Rural saying: "March 3rd, September 9th, don't walk by the river if you have nothing to do". What does it mean?

The third day of the third month and the ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar are ancient traditional festivals in our country. In people's minds, these two festivals, spring and autumn, are the seasons when the temperature and scenery are pleasant in the spring and autumn winds. People go out to the wild one after another, one for spring outings and the other for climbing.

"If you have nothing to do, don't go to the river." Spring outings and hiking are mainly for fun. In the eyes of rural people, it should be regarded as nothing, so there is no need to go to the river. But on March 3rd in ancient times, people liked to sit by the water (rivers, rivers, streams, ponds, etc.) and drink. Some even bathed and washed their feet by the river. On September 9th, it is not explicitly stated that people go to streams and rivers. However, anyone who has been to the mountains knows that if you want to climb a mountain, you must walk along the valley, then climb the ridge, and then along the ridge to the top of the mountain. Or high up in the mountains. When walking into the valley, there is a stream accompanying it.

In rural areas, there is a difference between rivers and streams. Rivers are larger and streams are smaller. However, in the consciousness of ancient rural people, streams and rivers are the same thing, and there is no clear boundary.

People living in the mountains often call larger streams rivers, which sounds a bit funny to people who really come from the big rivers, but that’s what the locals call them. In some places, the river is called a creek, which surprises people in places where there are only creeks. For example, although the five major tributaries of the Yuanjiang River in Hunan were deep and had tight shoals, boats could still be used in the old days and they were important transportation routes at that time. However, historically, these five relatively large rivers were called "Five Streams". "Shui Jing Zhu" written by Li Daoyuan of the Northern Wei Dynasty: "There are five streams in Wuling, namely Xiongxi, Manxi, Tongxi, Youxi, and Chenxi", which refers to the five major tributaries of the Yuanjiang River. Nowadays, people no longer call it Xi, but instead call it "River" or "Jiang". Only two local names can be retained. One is Chenxi, the name of a county in Huaihua, Hunan, called Chenxi County; Xiongxi, the name of Hongjiang River in Huaihua, Hunan. The name of a town in the district is Xiongxi Town.

During the two festivals of March 3rd and September 9th, people in ancient times could not live without streams and rivers. However, today’s people don’t care whether they go to streams or rivers during these two days. So why are rural people taboo about going to the river, and there is a saying: "March 3rd, September 9th, don't walk by the river if you have nothing to do"?

March 3 is the traditional Shangsi Festival in my country, which falls on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar. In fact, the ancient Shangsi Festival was not necessarily the third day of March, but the Si day in early March, which was called "Shangsi". That is to say, the day of Shangsi in early March would be different every year, but the Si day usually fell in early March. three. After the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar was fixed as the Shangsi Festival.

March 3rd has not had a unified saying since ancient times. Different ethnic groups in my country have many nicknames in different places, such as Shangsi Festival, Yuansi Festival, Women's Day, Chinese Valentine's Day, Spring Bathing Day, etc. Water Splashing Festival, Rouzi Festival, Tage Festival, Gangge Slope, Cangge Temple Fair and so on. It can be seen from here that March 3rd was the day for ancient people to bathe, go on outings, and meet their lovers. These names are relatively nice, but there is another name in ancient times that is not very nice. March 3rd is one of the four major "ghost festivals" in ancient my country. In other words, March 3rd is the day for worshiping ancestors in ancient times.

On March 3rd, the ancients came to the waterside to offer sacrifices and held a ceremony to ward off disasters and eliminate evil spirits, which was called the Wo Festival.

From this point of view, what the ancients called "祓祊" (sound fú xì) refers to the last day, when people came to the waterside to hold sacrifices and bathed in water soaked with vanilla to ward off bad luck. .

This sentence is a description of the Shangsi Festival in the Spring and Autumn Period, the bathing scene, and the scene on the way home after the activity.

2. Variation of ancient folk customs: feasting by the water, spring outings in the countryside

In ancient times, on March 3, there was a saying that "cups flowed from the rivers and lakes in the ponds," as in "Jingchu Sui Sui" It is said in "Shiji":

What this sentence means is that every third day of March, officials and people go out of their homes and go to the edges of wild rivers, islets, streams, ponds, and marshes. , divert water to make a winding canal, and then drink from the "flowing cup".

"Meng Liang Lu·March" written by Wu Zimu in the Song Dynasty said:

"Qujiang" does not refer to the specific place name of the river, but refers to the bend of the river, or the artificial diversion. The winding channels of river water. People drink and have fun by "flowing cups" by the "Qushui" water. Of course, later people called the drinking streams and canals "Qujiang", which is also a reference to ancient customs by later generations.

However, it cannot be ruled out that every March 3rd, the ancients gathered to play by some beautiful streams or pools. Over time, the name of this place was fixed, called Qujiang. For example, "Nanyue Ji" says:

The name Qushuitan was fixed by later generations, and it is still used today.

Outing is a walk in the countryside in spring when the grass grows and the orioles fly. Some people call it spring outing. As for the "flow cup" among the "qu liu liu cup", it was a game-like way of drinking in ancient times. When people gather and drink by the water, they put the wine glass in the flowing water. When the wine glass flows in the water, it passes through the curved canal and stops in front of whoever drinks. This is similar to some of the game rules used by later generations to drink alcohol at banquets.

3. Different opinions on the origin of the custom of "Qushui" in ancient times

Wu Jun, a native of Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty, wrote a collection of myths, legends and strange novels called "Xu Qi Xie" "Records" tells a story in the book. In the early years of the Jin Dynasty, Zhiyu and Shuxi had a dispute in front of Emperor Wu of Jin about the origin of the "Qushui Shang".

Emperor Wu of Jin Sima Yan was the founding emperor of the Jin Dynasty. One day, Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty asked Shangshu Zhiyu: "Now on the third day of March, we divert water into a canal and drink from cups. What is the meaning of this?"

Zhiyu replied: "Emperor Zhang of the Eastern Han Dynasty ( Note: During the reign of Emperor Zhang of the Eastern Han Dynasty (Liu Liujin, the third emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the grandson of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu of the Han Dynasty), there was a man named Xu Zhao in a village in Pingyuan County. In early March, his wife gave birth to three girls, but They died one after another within three days. People in the village thought it was a very evil thing, and they thought it was some kind of evil spirit. In order to get rid of the evil spirit, the people in the village held hands and put the wine glasses in the water. , let the wine cup float away with the water. The origin of Qushui came from here. "Emperor Wu of Jin said: "In this way, the saying of Qushui is not auspicious."

Shang Shuxi. Not agreeing with Zhi Yu's statement, he explained to Emperor Wu of Jin: "Zhi Yu, a young man, doesn't know much about this allusion. This statement is unreasonable. Let me talk about the source of this allusion."

Shu Xi continued: "There are two theories about the origin of this allusion. One of the origins of the allusion is that during the Zhou Dynasty, Zhou Gongdan selected Luoyi as the Eastern Capital. After the Eastern Capital was built, Zhou Gongdan borrowed Drinking water flows from the cup, so there is a poem in "Yi Shi" (Note: "The Book of Songs" is not the complete book, the poems other than 305 recorded in it are called "Yi Shi"): "The wine glass flows with the waves." The second source of the allusion. On the fourth day of the third month, King Zhao of Qin was drinking at a bend in the Yellow River. Suddenly a Jin man came out from the east and presented a Shuixin Sword to King Zhao of Qin. The man of Jin said to King Zhao of Qin: ' This Water Heart Sword will allow you to rule Xixia and make Qin strong and prosperous. When Qin becomes strong and dominates the princes, you will build the Qushui Temple here. Later, Qin became powerful and dominated. From then on, the Western Han Dynasty. This custom was inherited from the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the bends of the rivers in the world became a very prosperous gathering place for people on March 3rd."

Emperor Wu of Jin praised it and said: "It's really a gathering place. Well done!" So Emperor Wu of Jin rewarded Shu Xi with fifteen pounds of gold. Poor young Zhiyu is too immature, but he is still too old. The bridge he has walked is longer than the road you have walked. This time he was unlucky. He was demoted and used by Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty, and he had to be trained at the grassroots level. So Zhiyu had no choice but to pack up and go to Yangcheng County to be the county magistrate.

4. Different social classes in ancient times had different customs on March 3.

In the story told in the previous section, who is right and who is wrong about Zhi Yu and Shu Xi?

In fact, from a folklore perspective, both of them are right. Both of these statements should have existed at that time. Shu Xi is talking about the living customs spread among emperors, generals, ministers and nobles, while Zhiyu is talking about the living customs of the people in the countryside. In fact, different customs have been formed in various places in ancient times. "Book of Rites: Qu Lishang" contains:

In other words, the customs of Shangsi Festival have become polarized since the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Two different ways of saying it. On the day of the Shangsi Festival, the urban scholar-class people drink water and go for an outing; while in rural areas, they still practice "exorcism" and bathe with aromatic herbs, hoping to wash away disasters and the root causes of disease.

Hu Pu'an's book "Chinese Customs" quotes the record of "Tongzhou Gaozhi": "On March 3rd, sick and wounded people mostly wash them with long running water, which is the ancient people's intention to repair bad luck." In other words. Until the Qing Dynasty, people in Tongzhou, Zhili (today's Tongzhou District, Beijing) still had "sick and wounded" people go to the river to wash on March 3, hoping to wash away the disaster and the root of the disease.

Coincidentally, in some mountainous areas in the south, women still have the habit of using herbal fumigation and bathing on March 3rd, which is called "dispelling wind", and the herbal medicine is also called "wind medicine". It's just that fumigation and bathing are done at home instead of washing at the river. This may be related to the fact that we have been in a feudal society for a long time in history. With feudal etiquette in place, how can women dare to bathe in the river? This may be the "last intention of cultivating evil spirits". Due to changes in society, customs have mutated.

5. Folk saying that March 3rd is the "Ghost Festival"

According to folklore, March 3rd is similar to the traditional Ghost Festival and Winter Clothes Festival. The ghosts who were imprisoned in the underworld were allowed to rest for a day and receive sacrifices from their relatives in the human world. This is also the reason why March 3rd is the Ancestor Worship Festival in some places now. This should naturally be a legacy of the ancient Shangsi Festival being a sacrificial festival.

Legend has it that those ghosts who are released go straight to their homes when they were alive and accept sacrifices and money from descendants, while those without owners can't find the direction to go and wander around the world. Wandering, this is what people often call "lonely ghosts".

Most folk sacrificial activities on March 3rd are held near the water. People should try to avoid going to the river when they have nothing to do. There are two opinions on this. First, people believe that the river is a passage connecting the human world and the underworld. In the old days, folk superstitious activities were carried out to bring evil spirits to the river. The second type is that there are "water ghosts" in the river, that is, people who have drowned in the past. On March 3rd when all things are revived, the drowned people in the past are eager to find a substitute so that they can escape. Once the "water ghost" is haunted, they will be trapped in the future. It is easy to fall into the water and die.

These statements are all superstitious statements among the people in the old days. It was precisely because of the existence of such backward and ignorant thoughts at that time that people had a fear of the riverside on March 3rd. psychology.

6. The explanation of "March 3rd, don't walk by the river if you have nothing to do"

People's different understandings of "March 3rd" are mainly reflected in the different classes in the old times. time, that is, the difference between urban and rural areas. They live in different conditions, living environments, lifestyles, and have different ideas and concepts.

The bureaucratic class and the gentry class in the city, who live without worries about food and clothing, are rich and honorable, have material satisfaction, and naturally pursue spiritual enjoyment. Therefore, in the spring of March, when spring flowers are blooming, they go out one after another, have banquets by the water, and enjoy spring outings in the countryside. March 3rd has become their customary day for fun.

Villagers in rural areas are different. They live a frugal life of poverty and worry about their livelihood every day. March in Yangchun is the busy season for spring plowing and production. There is no time to finish the farm work. The plan for the year lies in spring. If we don’t sow in spring, how can we expect harvest in autumn? How can they afford to go to the waterside to have a feast? As for spring outings in the countryside, they have lived in the mountains and countryside all year round and have been working in the spring. There is no need to imitate the elegance of city people. Many people dream of going to the bustling markets and seeing the world. This is contrary to the concept of city people.

In the old days, what farmers feared most was getting sick. Once someone in a family got sick, it would be a disaster. Due to people's insufficient understanding of "disease", they regard diseases as "disasters" and "evils", and some believe that there are "ghosts" at work. If they want to be healthy, they must "prevent disasters, eliminate evil spirits, and get rid of bad luck." Therefore, on March 3, "those who are sick or injured are often washed with running water." In some places, on March 3rd, people go to the river to "send off ghosts" in a superstitious way.

Therefore, in rural areas, there are three reasons for "Don't walk by the river on March 3rd".

First, the river water is not clean. The "disease-wounded" were washed in river water on March 3. The river water carried the "disease", so it was better to stay away from it to avoid being infected by the disease.

The second is that the riverside is "unclean". According to the old superstitious saying, since someone sent "disasters" and "evils" to the river on March 3, the riverside on that day will be full of "disasters" and "evils", and going to the river will attract "disasters" and "evils". "Disaster" and "evil".

The third is a very real problem.

Farmers make a living by working. They regard urban people's "drinking by the waterside and spring outings in the countryside" as "idleness" and extravagance. Rural people cannot learn this "custom", which is a waste of "young spring". . When you go to the river and see these waterside banquets, it will "bad" the "customs" of the village. It is better to be out of sight and clear out. This statement is very realistic and much more reliable than the previous superstitious statement.

In fact, the saying "On March 3rd, don't walk by the river if you have nothing to do" is not very absolute in rural areas. It means don't walk by the river when "you have nothing to do". However, when working in agricultural production, you must walk by the river. It is "occupied" and you are doing serious agricultural work. Of course, you can walk by the river, otherwise it will delay spring plowing and production. This is what’s so interesting about this saying.

The Double Ninth Festival in ancient my country was marked by "climbing high", and the purpose of climbing was to "ward off evil spirits."

This statement is also recorded in "Xu Qixie Ji". During the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was said that there was a famous Taoist priest in Runan (now southwest of Shangcai, Henan) who had the power to predict the future. The Taoist priest had an apprentice named Huan Jing. One day, a Taoist priest predicted that Huanjing's family would suffer a great disaster on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. To avoid this disaster, his whole family could not stay at home except on this day. Instead, they had to wear dogwood on their bodies and take chrysanthemum wine with them to the mountains to escape for a day.

Huan Jing was frightened when he heard it. He did what the master said. At night, when the whole family returned home from the high mountains where they had taken refuge, they saw that all the cattle, goats, chickens, dogs and other poultry and livestock in the house were dead. At this time, the Taoist priest also came to Huan Jing's home. He told Huan Jing that these dead livestock were the disaster for Huan Jing's family.

Since then, the folk custom of climbing high on September 9th to ward off evil spirits has arisen. Most traditional festivals in my country are inseparable from eating and drinking. Later, in order to increase the fun of climbing, some literati held picnics and drank chrysanthemum wine while climbing. Climbing a mountain and having a picnic has become the central part of the Double Ninth Festival customs.

Since late spring comes on March 3rd, the earth’s atmosphere drops and the weather rises, making it suitable for people to go out and enjoy spring outings. On September 9th, the earth's air rises, the weather drops, and the air of heaven and earth exchanges. People go out for autumn outings. After this day's outing, the cold winter gradually enters. People call climbing the Double Ninth Festival "Ci Qing".

So, why can’t people walk along the river on September 9th? The main reason is that the ancients believed that the lower the terrain, the more unhealthy the atmosphere, and the river is the lowest place in every place. Originally, people climbed high to avoid evil spirits. If they went to the river, they would be exposed to more evil spirits. Not going to the river is to avoid this.

This statement has the same truth as March 3. It means that you should not go to the river if you have nothing to do on September 9. If you have something to do, it is no longer taboo and you can go to the river. Go to the side. It seems that in the old days, in order not to delay farm work, rural people still prioritized work between customs and work, and it was not forbidden to go to the river.