Are there any customs for leap February?
In the traditional Chinese calendar, the leap month is a means of adjusting the gap between the calendar year and the return year, as well as ensuring the accuracy of the lunar year. And leap February, as a special leap month, also has its own unique customs and significance.
First, we need to understand the existence of leap February. In the lunisolar calendar, the number of days in a year is fixed, at 365 days. However, since the actual time it takes for the Earth to revolve around the Sun is 3652425 days, so the annual lunar year is 02425 days. This means that with each passing year, the gap between the lunar year and the solar year increases. To solve this problem, the traditional Chinese calendar introduced a leap month, inserting a leap month every few years to compensate for this gap. And leap February is one of them.
In the month of leap February, there is an important festival – the Festival of Neutrality. The Festival of Neutrality was originally the second day of the second lunar month, which is the birthday of the land god. During this festival, people worship the god of the land and pray for a good harvest and peace throughout the year. However, during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the imperial court set the Neutralization Festival as the beginning of the second lunar month.
February, early May.
The four festivals of May, August 15 and October New Day, thus forming the current pattern. In leap February, if the second day of February happens to be the middle of the month (i.e., the day before the Lantern Festival), then the Neutralization Festival will be advanced to the first day of the second month of February, the day before the Lantern Festival.
In addition to the Festival of Neutrality, there are other customs associated with the month of leap February. In ancient times, people believed that the leap month was an unlucky month, so some places would carry out some activities to ward off evil spirits during the leap month. For example, on the first day of the second month of the leap month, some places put up "Yimi sieves" or "Yiyi oil bottles" made of red paper to pray for peace and a good harvest. In some areas in the south, people will "celebrate the small year" on the tenth day of the second month of the leap month, that is, the festival of sacrificing the king of the stove.
In addition to these traditional customs, modern society has also given leap February some new meanings and activities. For example, in some places, "spring shrines" are held on the last day of the leap month to pray for a good harvest and peace. And among some young people, there is also a trend of "leap month weddings". It is said that getting married in the leap month can signify a long marriage, so many young people choose to celebrate their wedding on this special day.
In addition, leap February is also an important month when it comes to agriculture. During this month, farmers begin to prepare for spring plowing and sowing. As the temperature gradually rises and the rain starts to increase at this time, it is a good time for crops to grow. For this reason, leap February is also known as the "Farming Month". During this month, farmers carry out a series of agricultural activities such as ploughing, fertilizing, weeding, etc., to ensure the growth and harvest of crops.
In short, as a special month in traditional Chinese culture, leap February has its own unique customs and significance. Whether it is a traditional ritual or a modern innovative activity, it reflects the importance and attention that people attach to this special month. At the same time, leap February also plays an important role in agriculture, providing farmers with good agricultural conditions and hope for a good harvest. Search Topic Full Time Challenge December