Our Festival

Author: Qi Kejun, Yan Dong, Wu Yulan, Hong Mei
Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The Dragon Boat Festival originates from the commemoration of the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan, and the customs of dragon boat racing and eating zongzi are associated with it. To learn more about the origins, listen to what Professor Wu Bing'an and the storytelling artist Liu Lanfang have to say. The Double Ninth Festival is now a day to respect the elderly, with customs like climbing heights and inserting chrysanthemum branches being important traditions. Teacher Li Hanqiu will introduce you to how the ancient festival of climbing heights evolved into today's Senior Citizens' Day. The festival cultures of various ethnic groups and regions in China interact and permeate each other. There are countless festivals like the Flower Festival, the Third Month Festival, the Water Splashing Festival, and the Torch Festival. Professor Bai Gengsheng will share his personal experiences of these festivals. This book is the written version of the large-scale special program "Our Festivals" by CCTV's Science and Education Channel, featuring discussions by experts on the legends, customs, and traditions of festivals like the Spring Festival, Qingming, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Double Ninth Festival. The text is accompanied by illustrations, combining knowledge,, and vividness, offering readers a window into traditional Chinese festivals.
The Spring Festival is the most important festival in the Chinese nation, with the largest number of participants, the greatest influence, and the richest humanistic emotional elements. Professor Cheng Qiang will comprehensively analyze the origins of the Spring Festival and the folk customs and cultural characteristics of the north and south from historical, cultural, and folk perspectives.
Qingming is not just a sad festival; it is also a good time for outdoor excursions. Teacher Huang Tao will tell you about the historical evolution of Qingming and its relationship with solar terms. The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important festival in the Chinese nation after the Spring Festival, with reunion as its theme. Through the introduction of the grandmaster of folkloristics, Professor Liu Kuili, you will gain a brand new understanding of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
This book is the written version of the large-scale special program "Our Festivals" by CCTV's Science and Education Channel, featuring the insightful remarks of experts on festivals like the Spring Festival, Qingming, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Double Ninth Festival. It helps us understand the profound depth of traditional Chinese culture and learn many things we may not know in our daily lives.
Bai Hua: "I once saw the ancient character for 'year' written in oracle bone script, and it looked like a wheat ear, a bit droopy at the head. Does this show that the concept of 'year' is very closely related to agriculture?"
Cheng Qiang: "Yes, this character for 'year' now seems to us like a concept of time, but its original meaning is that the grain ear is ripe. From its pictographic form, you can see the side of a wheat plant—the wheat plant—below it is a hand, a '' character, which means hand, meaning holding the crops. In early records, you can see that if the crops grew well that year, it was called ',' meaning a big harvest. When all the grains are ripe, it is called ',' meaning 'year' has arrived."
Bai Hua: "The common people also ask, 'How is the harvest this year?'"
Cheng Qiang: "Yes, 'How is the harvest this year?' It actually means how are the crops, how is the harvest. The concept of 'year' is indeed closely related to agricultural society and crops."
Bai Hua: "It has the meaning of a harvest."
Bai Hua: "Back then, the festive atmosphere must have been much stronger than now."
Wang Gang: "Much stronger."
Bai Hua: "The festive atmosphere was stronger."
Wang Gang: "Whether in the past or now, especially in the vast rural areas, after a year of hard work. Also, there is family reunion, and people from all walks of life. There's an old saying, 'No matter how rich or poor, everyone goes home for the New Year.' For example, when the New Year arrives, those young people who work away from home rush home. The crowds surge, whether at the docks or train stations. It's quite moving to see them. But I also feel that their mindset before the New Year is much happier than those of us living in big cities. Think about it—they pack their bags, onto trains, buses, and ships, finally making it home. They give their relatives the things they've saved up all year, one by one, and hand over bundles of cash to their friends and family. At that time, it's incredibly satisfying. I think their year of hard work feels very worthwhile at that moment."
Liu Fangfei: "Yes."
Wang Gang: "Sometimes, city dwellers joke, 'What's so special about dumplings? We're like celebrating the New Year every day.'"
Liu Fangfei: "The festive atmosphere is lighter."
Wang Gang: "It's lighter. All the joy and happiness accumulated over the year burst out during those days of the New Year. What kind of energy is that!"
Liu Fangfei: "Yes. The desire for the New Year is especially strong. Professor Cheng, I heard that originally, 'year' referred to a monster, and that celebrating the New Year was to drive away the monster, including setting off firecrackers. How come?"
Cheng Qiang: "This is one of the legends that Wang Gang just mentioned. Let's ask Teacher Wang to elaborate."
Wang Gang: "On New Year's Eve, people just want to have fun, right? Many of you have already heard this story on TV: 'Year' was originally a monster with long horns, a green face, and sharp teeth. Sometimes it lived in the mountains, sometimes in the sea. Every New Year's Eve, it would crawl ashore, destroying crops, damaging houses, and doing all sorts of bad things. So on this day, everyone would avoid it at all costs, as if fleeing in panic. Then one day, it was New Year's Eve again, and suddenly an elderly white-haired man appeared at the east end of the village. The east end of the village was the edge of the village, and there was an old grandmother who was also escaping to the deep mountains with the rest of the villagers. The old man asked, 'Why are you running?' Everyone said, 'The monster 'Year' is coming!' The old man said, 'Don't worry, I'm here. You have nothing to fear.' 'You? No, I advise you to run with us too. It's fine if you just stay here for one night.' The old grandmother didn't say much and went with the others into the mountains. When night fell, the monster 'Year' did indeed crawl ashore again. It saw the edge of the village and rushed toward it. Just as it got there, it suddenly froze. What's wrong? It noticed red things pasted on the door. It gritted its teeth and tried to push inside. Suddenly, there was a loud bang."
Liu Fangfei: "Firecrackers."
Wang Gang: "Firecrackers. At that moment, the door opened, and an old man with a white beard, wearing a red robe, rushed out and laughed at the monster 'Year' with a big laugh. The monster turned around and ran away. From then on, it never dared to come ashore again to harm the people in the village."
Liu Fangfei: "No wonder people wear red during the New Year—it's to ward off evil spirits and ghosts."
Wang Gang: "Pasting red couplets and red lucky characters. Also, it's said that 'Year' fears bright light and loud noises, like setting off firecrackers. You see, firecrackers are also red."
Bai Hua: "I already knew the legend of 'year,' but this was the most vivid telling I've ever heard."
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