Nongliershisijieqi
01 · Historical Records
The taking shape of the rite of beating the spring ox was closely connected with the standing of the county yamen in this place: welcoming spring and encouraging farming was a seasonal rite shared by officials and people alike, and since there was here both an Altar of the First Farmer and the old trade of paper spring oxen, the official ritual prescriptions and the folk craft were brought together in one place. The whipping of the spring ox before the county yamen and the scrambling for the five grains were followed at once by street and lane festivities, and so the custom of officials and people enjoying themselves together was passed on year after year.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Beginning of Spring is the first of the twenty-four solar terms, and among the people it is called 'beating the spring'. In spring all things revive; beating the spring ox foretells the beginning of farming activity, and it carries the meaning of urging farming work and encouraging spring plowing. On the day before the Beginning of Spring, the masses spontaneously organize a procession welcoming spring and go to the Altar of the First Farmer to worship the spring ox and the god of the seasons (Mangshen), and they plow the nearby fields to pray for a good harvest. On the day of the Beginning of Spring, the people gather at the Neixiang county yamen and whip the paper spring ox made under the guidance of local elders; the five grains and dried fruits inside the ox's belly fall to the ground, and the people cheer and scramble to eat them, in the hope that in the coming year the five grains will be abundant and the year auspicious with surplus. The people then begin parading through the streets around the county yamen to rouse the spring, with drum music, lion dances, dragon dances, land boats, and stilts performed to the full as folk street festivities. After the rousing of the spring, elders pin spring chickens on their children, the whole family eats spring pancakes to 'bite the spring', and relatives and friends give one another spring oxen and 'fu' (good fortune) paper-cuts to welcome the arrival of the Beginning of Spring. As a symbol of the coming of spring, it has been widely recognized by the local people, and it is also a common rite by which the community opens a new year of labor, strengthening community cohesion; it further embodies the people's wisdom in respecting the laws of nature and according with the succession of the four seasons, and it is of great significance for promoting harmony between humanity and nature and the sustainable development of society.
Offering the spring ox and芒神 at the 先农坛
On the eve of spring's beginning the procession worships the ox and grain deity, then ploughs a test furrow.
Whipping the spring ox
A paper ox is whipped at the yamen and its grain spills out for the crowd to gather as a good omen.
Street uproar to welcome spring
Drums, lions, dragons, boats and stilts flood the streets after the ox is whipped.
Wearing the spring chicken and biting spring pancakes
Elders hang paper chickens on children and families exchange spring cakes, paper oxen and lucky cuttings.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The concentrated areas of this custom are Neixiang county town, the various townships, and the area of Zhenping, Xichuan, Xixia, and Deng County, and people from neighboring Hubei and Shaanxi also come to take part. The Beating the Spring Ox activities are divided into sacrificing to spring, welcoming spring, beating spring, rousing spring, and seeing off spring.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Neixiang custom of beating the spring ox is a Beginning of Spring seasonal custom transmitted for generations in Neixiang County, Nanyang City, Henan Province. At present the Beating the Spring Ox is transmitted mainly by society at large, while the rites are transmitted through the master-apprentice relationship; local people take part spontaneously and transmit the relevant knowledge and practice through legends, stories, proverbs, and songs. Beating the spring ox on the day of the Beginning of Spring expresses the urging of spring plowing and the prayer for a good harvest, and it is strongly marked by farming civilization; its evolution from a custom shared by officials and people to a purely folk one has value for historical research. Around the custom of beating the spring ox, numerous legends, stories, proverbs, and songs are current locally, involving paper-cutting, spring chickens, and street festivities, and these have considerable literary and artistic value. The project is a body of knowledge and social practice formed by the masses' grasp of the timing of the seasons and the patterns of climatic change, and it has scientific value. This folk custom is an example of people recognizing the laws of nature and using them to guide production and life; the culture of spring plowing derived from it has gradually become common knowledge among the people, expressing the importance they attach to spring plowing and embodying the value that only through toil can there be a harvest.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Yang Xingya 05-3004
- Wu Haishen 05-3005
- Feng Wanming 05-3006
- Feng Wu
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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