February 3, 2021 is the arrival of the Beginning of Spring solar term. As the first of the twenty-four solar terms, the Beginning of Spring represents the official start of the new year. After the Beginning of Spring, the weather will gradually begin to warm up. So what does the beginning of spring represent, and what kind of customs and particularities does it have? Let’s learn about it together. When is the beginning of spring?
February 3, 2021
The beginning of spring is the first of the twenty-four solar terms, also known as the first month festival, the new year's festival, the new year's day, the new year's day, etc. . Li means "beginning"; spring means warmth and growth. The twenty-four solar terms were originally formulated based on the "shift of stars". When the handle of the Big Dipper points to the Yin position, it is the beginning of spring. The current solar term is determined based on the ecliptic longitude of the sun. When the sun reaches 315° ecliptic longitude, it is the beginning of spring, which is celebrated on February 3-5 of the Gregorian calendar every year. What to eat at the beginning of spring
Spring plate: Spring plate is one of the dietary customs at the beginning of spring. It mainly consists of vegetables, lettuce, melons, fruit cakes, sugar, etc. and is put on the plate as a spring plate (or assembled into a plate) to give to relatives and friends or to eat by yourself to welcome the spring. meaning. There are mainly five types of food on the plate: fruits, vegetables, candies, cakes, and bait. The main vegetables include: bean sprouts, radishes, leeks, spinach, lettuce, beans, eggs, and shredded potatoes. Du Fu's "The Beginning of Spring": "On a spring day, a plate of thin lettuce is on the plate, and I suddenly recall the plum blossoms in the two capitals."
Spring pancakes: Spring pancakes are pancakes baked with flour, usually rolled into vegetables and eaten. At first, spring cakes and vegetables were put on a plate, which became a "spring plate". The Song Dynasty's "Sui Sui Guang Ji" quoted from the Tang Dynasty's "Four Seasons Treasure Mirror": "At the beginning of spring, we eat radish, spring pancakes, and lettuce, and they are called spring dishes." Noodle silkworms are called 'Tanguan silkworms', and because they do this at the beginning of spring, they are also called 'Tanchun silkworms'. , said "biting the spring". Customs of the Beginning of Spring 1. Welcome the Spring
In order to welcome the Spring, first choose a good Feng Shui land in the suburbs of the county and set up a "Spring shed" to prepare for the Spring. The Spring shed is usually set up on the main traffic road. , a place where people can gather.
The Spring Festival activities are held on the day of the beginning of spring. The specific time is based on the almanac. Sometimes it is at midnight, sometimes at midnight. In the vast procession of ceremonial guards, the Chunguan parade was carried out to show their majesty. They crowded in front and behind, and were extremely majestic. There were also Baozi, Ma Bian, etc. wearing long robes, mandarin jackets, or various fancy clothes, sitting on a single wooden pole carried by two people. 2. Spring Outing and Spring Annunciation
After the Spring Festival, the gongs and drums troupes and honor guards from each village and community walked in front. A huge statue of a spring bull carried by four or eight people walks behind, with gongs and drums blasting and firecrackers blasting. The procession is very spectacular.
After the Spring Tour team enters the Spring Field (inspection venue), they swim around twice, and then line up to stand on the arranged venue. According to traditional customs, there is a Spring Announcement Platform, wearing strange clothes and hand-held newspaper. Holding red and yellow flags, the first announcement on the stage was "good weather", and the masses echoed in unison; the second announcement was "a good harvest", and the masses also echoed in unison; the third announcement was "the country is peaceful and the people are safe", and the masses echoed again Everyone who comes to report will be rewarded. 3. Hide in spring
In traditional folklore, you should avoid spring on the day of the beginning of spring, because the climate begins to change and the new atmosphere will change. It has a negative impact on some people, and even affects the luck of the year, so the custom of hiding in spring has emerged among the people. Different places have different customs and taboos, which also extend to various kinds of folk customs. Methods and customs of hiding from the spring.
The traditional custom is that on the day of the beginning of spring, there should be no verbal disputes. This day must be welcomed in harmony and calmly. In some places, the day of hiding from the spring is not allowed. It is not advisable to move, visit seriously ill patients, or attend funerals to avoid causing bad luck and affecting the luck of the whole year. 4. Fortune telling
The beginning of spring is the first of the twenty-four solar terms, and fortune telling has been formed during the Spring and Autumn Period. The belief in Qi. "Kong Yingda Shu": "Whenever the spring and autumn equinoxes, the winter and summer solstice, the beginning of spring and the beginning of summer are the beginning, and the beginning of autumn and the beginning of winter are the closing, on these eight days, you must go to the observation platform and write down the colors of the clouds and objects you see.
If there are changes in the clouds, it means that the evil auspiciousness of the year has been seen, and it will be verified afterwards. The person who wrote it is for the purpose of preparation. "It can be seen that in the Spring and Autumn Period, in the folk solar term of the Beginning of Spring, climbing high to observe the clouds and divination and calculation have begun to form as a custom. 5. Pasting the Spring Cow
The custom activity of pasting the Spring Cow started before the Beginning of Spring. According to the traditional practice, the county government (county government) hires good paper-tying craftsmen to gather in the county before the beginning of spring to carefully make the image of the spring cow. Generally, bamboo strips are tied into the frame of the cow, and spring wood is used to make the legs. Paste paper and paint, and the image of a cow is successfully made.
It is said that if more red and yellow paper is pasted, the harvest will be good that year; if it is pasted with black paper, the harvest will be poor. After the spring ox is pasted, a consecration ceremony is held, and an incense table is set up to worship. 6. Spring ox making is made of mulberry wood, which is specially used for the "spring ox" custom. "Cow". On the day after the winter solstice, the soil is made into a clay body, and it is carved into a shape similar to that of an ox. On the day before the beginning of spring, the officials and the people place the patterns of the four o'clock and eight o'clock periods on it.
Afterwards, the county deacon will hold the plow and whip the "spring ox" to indicate the beginning of spring plowing. Then the people will plow the land while beating the "spring ox", shouting: "One dozen." "Good weather and good weather"; two dozen "the country is peaceful and the people are safe"; three dozen "good harvests" and other auspicious words. 7. Ji Tian
In ancient times, the Ji Tian ceremony was held on the first day of spring. The content of Ji Tian includes respect for the mother of the earth. Pray. Gathering for drinks after the Jitian ceremony is an embryonic custom of "group worship" and "New Year greetings" in later generations. 8. Spring Society
Chunshe is a day for worshiping the land gods in spring in ancient times. In the Zhou Dynasty, it was held on the fifth day after the beginning of spring, and later it was held on the fifth day after the beginning of spring. "Li Mingtang Wei" said: "This is the reason why Xia_, Qiuchang, Dongcheng, Chunshe, and Qiu Sheng were the emperor. Sacrifice also. "Before the Han Dynasty, there was only the Spring Society. After the Han Dynasty, there were the Spring Society and the Autumn Society, which were held around the spring and autumn equinoxes.
The Society Day is mainly for worshiping gods, and it also means gathering with neighbors. Liang Zongmao in the Southern Dynasties "Records of the Years of Jingchu": "On the day of the community, the neighbors formed a comprehensive community, sacrificed mash, and built a house under the tree. They first offered sacrifices to the gods, and then ate the food. Wang Jia, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote a poem in "Social Day": "The shadows of mulberry trees are slanting in the spring when the community disperses, and every family supports people so that they return intoxicated." "It can be seen that the ancients attached great importance to worshiping social gods. It later became a custom and was passed down to future generations. It became a sacrificial activity, which means that the earth multiplies all things. Prayers and sacrifices are made to pray for the prosperity of the livestock and the harvest. 9. Posting Yichun calligraphy and painting
When spring arrives, people in the Tang Dynasty would post Yichun calligraphy and paintings on the door walls. This custom existed in Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty. According to records: On the first day of spring, people in Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty often posted calligraphy and paintings on their doors to welcome the spring and wish good luck. The calligraphy and paintings were called "Yichun characters". It is called "Yichun Painting".
Some people post a message of blessing on the lintel to express the welcome of spring. Volunteer. If you can draw, you can often draw a "Picture of Winter Plum" on the door lintel. 10. Dai Chun Rooster
Dai Chun Rooster is an ancient custom of the people in Tongchuan, Shaanxi Province. Make a rooster about 3 centimeters long from cloth and sew it on the top of a child's hat to express the wish for "Chunji (chicken)". On the first day of spring, women thread beans through threads and hang them on the horns of the cow, or use Madou to remove them from the cow's body. , can protect young children from measles. The former is called "snake rash", and the latter is called "scattered rash". 11. Wearing swallows is an ancient custom of people in Chang'an and Guanzhong. On the first day of spring, people like to wear "swallows" cut from colored silk on their chests. This custom started in the Tang Dynasty and is still popular in rural areas because swallows are the messengers of spring and a symbol of happiness and good luck.
Every year at the beginning of spring, people like to wear "swallows", especially children. Their parents have prepared them for them. They wear them on their chests and dance with their hands and feet. Happy and overjoyed. 12. Hanging spring spikes
Hanging spring spikes is a traditional custom that spreads in Chengcheng, Shaanxi every year. On the first day of spring, women use various colors of cloth to make cloth spikes. Colorful threads are wrapped into various shapes of "wheat ears" and then hung on children or young people, or on animals such as donkeys, horses, and cows, to wish for good weather and a good harvest in the coming year.
13. Ancestor worship
In many areas, ancestor worship is required at the beginning of spring. For example, "Xin'an County Chronicle" of Guangdong states: "People think that there is something going on in the ancestral temple on this day." The food offered to ancestors at the beginning of spring is also special. Henan's "Ruyang County Chronicle" records: "Spring banquets are held, spring cakes are eaten, and divination and pears are recommended." In some places, the Beginning of Spring sacrifice is called "Bite Spring".