For people living in the Song Dynasty, the biggest, grandest and most lively festival was not the Spring Festival, but the Lantern Festival.
The east wind releases thousands of flowers at night, and the fish and dragons dance all night long
"In the first month, in the first month, the lanterns are haunted on the fifteenth day of the first month." Speaking of the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month, we must think of lanterns. Lanterns on the Lantern Festival in the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty. Tang Dynasty lantern time for three days (from the first month of the fourteenth to the first month of the sixteenth), after the founding of the Zhao-Song dynasty, the Song dynasty in the first month of the Qiande five years under the imperial edict: "on the first year of the lanterns of the old stop three nights. Today, the court is not a matter, the area of Yu mowed peace, the party when the abundance of grain, it is appropriate to indulge the people of the line of music. Its order Kaifengfu more put seventeen, eighteen two night lights. After then as an example." Lantern Lantern time extended to five days. Southern Song Dynasty Chunyou years, and increased to six nights, the first month of the 13th began to release the lights.
And the Lantern Lantern festival atmosphere, the old brewing. Just after the winter solstice, in Bianjing Xuande door in front of the Imperial Street, Kaifeng Palace has long been built with bamboo and wood for the release of the lanterns of the shed, decorated with flowers, colorful flags, brocade, hung with cloth paintings, "are painted fairy stories, or the people selling medicine and selling gossip," this shed is called the "mountain shed".
From years ago, Bianjing Royal Street two corridors every day there are all kinds of artists perform a variety of entertainment programs: magic, acrobatics, rap, song and dance, acrobatics, cuju, monkey show, riddles, "strange end of a hundred, the day of the new ears and eyes", the program list is definitely more than the CCTV Spring Festival Gala to be richer, more exciting. The Tokyo Dreaming Book contains a list of the most popular programs and artists at that time: Zhang Jiuguo, who swallowed the iron sword; Li Wenning, who performed puppet shows; Xiao Jianer, who performed magic tricks; Scraps of wood, who acted in miscellaneous dramas; Wendou and Xiao Cao, who played the jiqin; Dangqian, who played the xiaoqiang pipe; Wang XII, who made plays; Zou Yu, who played the role of a costume player, and Tian Diguang, who played the role of a costume player; Su X, who built the ball, and Meng Xuan, who told the story of Yin Changsai, who played with the bugs and ants, and Liu Baian, who played the flutes and drums; Yang Wensiu. The first is a story of a man who is a man who is a man who is a man who is a man.
As the Lantern Festival approached, two colorful statues of Manjushri and Purusharthas were set up on the left and right sides of the hill scaffolding on the Royal Street, spanning lions and white elephants, and from the fingers of the Bodhisattvas, five streams of water flowed out - this was the earliest man-made fountain device, I believe! From the shed to the Imperial City Xuande Gate, there is a large square, the government in the square with thorns surrounded by a large circle, more than 100 feet long, called the "spiny basin". Spiny basin built inside the music scaffolding, the workshop of the artists are here to play music, a hundred games. Tourists stand outside the spines to watch.
To the release of the period of the lantern, the mountain shed ten thousand lights, "gold and blue shot, embroidery and shine". Above stood a beautiful courtesan beauty, clothes and skirts fluttering in the wind, just like a fairy. Mountain shed also set up an artificial waterfall - with a windlass will be strung on the top of the mountain shed water, installed in a huge wooden cabinet, and then timed to open the outlet of the wooden cabinet, so that the water rushes down, forming a spectacular waterfall, under the light, very good to see. Xuande gatehouse of the two dolou, "each hanging lamp ball a, about square more than ten feet, within the burning rafters candle". "all the alleys, horse lines, the incense and medicine stores, tea houses and restaurants, lights and candles out of the novelty", "there are lamps and balls, lamp lance, silk lanterns, sun and moon lamps, poems, silk lamps, mirror lamps, word lamps, horse lamps, phoenix lamps, water lamps, glazed lamps, shadow lamps," and so on, lamps and products more, so that the person The number of lamps is so many that people can't take them all in one go.
The Lantern Festival in Lin'an Province of the Southern Song Dynasty is also an early start. Sequence only entered the winter, the market has begun to sell a variety of beautiful lanterns, "Tianjie tea shop, gradually has been listing lamps such as balls for sale, called the 'lights market'". "One into the new positive, the lights of the day," the official lantern time has not yet begun it, the public has first tried to put lights.
The market appeared a lot of song and dance team, performing "puppet, pestle song, bamboo horse and so on" program, they "jewelry and clothing, phase reserved extravagant, bead and jade brocade, dazzling gorgeous". Noble houses often invited these singing and dancing teams to perform. Hangzhou three bridges and other places, "the most abundant guest residence, the most dancers to and from", every night when the lights go on, the guests to the restaurant to drink, "then the xiao drums have been strewn with their own offerings in the next", as long as not much a little reward money, you can enjoy the wonderful show. The festival atmosphere, "since then, the day of the day", "the drums are endless".
It's time for the Lantern Festival. Every night after the night, from the inner city to the neighborhood, a variety of lanterns compete. The palace lanterns are undoubtedly the most luxurious, one year the palace production of "glazed lanterns mountain", five feet high, above all kinds of characters, controlled by the authorities, activities freely. Late at night, the "music", "fireworks (i.e. fireworks) more than a hundred shelves.
Folk is also "home lights, everywhere pipe string", "light products to many", "exquisite". Horseback lanterns, "horse riding characters, rotating as flying"; beads lamp, "five-color beads for the net, hanging tassels, or for the dragon boat, phoenix carriage, the story of the platform"; sheepskin lamps, "arrowheads exquisite, five-color makeup and dyeing, such as the method of the shadow play "; Luo silk lamp, "or for the hundred flowers, or fine eyes, between the red and white, the number '10,000 eyes Luo', this is the most strange. There is a "boneless lamp", is a large glass ball, very strange; there is also a giant lamp called "big screen", "water turning machine, all things active", with water-driven rotation The "Big Screen" is a kind of giant lamp called "Big Screen". "There are also quiet alleys in the house of good things, more colorful glazed bubble lamps, more from the elegant and clean", such as flowers and women, "beautiful make-up and laughter, look at it as a god".
The West Lake temples, Lingyin Mountain Tianzhu, in the Tianzhu, under the Tianzhu three temples, "the most prevalent lights", and, "often have the Palace of the given, expensive dannish left", "are curious, but also to look! ". Song people said, "the king does not reward no one into the Tianzhudang late at night when the rain". Qinghefang Jiang parade home, Zhang House and other rich forest garden, not only hang out "different coquettish lanterns", but also fireworks, singing elegant opera, "song and song". These private forest garden is open to the public, tourists can come in to view, "tourists ladies vertical view, then welcome the door to wine and go", the main family of the forest garden will also provide guests with "strange tea and soup, with the demand should be". No wonder "tourists enjoy, do not want to leave". Hangzhou restaurants also light up the lights ball, "noisy drums and blowing, managed to reward, *** group sitting clamor, seducing the children of the wind buy laughs to chase the joy".
Song Dynasty people's Lantern Festival night, just as Xin Qiji "Lantern Festival" words described: "The east wind night flowers thousands of trees. The stars are like rain. The BMW carving car is full of fragrance on the road. The phoenix xiao is moving, the jade pot light turns, and the fish and dragons dance all night long."
Play Shun music, into the Yao Cup, pass the announcement of the car and horse on the streets of heaven
Lantern Festival in the Song Dynasty developed into the most lively secular carnival, with the rise of civic culture, the prosperity of the commodity economy, and the Song *** Lantern Lantern Lantern Festival is closely related to the sponsorship.
With the Yuan Dynasty, "every Lantern Festival, although the city, the lights are also prohibited", the Ming Dynasty due to "the first month on the day of the first yuan, the military and civilian women traveled the streets and alleys, since the night up to the day, men and women confused" and "painfully prohibited to correct the customs! " approach is different, Song *** for the Lantern Festival of the national carnival performance is very tolerant, as Song Tazu said, "it is appropriate to indulge the people of the line of music". In the Northern Song Dynasty, Yingtianfu had a story of "only allow the officials to set fire, not allow the people to light lamps", but the story was passed down in the process of going out of style, the truth of the matter is: Yingtianfu Liuding Tian Deng, whose name is a homonym of "lamps". Subordinates in order to avoid taboo, encountered the word "light" is always changed to "fire". "Suddenly I met Yuan, and then I registered in the thoroughfare: 'By order of the Taiwan government, the people will set fire for three days as a rule.'" When the Taiwanese admonition officer was informed of this, he immediately impeached Tian Deng, and he was dismissed from office. The Song Dynasty never had a "no people allowed to light lamps" thing.
On the contrary, the folk have been encouraged by the Song ***. In the Southern Song Dynasty, according to the custom, during the Lantern Festival, the Lin'an government will remit the rent of public housing for three days; from the 14th day of the first month, the government every day to give money to the song and dance team to send wine, in order to reward; every evening, the Lin'an government will also be sent to each household to ask: whether the oil candles are enough to light the lamps. If it is not enough, the government "will give money to the wine, oil and candles, more or less different", to receive wine, candles to the Yangyang Palace, to receive money to the Spring Wind House.
To the last night of the lantern, that is, the night of the first month of the 18th, Lin'an Prefects to come out to pay tribute to the public. Whenever this time, the magistrate is sitting in a sedan chair, surrounded by a dance team, waving through the city, "xiao drums vibration, the ear and the eye can not give". Lin'an *** of the "mandarins" followed the sedan chair, carrying a large bag, which are loaded with "will be" (banknotes), every encounter in Hangzhou City, businessmen, they will give them money, each dozens of words, wish them a prosperous New Year business. This is called "buying market". Don't think I made this up, but it is recorded in the "Wulin Old Story": "The officials stored kozo coupons in large bags, and whenever they met small brokers, they would treat them with dozens of coupons, which was called 'buying the market.'" There are some crafty small merchants, with a small tray with pear, lotus root several pieces, drilling in the crowd, repeated reward, the officials do not bother.
There is another practice in the Lantern Festival of the Song Dynasty: the Son of Heaven has fun with the people to show that he is pro-people. A small Song dynasty lyrics wrote: "Play Shun music, into the Yao cup, the announcement of the car and horse on the streets of heaven. The king was happy to play with the people, and three calls from eight sides shook the earth." This is the scene of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty celebrating the Lantern Festival with the people at the Xuan De Gate. Every year on the night of the 14th (or 15th, or 16th) day of the first month, the emperor would "ride in a small carriage, fortunate Xuande Gate", to see the lanterns; then, "ride up to the Xuande Building", Xuande downstairs has already set up a large balcony, all kinds of artists in the balcony to perform sumo wrestling, Cuju, a hundred plays and other programs, the emperor sat upstairs to enjoy the performance. and other programs, the emperor sat upstairs to enjoy the show, "the sound of concubines laughing and joking, the next heard outside"; "ten thousand people are watching under the balcony", first to the public under the Xuande Gate, "as if to look at the heavenly table
At this time, selling "city food plate rack" vendors waiting outside the door, waiting to enjoy the lights of the concubines declared call, the royal family called to buy snacks and snacks, out of a very generous: "concubines and under the insiders, but also scrambled to buy, are several times to get straight, the gold beads lei Lu". Some lucky vendors, overnight wealth, "there is a night to the rich".
During the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, the royal family also set out the imperial wine at the end of the Imperial City, called "Jinou wine", by the nearly 1,000 staff members of the Temple of the Light and Lu "to put the golden goblet to persuade the wine". "The people watching the lantern, do not ask the rich and poor, young and old, as far as possible to the end of the door to give a cup of imperial wine". The guards shouted to remind the tourists: "One person only have a cup!"
It is said that there was a year of the Lantern Festival, a woman traveled to the Imperial City, it was late at night, see the end of the door set up a "golden ou wine", but also drank a cup. Drinking wine, and the hand will be gold wine cup into the arms, want to steal. Who knows by the royal guards found, a hand grabbed, asked why she stole. The woman said: "Concubine's husband usually strict control, I drank wine today, face with wine face, go home after my husband will not be happy. I will bring the golden cup back, make a testimony that it is the emperor's imperial gift of wine, my husband will not dare to have an opinion." I only heard someone laugh from the other side of the curtain and said, "Give her the golden cup." The person behind the curtain who said to give the golden cup to the woman is Emperor Huizong of Song.
This story is recorded in the preface of the poem "Feng Huang Zhi Order" by Song Dynasty's Wan Qi Yong, which is supposed to be credible. Later, it was adapted into a playbook, Xuanhe Remains, which is even more dramatic: "Between Xuanhe, the lanterns on the first day of the Yuan Dynasty were opened, and the women were allowed to look around, and each was given a cup of wine. A woman stole the drink gold cup, the guards saw, escorted to the Royal Court. The woman recited "Partridge Sky" cloud: "full moon Pengju brilliant lights, and Lang hand in hand to the end of the door. I want to see the crane array of songs, do not realize that the mandarin ducks lost the group. As the day dawned, I was grateful for the emperor's favor. I was grateful to the Emperor for his kindness, and was summoned to drink the wine. When I returned home, I was afraid that I would be blamed by my aunt and uncle, so I stole the golden cup as a reference.'' Emperor Huizong was delighted and gave him a golden cup, which he sent back to his guards."
Lantern Festival Song dynasty monarchs climbed Xuan De Gate Tower to see the lanterns, of course, is not greedy for sound and color enjoyment, but "show pro-people", in the words of Song Renzong: "I am not traveling to see. With the people with the ear."