If you want to have a bumper harvest of grains in the coming year, don't forget to "hit the spring cow"! So what is "beating spring cattle"? How should it be "hit"? See how much you know about these customs of the beginning of spring.
First of all, let's take a look at "Fighting Spring Cattle".
"Fighting spring cattle" is to "beat cattle" on the day of the beginning of spring, but it is not a real cow, but a fake cow that is made. In ancient times, after the beginning of spring, the farmers would start sowing, and the cattle that had rested for the winter would also start working. The new year has a new atmosphere, and everyone expects a good harvest in the new year, so they pray to heaven for blessings.
Therefore, before the beginning of spring, the ancients would use mulberry wood as the skeleton to make a wooden ox, this activity was mostly presided over by the county **, hiring skilled craftsmen, first drawing the image of the spring cow, and then making it, pasting paper, and painting paint.
Then build a "cowshed" in an open place, gather the whole village or most of the county's people, plant small colorful flags around, carry out eye-dotting ceremonies, kowtow to the spring cow, and worship.
After the worship, they will rush up, break and break the spring cattle, pick up a little sawdust xiè and take it home, and scatter it in the cattle pen at home, which means that they can promote the breeding of their own cattle, so that they can have more labor, and also hope that the cattle at home can work more vigorously after the beginning of spring.
The second custom of Lichun is to "bite spring".
"Bite spring" is actually to eat spring cakes, from the beginning of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there has been the custom of eating spring cakes, in the "Jing Chu Years Chronicles" has been clearly recorded: "the day of the beginning of spring dàn Qin cakes", it is said that spring cakes, made into thin cakes with noodles, and then put lettuce, fruits, sugar, meat and other ingredients on the plate, with spring cakes rolled to eat, bite spring cakes is "bite spring", there is the meaning of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, welcoming spring.
The third custom of the beginning of spring is "welcoming spring".
Spring greeting is a very important thing in ancient times, many ancient dynasties took the beginning of spring as the beginning of the year, so the ceremony of welcoming spring will be held the day before the beginning of spring. But rehearsal should be carried out in advance, commonly known as "acting spring", that is, rehearsing first, so as not to make any mistakes at that time.
Because the spring greeting is the god in charge of spring, the god of Jumang, so there must be no mistakes. On the day of the beginning of spring, people will carry a sedan chair to the mountain to pick up the god of Jumang, and the gongs and drums are very lively. In many areas, before the spring greeting, every household will post a New Year's painting symbolizing the "spring breeze" at the door, and in Guangdong, when the spring is welcomed, the drum will be beaten at the door of the house to drive away the epidemic.
Do you know anything else about the customs of the beginning of spring? Inherit traditional culture, share the wisdom of Chinese culture, and we'll see you in the next issue.
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