What festivals were there before the vernal equinox in ancient times?
The vernal equinox is the season when all flowers bloom, so there is a festival called "Flower Festival" around the vernal equinox. Also known as "Flower Dynasty". In ancient times, the status of "Flower Dynasty" can be compared with "Mid-Autumn Festival", and there is a saying that "Flower Dynasty is full moon and bright". Legend has it that "Flower Festival" is the birthday of the flower god, so the ancients had the custom of offering sacrifices to the flower god at "Flower Festival", especially in Jiangnan area.
Due to the numerous flower temples in the south of the Yangtze River, the ancient activities of offering sacrifices to the flower gods mainly took place in the flower temples. Some modern people who are engaged in flower cultivation will also go to the flower temple to worship the flower god on the "Flower Festival" and pray that flowers and trees will flourish in the new year.
In addition to worshipping the god of flowers, the Flower Festival also has the custom of climbing mountains, enjoying flowers and hanging banners. It is a festival for people to get close to nature and cultivate their sentiments. Wu's Dream recorded the grand occasion when people celebrated the Flower Festival in the Southern Song Dynasty.
The vernal equinox is not only a solar term, but also a traditional festival in China. In ancient times, the custom of vernal equinox was rich and colorful, and it was also full of connotations. For example, the custom of brewing spring vinegar in Shanxi and spring wine in Zhejiang embodies the connotation of "equality between heaven and earth" in the vernal equinox season.
In addition, in the spring equinox, the climate is warm, all kinds of microorganisms will be active, and the quality of brewed "spring wine" and "spring vinegar" is also better. There has always been a saying that "good wine knows when to bury the festival, and spring brewing is as expensive as gold".
The custom of vernal equinox:
In ancient times, there was a custom of sending spring cattle at the vernal equinox. The "spring cow" posted here is not a real cow, but a picture of a spring cow. Everyone knows the importance of raising cattle to agriculture. Sending a picture of spring cattle symbolizes a bumper harvest in the new year. When sending pictures of spring cows, people will also say some auspicious words related to spring ploughing. People call this kind of activity "talking about spring", and those who say spring are called "spring officials".