蔡琴

從古典的農(nóng)耕社會走到今天，一些傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日已漸漸被人們淡忘，其根本原因就是支撐節(jié)日習(xí)俗的生產(chǎn)和生活方式發(fā)生了根本性變化。但是春節(jié)作為中華民族的重要傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日，承載了人們對美好生活的向往，所以，春聯(lián)、祭祀、鞭炮、年夜飯、燈會等年俗關(guān)鍵詞，總是縈繞在腦際不能離去。

春聯(lián)

過年的時候，家家戶戶都會張貼福字、春聯(lián)、春條、門神等，表達(dá)了人們祛除邪祟、祈求福祉的美好愿望，也為節(jié)日增添了濃濃的喜慶氣氛。

楹聯(lián)最早始于五代后蜀孟昶在桃符版上所題之“新年納余慶，嘉年號長春”。

乾隆帝每一年的元旦要寫以該年干支為題的元旦詩，詩稿寫成后，再整理潤色編成詩集，由武英殿刊印。對其中得意之作，往往再書寫大幅，貼飾在殿堂內(nèi)。《楹聯(lián)叢話全編》中記載：“紫禁城中各宮殿的門屏槅扇皆有春聯(lián)，每年于臘月下旬懸掛，次年正月下旬撤去?；蝽毟拢仔陆?，分派工楷法之翰林書之，而聯(lián)語悉仍其舊。聞舊語系乾隆間敕儒臣分手撰擬，皆其時名翰林所為，典麗矞皇，允堪藻繪升平，祓飾休美?！?/p>

除了春聯(lián)，春節(jié)期間，也有懸畫迎新的習(xí)俗，給節(jié)日平添了吉慶祥和氣氛。民間常常畫“清供圖”，迎接新春的到來?！扒骞﹫D”發(fā)源起于佛像前之插花，舊俗于節(jié)序或祭祀時，以清香、鮮花、素食等為供品，如新歲每以松、竹、梅供于幾案，稱歲朝清供。文人士大夫往往喜以此入畫，懸掛于客廳門堂。清供圖的形式以在花瓶或者古彝器中插折枝花卉者居多，所繪花卉主要有牡丹、水仙、梅花等數(shù)種，后來漸漸發(fā)展成為包括金石、書畫、古器、盆景在內(nèi)的一切可供案頭賞玩的文物雅品。而新春以“清供”入畫的畫作，便稱之為“歲朝清供圖”。

浙江省博物館所藏《鼎盛圖》可謂最為著名的“清供圖”了，為號稱近代海派畫壇藝首的吳昌碩所作。吳昌碩幾乎每年都畫“歲朝清供圖”，作為新年伊始的首幅作品。1902年59歲時作《鼎盛圖》。《鼎盛圖》這一名稱，極其簡潔地概括出了畫面的內(nèi)容，畫面上的兩鼎全形拓片，墨色醇古，用鮮艷的胭脂紅來設(shè)色的墨梅與牡丹一派爛漫開放的景象，再加上茂密的枝條作陪襯，更顯得生氣蓬勃。

祭祀

祭祀是春節(jié)期間最重要的傳統(tǒng)禮儀活動，包括祭灶、祭祖等一系列活動，持續(xù)時間一月有余。通過祭祀活動，追思祖德，弘揚(yáng)孝道。

臘月十五，是民間“祭玉帝，祈平安”的日子。在過去，要請一位有學(xué)問的老者用毛筆撰寫一份“平安文書”，主要內(nèi)容是向玉皇大帝祈求全家平安。

臘月十六，打牙祭。“牙”的本義是軍中帳前的大旗，大軍在出征之前，照例要祭拜大旗，確保旗開得勝、一路平安，稱之為“禡（mà）牙”。古人把祭祀土地公公稱為“牙祭”或者“做牙”，一年有24次“牙祭”，臘月二十六是一年之中最后一個牙祭日，稱為“尾牙節(jié)”，最隆重。過去人們平時很少能沾點(diǎn)葷腥，所以干脆把“尾牙節(jié)”吃肉叫“打牙祭”。

臘月二十三，俗稱“小年”。祭灶，即用祭品送灶王爺升天。灶王爺，在《灶王經(jīng)》中稱為“東廚司命九皇灶君”被看作家庭的保護(hù)神。相傳灶王爺每年這天要上天向玉皇大帝稟報一家善惡，到除夕夜返回，奉旨賞善懲惡，或賜?；蚪禐?zāi)。所以家家要打掃得干干凈凈，供上灶糖，讓灶王爺多說些好話。清宮于臘月二十三日在坤寧宮祭灶。祭品有盛京（今沈陽）內(nèi)務(wù)府進(jìn)呈的麥芽糖等祭品33種，以及張家口進(jìn)貢的黃羊一只。民間祭灶后把舊神像焚去，除夕再張貼新神像。宮中使用木質(zhì)牌位，所以僅焚祭品。

臘月二十九，除夕前一日，俗稱“小除夕”，家家置辦酒宴，人們往來拜訪叫“別歲”，且焚香于戶外，叫“天香”。這天除了籌備年節(jié)中的各種衣食祭品，還有一項(xiàng)極其重要的活動“上墳請祖”。所以年謠稱“臘月二十九，上墳請祖上大供”。

農(nóng)歷正月初五祭財神。正月初五，按民間習(xí)俗是五路財神的生日，因此要迎接財神進(jìn)家，保佑自家新的一年財源滾滾、年年有余，同時自然也是送走“窮”的日子，故有“送窮出門”一說。同時，這一天又俗稱“破五”，意思是之前幾天的諸多禁忌至此就結(jié)束了。

清初，又以路神為財神。因?yàn)槁飞裼袞|西南北中五路，于是財神也有五路財神。清·顧祿《清嘉錄》載：“五日，為路頭神（即財神）誕辰，金鑼爆竹，牲醴畢陳，以爭先為利市，必早起迎之，謂之接路頭。蔡云《吳歈》云：五日財源五日求，一年心愿一時酬。提防別處迎神早，隔夜匆匆搶路頭?！碧K州博物館收藏的《五路財神》全套小擺設(shè)，就是農(nóng)歷正月初五日迎接財神護(hù)國公的，它集紅木小件、泥塑、玉石雕刻、刺繡等多種蘇州傳統(tǒng)工藝于一體，是蘇州巧匠良工的集中體現(xiàn)。

鞭炮

大年初一的習(xí)俗是放開門炮仗。這個習(xí)俗在我國已有2500多年的歷史了。《荊楚歲時記》曾經(jīng)這樣記載，正月初一，雞叫頭一遍時，大家就紛紛起床，在自家院子里放爆竹，來逐退瘟神惡鬼。當(dāng)時沒有火藥和紙張，人們便用火燒竹子，使之爆裂發(fā)聲，以驅(qū)逐瘟神，反映了古代中國勞動人民渴求安泰的美好愿望。

到了唐朝，鞭炮又被人們稱為“爆竿”，大概是將一根較長的竹竿逐節(jié)燃燒，連續(xù)發(fā)出爆破聲。南昌詩人來鵠的《早春》詩句“新歷才將半紙開，小亭猶聚爆竿灰”，寫的就是當(dāng)時春節(jié)燃燒竹竿的情景。

在火藥發(fā)明之前，只有“鞭”，沒有“炮”。人們甩鞭子，鞭子的尾部發(fā)出“啪”的聲響，這種動作作為一種禮儀長期存在于中國歷史中。后來，煉丹家經(jīng)過不斷地試驗(yàn)，發(fā)現(xiàn)硝石、硫黃和木炭合在一起能引起燃燒和爆炸，于是發(fā)明了火藥?；鹚幇l(fā)明以后，有些火藥爆竹的爆炸聲與鞭子甩動的聲音類似，于是就出現(xiàn)了“鞭炮”的說法;有人將火藥裝在竹筒里燃放，聲音更大，從而代替了用火燒竹子的古老習(xí)俗。

以后每到春節(jié)，華燈璀璨，鞭炮聲此起彼伏，空中流光溢彩，百花爭艷，為佳節(jié)譜寫了快樂的篇章，為沸騰的大地奏起了新春之曲。

年夜飯

過年是闔家團(tuán)圓的日子，吃是最重要的內(nèi)容。民間有一首流傳很廣的《過年歌》：二十三祭灶官，二十四掃房子，二十五磨豆腐，二十六去割肉，二十七殺豬雞，二十八蒸棗花，二十九去打酒，年三十包餃子，大年初一撅著屁股亂作揖。

其中重中之重是年夜飯。臘月三十也叫除夕，是指每年農(nóng)歷臘月的最后一天，除夕夜家家團(tuán)圓吃年夜飯。吃完便是守歲，除舊迎新，有舊歲至此而除，來年另換新歲的意思。這一年俗在魏晉時期就有記載。守歲的主要活動內(nèi)容是包餃子。皇帝后妃們在除夕夜守歲，各宮要擺放吉祥盤、消夜果盒。吉祥盤內(nèi)擺放五個青蘋果、紅棗、栗子、磨盤柿子，諧音“清平五福、早早立子、事事如意”。

浙江省博物館收藏有剔紅壽春寶盒，是清乾隆年間宮廷守歲的遺物。壽春寶盒，是宮廷用來盛放點(diǎn)心的盒子，形制正圓。蓋面中心為一“春”字，春字內(nèi)圓形開光，雕一老壽星，旁邊襯有松柏，蝙蝠和梅花鹿等，寓意“福、祿、壽”。春字兩側(cè)，飾有云龍紋，下方為聚寶盒，里面盛放著珊瑚、象牙、犀角、寶珠、古錢、銀錠等各式珍寶，并有三色寶光自盒中放射出去。盒蓋和器身的周壁紋飾基本相同，各有四組開光，開光之間為方勝、犀角、寶珠、珊瑚等雜寶紋。這種寶盒早在明代嘉靖時期已有制作，無論形制、圖案、紋飾均與乾隆時期完全一致。壽春寶盒，雕工纖細(xì)精美，紋飾寓意吉祥，不僅是實(shí)用的盛器，而且是珍貴的藝術(shù)品。

大年初一的早餐除了餃子，還有湯圓，它的取意是：事事如意，全家團(tuán)圓美滿。大年初一這天，湯圓不叫“湯圓”，叫“元寶”，吃湯圓也不叫“吃湯圓”，叫“得元寶”。

燈會

元宵節(jié)是我國主要的傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日，也叫元夕、元夜，又稱上元節(jié)，因?yàn)檫@是新年第一個月圓夜。歷代這一節(jié)日都有觀燈習(xí)俗，故又稱燈節(jié)。民間和朝廷都會在這天搭建燈棚，懸燈結(jié)彩，并做一些游藝節(jié)目，迎接一年一度的元宵佳節(jié)。

正月十五鬧花燈，一般要從正月十三扎彩燈開始。從正月十三這天起，人們就開始張燈結(jié)彩扎彩燈啦。正月十三日為上燈，十四日為試燈，十五日為正燈;十七日為罷燈。

傳說南宋朝時，高宗遷都臨安（今杭州），偏安于半壁江山，為了粉飾太平，元宵放燈發(fā)展到了新的高峰，扎燈、賽燈、賞燈蔚然成風(fēng)。據(jù)《武林舊事》和《乾淳歲時記》等記載，當(dāng)時，進(jìn)京朝貢的燈品，有福州的白玉燈、安徽新安琉璃燈、江蘇南京夾紗燈、常州料絲燈、蘇州羅錦燈、杭州羊皮燈和海寧硤石萬眼羅燈等，各具特色，爭奇斗妍。海寧硤石燈彩脫穎而出，被選為“燈彩精品”而懸掛在臨安（杭州）東華門外鳳樓前。

清代乾隆年間，硤石形成了演燈、順燈、斗燈的盛況，下東街的“塔燈”、橫港橋的“凌云閣”、橫頭的“梅亭”等燈會層出不窮。19世紀(jì)末至20世紀(jì)初，硤石民間制燈、迎燈盛行，燈彩的制作工藝和造型形態(tài)亦有較大突破，出現(xiàn)了“龍舟”“采蓮船”等品種。

China has transformed itself from an agricultural society into an industrial one. Some traditional celebrations of agricultural China are phasing out gradually largely because radical changes have been brought to work and life which used to be underpinned by farming. The Spring Festival， however， a key celebration in Chinese culture， has kept playing a key role in Chinese life. Here are some festivities that mark the traditional Chinese New Year.

Spring Couplets

Spring couplets are a must for the Spring Festival. They are designed to usher in fortune and good luck and keep evil and bad luck away. They are usually posted on doors. The tradition started in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms （907-960）. It is said that Meng Chang， king of the Shu Kingdom （933-965）， instructed a court scholar to carve a couplet on a couple of wood plaques and hang them on the gate of the royal palace. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty （1644-1911） had a passion for writing spring couplets for the traditional New Year. He wrote couplets every year. The palaces and halls inside the Forbidden City presented new spring couplets in lunar December. The couplets would stay there until in late January. Copies were made by scholars of the Imperial Academy to replace some couplets written on paper. At home paintings featuring pines， bamboos， plum flowers were often posted in the reception hall as part of the sacrificial ceremony.

Sacrificial Ceremonies

Sacrificial ceremonies used to be a key part of Spring Festival festivities. Ceremonies are held to pay respect to the god of kitchen and ancestors， for example. Sacrificial ceremonies are respectively held during a time of more than a month during the Spring Festival. On the fifteenth day of lunar December， for example， a ceremony is held to offer sacrifices to Jade Emperor for blessing of peace. In the past， a family would engage a scholar to compose a sacrificial writing to specify family members and blessings the family needed from the deity. On 23rd of lunar December， a sacrificial ceremony is held to offer sugar to the god of kitchen. The Qing Dynasty paid homage to the god of kitchen on the day with an offering of 33 courses and a sheep. At the grassroots ceremony， a new painting of the god of kitchen would be posted after the old one was removed. On 29th of lunar December， a ceremony is held in honor of ancestors. It was designed to invite the spirits of ancestors to attend the ceremony so as to bless family members. On 5th of lunar January， a ceremony is held to receive god of fortune into house. Taboos for the Spring Festival are turned off on the fifth day.

Firecrackers

Firecrackers are set off on the first day of the traditional Chinese New Year. The tradition is more than 2，500 years old in China. People get up before dawn to set off firecrackers in their own courtyard. Before the invention of paper and gunpowder， bamboo was burned. Bamboo， when heated in fire， would give explosive noises. Firecrackers are set off to keep the devil of plague away. In the Tang Dynasty （618-907）， a long string of firecrackers was hanged on a bamboo pole when set off. People used a whip to make the crack noise so as to scare away the devil of plague. After gunpowder was invented by alchemists， firecrackers were invented.

Family Reunion Dinner

The most important part of the Spring Festival festivities is probably the family reunion dinner on the eve of the Spring Festival. It occurs on the last day of the old year. A family sits together to have a banquet and then family members stay up to usher in the New Year. This tradition dates back to the Wei Kingdom （221-265） and the Jin Dynasty （265-420）. Records of that time state that the king and queen and other royal family members stayed up by making dumplings which were in the accompaniment of apples， dates， chestnuts， and persimmons. In the collection of Zhejiang Museum is a box of the Qing Dynasty. It is a pastry box used in the years of the Emperor Qianlong for the purpose of staying up to see the Old Year out and usher the New Year in. Dumplings are for the first breakfast of the New Year.

Lantern Festival

The festival starts on the fifteenth day lunar January. If lanterns are not complicated， they get made and posted two days before the festival. It is said that the heyday of lanterns coincided with the Emperor Gaozong after the Southern Song （1127-1279） finally settled down in Hangzhou， present-day capital of Zhejiang Province. According to records of the Southern Song， displayed on the day were lanterns made in various places and sent in to the capital as tributes. The best lanterns from Xiashi， a town not very far from Hangzhou， were demonstrated on a city gate tower. Around the turning of the 19th century and the 20th century， folk craftspeople in Xiashi invented lanterns in the shape of dragon boats and lotus-seedpod picking boats.