How did the Song Dynasty celebrate the New Year and have Lantern Festival?

People in the Song Dynasty ate jiaozi in the New Year and put on lanterns in the Lantern Festival.

Chinese New Year: jiaozi was eaten in the Song Dynasty, and jiaozi was called "Jiao Zi" in the Song Dynasty, and "Jiao Zi" was the etymology of the word jiaozi. Jiaozi is the mascot for people's good wishes. According to ancient books, as early as the 5th century AD, jiaozi was popular. According to the literature, jiaozi was "shaped like a crescent moon, and the whole world was full of food". At that time, jiaozi ate soup together, which was called "wonton", and it is still eaten this way.

People in the Song Dynasty always drank Tu Su wine during the Spring Festival, which was very popular in the Song Dynasty. Tu Su is a kind of grass name, and the wine brewed from this grass is called Tu Su wine. It is said that Tu Su wine was created by Hua Tuo, a famous doctor at the end of Han Dynasty. Its formula is made by soaking rhubarb, Atractylodes macrocephala, cassia twig, pepper and other traditional Chinese medicines in wine. Su Zhe, a writer in the Song Dynasty, wrote in his poem "In addition to Japan": "I drink Tu Su at the end of every year, but I don't feel that I have been over 7 years." Drinking always starts with the elderly, while drinking Tu Su wine in the New Year is just the opposite, but it starts with the youngest.

In the Song Dynasty, firecrackers were made of gunpowder wrapped in paper. The custom of setting off firecrackers on New Year's Eve and Spring Festival gradually became popular. On New Year's Eve in the Song Dynasty, the sound of firecrackers kept going all night. "Tokyo Dream of China Record" said: "It's night, firecrackers are forbidden in the mountains, and the sound is heard outside." The sound of firecrackers set off in the deep wall of the palace high court spread to the outside of the palace. There are people competing to set off firecrackers in the streets and alleys outside the palace. According to records, there are more than 1 kinds of firecrackers in Song Dynasty, including single ring, double ring and continuous ring.

Lantern Festival:

First, set off lanterns for five nights:

"Only state officials are allowed to set fires, and people are not allowed to light lamps" is a well-known idiom, which was published in the Song Dynasty. Tian Deng, the official name of a state, is not allowed to be called by his first name, and the word "lamp" with the same sound as his name "Deng" is also set as a sensitive word, requiring others to call "lamp" fire. If anyone is offended, please go to tea. A year, the whole state celebrates Lantern Festival, and lanterns are put on as usual. When the government posted the notice, it was taboo to use the word "light", so it became a big joke to write "the state set fire for three days according to the law" on all the notices. This joke reveals a message that putting on lights is a major symbol of the Lantern Festival in history.

Emperor Hanming officially decreed that lights should be set off on the fifteenth night of the first month to pay homage to the Buddha. In the Tang Dynasty, the Lantern Festival began to be popular among the people, and the custom of hanging lanterns and watching them became popular. In the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the time for enjoying lanterns was set at three days, that is, fourteen, fifteen and sixteen days. Therefore, Lantern Festival is also called Lantern Festival.

In Song Dynasty, the scale and scene of this custom were getting bigger and bigger, and the time for lighting lanterns was also increased to five days, that is, from the 13th to 17th of the first month. "The Water Margin" depicts the lively scene when the Lantern Festival is lit, such as the sixty-sixth time: "According to the Tokyo style, you can't help staying up all night, from thirteen to seventeen, and lighting for five nights." "Beijing Daming House is the first big county in Hebei Province, and it is in a hurry to go there, but there are various ways to buy and sell, and there are clouds and fog sets, only listening to the lights. Come and catch up. " In thirty-three times, Sung River wanted to watch because Qingfeng Village Town wanted to put on lights. Seventy-one times, it was precisely because of the emperor's big lights that he enjoyed the Lantern Festival with the people, which attracted Song Jiang, Chai Jin and others to Tokyo to watch the Lantern Festival lights.

the lantern should have a shed. Light shed is also called "mountain shed", a tall colorful building with various lanterns tied or a theater shed where hundreds of performers perform. Song and Wu Zimu's "Dream Liang Lu" records: "On the fifteenth day of the first month, the evening festival is the birthday of Shangyuan heavenly god blesses the people. Yesterday, the mountain shed was tied in front of the Bianjing University, and the Xuande Building was painted with colorful knots. All the stories of the immortals were painted on the mountain stacks, and Manjusri and Pu Xian were tied with five colors on the left and right, spanning lions and white elephants, and five channels of water emerged from each finger. Its water is twisted on the high tip of the lamp shed with a pulley, stored in a wooden cabinet and put down hour by hour, like a waterfall. He also tied Jackie Chan with grass, covered the grass with a green curtain, and placed thousands of lamps and candles, looking at it like a dragon flying away. "

When a light shed is erected in front of every house in Daming Mansion, all the lanterns should be hung and fireworks should be displayed skillfully. Inside the room, a mountain shed is tied up, five-color screen guns and lights are placed, and paintings and paintings are painted by famous people on all sides, and exotic antique toys are used. In the streets of the city, every family should light a lamp. Daming House stayed at the side of Sizhou Bridge and set up an Aoshan Mountain with two red and yellow paper dragons on it. Each scale was lit with a lamp and the mouth was sprayed with clean water. There are countless lights around the state bridge in Hanoi. In front of the Tongfo Temple, there is an Aoshan with a green dragon on it, and there are thousands of lanterns in the week. In front of the Cui Yun building, there is also an Aoshan Mountain with a white dragon on it, and there are countless lights all around.

Even in the countryside far away from the city, there are beautiful lanterns. Qingfeng Village Town is in Qingzhou, Shandong Province, and the lanterns that Song Jiang saw in Qingfeng Village are "Cutting and Picking Flying Bai Mudan Lantern" and "Lotus Lotus Exotic Lantern".

2. Mount Ao in the center of the town:

Mount Ao originally refers to the ancient legend that there was a giant turtle carrying a sacred mountain on the sea, and then it was shaped in the Lantern Festival, and countless colorful lanterns were tied up for tourists to watch, so it was called Mount Ao. In the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the legacy of Xuanhe and Yang Siwen's Meeting the Old Friends in Yanshan recorded that Aoshan (Dengshan) was built before the Imperial Palace, with a height of 16 feet and a width of 365 steps. There are two pillars in the middle, which are 24 feet long. Two pillars are wrapped with golden dragons, and each dragon mouth is lit with a lamp, which is called a double dragon title photo. Just a neutral card, 3.6 feet long and 2.4 feet wide, with eight characters in the golden book: "Xuanhe Mountain, enjoy with the people." From the fifth day to the twentieth day of the first month, the forbidden city gates are not closed.

The Water Margin describes the Aoshan Mountain during the Lantern Festival in the Song Dynasty. For example, in the thirty-third time, people in Qingfeng Town had a Lantern Festival. First, everyone pooled their money, and then they went to the Land King Temple to set up a small Aoshan Mountain. Although the mountain was small, there were 5 or 7 lanterns, including golden lotus, jade plum, hibiscus and peony. In the shadow of the lanterns, inside and outside the temple gate, there were village songs and social fires, such as dancing. The Daming Mansion is even more lively. When the Lantern Festival comes, the rich people's homes will compete for lanterns, and those who are far away will buy them in three or two hundred miles, and those who are near will be over a hundred miles away. More merchants will sell lanterns to the city every year. Businessmen from all walks of life gather in clouds and fog. In front of every house, a light shed was set up, and thousands of lights were hung on Aoshan Mountain, and there were countless lights all around. There are social fires in the streets and alleys, including those who play monks, step on bamboo horses, dance old ladies, sing songs, and perform puppet shows ... All day long, drums and music are loud and loud.

the sixty-sixth time: Daming Mansion left behind Sizhou Bridge to set up an Aoshan with two red and yellow paper dragons on it, each of which was lit with a light and sprayed with clean water. There are countless lights going up and down around the state bridge in Hanoi. In front of the Copper Buddha Temple, an Aoshan Mountain is erected, with a green dragon on it and hundreds of lanterns around it. In front of the Cui Yun building, there is also an Aoshan Mountain with a white dragon on it, and there are countless lights all around. ..... Throughout the city, there are lights in the Buddhist temples and temples to celebrate the bumper harvest. Three tiles and two houses, not to mention.

Seventy-second time: On the Lantern Festival, the sky was beautiful in Enigmatic. Look at the evening, there are countless people celebrating the Lantern Festival. The ancients wrote a poem "Crimson in Spring", which said: "The first report of the Lantern Festival is harmonious, and the emperor is in early spring." Cui Zan competed to fly, Yule competed for the doorway of the capital, and Aoshan took a cheering knot in Penglai Island, taking a photo of the late-night Shuanglong. Upstairs in crimson clouds, covered with red cheese, looking up at the sky. Vague. Legend has it that the emperor is happy, and the jade palace is rewarded, and the immortals are here together. The fragrance is lingering and fragrant, and it floats all over the world to laugh. A little planet is small. Gradually, the sound of the tip is faint, and the tourists come back under the moon. "

These Aoshan Mountains are generally located in the center of the town, and the lights on Aoshan Mountain are varied and the scenery is spectacular. Qingfeng Village Town is located in front of the Land King Temple, with five or seven hundred bowls of lanterns; There are two Aoshan Mountains in the center of Daming Prefecture, and there are also Aoshan Mountains in front of Sizhou Bridge, Copper Buddhist Temple and Cui Yun Building. There are countless lights on Aoshan Mountain. "Beijing 35 scenery is good, and the cream rain is early in Chu Qing. The hibiscus tree never sleeps, and the land swarms out of Penglai Island. The candlelight shines at night, and the people's songs and dances are happy and safe. Five phoenix feathers help double Beique, and six dragons drive three sacred mountains. " There are three sacred mountains on the six Aoshan Mountains, which shows the size of Aoshan Mountain.

Third, juggling social fires:

juggling social fires, juggling and miscellaneous plays performed in the festival to meet the gods. It is called "social fire" because China is an agricultural country, and the abundant agricultural harvest is very important to the national economy and people's livelihood. Therefore, many festivals every year entertain the gods in the form of zaju and juggling, asking them to bless the good weather and bumper harvests. Lantern Festival is the first full moon night in a year, and spring ploughing is about to begin. In order to pray for a bumper harvest, people from the civil society to the imperial court hold celebrations and ask for their blessing. Therefore, there are a lot of fireworks in the activities of offering sacrifices to entertain the gods, which is called social fire in ancient times. According to the West Lake Old Man's "Numerous Victory Records" and Zhou Mi's "Old Wulin Stories" and other books, fireworks were set off at the Plutocratic family Lantern Festival in the Song Dynasty, and there were craftsmen specializing in the production and release of fireworks at that time.

The Water Margin describes the scene of playing social fire during the Lantern Festival in the Song Dynasty. There are social fires in the streets of Qingfeng Village Town, Daming House and Kaifeng House. Sung River saw Bao Lao, a group of dancers in the Shehuo team in Qingfeng Village Town. Bao Lao was "twisted in every village", so he couldn't help laughing, so he was found by Gao Liu's wife and was caught. Sixty-six years later, after Song Jiang and others attacked Daming Mansion, the author wrote in his words: "The smoke-obsessed city is full of buildings. Puppet in Qianjie, regardless of duplicity; The sound in the back lane is clear, and the Longsheng air duct is lost. Playing the monk burned to death, and the hemp woman was frightened out of my wits. When you step on a bamboo horse, it's inevitable that you will be hurt when you dance with Bao Lao. "

Puppet dancing, playing with monks, playing with women, stepping on bamboo horses and dancing with old ladies are mentioned here. Bao Lao, one of them, is a funny figure who often appears in puppet shows, and is a funny dance with a mask. Song Yangyi's "Puppet Poetry": "Bao Lao laughs at Guo Lang at the banquet and laughs at his dancing sleeves. If you teach Bao Lao to be a banquet dancer, you should teach him to be a dancer. " Bao Lao and Guo Lang are both characters in puppet shows, and they perform funny performances together. Bao Lao, a song dance, has become a regular play in the fire dance team of Yuanxiao Club.

Fourth, drink Tu Su wine:

Wang Anshi of Song Dynasty said in a poem, "The sound of firecrackers makes one year old, and the spring breeze sends warmth into Tu Su. Thousands of households are always changing the new characters for the old ones. " Song people drink Tu Su wine during the Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival. For example, in the fifth year of Xuanhe, the New Year's Day in Sung River Barracks and Sung River led the destruction of Wang Qing. When Banshi returned to Beijing, it happened to be New Year's Day, so a celebration banquet was held, and Tu Su wine was drunk at the banquet. Tu Su is a kind of grass name, and the wine brewed from this grass is called Tu Su wine. It is said that Tu Su wine was created by Hua Tuo, a famous doctor at the end of Han Dynasty. Its formula is made by soaking rhubarb, Atractylodes macrocephala, cassia twig, pepper and other traditional Chinese medicines in wine.

5. Streets and alleys compete to set off firecrackers

The scientific and technological level of Song Dynasty was relatively developed, and movable type printing, compass and gunpowder all appeared in China at this time. Firecrackers made of gunpowder wrapped in paper have been widely used in the Song Dynasty. According to records, there are more than 1 kinds of firecrackers in the Song Dynasty, including single-ring, double-ring and continuous-ring. Meng Yuanlao's Tokyo Dream Record said: "It's the night of the Lantern Festival, and firecrackers are forbidden in the mountains and the sound is heard outside." The sound of firecrackers set off in the deep wall of the palace high court spread to the outside of the palace. "Water Margin" describes that during the Lantern Festival, there are people competing to set off firecrackers in the streets and alleys outside Tokyo Palace.

VI. Celebrating Festivals in Vacant Alleys

Meng Yuanlao's Dream of China in Tokyo describes the grand occasion of celebrating the Lantern Festival in Vacant Alleys in Tokyo, the capital during the Xuanhe period: "When the lights are on at night, when the snow is blooming, you can climb up skillfully, teach the pool to swim in the garden, and when you lift your eyes, you will see a brothel painting a pavilion and embroidering a bead curtain. Carved cars compete in Tianjie, BMW compete in Imperial Road, golden splendor and Luo Qi fragrance. The new voice smiled skillfully at the willow garden and tuned the strings in the tea house and wine shop according to the tube. The Eight Wastes struggle to gather together, and Xian Tong, the world, gathers the treasures of the four seas, all of which belong to the market, and the peculiar smell in the Atlas area is noted in the kitchen. With flowers all over the road, why not have a spring outing, a loud flute and drum, and several night banquets? Cleverness is amazing, and extravagance is long-lasting. " This shows that the Lantern Festival is a carnival in China.

Lantern Festival also provides an opportunity for unmarried men and women to get to know each other. In traditional society, young girls are not allowed to go out for free activities, but they can go out to play together on holidays. Lantern Festival viewing is just an opportunity to make friends, and unmarried men and women can also find their own partners by the way. Therefore, Lantern Festival is also a romantic festival. Ouyang Xiu's "Shengchazi" says: "At the Lantern Festival last year, the flower market was lit like a book; On the moon, the willow shoots, and people are about after dusk. " What is described is his romantic experience of the Lantern Festival.

Xin Qiji, a teenager, came to seed of love during the Lantern Festival. For example, in his famous poem "The Jade Case, Yuanxi", the word goes: "Thousands of trees bloom in the east wind night, and the stars are like rain. BMW carved car incense, the sound of the phoenix flute, the light of the jade pot, and the fish and dragon dance all night. Moth, snow, willow, golden thread, laughter and fragrance go away. Looking for him in the crowd. Suddenly looking back, the man was there, and the lights were dim. "

There are many descriptions of similar scenes in Water Margin. For example, Song Jiang went to Beijing to enjoy the lanterns on the 11th day of the first month to seek peace, and Tokyo City was full of "people coming and going in splendid clothes and hats, each with his own clothes". On the evening of the fifteenth day of the first month, the lantern festival came to a climax. "The lanterns are tied in front of every house, and the lights are hung, shining like day. It is the fire on the balcony that shines, and cars and horses come and go to see people." Aoshan Mountain is erected by Tianhan Bridge, and upstairs on the street, "the bells are ringing, the drums are loud, the lights are staring, and the tourists are like ants".

It can be seen that people in the Song Dynasty attached great importance to the Lantern Festival, which was probably more lively than the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and even the Spring Festival.