The Folk World of the Chinese People

Author: Cai Dashen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Do you know how to interact with Chinese people in a Chinese way? Do you want to learn about important Chinese festivals and customs? Since ancient times, the vast land of China has experienced periods of division and unification, as well as ethnic integration and migration, creating a diverse Chinese civilization. In China, due to its vast territory, the natural environments, historical backgrounds, economic conditions, and religious beliefs of different ethnic groups have formed unique customs and traditional festivals. Start reading this interesting book! You will not only learn about the essence of traditional Chinese culture but also experience the vivid and colorful customs of the Chinese people. The New Year Comes Around Every Year The first day of the first lunar month is the most important traditional festival in China—Spring Festival. People who have worked hard all year enjoy celebrating this day of renewal in various ways, so the Spring Festival is also when folk activities are most concentrated and lively. Now, the first day of the first lunar month is called "Spring Festival," but in ancient times, this day was called "New Year's Day." The term "New Year's Day" first appeared in the "Elegant Music Songs" by people from the Southern Dynasties period: "The four seasons mark the beginning of the year, and the people celebrate their longevity today." Wu Zimeng of the Song Dynasty explained in Volume 1 of "Dream of theing Capital" under "New Year's Day": "The first day of the first month of the lunar calendar is called New Year's Day, and it is also called the New Year. The order of the year's festivals, this is the beginning." "Yuán" means beginning, and "dàn" means morning, so "Yuán Dàn" refers to the first morning of the year. In 1911, Sun Yat-sen led the Xinhai Revolution, overthrowing the last feudal dynasty in Chinese history, and designated January 1, 1912, as the first year of the Republic of China, changing the original "New Year's Day" to "Spring Festival." Later, before the founding of the People's Republic of China, at the 1st Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on September 27, 1949, it was decided that from the day the People's Republic of China was established, China would adopt the Gregorian calendar, which is widely used in the world. From then on, January 1 of the Gregorian calendar was called "New Year's Day," and the first day of the first lunar month was officially designated as "Spring Festival." The annual Spring Festival has a long history. As early as the Shang Dynasty, people held the Laji ceremony to pray for a good harvest at the end of the year, sacrificing to the gods and ancestors, thanking the deities for bringing bountiful crops, and hoping for a good harvest in the coming year. Ancient books say: "When all the grains are ripe, it is a good year." "A good year" means a good harvest. That is why there are still terms like "bountiful year," "harvest year," and "crop year" today. By the Han Dynasty, celebrating the New Year had become a common social custom. There are many legends about the origins of the New Year. The character "Year" in ancient writing is a pictograph, resembling a large gecko with a head and tail, and legs extending in all directions. In a widely circulated folk legend, "Year" is a monster that moves faster than the wind and makes thunderous noises. It eats people and harms livestock. To punish "Year," the gods locked it in a deep mountain, allowing it to come out only once a year. On the night of the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, people stayed at home and did not go out, staying up all night, ready to fight "Year," because no one knew when it might appear. Celebrating the New Year was like passing through a gate, so "Year" was called the "Year Gate." Once, "Year" came out again, and a family in the village was burning a stack of bamboo, making loud popping sounds. "Year" did not know what it was and quickly fled. When it turned around, it saw a red robe hanging on a rope, dazzling red light making its eyes unable to open. "Year" wanted to enter a house to fill its belly with living things, but the candlelight made it dizzy and scared it into hiding in the deep mountains and forests, never daring to come out again. From then on, people learned many weaknesses of "Year": it fears white, red, loud noises, and firelight. Therefore, when "Year" comes out, people paste red paper on their doors, set off firecrackers, and beat