Chunshe

Returning from drinking by Li Tang, a painter of the Southern Song dynasty (1066－1150）

Chunshe, or Spring Community Day, is a traditional folk festival originating from China. During the Shang dynasty and the Western Zhou, it was a carnival where lovers could date. Gradually, it became a sacrifice ritual to appease/in honour of Tudishen (God of the Soil and the Ground). People usually celebrate this festival on the fifth Wu Day (according to the sexagenary cycle) after Lichun, which is near Chunfen.[note 1] According to folklore, the date could be February 2, February 8, February 12 or February 15 based on the lunar calendar.

The record of Chunshe can be traced as far back as on oracle bones. With a history of more than 2000 years, it is one of China's oldest festivals. Chunshe remained a significant traditional festival in China before the Yuan dynasty. Nowadays, though part of China (including mainland and Taiwan) still keeps the custom of worshiping Tudigong[1] on February 2 (lunar calendar),[note 2] the new celebration, now called Tudidan (the birthday of Tudigong), is not exactly the same as the traditional one. The Longtaitou Festival (meaning dragon raising its head), which is celebrated by the northern region of China, also retains some customs of Chunshe. A scholar once summarized the whole trajectory of Chunshe as "originating in the period of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, springing up in the Qin and Han dynasties, continuing in Wei, Jin, and the Northern and Southern dynasties, flourishing in Tang and Song dynasties and declining in Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties."[2] Like many other traditional festivals relevant to sacrifice, Chunshe can be divided into two types according to different hosts, namely the official Chunshe and the folk Chunshe.[2] Official celebrations were grand and solemn with complex ceremonials, while the folk ones were full of life. People would hold parties in their communities and attend various leisure activities at that day. The customs included beating drums, feasting, drinking and watching drama in the community. Such merry occasions were rare. The Chinese word shehui (社会, society) actually has its root in community activities during Chunshe.[3]

Every year, the festival of Sheri (Community Day) is held twice (one in spring and one in autumn) as ancient Chinese believed that "the prayer in spring can be rewarded in autumn".[4]:540 Shang Binghe, a famous analyzer of I Ching at the turn of the Republic of China, described Sheri as "the oldest and the most prevailing festival in Chinese history". One of its legacies is the temples housing the Tudishen,[5]: 422  which are still common across China.[6]


Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ 台灣高雄縣政府. "2006高雄左營萬年季". Archived from the original on 2010-07-05.
  2. ^ a b 萧放. "社日与中国古代乡村社会". 北京师范大学学报（社会科学版） (1998年第6期).
  3. ^ 曹书杰 (March 2007). "稷祀与民间社日研究". 山西大学学报（哲学社会科学版）. 第30卷第2期: 89–94.
  4. ^ 陈绍隶 (2003年). 中国风俗通史·两周卷. 上海文艺出版社. ISBN 9787532124282.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference 历代社会风俗事物考 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ 杨江涛 (2008年). "中国传统节日的美学研究（博士论文）". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)