What does the rural saying "March 3, September 9, nothing goes by the river" mean?
"Don't go to the river if you have nothing to do." Spring outing and mountain climbing are mainly for fun. In the eyes of rural people, it should be nothing. There is no need to go to the river. On the third day of March, people like to sit by the water (rivers, streams, ponds, etc.). ) and drink, and some even bathe and wash their feet by the river. However, September 9 did not explicitly say that people would go to the stream. However, everyone who has been to the mountain knows that if you want to climb the mountain, you must walk along the valley, then climb the ridge, and then climb to the top or the height of the mountain along the ridge. When you walk into the valley, there is a stream with you.
In rural areas, rivers are different from streams. The river is relatively large and the stream is relatively small, but in the consciousness of ancient rural people, the stream and the river are the same thing, and there is no clear boundary.
People who live in the mountains often call a slightly larger stream a river, which makes the real people from Okawabe sound a little funny, but that's what the locals call it. Some places call rivers streams, which surprises people in places where there are only streams. For example, the five tributaries of Yuanjiang River in Hunan Province, although steep in water depth, were navigable in the old days and were important traffic arteries at that time. But in history, these five relatively large rivers were called "Five Rivers". Notes on Water Mirror by Li Daoyuan in the Northern Wei Dynasty: "There are five streams in Wuling, namely Xiong Xi, Manxi, Wuxi, Youxi and Chenxi", which refers to the five tributaries of Yuanjiang. Now people don't call it "He" and "Jiang". They can only keep two local names. One is Chenxi, a county name in Huaihua, Hunan Province, called Chenxi County; Xiong Xi, a town in Hongjiang District, Huaihua, Hunan Province, is called Xiongqian Town.
On March 3 and September 9, ancient people could not live without streams and rivers. It doesn't matter whether they go to the stream or not these two days. Then why do rural people avoid going to the river and leave a sentence: "March 3, September 9, don't walk by the river if you have nothing to do"?
March 3rd is the traditional Shangsi Festival in China, which falls on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar. In fact, the ancient Shangsi Festival is not necessarily the third day of March, but the third day of March, which is called "Shangsi". That is to say, the date of early March is different every year, but the third day of March is more common. After Wei and Jin Dynasties, the third day of the third lunar month was designated as Shangsi Festival.
March 3rd has not been unified since ancient times. There are many nicknames in different ethnic groups and places in China, such as Shangsi Festival, Siyuan Festival, Daughter's Day, Valentine's Day in China, Spring Bath Day, Water Splashing Festival, Jimin Festival, Tage Festival and Temple Fair. It can be seen from here that March 3 is the day when the ancients bathed, went out for an outing and met their lovers. These names are all very nice, but there is still a name that is not nice in ancient times. March 3rd is one of the four "Ghost Festivals" in ancient China, that is to say, March 3rd was also a day to worship ancestors in ancient times.
On March 3, the ancients came to the water to offer sacrifices and held a ceremony to eliminate disasters and ward off evil spirits, which was called sacrifice.
From this point of view, the so-called "swaddling clothes" of the ancients means that on the last day, people came to the water's edge to hold a sacrificial ceremony and bathed in water soaked with herbs to eliminate the ominous signs.
This sentence is a description of the activities, bathing scenes and the scenes on the way home after the activities in the Spring and Autumn Period.
2. Variations of ancient folk customs: feasting by the water and spring outing in the suburbs.
In ancient times, there was a saying that "Zhu Jiangchi was full of meandering water, and the cup flowed back". In the story of Jingchu Chunqiu, it was said:
On the third day of March, officials and civilians went out to the edge of wild rivers, continents, streams, ponds and swamps, pumped water to make winding canals, and then drank them in cups.
In Song Dynasty, Wu wrote "Dream of March" and said:
"Qujiang" does not refer to the specific place name of the river, but refers to the bend of the river or the winding canal that artificially draws water from the river. People just drink and have fun at the water's edge. Of course, people later called drinking water streams and canals "Qujiang", which also means that later generations borrowed ancient customs. However, it does not rule out that on March 3 every year, the ancients gathered in some scenic streams or pools to play, and over time, they fixed this place and called it Qujiang. For example, The Story of South Vietnam says:
The name Qushuitan has been fixed by later generations and is still in use today.
Go for an outing, that is, when the grass grows and the warbler flies in spring, go for a walk in the suburbs, and some are called spring outing. As for the "flowing cup" in the "winding water flowing cup", it is an ancient game drinking method. When people meet and drink at the water's edge, they will put their cups in flowing water. When the glass flows in the water, it passes through a winding canal and stops in front of a person, who will drink with the glass. This is similar to some rules of the game in later banquets.
3. Different views on the origin of ancient Qushui custom.
People from Wu County in the Southern Liang Dynasty wrote a collection of fairy tales called Continued Harmony and told a story. In the early Jin Dynasty, Zhiyu and Shu Xi had a debate on the origin of "Qushui Flow" in front of Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty.
Sima Yan, Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty, was the first emperor of Jin Dynasty. One day, Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty asked Shangshu Zhiyu: "On the third day of March this year, I diverted water into the Ququ and drank a glass of wine. What is the moral of this? "
Zhiyu replied: "During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a man named Liu in a village in Pingyuan County. At the beginning of March, his wife gave birth to three girls, but they died one after another within three days. Everyone in the village thinks this is a very evil thing, and thinks this is an evil thing. In order to drive away evil spirits, people in the village went hand in hand to clean the river. They put their glasses in the water and let them drift away with the current. The origin of Qushui comes from here. " Emperor Wu of Jin said: "In this case, the theory of Qushui is unlucky."
Shang disagreed with Zhiyu. He explained to Emperor Wu of Jin: "Young people like Zhiyu don't understand this allusion. This statement is unreasonable. Let me talk about the origin of this allusion. "
Shu Xi went on to say, "There are two versions of the origin of this allusion. One of the sources of allusions, during the Zhou Dynasty, Zhou Gongdan chose Luoyi as the eastern capital. After the completion of Du Dong, I drank a glass of wine with running water, so there was a poem in the Book of Songs (note: The Book of Songs is not a complete work, and the other 305 poems recorded in it are called Yi poems):' Feathers drift with the flow.' The second source of allusions is that on the third day of March, when King Qin Zhao was drinking in a corner of the Yellow River, suddenly a gold man came out of the East and presented a water sword to King Qin Zhao. The Jin people said to Zhao Haoqi of Qin State:' This water sword will enable you to rule Xixia and make Qin State strong. When the state of Qin becomes strong and dominates the princes, you will build Qushui Temple in this place. "Later, Qin really became a powerful overlord. Since then, this custom has been handed down in the Western Han Dynasty and the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the place where rivers turn in the world has become a very prosperous gathering place for people on March 3. "
Emperor Wu of Jin praised and said, "How nice!" Therefore, Emperor Wu of Jin rewarded Shu Xi 15 Jin of gold. Poor young people are so immature, ginger is still old and spicy, and people have crossed a bridge longer than you. This is unlucky. He was demoted by Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty and used by the grassroots. So Zhiyu had to pack up and go to Yangcheng County as a county magistrate.
In ancient times, different classes had different customs on March 3rd.
In the story told in the last section, who is right or wrong between Zhiyu and Shu Xi?
In fact, from the perspective of folklore, neither of them is wrong, and both of them should have existed at that time. Shu Xi is talking about the living customs that spread among emperors, princes and gentry, while Zhiyu is talking about the living customs of rural people. In fact, different customs have been formed in ancient times, such as the Book of Rites and Quli:
In other words, the custom of Shangsi Festival has been polarized since Wei and Jin Dynasties, and there are two different views. Urban gentry class, on the day of Shangsi Festival, drinking water; In the countryside, I am still a "baby", bathing with fragrant herbs, hoping to wash away disasters and root causes.
Hu Pu 'an's book "China Customs" quoted the record of "Tongzhou Gaozhi": "On March 3, patients mostly washed them with long running water, that is, the ancients revised their legacy." That is to say, until the Qing Dynasty, on March 3rd in Tongzhou, Zhili (now Tongzhou District, Beijing), there were still "disease creators" washing by the river, hoping to wash away the disaster and the root cause of the disease.
Coincidentally, in some mountainous areas in the south, on March 3, women still have the habit of fumigating and bathing with herbs, which is called "expelling wind", and herbs are also called "wind medicine", but fumigation and bathing are at home instead of going to the river to wash. This may be related to the long-term feudal society in history. With feudal etiquette, how dare a woman take a bath by the river? This may be a "legacy" because society has changed and customs have changed.
Folk saying that March 3rd is "Ghost Festival".
According to folklore, on the third day of March, similar to the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival and Cold Clothes Festival, ghosts who have been locked in hades for a long time will be released for one day to accept sacrifices from relatives of the deceased. This is also why in some places, March 3 is the reason for ancestor worship. This should naturally be the legacy of the ancient Shangsi Festival as a sacrificial festival.
Legend has it that those ghosts who were released had their owners go directly to their homes to receive sacrifices and money from future generations, while those ghosts without owners could not find their way and wandered around the world. This is what people often call a "lonely soul and wild ghost".
Most of the folk sacrificial activities on March 3 are at the water's edge. When people have nothing to do, try to avoid going to the river. There are two ways to say this. First, people believe that rivers are the channels connecting the world with the underworld. In the old society, evil spirits in folk superstitious activities were sent to the river. Second, there are "water ghosts" in the river, that is, people who have been drowning. On March 3rd, everything revived, and those who drowned before were eager to find body double, so as to be detached. Once you are entangled in the "water ghost", it is easy to fall into the water and die later.
These statements are superstitious statements of the people in the old society, and it is precisely because of this backward and ignorant thought that people have a sense of fear about the riverside on March 3.
6. Explanation of "March 3rd, don't walk by the river if you have nothing to do"
People's different understanding of "March 3" is mainly reflected in the differences between different classes in the old society, that is, the differences between urban and rural areas. They have different living conditions, different living environments, different lifestyles and different ideas.
Bureaucratic gentry in the city, they live a carefree life, rich life, material satisfaction, and naturally pursue spiritual enjoyment. So, in the spring of March, spring blossoms, they went out of their homes, held banquets at the water's edge, and had a spring outing in the suburbs. March 3 became their usual day to play.
The villagers in rural areas are different. They live a simple and poor life and worry about their livelihood every day. March in spring is a busy season for spring ploughing, and farm work can't be finished. A year's plan lies in spring, and there is no sowing in spring. Why do you expect Qiu Lai to harvest it? How can they go to the water to enjoy the feast? As for the spring outing in the suburbs, they have lived in rural areas of Shan Ye for many years, and have been working in the spring for a long time. There is no need to learn from the elegance of city people. Many people dream of taking a trip to the bustling market and seeing the world. This is contrary to the concept of city people.
In the old society, farmers were most afraid of getting sick. Once someone in a family gets sick, it is a disaster. Because people don't know enough about "disease", they regard it as "disaster" and "evil", and some think it is caused by "ghost". If they want to be healthy, they have to "eliminate disasters and evil spirits." Therefore, March 3 "often washes the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled with long running water." In some places, on March 3, people went to the river to "send ghosts" in the form of superstition.
Therefore, there are three reasons for the rural "March 3, nothing goes by the river".
First, the river is not clean. The "sick creator" was washed by the river on March 3, and the river was "sick". It's best to stay away from it to avoid getting sick.
Second, the river is "unclean". According to the old superstition, since someone sent evil spirits to the river on March 3, the river has been full of evil spirits, and you will invite evil spirits when you go to the river.
The third question is very realistic. Farmers make a living by working. They regard people in the city as "idlers" and waste their time. Rural people can't learn this "custom" and waste "spring". Seeing these waterside banquets by the river will bring "bad atmosphere" to the village, or it will be clear if you don't see them with your own eyes or hear them with your own ears. This statement is very realistic and much more reliable than the previous superstitious statement.
In fact, the phrase "March 3rd, don't walk by the river if you have nothing to do" is not very absolute in rural areas. When you say "nothing", you are not walking by the river. However, agricultural production and work must be carried out by the river, which is a "thing". We are doing serious farming. Of course, you can walk by the river, otherwise it will delay the spring ploughing production. This is the interesting part of this proverb.
The Double Ninth Festival in ancient China was marked by "mountain climbing", and the purpose of mountain climbing was to ward off evil spirits.
This statement is also recorded in Continued Harmony. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was said that there was a famous Taoist priest in Runan (now southwest of Shangcai, Henan Province) who had the magical power to predict the future. Taoist priest has an apprentice named Huan Jing. One day, the Taoist priest predicted that the Huanjing family would be in big trouble on September 9, the day of gathering. In order to avoid this robbery, unless this day, his whole family can't stay at home, but wear dogwood on their bodies and take chrysanthemum wine to the mountains for a day.
Huan Jing was so scared that she did as the master said. In the evening, the whole family came home from the sheltered mountain and saw that cattle, sheep, chickens, dogs and other poultry and livestock were all dead. At this time, the Taoist priest also came to Huan Jing's home. He told Huan Jing that these dead animals were a disaster for Huan Jing's family.
Since then, the folk custom of climbing mountains to ward off evil spirits has arisen on September 9. Most traditional festivals in China are inseparable from eating and drinking. Later, some literati held picnics and drank chrysanthemum wine in order to increase the interest of climbing. Climbing a picnic has become the central content of the Double Ninth Festival custom.
As the weather rises and falls at the end of spring on March 3rd, it is suitable for people to go out for an outing and have a spring outing. On September 9, the earth's atmosphere rose, the weather fell, and the atmosphere of heaven and earth handed over, so people went out for an autumn outing. After this day's outing, they gradually entered the cold winter, and the people called it "tattoo".
Then, on September 9, why can't people walk by the river? Mainly because the ancients thought that the lower the terrain, the unhealthy the gas, and the river was the lowest place in every place. It turns out that people climb mountains to avoid evil spirits. If they go to the river, they will come into contact with more evil spirits. Not going to the river is to avoid this.
This statement is the same as that on March 3, saying that don't go to the river on September 9 if you have nothing to do, but you can go to the river if you have something to do. It seems that in the past, in order not to delay farm work, rural people still put labor first between customs and work, and not all of them were forbidden to go into the river.