The history of celebrating the Spring Festival can be traced back to the reign of Yao and Shun, but the Spring Festival at that time was not in the first month. It was not until the period of Emperor Wu of Han that the first day of the first lunar month was determined as the Spring Festival. It has been used until now, but it was called "New Year's Day" and "New Year's Day" at that time. After the 1911 Revolution, our country began to adopt the Gregorian calendar, and the first day of the first lunar month was renamed "Spring Festival". Ancient Chinese emperors have always attached great importance to the Spring Festival, especially the emperors of the Qing Dynasty.
Accept the "Ruyi" of Baiguan Pilgrimage Sect
Most of the emperors of the Qing Dynasty liked cold and were afraid of heat. They spent most of the year in gardens such as "Changchun Garden" and "Yuanmingyuan". Only during the Spring Festival every year did they get up and return to the palace to celebrate the New Year. The emperor usually "sealed the pen" and "sealed the seal" on the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, stopped working, and re- opened the pen "and" opened the seal "at the ceremony on the first day of the first lunar month.
According to the "Qing Dynasty Draft Lizhi" records, on the morning of the first lunar month, as soon as it was dawn, all the officials would gather in the square of the Hall of Supreme Harmony to pay New Year greetings to the emperor. When the emperor ascended the throne of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the officials of Luang Yiwei shook the static whip, the praising officer shouted "class scheduling", and the hundred officials knelt and knocked nine times. After the ceremony, the emperor gave the seat and tea, and the hundred officials kowtowed and thanked him. After the tea was over, the static whip sounded again, the band played again, the emperor went down to the hall, the hundred officials retreated, and the ceremony ended. At this time, the emperor gave the purse containing "Ruyi" that had already been prepared for the children of the Eight Banners and the palace maids and eunuchs around him. And the "Ruyi" in the purse usually includes gold.
Give "blessings" to princes and ministers
The Qing Dynasty's "Continuation of the History of the Dynasty Palace" records that Emperor Qianlong went to Chaofu Temple in Beihai on the morning of the first lunar month every year, climbed the Buddha Tower to collect incense and fortune, and then returned to the Chonghua Palace where he lived before he became emperor. He wrote the word Fu with a black lacquer brush engraved with "Blessing the Common People" and known as "Evergreen Tube", dipped in cinnabar. The first word he wrote every year was solemnly sealed and never opened to show that he retained his blessing. The next word of blessing was rewarded to the princes and ministers.
Unusual New Year's Eve Dinner
The most important thing for ordinary people during the Chinese New Year is the New Year's Eve dinner, and the emperor of the Qing Dynasty is no exception. It is rare for the emperor's family to have dinner together on weekdays. Only during the Chinese New Year did the concubines be authorized to accompany the banquet. The New Year's Eve reunion dinner was held in Shenzheng (4:00 pm). In fact, the table was set at 12:00 noon. The dinner was placed in the Hall of Peace or the Palace of Qianqing, and the emperor himself had a table. There was a long table between the big banquet table and the emperor's throne. The dishes were placed on the big banquet table, and the emperor was taken to the long table as he ate.
When everything was ready, with the sound of drums, the emperor and his concubines took their seats. The eunuchs first served the emperor a soup meal, which was served in pairs of boxes. "Paired boxes" means that the two boxes are combined into one, which means auspicious pairs. Then, the eunuchs gave the concubine soup according to the level. After the soup was used, the music stopped and the feast began. The so-called transfer banquet is to transfer the various dishes and furnishings on the banquet from the emperor's table to the accompanying table, which is meant to be enjoyed by the whole family. After the transfer of the banquet, the wine banquet is arranged. After the wine, fruit tea is added, then the concubine rises, the emperor leaves the banquet, and the music of praise is played, and the family banquet begins to end.
Watch "Qinglong Dance" after the banquet
After the New Year's Eve dinner, the emperor ordered that the meal he ate, even plates, bowls, plates, spoons, and chopsticks, be presented to his close ministers, princes, and princes. Everyone watched the "Qinglong Dance" together. As the most Manchu dances, the "Qinglong Dance" has always been a reserved program at the New Year's banquet. Although royal courtesy is pompous, the purpose is the same as that of the common people, showing joy and auspiciousness.
The emperor ate dumplings at 3 a.m. during the Chinese New Year.
On New Year's Eve, when the emperors and concubines are reunited in the palace, the family sits together for a New Year's Eve dinner, which makes the majestic imperial family show a rare family warmth. The folk eat dumplings on New Year's Eve in the middle of the night, but the emperor had to worship the ancestors at that time, so the emperor could not eat dumplings until 3 a.m. The folk have to paste door gods and Spring Festival couplets during the Chinese New Year, and the Qing Dynasty court is no exception. The difference is that the royal door gods and couplets are hung rather than pasted. The Spring Festival couplets are not written on red paper, but written on white paper or white silk, with the blue edge wrapped on the outside and the red strips inlaid on the inside. Calligraphy was originally written in Manchu script, but after the middle of the Qing Dynasty, it was changed to Chinese characters.