1, the origin of Spring Festival couplets
Spring Festival couplets originated in Fu Tao (rectangular red boards were hung on both sides of the gate in the Zhou Dynasty). According to the Book of Rites, the peach symbol is six inches long and three inches wide, and the names of ghosts and gods Shen Tu and Lei Yu are written on the mahogany board. "On the first day of the first month, peaches are made into households, and immortals are famous, and ghosts are afraid of them." Therefore, the Qing Dynasty's "Yanjing Year" records: "Spring Festival couplets, that is, Fu Tao." During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, in the court, someone inscribed couplets on peach symbols. The History of the Song Dynasty and the Family History of Shu said: Meng Chang, the master of the later Shu Dynasty, asked the bachelor Xin to write a poem on the red board. "Because he is not working, he pretended to say,' Spring Festival is coming, and Changchun is celebrated in the first place'". This is China's second Spring Festival couplets. Until the Song Dynasty, Spring Festival couplets were still called "Fu Tao". There is a saying in Wang Anshi's poem that "thousands of households always exchange new peaches for old ones." In the Song Dynasty, the peach symbols were changed from red boards to paper, which were called "spring stickers" and "Spring Festival couplets". This custom originated in the Song Dynasty and was popular in the Ming Dynasty. By the Qing Dynasty, the ideological and artistic quality of Spring Festival couplets had been greatly improved.
2. The relationship between Spring Festival couplets and calligraphy.
Generally, couplets are written in the form of calligraphy, and calligraphy is displayed in the form of couplets. The two complement each other. Couplets are one of the unique literary forms in China, and their wonderful combination with calligraphy has become a colorful artistic creation of the Chinese nation.