What festivals did Qing officials enjoy?
What festivals did Qing officials enjoy?
The Qing dynasty followed the long holiday tradition of winter solstice, New Year's Day and Lantern Festival in Ming Dynasty. Because these three festivals are close in time, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty opened these three holidays to form a one-month annual leave. Every year from1February 19 to 22, the court will ask Qin to choose an auspicious day, and officials will hold a grand ceremony on the selected auspicious day and affix their official seals. Wait until a month later, and then choose an auspicious day to open the government.
Family photos of officials in the late Qing Dynasty.
During this month, officials will take their families out to play. According to historical records, at this time in the capital, "the horses are riding together, and the Qianmen area is very crowded, and there is no space for gardens and theaters."
Next to the long holiday at the end of the year, there are thousands of birthday festivals. As the emperor's birthday, not only the whole world is celebrating, but also there is a seven-day holiday. For officials who are tired of being "dogs", the benefits are full.
In addition, Duanyang, Mid-Autumn Festival and Double Ninth Festival all have a day off. Officials can also be exempted from official duties on special days such as sacrificial rites and fasting in various altars and temples and the death of the first emperor.
Family photos of officials in the late Qing Dynasty.
As far as this kind of regular vacation is concerned, the number of vacation days of Qing officials is less than half that of Tang and Song officials.
As now, officials of the Qing dynasty can also ask for leave. Leave is roughly divided into sick leave, personal leave and funeral leave. The court strictly controls sick leave and personal leave. Take personal leave as an example. If an official asks for leave for repairing a tomb, moving a grave or offering sacrifices to his ancestors, the court will often stop paying his official salary.
As for sick leave, it is usually three months. Once it is exceeded, you can only ask the emperor to extend the holiday. If there is no permission from the emperor, the incumbent must be opened and the vacancy will be filled after the restoration.
Officials in late Qing dynasty.
In practice, there are some differences. After recovery, officials in Beijing and China "still use the original yamen to make up for it", while local officials "will be dismissed once they are informed of their illness". It was not until the Yongzheng period that the differences between local officials and Beijing officials were gradually eliminated.
Different from personal leave and sick leave, in the Qing Dynasty, the funeral leave for officials who were worried about their parents' death for three years was strictly enforced, not only for Han officials, but also for full-fledged officials. However, the time is different. Manchu officials generally stipulate that Ding You is three months to one hundred days. The reason for this is that, as Emperor Jiaqing said, "It is not bad for Manchu officials to worry for three years, and it is not only unhelpful to people's livelihood, but also lazy."
Officials in late Qing dynasty.
In addition, the emperor's holiday for officials suffering from serious diseases was also a highlight of the vacation system in the Qing Dynasty. 1867, Bao Chao, a general who made great contributions in suppressing the Nian army, asked the court for leave to recuperate because of a recurrence of old injuries. The court gave him a month's holiday and ordered him to rest in the camp. 190 1 year, Cen Chunxuan, the governor of Shanxi Province, was sick and had not fully recovered. He appealed to the court to fill the vacancy, and the court gave him a month's leave, so there was no need to fill the vacancy.
Compared with Tang and Song Dynasties, the official holidays in Qing Dynasty basically continued the trend of simplifying names and reducing time since Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and the popular "five breaks and one bath" and "ten breaks and one bath" in Han, Tang and Song Dynasties were all cut off. In other words, officials of the Qing Dynasty did not have a rest day until the major festivals mentioned above.
References:
Laws of the Qing Dynasty (Volume 14), Yang Liansheng's Study on the System History of China, Shi Yujiao's Study on the System of Leave for Officials in Ming Dynasty, and Chen Ting's Study on the System of Leave for Officials in Qing Dynasty.