What is the meaning of Lichun
The Chinese Astronomical Almanac shows that Lichun, the first of the 24 solar terms in the lunar calendar, will be ushered in on February 4 at 17:46 Beijing time. Experts say that spring is both a festival and a holiday. On this day, China's folk "welcome spring", "playing spring" and "biting spring" beautiful custom. Spring is divided from the astronomical, spring is warm, birds and flowers; spring is growing, plowing and sowing. From the day of the spring cross section until the summer before the period, are called spring. After the spring, due to the rise of Yang Qi, the recovery of all things, the earth thawed, the temperature rises and other factors, the night issued a sweet, fresh smell, replacing the smell of dust and leaves in the autumn and winter seasons.
The so-called "a year's plan is in the spring", since ancient times, the spring is a traditional festival. China from the official to the people are extremely important, the day of spring to welcome spring has been more than three thousand years of history. At the beginning of spring, the Son of Heaven personally led the three dukes, nine ministers, and vassals to go to the eastern suburb to welcome spring and pray for a good harvest. After returning, to reward the ministers, cloth Germany order to benefit the people. This kind of activity affected the common people, and became a universal spring welcoming activity for generations to come. At the beginning of spring, only southern China really enters spring. However, this method of division is more in line with reality. After the spring, the temperature rises, and the spring plowing season begins in most parts of the country.
Lichun is a point in time, or it can be a period of time. Chinese tradition divides the fifteen days of spring into three seasons: "The first season is the thawing of the east wind, the second season is the beginning of the vibration of the stinging insects, and the third season is the thawing of the fish in the ice", which means that the east wind sends warmth to the land and the earth begins to thaw. Spring five days later, the dormant insects slowly awakened in the hole, and then five days, the river ice began to melt, the fish began to the surface of the water to swim, at this time there is not completely dissolved on the water surface of the broken pieces of ice, as the fish negative general floating on the water surface.
What is the significance of the spring
The day of the spring "Yang and hibernation, all things spring", after the spring, the recovery of all living things, the seasons of the year from the beginning. In ancient times, there is such a legend: the spring is coming, the magistrate will take the local celebrities to dig a pit in the land, and then put the feathers, chicken feathers and other light substances in the pit, and so on a certain hour, the pit of feathers and chicken feathers will be floating up from the pit, this moment is the spring hour, began to firecrackers to celebrate the next year, wishing the wind and rain, and a good harvest. Lunar New Year's Day is approaching, China's folk spring to the children wear "spring chicken" custom, meaning that the rich and well-fed, strong growth, good luck.
"Welcome spring", is an important activity of the Chinese ancestors in the spring. Tianjin folklore expert Shang Jie said that in the old days, local officials personally presided over the sacrificial ceremony, incense, offerings, read the sparse text, three worship nine kowtow Mang Shen and placed on the front of the table of a clay spring cow, praying for national prosperity and people's peace, a bumper harvest. After the spring bull to the government office in front of the Yamen, as "welcome spring". On the day of spring, the folk also "play spring" custom, is to "whip the spring bull" to "urge farming", with typical farming qualities. Spring cattle have a paper cow and mud cow points, pretending to be the god of the man with a red silk wrapped whip to whip the spring cattle three times, that is, 'playing the spring cattle', meaning to beat away the laziness of the spring cattle, urging people to return to the ground in spring, hurry up the plow.