Hua Chao Festival Introduction
Hua Chao Festival Hua Chao Festival, referred to as Hua Chao, is commonly known as "Flower Festival", "Hundred Flowers Birthday" and "Flower God's Birthday".
It was a very important traditional folk festival in ancient my country. The festival dates vary from place to place. In the Central Plains and Southwest China, the second day of the second lunar month is the Flower Chao; in the Jiangnan and Northeastern regions, the fifteenth day of the second lunar month is the Flower Chao. It is said that this corresponds to the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth day of August, and is called the "Hua Chao". To "Yuexi". In addition, there are some areas where February 12th or 18th is the Flower Festival. This phenomenon may be related to the early and late arrival of flowers in various places.
The date of the Huachao Festival in the Gregorian calendar is March, roughly between the solar term "Jingzhe" and the "Spring Equinox". At this time, spring returns to the earth, everything revives, the vegetation is green, and flowers are in bud, blooming, or in full bloom. It is very appropriate to designate one of these days as the "Hundred Flowers Birthday". There are not many nations in the world that have designated flower festivals like China. It can be seen that the Chinese nation has a long tradition of love for flowers. "The birthday of flowers is a good time, and the spring is not even half-way through the flower dynasty; it is covered with brilliant colors and reds, and it is decorated with labor to celebrate the flower god." This is a portrayal of the old Jiangnan folk custom of celebrating the birthday of flowers. At night, "flower magic lanterns" are hung on the tops of flower branches. , the lights contrast with the red flowers and green branches; young men and women stroll among the flowers, admiring the flowers and talking about love; the literati are inspired by the scenery, reciting poems and painting... It is a good time for gardeners or flower lovers from all over the world to show off their skills.
Huachao Festival History
Our country is the country of flowers. It has a long history and was first recorded in "Tao Zhu Gongshu" in the Spring and Autumn Period. As for the "Flower God", it is said that it refers to the female disciple of Mrs. Northern Wei Dynasty. It is said that she was good at planting and raising flowers. She was respected as the "Flower God" by future generations, and the Flower Festival was attached to her festival.
The book "Fengtu Ji" written by Zhou Chu from Jin Dynasty: "The custom in Zhejiang says that in the middle of the prelude to spring, hundreds of flowers are blooming. It is the time for sightseeing and appreciation. The flowers are in the morning and the moon is in the evening. It is a common saying in the world." In the middle of the preface is the fifteenth day of the second lunar month. This is clearly recorded in the book "Xi Chao Le Shi" written by Tian Rucheng of the Ming Dynasty: "The flowers come to the moon and the moon falls to the evening, as the secular saying goes, February and August are the half of the Spring and Autumn Period. , so half of February is regarded as the Flower Festival, and half of the eighth month is regarded as the Moon Festival."
The Flower Festival is popular throughout the country, and it is said that it began during the reign of Wu Zetian (690-705 AD). Wu Zetian was addicted to flowers. Every year on the Flower Festival, the 15th day of the second lunar month, she would order her maids to collect flowers, pound them with rice, steam them into cakes, and use the flower cakes to reward the ministers. From the government to the private sector, the Flower Festival has become popular. At that time, the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Flower Festival on the fifteenth day of February, and the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth day of August were regarded as equally important traditional festivals. But in the Song Dynasty, the date of Huachao Festival was moved forward to February 12th or February 2nd. According to "Guangqun Fang Pu·Tian Shi Pu II" quoted from "Chengzhai Poetry Talk": "The flower court on February 12 in Tokyo (now Kaifeng) is the Butterfly Fighting Party." It also quoted from "Han Mo Ji": "Luoyang customs are based on two The second day of the lunar month is the Huachao Festival, where scholars and common people travel, and it is also the Vegetable Picking Festival. It can be seen that the date of the Huachao Festival varies from place to place. By the Qing Dynasty, February 15th was generally regarded as the flower dynasty in the north, while February 12th was regarded as the birthday of hundreds of flowers in the south. The climate conditions in the north and south of our country are different, so it is reasonable for the south to celebrate the festival a few days earlier than the north.
The Hua Dynasty Festival has been formed in the Tang Dynasty at the latest, because in the poetry and historical records of the Tang Dynasty, records about the Hua Dynasty have been very common, such as Sikong Tu’s "Sadness and Visiting Place" , Sick eyes are spent in the morning" ("Early Spring"), Lu Lun's "I heard the verse in the sky at night, the pure rain is spent in the morning" ("Ti Nian Ji Temple Fainting Master's Courtyard"). In the "Biography of Luo Wei" in the "Old Tang Book" written in the second year of Emperor Kaiyun of the Later Jin Dynasty (AD 945), it is also said that "every time Luo Wei comes to the moon and the moon, he is very affectionate with Bin Zuo." written records. According to folklore, Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, personally hosted the "Imperial Banquet of Choosing Vegetables" in the Imperial Garden on the day of the Flower Festival. During her reign (AD 690-705), Wu Zetian, who was addicted to flowers, always ordered the palace maids to collect flowers, mash them with rice, steam them into flower cakes and give them to the officials every day during the Flower Festival. At that time, people regarded the three "half-month" festivals of the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the Flower Festival on the 15th day of the 2nd lunar month, and the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the 8th month as equally important annual festivals.
The dates of the "Hua Chao Festival" vary from time to time and region, with February 15th, 12th, and 2nd. The fifteenth day of February is the Flower Festival. "Wu Zimu of the Southern Song Dynasty also said in "Meng Liang Lu·February Watch": "The fifteenth day of February is the Flower Festival. The custom in Zhejiang is that it is the most beautiful time when the flowers are blooming. "Wang Hao from the Qing Dynasty quoted the Southern Song Dynasty poet Yang Wanli's "Chengzhai Poetry Talk" in "Guangqun Fang Pu·Tian Shi Pu 2" as saying: "On the 12th day of February in Tokyo (now Kaifeng, Henan), the Flower Festival is for butterfly fluttering. Meeting." As for the record that the second day of the second lunar month is the Flower Festival, it can also be found in the book "Guangqun Fang Pu". The book "Tianshi Pu 2" quotes "Hanmo Ji" as saying: "Luoyang custom is that the second day of the second lunar month is the flower festival. It is also called the "Vegetable Picking Festival" for the common people to visit. In addition, in the old days, there was a folk custom in Shaoxing, Zhejiang and Guangshan, Henan that the second day of February was the festival of small flowers and the fifteenth day of February was the festival of big flowers, as in the Qing Dynasty. Guangxu's "Guangshan County Chronicles" says: "On February 2, the saying is 'Little Flower Chao', and on the 15th it is 'Big Flower Chao'." .
"A thousand purples and reds are draped in brocade, and they are decorated with labor to congratulate the flower gods." This song "Yong Hua Chao" by Cai Yun of the Qing Dynasty is a portrayal of the old Jiangnan folk custom of celebrating the birthday of flowers, and Wu Zimei wrote about it in "Meng Liang Lu·February Outlook" The grand occasion of the Flower Festival in Hangzhou at that time was described in more detail, which will not be cited here. On the day of the Flower Festival, in addition to enjoying flowers, fluttering with butterflies and picking vegetables, and government officials going out to encourage farmers, In the old days, some places still had the custom of women cutting ribbons and putting flower plugs on the Huachao Festival. For example, "Xuanfu Zhi" written by Ma Zhongxi in the Ming Dynasty recorded: "On the Huachao Festival, women in the city cut ribbons for flowers and put them in their hair buns to celebrate the festival. "In the Qing Dynasty, the Flower Chao Festival also had the custom of "appreciating red". The article "Hundred Flowers Birthday" in "Qing Jia Lu·February" by Gulu of the Qing Dynasty also said: "(February) 12th is the birthday of hundreds of flowers. The girl in the middle cuts five-colored silk ribbons and sticks them on the flower branches, which is called appreciating the red. "Zhang Chunhua, a native of the Qing Dynasty, also said in his poem "Qu Ge of Shanghai's New Year's Events": "When spring comes, the flowers are stained with green bushes, and the branches are cut with ribbons and the east wind blows. The steaming clouds and five colors fly to Qingwu, and the painting pavilion is opened to help appreciate the red. ”
The Flower Chao Festival was widely spread in the court and among the people during the Tang and Song Dynasties. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Hua Chao Festival was still often mentioned by literati. For example, the late Ming Dynasty writer Yuan Hongdao wrote in his In the article "Manjing Travels", there are words such as "The ground is cold in Yan, and after the Flower Festival, the remaining cold is still severe." There is also a line in the poem "There is no flower in the present day, and there is no moon in the evening." For unknown reasons, this traditional festival gradually disappeared. At present, the Flower Festival only exists in Guangxi, my country. In the lives of the Zhuang people in Ningming and Longzhou areas, the Huachao Festival in Jiujie Town, Xinzhou District, Wuhan City, Hubei Province has been popular for more than 800 years and continues to this day, but it has long lost its old poetic flavor and evolved into a merchant. Apart from this, the Flower Festival is little known and rarely mentioned.
Customs of the Flower Festival
Appreciating flowers during the Flower Festival is a kind of elegance in life. The Chinese people have accumulated rich folk cultural achievements in flower appreciation. The Flower Festival that was popular in urban and rural areas in the old days is An example.
In mid-February, it is the time when green branches and red flowers are in full bloom, providing a gorgeous and rich natural background for the Flower Festival. When flower vendors sell flowers on this day, As usual, red cloth or red paper is used to tie the flower branches. Many flower growers also hang colorful silk and red paper on the flower branches, which is called "appreciating red" or "protecting flowers." The poem goes: "When spring comes, the flowers are dyed green." , the branches are cut with ribbons and the east wind blows. The steaming clouds and five colors fly to Qingwu, and the painting pavilion is opened to help appreciate the red. "It is a realistic representation of this custom. Many flower growers, flower sellers and farmers engaged in other planting industries gathered in front of the Flower Temple on this day, killing animals and offering fruits to the god to wish the god a birthday, or performing performances to entertain the god, attracting crowds of people. Groups of tourists come to watch, forming a lively temple fair scene. The busy people may choose garden pavilion resorts to hold "flower fighting parties" and "butterfly fighting parties" similar to today's flower shows, or gather people to hold lantern parades at night, which are called "Flower Gods". "Lamp". In Longzhou, Ningming and other places in Guangxi, it is still customary for young men and women to gather in Pingba and sing antiphonal songs on the day of the Flower Festival. The songs must contain the content of praising the fairies of flowers. When the love is deep, they will throw each other Hydrangea, never leave.
The traditional Flower Festival has now evolved into a more dazzling seasonal flower market. The popular flower viewing trend often persists, far exceeding the ancient times. One day. However, tracing the origin of this traditional custom is so confusing that it is difficult to see clearly. "Bo Yi Ji" and "Zhenyang County Chronicles" also provide a beautiful legend about its origin: During the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, There was a flower lover named Cui Xuanwei, who was well-known far and wide. One February night, a group of beautiful women transformed into flowers came into his garden and told him that they wanted to bloom in spring, but Aunt Feng (the God of Wind) came to stop them. Asked him to help solve the problem. Cui followed his advice, prepared colorful silk, painted the sun, moon and stars on it, and hung the colorful silk on the flower branches in the garden at five o'clock on the 21st (some say the 12th). . Sure enough, there was a strong wind, but the flowers on the branches were protected by colorful silk, and none of them was blown off. People who loved flowers rushed to imitate it, so it became a custom because the time for hanging flowers to protect them must be arranged at the fifth watch. "Hua Chao".
According to the above explanation, Hua Chao should be a commemorative festival that commemorates Cui Xuanwei's hanging of colorful flowers. However, in some historical and local customs records since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Hua Chao is a celebration of flowers. It is a sacrificial festival for the birthday of a god, which means that the purpose of hanging colorful flower branches is not to protect the flowers, but to celebrate the birthday. For example, "Kunshan Xinyang Hezhi" quoted in the fourth volume of "Zhuding Yuwen" says: "February 12th is for flowers." On the birthday of the God of Flowers, all flowers are in red. "Qing Jia Lu" says: "February 12 is Baihua's birthday. Huqiu Flower Temple beats animals and offers music to celebrate the birthday of immortals, which is called the "Flower Chao". Cai Yun's "Wu Xi" says: "The birthday of hundreds of flowers is a good time, and it is half of the spring before the flowering period." Thousands of reds and purples are draped in brocade, and they are decorated with labor to congratulate the Flower God. "'"Qing Bailei Chao Seasonal Classification" also contains an account of the Empress Dowager Cixi going to the Summer Palace to cut ribbons and tie flowers during the Flower Festival and watch the "performance of the Flower God to celebrate his birthday." As for who the Flower God is, there are different opinions. " "Hua Mu Lu" says that "Mrs. Wei's disciple is good at planting flowers, and her name is Hua Gu". "Yue Ling Guangyi·Sui Ling Yi" says that "Nv Yi is the god of growth in spring and summer, and she is also the flower god". There is also a description of the flower gods in Volume 10 of Ding Dynasty, which are three beautiful women in red clothes. It is probably a convention that the flower gods are female.
In addition, some people think that the origin and development of the Flower Festival are the same. Buddhism is closely related.
Mingtian Rucheng's "Xi Dynasty Joys" records: "February 15th is the Flower Chao Festival, covering the Flower Chao day affairs, secular sayings... There was a folk custom in the Song Dynasty to perform the butterfly fluttering show, although it is not performed today, and the Nirvana meeting is held in the temple , Talking about the Peacock Sutra, those who burn incense are still left behind. "It can be seen that this festival is related to Buddhist sacrificial rituals. Going to meetings, offering incense, worshiping gods and Buddhas are important activities during the festival (Qian Guoguo's "Buddhism and Chinese New Year Festival". ). Based on this, Hua Chao is classified as a religious festival again.
Zong Li and Liu Qun's "Chinese Folk Gods" (Hebei People's Publishing House, 1986) has a monograph on the Flower God and the customs of celebrating the Flower Festival. Commentators believe that one of the contents of nature worship of the early people was the worship of plants. "After natural religion evolved into man-made religion, this form of worship gradually disappeared. However, the concept of animism was not completely eradicated from people's minds." Therefore, the belief in flower gods and the birthday of flower gods emerged. This statement is concise and comprehensive, and it is indeed an accurate theory. However, it is still impossible to obtain evidence from historical materials and outline the winding footsteps from the worship of ancient plants to the formation of the festival customs of the Flower Dynasty. In this way, the question of the origin of the Flower Chao Festival still cannot be answered convincingly.
Also known as the Flower Chao Festival
1. Also known as the "Vegetable Picking Festival". Han traditional festival. Popular in Northeast, North China, East China, Central and South China and other places. It is held on the second day of the second lunar month, and there are also Lantern Festivals on October 12th and October 15th. During the festival, people go out together to enjoy the flowers in the countryside, which is called "outing". Girls cut out five-colored paper and stick it on the flower branches, which is called "appreciating red". There are also customs in various places such as "decorating lion flowers" and "laying flower magic lanterns".
2. Also known as the "Fairy Fairy Festival". Zhuang folk festival. Popular in Longzhou, Ningming and other places in Guangxi. It is held every year on the second day of the second lunar month. During the festival, young men and women gather in Pingba where there are kapok trees to sing antiphonal songs. There must be content in the song praising the Flower Fairy. Young men and women are deeply passionate about singing, so they throw hydrangeas and give each other gifts. The hydrangea obtained is not taken home, but is hung on the kapok tree (folks believe that the Baihua Fairy always lives in the kapok tree) when the sun sets. This is to pray to the Baihua Fairy to bless the everlasting love and keep the heart pure.