Herbert: When was Valentine's Day in ancient China? A woman has seen through the rise and fall of a prosperous dynasty!

When was Valentine's Day in ancient China? A woman witnessed the rise and fall of a prosperous dynasty! The following interesting historical series brings you detailed articles.

Because "housekeeping" is more important than "isolation", the emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty attached great importance to the role of Lantern Festival carnival in alleviating people's daily dissatisfaction. This is also the reason why the Lantern Festival in the Northern Song Dynasty received the most attention in the past dynasties.

During this time, no matter which platform you search for "Lantern Festival", "Is Lantern Festival a holiday?" Will often appear suddenly.

Modern people define the importance of festivals according to whether they are on vacation or not. Holidays, long holidays, that's a good holiday, a big holiday.

The ancients actually did the same.

The difference is that we don't have a holiday on Lantern Festival. The ancients not only had a holiday on the Lantern Festival, but also had a long holiday.

How long has it been? In the Tang Dynasty, there were three consecutive holidays from 14th to 16th of the first month. In the Song Dynasty, the seventeenth and eighteenth days of the first month were added, and there were five days off. The Ming Dynasty was relatively cold, from the eighth day of the first month to the seventeenth day of the first month, "lighting for ten days"; In the Qing Dynasty, the Lantern Festival returned to five days.

There are many traditional festivals in China, but the ancients thought that the happiest and craziest festival must be the Lantern Festival.

In ancient times, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day were not as important as Lantern Festival.

Xie Henian, a French sinologist, is right: The New Year in the Song Dynasty actually started from the Lantern Festival, that is, on the 14th, 15th and 16th of the first month. These three-day celebrations have all the characteristics of carnival.

Because it was too wild, the ancient Lantern Festival was directly called China Carnival.

What is wild law? Tell a story first. The story is short, but rich in content. Then we extract keywords and analyze them in turn.

A story

This short story comes from the script "The Legacy of Xuanhe" in the Song and Yuan Dynasties and the script of storytellers. The story goes like this: On the Lantern Festival in the Northern Song Dynasty, it was already late at night when a woman finished watching the lanterns in Beijing.

The woman came to the gate of the imperial city and saw Jin 'ou wine in front of her. At that time, she was in a good mood and took a large glass and drank it. After drinking, I stole the golden cup into my arms and tried to steal it.

This scene was discovered by the imperial army, and this woman was arrested and placed in front of Song Huizong.

Before Song Huizong went to bed, he played with people to celebrate the Lantern Festival, so he asked the woman why she stole something.

This woman took her time and read a sentence in front of the emperor:

When the moon is full, the pot is full of bright light. Hand in hand with lang to the door. Watching the crane peck greedily, she didn't realize that Yuanyang had lost her flock. It's almost dawn, and I'm grateful. Xuan Ci wine and beverage cup tour. Going home may be accused by Weng Gu of stealing the gold cup as evidence.

Song Huizong is very literary, knowing that this woman is going to steal a gold cup as evidence, so as not to come out in the middle of the night and be scolded by her in-laws.

This golden cup will be given to you. Song Huizong was overjoyed and ordered the guards to escort the woman home.

Song Huizong is an emperor and a literary youth.

After the story is finished, this woman in the Northern Song Dynasty is really wild. However, many people find it tasteless. What happened? Such young women, who go at night, like drinking and know something about literature and art, can be found in more than a dozen bars and streets in any big city.

However, please remember that we are talking about ancient times, and we can't guess the ancient world from the present perspective.

This story has many aspects. It contains all the important factors of the ancient Lantern Festival, especially the Lantern Festival in the Song Dynasty. In addition, these factors only work during the Lantern Festival, and will disappear after the Lantern Festival.

What factors? I use four key words to express it:

Late at night, emperors, women and poetry.

Song Huizong's River Map.

go out late at night

The story of a woman stealing a cup happened late at night. This is very important. This is the main feature that distinguishes or surpasses all other festivals.

Unlike our nightlife now, there was basically no nightlife in ancient times.

The ancient government has been trying to manage people's schedules. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, the rulers had such a management idea: in order to prevent people from being too comfortable and breeding evil thoughts, everyone's work and rest should be arranged in a unified way, from emperors to generals to ordinary people.

The government is most afraid of the night. Because at night, it is difficult to control ordinary people, and many crimes are easy to happen. Therefore, in most ancient times, there was a curfew: after nightfall, the city gates and residential areas were closed. If there is nothing important, it is forbidden to wander in the street, let alone eat midnight snack and soak in bars.

Those who violate the curfew will also be severely punished, ranging from the death penalty to flogging.

Among the four classical novels, Yuan's Dim Sum has a great event.

In the Song Dynasty, the curfew system was basically abolished, and even walking at night was prohibited from midnight to May every day. However, such a relaxed era is rare in history. In other dynasties, the curfew system was strictly enforced.

For example, in Chang 'an in the Tang Dynasty, people beat drums 600 times at dusk, urging people to go out and go home. After 600 drums, all the doors in the city were closed. If you are caught walking in the street at this time, you will be beaten day and night.

It can be seen that the curfew system is one of the manifestations of power. The ancient world was divided into two completely different areas, with free time, free activities during the day and forbidden areas at night.

Only a few days before and after the Lantern Festival will the government lift the curfew every year. Like a bird in a cage for a long time. At that time, it was suddenly free, and people were as excited as winning the grand prize.

In fact, the main reason for the popularity of Lantern Festival in ancient times is not the number of celebrations and the degree of joy. Frankly speaking, these are all related to lifting the curfew system. The key is to lift the curfew and let everyone go out to experience the real nightlife.

How crazy were the ancients when they celebrated the Lantern Festival?

For example, people in the Song Dynasty went out to drink, and when they got drunk, they just wanted to go home. The chaos caused by alcoholism actually gave birth to a profession that only appeared at the Lantern Festival at that time: at night, someone held a small lamp to "sweep the street". They often find the lost gold and silver jewelry of drunken people, and get a lot of harvest.

The emperor took the lead.

In this story, there is a dialogue between the emperor and the "female thief". If there is such an outrageous description at other time points, it can basically be concluded that this is just a novelist's speech, but it is not impossible to have a snack in Yuan.

According to historical records, during the reign of Huizong in the Northern Song Dynasty, the royal family placed a royal wine in front of the imperial city, called "Jin 'ou wine". At the end of the Lantern Festival, men and women, old and young, rich and poor, can get a glass of royal wine. "Female thief" drinks this Jin 'ou wine.

As mentioned earlier, the ancient curfew system was harsh and ruthless, but it was briefly deconstructed during the Lantern Festival. Who dares to challenge power?

There is only one answer: this is the result of the emperor's acquiescence or even leading execution.

As early as the Sui Dynasty, on the fifteenth night of the first month, this city was the city that never sleeps. At that time, Liu Mi said in a letter to Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty that gongs and drums were everywhere, the ground was on fire and people wore animal faces. What song and dance performances, fancy clothes and confusion between men and women? He asked the emperor to ban extravagance and waste on the fifteenth day of the first month.

Wendi agreed on the surface, but did not take concrete action. Later emperors also knew that the carnival tradition could not be controlled, so they used this opportunity to make some humanized programs, enjoy with others and publicize Tianwei.

In Song Huizong's time, on the night of Lantern Festival, the emperor wanted to visit Xuande Building or look at the lights at the door. Therefore, people on both sides of Yujie Street can see the mysterious face of the emperor through a layer of yellow silk while watching hundreds of plays and lights.

On the morning of the 16th day of the first month, the emperor will appear in the tower again. If people are not too lazy or drunk at night, if they get up early enough to go to the palace gate, they can see more clearly.

Scholars in the Song Dynasty often say "looking up to the sky", which means that people watch the emperor at close range during the Lantern Festival. You know, this is

In the era of imperial power, the emperor was supreme. Any unauthorized touching or even staring at the emperor's body may constitute a heinous crime. Only the Lantern Festival is an exception. At this time, people can watch and stare at the mysterious emperor.

The emperor took the lead in celebrating the Lantern Festival, making it a real celebration of fun between the government and the people.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, Yin Kaifu came out to greet people at the Lantern Festival. During this period, the entourage followed the mayor of the capital, carrying a big cloth bag with change in it. Give money to vendors who do business in Beijing. Ten words for each person, wishing them a prosperous business in the new year.

In order to enjoy happiness with the people, some emperors even fought, because lanterns often burn palaces. In May14, Zhu Houzhao, the emperor of Ming Dynasty, celebrated the Lantern Festival at Gan Qing Palace. Hanging lanterns in front of the palace, the design is refurbished, regardless of safety. As a result, the light burned into the temple and burned all the bedrooms in Gan Qing Palace.

Female appearance

In the story of a woman stealing a cup, the most striking thing is that the hero of the story is a woman, not a man.

Ancient women lived in seclusion, basically without a front door or a second door. Not to mention at night, there are few opportunities to go out to play during the day.

During the Lantern Festival, watching lights and fighting in the street broke the defense of men and women, enabling them to gain temporary personal freedom, get out of the boudoir and enjoy themselves.

One year during the Lantern Festival, Sima Guang's wife wanted to go out and watch the lights. Sima Guang asked, "Why do you want to watch the lights at home?" The lady replied, "I want to see tourists, too." Sima Guang asked, "Am I a ghost?" This joke is easy to explain. Many taboos that Yuan stays up late every day have been eliminated.

Because women have the right to participate in the Lantern Festival, this festival is particularly human. In short, both men and women have the same space, which gives each other the opportunity to find the right person. It is not unreasonable that many classical poems are set on the Lantern Festival.

Ouyang Xiu, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, wrote fried dumplings.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the lights of the flower market are as bright as during the day. The moon rose to the top of the willow tree, and after nightfall, he began to express his thoughts. This year's Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first month, the moonlight and lights are the same as last year. I'll never see my old friends from last year again, and my clothes are wet with tears.

The first sentence expresses the regret that I can't see the right person again on Lantern Festival night.

Xin Qiji, a poet in the Southern Song Dynasty, vividly described the joy and excitement of seeing the right person when watching the Lantern Festival:

The east wind night is full of flowers, thousands of trees fall down and stars are like rain. The BMW car is full of incense, the phoenix flute rings, the jade pot becomes lighter, and the fish dragon dances all night. Moth, snow, willow, gold thread, laughter, fragrance. Baidu looked for her and suddenly turned around. The man was in the dim light.

No wonder Lantern Festival is also called Valentine's Day in China.

In short, as Taiwan Province scholar Chen Xiyuan pointed out in the article Sleepless in China-Lantern Festival, Night Shift and Carnival in Ming and Qing Dynasties:

In the year of "The City that Never Sleeps", people went beyond all kinds of rituals and regulations in the name of lighting or watching lights, subverting the preset rules and inertial time and space order in daily life. From the difference between day and night, the difference between urban and rural areas, prevent the difference between men and women to the difference between high and low. In fact, the provocation and ridicule of moral norms and legal order is the main axis of the rules of folk activities of the Lantern Festival.

Frankly speaking, this festival is characterized by the liberation of body and mind.

Hu Biao's Poems

In this story, a woman caught stealing was finally pardoned by the emperor, because she recited a sentence at a critical moment, which aroused the interest of the literary emperor Song Huizong.

Even the "female thief" is so elegant that she always recites poems, which actually adds some cultural flavor to the Lantern Festival.

Of course, we can say that the culture of the Song Dynasty was developed and the Song people were well educated. However, are there some problems hidden behind this development?

As we all know, in the Song Dynasty, when the policy of respecting people and restraining martial arts was implemented, the literati not only had high status, but also had rich income. When Song Taizu exercised his right, he drank a glass of wine and disarmed the soldiers.

The spirit of the founding emperor's speech has far-reaching influence, transforming the cultural concept of the Song Dynasty into secular life values such as wealth, money and entertainment.

As far as the Lantern Festival is concerned, everyone is intoxicated in the carnival night of national celebration.

Song Yao and Song Qi were famous prime ministers in the Northern Song Dynasty. Song Ji heard that his younger brother Song Qi "lit a lamp and held a drunken geisha" at the Lantern Festival, so he sent someone to tell him: "Brother, have you forgotten the day when we had a cup of rice and worked hard together at the Lantern Festival?

Unexpectedly, Song Qi replied, "Brother, don't you know what it's like for us to eat and work together on the Lantern Festival?"

Isn't the implication for today's glory and enjoyment?

Song Yao, brother Song Qi.

Under the influence of this trend of thought, no matter how uncomfortable the external environment of the country is, the rulers and ministers of the Northern Song Dynasty always use the Lantern Festival to create a scene of peace and prosperity. In addition to the above-mentioned decoration and having fun with people, there is also a lyric of the best script in the Song Dynasty.

In the Song Dynasty, there was a word called Yuanxiao Ci. In Yuanxiao Ci, praising the prosperous times is the writing theme that literati are eager to write. Even the emperor directly participated in the creation of Yuanxiao Ci. According to statistics, there are at least five existing Yuanxiao Ci poems in Song Huizong.

Until the eve of the Jingkang disaster, the whole country was still immersed in the illusion of prosperity.

The formation of this psychological state is closely related to the basic national policy of the Northern Song Dynasty. In history, Song Taizong once said bluntly:

If a country has no internal problems, it will have external problems; If it has no external problems, it will have internal problems. External worries can be prevented in advance, but betrayal is invisible. If this is an internal problem, it would be terrible. The emperor's heart often needs to be here.

What do you mean? This passage is about how the rulers of the Northern Song Dynasty governed the country: they were not threatened by foreign aggression and paid attention to internal governance. Until the Song Huizong period, courtiers still wrote: "China is among them; Fourth, external. Worrying about the people, this is also; Those concerns about the outside world are over. "

Because "housekeeping" is more important than "isolation", the emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty attached great importance to the role of Lantern Festival carnival in alleviating people's daily dissatisfaction. This is also the reason why the Lantern Festival in the Northern Song Dynasty received the most attention in the past dynasties.

Come on, have fun, have fun, it will take a lot of time anyway.

In this way, the ruling party and the opposition party at that time turned a blind eye to the coming invasion by foreign enemies.

We all know what happened afterwards. Foreigners came and the emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty was taken away. The flourishing age collapsed and the Song Dynasty went south. Only a sad song by Anonymous tells the unsustainability of the Lantern Festival carnival in the past:

The whole family saw peace. Lantern Festival and Golden Dragon Lantern. When four winds played the song of Ascension, the whole world did not sigh. A long month is good and will be good. Everyone stayed up until dawn for five consecutive nights. Now with tears in my eyes, I still hate this kind of life in Jiangnan.

We later learned that this historical tragedy was repeated in the late Southern Song Dynasty. During the Lantern Festival, emperors will turn a blind eye to the hidden gray rhinoceros incident, which will eventually lead to the pain of national subjugation.

At that time, those people praised the prosperous times because of happiness, but now it is sad to face the reality.

Lantern Festival in Song Dynasty is a grand festival, and it will be a dream.