's head is the most auspicious. It is said that if the pieces of the cow are placed in the cowshed, many calves will be born in the coming year.

Smart craftsmen will make many small clay cows before the beginning of spring and send them to various households. This is called "spring delivery", just like how many children are given to each family during the Chinese New Year in rural areas of Northeast China. "Sending the God of Wealth" to each household is also a marketing tool.

I was fortunate enough to witness a "spring bull whip" on the first day of spring in our rural Hebei countryside. That was a few years ago. Due to work reasons, I came to a rural area in a county in Cangzhou, Hebei Province, where I spent a pleasant and busy day.

That day happened to be the beginning of spring, and I saw many farmers taking out their cattle and tying them outside their doors. The cows are covered in red and green, with big red flowers on their heads. Each cow is dressed up beautifully by its owner, and it makes you feel happy just looking at it.

At almost noon, people led the cattle to a spacious place. Under the auspices of an old man who seemed to be highly respected, people gently whipped the cattle with whips wrapped with colorful ribbons. body. It seems that this is the changed Spring Cow.

3. Dai Chunji and Diao Chunsui

Dai Chunji

When I was a child, I played with my neighbor’s sister and brother at my grandma’s house. His family moved from another place, and there are many things that are different from ours. For example, at the beginning of spring, their mother will sew a cloth rooster on their clothes and hats. It is a big rooster twisted with colorful cloth. It is majestic and beautiful. None of our other children have it, only my sister and I have it. I never knew what was going on.

Until a few days ago, I suddenly recalled these two childhood playmates and the cloth roosters on their hats. I checked it out and found out that this is a custom in Shaanxi, my country. On the first day of spring, the child wears a big rooster sewn by the mother to express "spring chicken" - "chunji", which is the mother's best wishes for the child. Now, we have all grown up and are scattered in different cities. We have not contacted each other for many years. I wonder if the siblings will also sew a cloth rooster for their children?

Hanging spring ears.

I have heard of this. I had chickenpox when I was a child. My mother's good friend said that if at the beginning of spring, I put beans on colorful threads and hung them on the horns of cows, my children would not get chickenpox. However, my grandma said that it was used to treat measles in her old life and had nothing to do with chickenpox. In fact, it didn’t matter whether it mattered or not. At that time, I already had chickenpox. So, my mom didn’t wear beans either. That's right, if you don't have any clothes on, go look for cows in the city.

When I checked the origin of the rooster, I found it out casually. In fact, hanging spring ears is an ancient custom and is also popular in Shaanxi. On the day of the Beginning of Spring, mothers weave strips of various colored cloths into the shape of wheat ears and hang them on children, donkeys, horses, cows and sheep to pray for a good harvest next year. There are also people who specially scatter madou on cows to "disperse rash".

4. Biting Spring

This is the most preserved and widely spread Beginning of Spring activity. Our traditional festivals seem to be inseparable from food, and they all have their own specific foods, which really echoes the old saying that food is the most important thing for the people. The beginning of spring is no exception, it also has its own special festival foods. The main food at the beginning of spring is spring pancakes in the north, and spring rolls in the south. The spring pancakes in the north are thin and topped with shredded pork, radish, and cucumber strips. When you take a bite, they are crunchy and crunchy. Folks call them spring pancakes. As a northerner who doesn’t understand southern food, I won’t tell my southern friends what to eat at the beginning of spring, lest they laugh at me.