Using Doubao AI to summarize "Ancient Chinese Festival Customs (Han Yangming, Guo Xingwen)"
Core Origin
The Spring Festival (also known as Lunar New Year, called New Year’s Day / Yuandan in ancient times) comes from two ancient traditions:
Harvest & ancestor worship in prehistoric times
Exorcism & ghost-chasing rituals to drive away bad luck
It was officially fixed in the Han Dynasty and has been China’s most important festival for over 2,000 years.
Full Timeline
1. Pre‑Qin Period: Beginnings (no fixed date)
Ancient times: People celebrated when crops ripened and held ceremonies to thank heaven and ancestors.
Western Zhou Dynasty: Celebrations at year‑end with feasting and ancestor worship — the first shape of the Spring Festival.
Spring & Autumn Period: Exorcism rituals (called Nuo) became popular, but no fixed New Year’s Day.
2. Qin & Early Han: Transition (chaotic calendars)
Qin Dynasty: Used a calendar that set October 1st as New Year’s Day.
Early Han: Followed the Qin calendar.
Customs: Door gods, peachwood charms, and exorcism already existed.
3. Western Han Dynasty: Official Birth (key milestone)
104 BCE: Emperor Wu issued the Taichu Calendar, setting the 1st day of the 1st lunar month as the official New Year.
Chuxi (New Year’s Eve) was named: the last night of the year.
Fixed customs:
Eve: Exorcism dances, firecrackers (bamboo), peachwood charms, door gods.
New Year’s Day: Ancestor worship, drinking special wine, paying New Year calls.
4. Wei, Jin, Northern & Southern Dynasties: Development
Shousui (staying up all night on New Year’s Eve) began.
New customs: Hanging reeds, praying for good luck, early forms of Tusu wine.
5. Sui & Tang Dynasties: Golden Age
The festival changed from scary exorcism to joyful family reunion.
Staying up overnight, visiting relatives, and firecrackers became hugely popular.
Royal courts held grand ceremonies.
6. Song & Yuan Dynasties: Full Custom System
Door gods changed to Qin Qiong & Yuchi Gong (famous generals).
Spring couplets and New Year paintings were invented.
Yasuiqian (lucky money for children) appeared.
Nearly all modern traditions were fully formed.
7. Ming & Qing Dynasties: Universal Popularity
Festivals became more entertaining: dragon dances, lion dances, parades.
All families followed the same customs: sweeping dust, couplets, reunion dinner, lucky money, ancestor worship.
The festival became China’s biggest and most beloved tradition.
Key Milestones
Western Zhou: First harvest celebrations for the new year.
104 BCE (Han Dynasty): The 1st day of the 1st lunar month became official New Year — Spring Festival was born.
Han Dynasty: Chuxi, door gods, firecrackers, and New Year visits created the festival’s foundation.
Jin Dynasty: “Staying up overnight” began.
Tang Dynasty: Focus shifted to family joy.
Song Dynasty: Couplets, paintings, and lucky money completed the tradition.
Ming & Qing: Became the national No.1 festival.
Simple Summary
The Spring Festival started as harvest thanksgiving and ghost‑chasing rituals. It was formally created when the Han Dynasty fixed the lunar New Year’s date. Over 2,000 years, it grew into a holiday about family reunion, blessing, luck, and new beginnings.