religions
. Taoism is a religion formed in Han history, but not everyone believes in it; Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Catholicism, Christianity, etc., imported from abroad. Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Catholicism, Christianity, etc. are also practiced by Han Chinese. The worship of heavenly life and ancestor worship are the traditional concepts of Han religious beliefs. In Han society, the concept of clan is y rooted, and Confucianism prevails. Traditional Han festivals include the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival, the Qingming Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Chongyang Festival. The Spring Festival is the most solemn, with family reunions and mutual blessings.
The Qingming Festival
The Qingming Festival, also known as the March Festival in ancient times, has a history of more than 2,000 years. Around April 5 on the Gregorian calendar is the Qingming Festival, which is one of the twenty-four solar terms. Among the twenty-four solar terms, only Qingming is both a solar term and a festival. Since the 24 solar terms objectively reflect the changes in temperature, rainfall and weather conditions throughout the year, the ancient working people used them to organize their agricultural activities. Huainanzi? Tianwenxun" said, "Fifteen days after the vernal equinox, the bucket points to B, then the wind of Qingming arrives." According to the "time of the year and a hundred questions": "Everything grows at this time, are clean and clear. Therefore, it is called Qingming." Qingming, the temperature rises, the rainfall increases, it is a good time for spring plowing and planting. Therefore, there are "before and after the Qingming, point melon planting beans", "planting trees, no more than the Qingming" proverbs. It can be seen that this festival and agricultural production has a close relationship.
But, as a festival, Qingming is different from a pure festival. The festival is a sign of changes in climate and the order of the seasons in China, while the festival contains certain customs and commemorative significance.
The Qingming Festival is a traditional festival in China and the most important festival of worship, a day of ancestor worship and tomb-sweeping. Tomb-sweeping is commonly known as visiting the graves, an activity to honor the dead. Most Han Chinese and some ethnic minorities sweep their tombs on Qingming Day.
According to the old custom, when sweeping tombs, people should bring wine, food, fruits, paper money and other items to the graveyard, offer the food in front of their loved ones' graves, then incinerate the paper money, cultivate new soil for the graves, fold a few young green branches and stick them on the graves, and then kowtow and worship, and then eat the wine and food and go home at last. Du Mu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote a poem entitled "Qingming": "The rain falls one after another during the Qingming Festival, and the pedestrians on the road want to break their souls. Where can I find a tavern? The shepherd boy points to the apricot blossom village." It writes about the special atmosphere of Qingming Festival.
The Qingming Festival, also known as the Treading Green Festival, according to the solar calendar, it is between April 4 and 6 every year, it is the bright and beautiful spring grass and trees spit out the green season, but also it is the people of the spring tour (ancient called trekking) a good time, so the ancients have the Qingming trekking, and to carry out a series of sports activities of the custom.
Till today, the Qingming Festival to pay homage to ancestors, mourning the deceased relatives of the custom is still very prevalent.
Duanwu Festival
The fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar is the traditional festival of Chinese folklore - the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as "Duan Yang", "Pu Festival", It is also called "Duanyang", "Pu Festival", "Tianzhong Festival", "Dachang Festival", "Mu Lan Festival", "Daughter Festival". It is one of the traditional festivals of the Han Chinese nation. Duanwu is also known as Duanwu, Duanyang. In addition, the Dragon Boat Festival has many aliases, such as: Wuzhi Festival, Chongwu Festival, May Festival, Bathing Orchid Festival, Daughter's Festival, Tianzhong Festival, Di La, Poet's Festival, Dragon Festival, Ai Festival, Duanwu, Summer Festival and so on. Although the name is different, but on the whole, the people around the custom of the festival is still the same more than different. To this day, the Dragon Boat Festival is still a very popular and grand festival among the Chinese people.
The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional custom of the Chinese people for more than two thousand years. Due to the vast area and many nationalities, some of them, such as Mongolian, Hui, Tibetan, Miao, Yi, Zhuang, Buyei, Korean, Dong, Yao, Bai, Tujia, Hani, She, Lahu, Shui, Naxi, Daolu, Mulao, Qiang, Gelao, Sibeo, Pumi, Ewenke, Yugu, Orochun and other ethnic minorities, also celebrated the festival, and with the addition of many legends and tales, it not only produces a lot of variations, but also a lot of differences. The festival not only has many different names, but also has different customs in different places. Its content is mainly: the daughter back to his mother's home, hanging Zhong Kui statue, welcome the ghost ship, avoiding Wu, posting Wu Ye Fu, hanging calamus, wormwood, swim in the hundred diseases, Pei Xiangbao, ready to sweet, dragon boat race, than the martial arts, batting, swinging, to the children painted with xionghuang, drinking xionghuang liquor, calamus wine, eat five poisonous cakes, salted eggs, rice dumplings, and seasonal fruits, etc., in addition to superstitious color of the activities have disappeared, the rest of the so far spread all over China and the neighboring countries. Some activities, such as dragon boat racing, have been newly developed, breaking through time and geographical boundaries and becoming international sporting events.
Introduction to the Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival is traditionally celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar every year. This is the middle of the fall season of the year, so it is called the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Chinese lunar calendar, the year is divided into four seasons, each of which is further divided into three parts: the Meng, the Midsummer, and the Quarter, hence the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. The moon on the 15th day of the 8th month is fuller and brighter than the full moons of other months, which is why it is also called "Moon Festival" and "August Festival". On this night, people look up at the bright moon in the sky like a jade disk and naturally look forward to family reunions. People who are far away from their hometowns also take this opportunity to express their nostalgia for their hometowns and loved ones. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the "reunion festival".
China's people in ancient times, there is "autumn sunset" custom. The moon, that is, to worship the moon god. To the Zhou Dynasty, every Mid-Autumn Night will be held to welcome the cold and moon festival. A large incense burner was set up, and mooncakes, watermelons, apples, jujubes, plums, grapes and other offerings were placed on the table, of which mooncakes and watermelons were absolutely indispensable. The watermelon should also be cut in the shape of a lotus flower. Under the moon, the statue of the moon god is placed in the direction of the moon, red candles are lit high, and the whole family pays homage to the moon in turn, and then the housewife of the family cuts the mooncakes for reunion. Cutting people counted in advance how many people in the family ***, at home, in the field, should be counted together, can not cut more or less, the size should be the same.
According to legend, the ancient Qi ugly girl without salt, when young, had devoutly worshiped the moon, after growing up, to superb character into the palace, but was not favored. One year, on the 15th day of the 8th month to enjoy the moon, the son of heaven saw her under the moonlight, thought she was beautiful and outstanding, and later set her up as the queen, the mid-autumn festival to worship the moon thus came to be. Chang'e in the moon, known for her beauty, so young girls worship the moon, wishing "look like Chang'e, face like the moon".
In the Tang Dynasty, Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, playing with the moon is quite popular. In the Northern Song Dynasty. On the night of August 15, people all over the city, rich or poor, old or young, have to put on adult clothes, burn incense and worship the moon to say their wishes, and pray for the blessing of the moon god. In the Southern Song Dynasty, people gave moon cakes to each other, taking the meaning of reunion. In some places, there are also dancing grass dragon, building pagodas and other activities. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, the customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival have become more prevalent; many places have formed special customs such as burning douxiang, tree mid-autumn, pointing pagoda lamps, releasing sky lanterns, walking on the moon, and dancing with fire dragons.
Today, the custom of playing under the moon is far less popular than in the old days. However, it is still very popular to hold banquets to enjoy the moon, people drink wine and ask about the moon, to celebrate a better life, or to wish the health and happiness of distant relatives, and family members "thousands of miles of *** Canyuanjuan".
The Mid-Autumn Festival has many customs, and the forms are different, but they are all based on people's infinite love of life and the desire for a better life.
The origin and legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival
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The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history, and other traditional festivals, is also the slow development of the formation of the ancient emperors had the spring festival of the sun, the fall festival of the moon ritual system as early as in the book of the "Zhou Rites", the word "Mid-Autumn Festival" has been recorded. Later, the aristocrats and scholars also followed suit, in the mid-autumn festival, to the sky and bright and round round moon, ornamental worship, to send feelings, this custom is so spread to the people, forming a traditional activity, until the Tang Dynasty, the custom of the moon festival more people attach importance to, the Mid-Autumn Festival has become a fixed festival, "the Book of the Tang Dynasty - record of the Emperor Taizong," recorded in the "15th of August, the Mid-Autumn Festival "
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the major festivals in China, and it was celebrated in the Song Dynasty, and has become one of the major festivals in China, along with the New Year's Day.
The legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival is very rich, Chang'e Runs to the Moon, Wu Gang Falters the Cinnamon, the Jade Rabbit Pounds Medicine, and other mythological stories have been widely circulated.
One of the legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival - Chang'e Runs to the Moon
Legend has it that, in ancient times, there were ten suns in the sky at the same time, sunburned the crops withered and died, and the people were not enough to live on, and a hero named Houyi, a hero, with infinite strength, he sympathized with the suffering people, climbed to the top of the Kunlun Mountain, and carried all the divine power, and pulled open the divine bow, and shot down the sun in one breath nine more, and strictly ordered the last one to be on time, and the last one to be on time. He also ordered the last sun to rise and set on time for the benefit of the people.
Hou Yi was thus honored and loved by the people, and he married a beautiful and kind wife named Chang'e. In addition to his hunting skills, Hou Yi also had the ability to hunt and hunt with his bow, which he used to shoot more than nine suns. Hou Yi in addition to the art of hunting, all day long and his wife together, people are envious of this couple of love.
Many people came to learn from Hou Yi, and Peng Meng, who had a bad heart, also came to learn from him.
One day, Hou Yi went to the Kunlun Mountains to visit friends and seek Taoism, and coincidentally met the Queen Mother passing by, so he asked the Queen Mother for a packet of immortality medicine. It was said that by taking this medicine, one could instantly ascend to heaven and become immortal. However, Hou Yi could not leave his wife behind, so he temporarily gave the immortality pill to Chang'e to treasure. Chang'e hid the medicine in the treasure box of the dresser, but was unexpectedly seen by the villain Peng Meng, who wanted to steal the medicine to become immortal himself.
Three days later, Houyi led a group of disciples to go out hunting, and Peng Meng pretended to be sick and stayed behind. Shortly after Hou Yi left, Peng Meng broke into the backyard of the mansion with a sword in his hand and forced Chang E to hand over the immortality pill. Chang'e knew that she was no match for Peng Meng, and in a moment of crisis, she made a snap decision, turned around, opened the treasure box, and took out the Pill of Immortality and swallowed it in one gulp. Chang'e swallowed the medicine, her body immediately floated away from the ground, rushed out of the window, and flew to the sky. As Chang'e was attached to her husband, she flew down to the closest to the earth on the moon and became immortal.
In the evening, Hou Yi returned home and his maids cried about what happened during the day. Houyi both shocked and angry, drew the sword to kill the villains, Peng Meng early escape, Houyi angry chest thumping, grief, looking up at the night sky calling his wife's name, then he was surprised to find that today's moon is exceptionally bright and bright, and there is a swaying figure resembles Chang'e. He desperately chased towards the moon, and the moon is the closest to the earth. He desperately chased the moon, but he chased three steps, the moon back three steps, he retreated three steps, the moon into three steps, no matter how can not catch up with the front.
Hou Yi had no choice but to send someone to Chang'e's favorite garden, set up incense, put on her favorite fruit and honey, and sacrificed to Chang'e, who was fond of her in the Moon Palace. When the people heard the news of Chang'e's journey to the moon, they set up incense under the moon and prayed to the kind Chang'e for good luck and peace.
Since then, the custom of worshipping the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival has spread among the people.
Mid-Autumn Festival Legend No. 2 - Wu Gang folded the laurel
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is another legend: According to legend, the laurel tree in front of the Guanghan Palace on the moon grows luxuriantly, with a height of more than 500 zhang, and there is a man who often cuts it down, but every time he cuts it down, the cut place immediately closes up again. For thousands of years, it was cut down and closed up in this way, and the laurel tree could never be cut down. It is said that the man who chopped down the tree was named Wu Gang, a man from Xihe in Han Dynasty, who had followed the immortals to the heavenly realm, but he made a mistake, and the immortals relegated him to the Moon Palace, where he was punished by doing this kind of futile and hard work day after day. Li Bai's poem, "I want to carve the laurel in the moon, and hold it as a salary for the cold".
Mid-Autumn Legend No. 3 - Zhu Yuanzhang and mooncake uprising
Mid-Autumn Festival eating mooncakes is said to have begun in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the people of the Central Plains were unable to endure the cruel rule of the Yuan Dynasty ruling class, and they revolted against the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang united various resistance forces to prepare for the uprising. However, the imperial court officials and soldiers searched very closely, and it was very difficult to pass the news. Liu Bowen, the military advisor, came up with a plan to order his subordinates to hide the note with the message "Rise on the 15th of August" inside a cake, and then sent people to deliver it to the rebel armies around the world, informing them to rise on the night of the 15th of August to respond to the revolt. On the day of the uprising, all the rebel armies responded together, and the rebel army was like a prairie fire.
Soon, Xu Da captured the Yuan capital and the uprising was successful. The news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was so happy that he hurriedly sent down an order, in the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, so that all the generals and soldiers with the people to have fun, and will be the year when the army to secretly transmit information "moon cake", as a holiday pastry reward for the ministers. Since then, the "moon cake" production more and more fine, more varieties, as large as a disk, become a gift of goodies. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the custom of eating mooncakes was spread among the people.
Introduction of Chongyang Festival
The 9th day of the 9th lunar month is the traditional Chongyang Festival. Because the ancient "I Ching" in the "six" as the number of yin, the "nine" as the number of yang, the ninth day of September, the sun and the moon and yang, the two nine heavy, so it is called Chung Yeung, also known as Chung Nine, the ancients believe that it is a worthy of celebrating the auspicious day, and from early on began to celebrate the festival.
Celebrating the anniversary of the birth of a child.
Celebrating the Chrysanthemum Festival is a colorful and romantic event, which generally includes activities such as going out to enjoy the scenery, climbing up to a high altitude, viewing chrysanthemums, inserting dogwoods all over the place, eating Chrysanthemum cakes, drinking chrysanthemum wine, etc. The festival is also known as the "Chrysanthemum Festival".
JiuJiu ChongYang, because and "long time" the same sound, nine in the number is the largest number, there is a long long life meaning, and autumn is also the golden season of the year's harvest, ChongYang Festival, far-reaching significance, people have always had a special feeling of this festival, Tang poetry and Song Dynasty has a lot of congratulations on the ChongYang, chrysanthemums of poetry masterpieces.
Today's Chrysanthemum Festival, was given a new meaning, in 1989, China's September 9 every year as the Elderly Day, the traditional and modern ingenious combination of respect for the elderly, respect for the elderly, love for the elderly, to help the elderly of the festival. The country's institutions, groups, streets, often at this time to organize the old people retired from work in the autumn tour to enjoy the scenery, or waterfront fun, or mountaineering fitness, so that the body and mind are bathed in the embrace of nature; a lot of families of the younger generation will also be assisting the elderly elders to the countryside activities or for the elderly to prepare some tasty food and drink.