Time: the day of the twenty-fourth solar term Autumn, the Gregorian calendar about August 7 or 8 every year

Autumn is the beginning of the autumn season, August 7 or 8 every year when the sun reaches 135 degrees of yellow longitude for the Autumn.

Liqiu in ancient times used to be a legal holiday, "Tang six canon" as well as "Wenchang Miscellany" have a record, Liqiu in the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty are to take a day off.

The origin of the holiday

Autumn is a harvest season, "Shuowen Jiezi" said: autumn, rice is ripe. The "Monthly Order Seventy-two Waiting Jiejie" explains that Autumn is a festival in July, and that Autumn is the meaning of convergence, when all things come to fruition and are ready to be harvested.

"Monthly Order seventy-two wait Jiejie": "Liqiu, July Festival ...... Autumn, collect (jiū) also. Things in this and convergence (liǎn) also."

Liqiu is the thirteenth of the twenty-four solar terms, when the year is already half over.

In the North and South Dynasties, there is no record of the Liqiu Festival in the Jing Chu Years and Seasons Record, was Liqiu a holiday in the North and South Dynasties? Is it a holiday? It is not good to make a judgment.

In the Tang and Song dynasties, the beginning of autumn and the three seasons of spring, summer and winter were all festivals.

Holiday customs

@ So what are the customs of Autumn?

According to the Later Han Book - Xianzong, there was an official ceremony to welcome the five seasons (Rising Spring, Rising Summer, Great Summer, Rising Autumn, and Rising Winter) since the reign of Emperor Xianzong Hsiao-ming of the Han Dynasty in the Yongping era. On the day of Autumn, the emperor led his ministers to the western suburbs, nine miles away from the city, to welcome the fall and to worship the gods in charge of the west: Bai Di and Mat (rù ) Harvest.

The Book of the Later Han Dynasty - Zhi VIII - Sacrifices On the day of the neutralization of the autumn, we welcomed the autumn in the western suburb, and sacrificed to the White Emperor, Matsui. The flag and costume are all white. Song "West Hao (hào)", eight rows of dancers (yì) dance "Yusheng" dance.

In the Tang Dynasty, the Autumn Festival was already a legal holiday, but there is no record of the festival in the Tang Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty, in the palace planted the sycamore tree, the day of the autumn, the historian [1] wearing a grand dress and holding a Chao Wat (hù), until the "autumn" hour to, on the high sound of the report "Autumn", at this time, the sycamore tree should be heard! At this time, the sycamore tree should fall one or two leaves, indicating the meaning of the report of autumn.

Mengliang Records : Autumn, the Bureau of the Imperial Historical Commission officials in the forbidden court, to the sycamore tree planted in the temple, once the hand-over of autumn, the historian wearing Bing said: "Autumn to". When the sycamore leaves should sound fly down one or two pieces, in order to report the meaning of autumn.

Tokyo Meng Hua Records recorded that the streets are full of tulip (qiū) leaves [2], women and children buy tulip leaves cut into a variety of patterns, inserted in the temples on both sides of the wear.

Tokyo Meng Hua Records: Autumn Day, the street sells rowan (qiū) leaves, women and children generation, are cut into patterns to wear.

Autumn, also heralded the hot summer is coming to an end, the folk have "an autumn rain a cold" said, after the autumn, the weather is slowly turning cooler, after the fall, the next rain will be cooler, and gradually the days are going to get cooler.

Folk also have "towards the fall, chilly; night fall, hot to the head." In fact, the weather changes after the fall, and the early and late fall time does not have any relationship.

Do you know? In the Manchu Qing Dynasty, autumn is still the time for students to start school after the summer vacation. Manchu Qing Dynasty, "the Imperial Capital Years and Years Jisheng," said the capital's small children do not like to go to school, cold winter days to vacation, summer heat and vacation. Autumn is the day after the summer vacation, the day of the school in front of the school to write "autumn cool to learn" a few big words, meaning: autumn is coming, the weather is cool, come to school.

The Imperial Capital Years and Years of the Jisheng" Autumn Sharp to learn. The children of the capital are lazy and eager to learn, and they rest in winter when it is cold, and in summer when it is hot, so the academy writes on the day of the first fall that it is cooler to come to school.

@ I know, the original September 1 opening of the school also has a history.

Now the September 1 school should be opened with the Manchu period of the opening of the school in the fall has nothing to do.

The first day of autumn, Qujiang River, remembering Yuanjiu

(Tang) Bai Juyi

Dismounted from his horse under the shade of the willow, and alone on the embankment line.

The old man is a thousand miles away, but the new cicadas are three or two in number.

The city of Jiangqu water, Jiangling city on the river.

The new sorrows of the two places should be the same as the feelings of this day.

[1] The chief historian is the one who records history,

[2] The rowan tree is a deciduous tree with large leaves

[3] The rowan tree is a deciduous tree with large leaves

[4] The rowan tree is a deciduous tree with large leaves.