Page 127 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols 120
Feast-days and Holidays

jie-ji

Most of China’s great feast-days are related to the old lunar calendar, which
remained in force well into the 20th century, in spite of the official introduction of the
Gregorian calendar. By the old reckoning, the year began on the second new moon after
the winter solstice (21 December). This made it impracticable for agricultural purposes,
as the date of the New Year could vary by as much as a month; and over a period of 19
years no less than 7 intercalary months had to be inserted.
The first annual festival was New Year, which ended with the Feast of Lanterns on the
15th day of the 1st month (full moon). The festival of the beginning of spring was
formerly observed as a sacrament ( Emperor). It was followed by the ‘Spring Festival
of Purity’ (Qing-ming). This was the only festival regulated by the solar calendar, and it
corresponded in some measure to our Easter. The day before, one had to fast, it
was forbidden to light fires, and on the day itself eggs were boiled, coloured and eaten.
It was also the feast of resurgent life, dedicated to remembering the dead. The family
graves were cleared of weeds, burial mounds were repaired, and sacrificial vessels laid
thereon. After the 1911 Revolution, this feast turned into a tree festival, which was
observed in all schools as a mass planting of saplings.
The day of the summer solstice – the 5th day of the 5th month – was the festival
known as Duan-wu. From this day on, the power of the sun is declining, and the dark
spirits are lying in wait. People tried to protect themselves by hanging talismans on doors
and windows, e.g. the bottle-gourd. This solar festival lives on in South China as
the Dragon-boat Feast. It is also known as the Festival of Swings.
The Feast of Young Girls was held in the light of the half-moon on the 7th day of
the 7th month: tales were told of the Spinning Damsel and the Cowherd. The Moon

Festival proper was held five weeks later, i.e. at full moon on the 15th day of the 8th
month: people threw balls, and baked the ‘moon-cakes’ which are still popular. This was
a mid-autumn festival: the warm days were over, and cold dew now fell in the evenings.
The feast of the Double yang followed, on the 9th day of the 9th month.
The ninth month is the month of the chrysanthemum, but it is only in Japan that
we find a fully fledged Feast of Chrysanthemums, complete with large-scale exhibitions.
The year is growing older, cold winter approaches: but already in secret the forces of the
new year are stirring.
Until the end of the Empire in 1911, solemn ceremonies were held twice a year in
honour of Confucius: first of all at the Feast of Ancestors in spring, and again on the
23rd of August, the birthday of the sage.
Quite recently (1979) the birthday was honoured once again in Qu-fu, the town where
Confucius died. The event seems to have been observed as was proper ‘according to the
ancient ritual, and accompanied by the ancient songs and dances’ (Erwin Wickert).