Li Xia, the prologue of summer, seven ancient poems, look at the grand summer sacrifices in ancient times
April of the lunar calendar is the first month of summer and contains the major solar terms "Lixia"
Lixia is the seventh of the twenty-four solar terms, and like all solar terms, in ancient China, it has the status of astronomical time, when the sun travels through the yellow longitude to reach 45°. This was the beginning of the ancient survey of summer time, and now science can be accurate to the date, hour and minute of the intersection. For example, the beginning time of this year's Lixia is 20:25:46 on May 05, 20:25:46 in the Gregorian calendar, and it is the evening of the fifth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar.
In ancient times, only the emperors could manage the people on behalf of the heavens, and these ancient solar terms were the achievements of the exploration of astronomy and nature by successive dynasties, used by the emperors of the past, and their scientific and mysterious nature was related to the stability of the regime, so the sacrifice of the solar terms was passed down from ancient times.
Lixia, which is the beginning of the real summer time, indicates that all things have entered the peak season, is an important time period for agricultural harvest, and the emperor who takes agriculture as the foundation of the country will have a grand sacrifice and pray for the wind and rain to be smooth.
In the Zhou Dynasty, there was a grand Lixia sacrifice, and the ritual record records that "the first three days of Lixia, the Heavenly Son of the Great Shi Gurudwara said: "On a certain day, Lixia, Shengde is on fire." The Son of Heaven is a qi. On the day of the establishment of summer, The Heavenly Son's personal teacher Three Dukes and Nine Qing Doctors greeted the summer in the southern suburbs. On the contrary, rewarding the people, sealing the princes, and celebrating the deeds, all of them are happy to say.
The Records of sacrifices in the Han Dynasty clearly state that the emperor "established the day of summer, welcomed the summer in the southern suburbs, and sacrificed the Red Emperor Zhu Rong." The flags are red. The song "Zhu Ming", the dance of the Eight Dances "Cloud Warp". ”
That is to say, the emperor led hundreds of officials to the southern suburbs of the capital, set up an altar, and sacrificed to represent the Summer Red Emperor Zhu Rong. Zhu Rong is the god of fire, symbolizing the sun, also known as Zhu Ming. The flags of the carriages and horses that went there were all red, which was a symbol of piety, and on the sacrifice, they had to sing the praise song "Zhu Ming" and dance the dance of the eight-fold dance "Cloud Warp".
The poems about Zhu Ming that have been handed down have witnessed this grand ceremony.
"Zhu Ming flourished and grew up with all things.
Kiryu Shigeru is full of praise.
Shihua is real, and it is both prosperous and prosperous.
Dengcheng Futian, Hundred Ghosts Di Taste.
The vast number of buildings, Su Yong did not forget.
If God is a god, there is no boundary. "Han · Anonymous "Zhu Ming"
The sun shines brightly and long, illuminating all things.
The tung tree grows so luxuriantly, and all the trees are strong, and there is no stopping or regressing.
The flowers fell to bear fruitful fruit, and the mountain forest flourished.
The vast farmland asked all kinds of souls to taste it.
We are here to offer sacrifices, to express the grace of not forgetting the spirits of nature.
If the gods protect us, we will always remember you.
In fact, when I saw this, I suddenly smiled, this should be a devout sacrifice of the summer god, but it is actually a bit of a bargain. It is the god of summer, and you must strive to make our land smooth and rainy, and ensure a good harvest, otherwise we will not sacrifice you every year in this way.
This may be Chinese special attitude toward God, I believe you have, what we should do we do religiously, it is up to you.
You can see that since the Han Dynasty, the sacrifice of the god of nature is not as serious as in ancient times, but more like a wish.
"Bo tour Zhu Ming Festival, pan yang Tianyuan Pool."
The boats are mutually tolerant and the algae are pushed together.
Green and red, white sand and green ripples.
New waves blow old stones, and residual flowers fall into old branches.
The leaves are soft and windy, and the grass is difficult to cover. "Nanliang · Xiao Yan's "First Summer Pan Tianchi Poem"
Lixia day is also called Zhu Ming Festival.
The so-called Zhu Ming is the name of the summer god, and the legend is that the fire god Zhu Rong, representing the sun, so the establishment of summer is called Zhu Ming Festival.
There are many waters in the south, after the sacrifice of the Red Emperor Xia God, to fully enjoy the beauty of this day, whether it is the emperor or the courtiers, there are corresponding outing programs, that is, to get on the boat to get close to the summer water. It also represents the meaning of blessing the wind and rain, because the ancient treasure of water resources was contained in the solar terms, and the sun must have water to breed and grow all things.
In the huge lake, there are many boats, but today is a good day, the cruise ships give way to each other, and the boats push away the duckweed in the lake.
There were lotus buds that had just sprouted in the water, and near the sandbar, the water was particularly turquoise.
As the boat walked, the waves brushed the ancient shore stones, and I saw that there were still remnants of flowers on the shore at this time.
Coming up to the shore, it was soft in the south wind, the leaves were soft and dense, and the grass under the feet covered the path.
This is all about the beauty of summer, the lake is turquoise, and the grass and trees grow.
"The Prince of the Red Spirit, located in Zhu Ming."
There are all things, and it is a long time to win.
I cleanse myself, I am sincere.
God it down, the cloud car is the bear. "Sui Dynasty Anon. "Sixty Songs of the Five Emperors After Shaoxing"
The sacrificial songs of the Sui Dynasty were many and pious. Here's an excerpt. On this day, the emperor must wear a red robe to greet the summer god.
Or the Sui Dynasty was short-lived and unstable, with greater emphasis on sacrifice. The lyrics of this song are so pious that there is not a hint of ridicule.
The red god of heaven, you are the sun.
You shine on all things and make them grow.
I wash myself clean and clean to greet you, and these of mine represent my sincerity.
Please come to the human world safely and come to the human world by the cloud car.
This is also, such a sun god parachuted, do not smash the earth a fire pit, or ride the clouds down the fog, it is more appropriate, the world wants the sun to be more cloudy and rainy.
I sometimes think that the wisdom of the ancients is really ingenious in written expression. But piety can also be seen.
Then the Sui Dynasty also added a summer project, that is, praying for rain. Soon after the establishment of the summer, near the old place, an altar for praying for rain was set up. I suddenly thought about why there were so many sacrificial songs in the Sui Dynasty, and it turned out that it was because of drought.
"Qingyang said thank you, Zhu Ming ordination order."
Salty long is a prayer, honoring Chen pepper.
Boshuo recommended, Sheng Yong prepared for the move.
Shu is solemn, not Xin Ji. "Tang Chu · Wei Zheng", "Red Emperor Zhengyin"
The grand Tang Dynasty came, the five parties were pacified, and the fortunes of the country were prosperous. In order to pray for the safety of the people, various sacrifices are more solemn.
Wei Zheng was a famous minister during the Tang Taizong period, and he personally formulated music for the worship of the xia god to sing at the ceremony of lixia.
The spring of Qingyang came to an end, and Zhu Ming's summer god came.
All the people prayed sincerely and offered you peppercorns and wine at this time.
With the fattest sacrifice to offer, please taste, with luxurious music, please come.
We are so devout and quiet, not only for the sake of the pastoral community, but also for the real worship of you.
No way, the Tang Dynasty established itself on Taoism and had a truly simple faith.
For the summer god who comes to the summer day, it is particularly respectful.
It was also Wei Zheng who served the country and the people, and Datang showed unprecedented prosperity.
"There are no immortal fruits in the world, and this morning I suddenly saw the Heavenly Gate."
The small official of the plate was first proclaimed, and the courtiers of the temple worshiped the lord together.
The sun was shining and sitting down the corridor, and Lu Xiang came out of the Forbidden Garden.
Every year, I repeat this long and ripe, and I wish to be blessed with the supreme being. "Zhongtang · Zhang's "Asahi Edict To Give Hundred Officials Cherry"
Then in the era of Tang Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty, it was necessary to sacrifice the Xia god in Lixia, but Zhu Rong and the Shennong clan were sacrificed, which showed that the agricultural power attached great importance to agriculture.
Of course, Tang Xuanzong was also ingenious because of his wealth, because the cherries used in the royal garden to worship the ancestors and the xia gods were ripe and fruitful. The sacrificial fruit is very limited, so it is just in time for the first summer or the first summer to start distributing cherries from the royal garden.
At that time, although cherries were available, they were inconvenient to transport, cherries were also prone to rot, the capital was expensive, and ordinary officials could not afford to eat them.
But on this day, Tang Xuanzong summoned hundreds of officials and distributed the cherries of the royal garden.
Everyone eats with open arms, and there is also cool sugar cane water that specially relieves the cherry from eating too much on fire.
Even Du Fu, who was still waiting for his post, also received the sweetest cherry.
At least before the Anshi Rebellion, the tang dynasty's monarchical co-rule reached its peak of prosperity, which was also related to Tang Xuanzong's generous courtiers.
For many years, Du Fu's memories of the Tang Dynasty and Lixia will have royal cherries that symbolize the arrival of summer.
"To the southeast of our side, I am the sun Zhu Ming."
Because of its time, Ding took the name of Gang.
The prosperity is both sweet, and the cattle are both prosperous.
Bless me royal, Sunda orders to be popular. "Song · Suburban Temple Pilgrimage Song Lyrics Lixia "Ning'an"
This is the song of sacrifice of the Song Dynasty lixia to welcome the xia god.
The Song Dynasty paid more attention to agriculture, in addition to the sacrifices in the suburbs, in the court also to sacrifice the god Taiyi.
The sacrifices in the suburbs, also because of the economic development, the tops used for sacrifices must be painted red, and this grand ceremony has a very strong emphasis on the nature of Nongsang.
This sacrificial song is probably sung by a special person, and the lyrics are also a kind of level-headed atmosphere.
I was on the altar in the southeast, facing my sun.
I stood at the time of the intersection, on the mound of Dading.
There are abundant grains, and there are grand sacrifices of cattle and sheep.
Please bless my Great Song Royal, let the south wind blow quickly, and ask the gods to come.
How I look, how like a jumping god. A Daoist chief stood on Takaoka, looking at the sun god and the summer god, such a rich food, you still don't hurry to exercise your duty, bless our Great Song Dynasty royal country, the wind and rain are smooth? It was as urgent as the order.
In fact, the ancient emperors sacrificed the summer god in Lixia, and the most important thing was to use a ritual to express the importance of summer to agriculture, and the grand ceremony also played a role in rallying the subjects and striving to manage agriculture and achieve a bumper harvest. Local officials of the Song Dynasty would go to the people in lixia to persuade and inspect, because at this time it was the busy period of wheat fields that were about to harvest and rice planting.
Having talked so much about imperial attention, let's go back to the solar terms themselves.
"To know spring and summer, Zhonglu Qi Zhu Ming."
Earthworms who teach, Wang Pu self-synthesis.
The curtain silkworms are cocoon-shaped, and the forest birds are feeding the chicks.
Gradually feel that the cloud peak is good, and slowly take the rain to travel. "Zhongtang · Yuan Shu "Yong 24 Qi Poems Lixia April Festival"
Do you know where spring and summer meet? In the twelve rhythms, Zhonglu sounded, and Zhu Mingzhu Rong quietly descended.
In summer, earthworms automatically crawl out of the soil, and melons and water cubes grow out of the water's edge without warning.
The silkworm is cocooning, and the birds in the forest are in the wooded area, feeding the birds, because many fruits are beginning to ripen.
You know that Lixia also has a characteristic, that is, the clouds in the sky thicken, thick and change like mountain peaks, and abundant rain falls at any time.
This is the summer, a period of sunshine, rain and rain, a stage where the fruit begins to grow, a stage of euphoria after a spring, grand, vigorous, for farmers, sweeter and harder.
Hatsuyoshi Katsuyuki interprets the love and beauty in the poems for you. Image from the web