When it comes to the Spring Festival, the holiday is actually one of the things that people are most concerned about.
Of course, the so-called "vacation" is mostly the business of the staff, people who do not work or do not go to school, or freelancers, there is no fixed holiday to speak of, everything is based on specific needs.
So, did the ancient Spring Festival people have a holiday?
Answer: Of course, there will be holidays, but the holiday system of ancient official history varies according to different eras and dynasties.
According to historical records, in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the state has clear regulations on the vacation of **. According to records, the annual public holiday is about 60 days, and if there are special circumstances such as national events or the emperor's birthday, you can also take the holiday according to the normal number of days. During the Qin and Han dynasties, there were similar regulations, ** in addition to the imperial court meetings and major festivals, there were 60 days of vacation per year.
In the Tang and Song dynasties, the leave system was further improved. During the Tang Dynasty, the "ten-day vacation" system was implemented, that is, one day off for every ten days of work, and about 36 days of vacation in a year. In addition, the imperial court also stipulated some important festivals, such as the Yuan Day (Spring Festival), cold food, winter solstice, etc., which would be closed for 7 days. The holiday system of the Song Dynasty was more relaxed than that of the Tang Dynasty, not only following the holiday system of the Tang Dynasty, but also adding some new holidays, such as the emperor's birthday. As a result, the Song Dynasty** had a relatively large number of holidays, with about 120 days of vacation throughout the year.
The holiday system in the Ming and Qing dynasties was different. During the Ming Dynasty, the holidays of ** mainly included the Spring Festival, the winter solstice and the emperor's birthday, and there were only about three holidays throughout the year. During the Qing Dynasty, although the ten-month vacation system was also implemented, the vacation time was relatively short, and official business was still needed during the holiday.
According to relevant records, during the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty, the Spring Festival was closed for 7 days. According to the "False Ning Order" promulgated by Tang Xuanzong: "Yuanzheng and the winter solstice will each be given seven days off." It means that the Spring Festival and the winter solstice are 7 days off each. This rule lasted from the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty.
During the Yuan Dynasty, due to the influence of the Han people by the Mongols, the Spring Festival holiday was greatly shortened, and only 3 days off.
Since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, holiday times have become erratic. During the period of Zhu Yuanzhang, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, there were only 3 days of holidays a year, which were the Spring Festival, the winter solstice and the emperor's birthday. But during the period of the Myojin Sect, the Spring Festival holiday was reverted to 7 days.
During the Qing Dynasty, the Spring Festival holiday time was shortened again, generally 4 days, from Chinese New Year's Eve to the third day of the first lunar month.
It can be seen that in ancient times, there would be a holiday during the Spring Festival.