王東超
我打小就把“驚蟄”與“二月二,龍?zhí)ь^”葫蘆攪茄兒混在一起,搞不清二者的關(guān)系。最近想到這個(gè)問題,硬著頭皮惡補(bǔ)了一番古代歷法知識(shí),終于搞懂了?!绑@蟄”屬于節(jié)氣,“二月二”屬于節(jié)日。
驚蟄為二十四節(jié)氣中的第三個(gè)節(jié)氣,是二月節(jié)氣,在雨水之后、春分之前,此時(shí)太陽到達(dá)黃經(jīng)345度,時(shí)間為每年3月5號(hào)或6號(hào)。2021年驚蟄為3月5號(hào),夏歷正月二十二日。驚蟄古名“啟蟄”,漢代避景帝(劉啟)諱改“啟”為“驚”?!按豪醉?,萬物長”,驚蟄時(shí)節(jié)春雷聲開始隱隱傳來,冬眠的昆蟲、小動(dòng)物也從蟄伏中開始蘇醒。
據(jù)《唐書·李泌傳》載,唐中葉以前,春天只有三個(gè)節(jié)日:正月九、正月晦、三月上巳節(jié),二月沒有節(jié)日。唐德宗時(shí),李泌上書,廢正月晦,以二月一日為中和節(jié),將正月初九、二月朔、三月上巳合稱三令節(jié)。民間又傳說二月二日是土地神生日,這天要祭祀土地神,保佑五谷豐登。兩個(gè)節(jié)日都與農(nóng)業(yè)生產(chǎn)有關(guān),只相隔一天,就混在一起了。
古人喜歡重疊的數(shù)字,一月一、三月三、五月五等都是節(jié)日,這合流的節(jié)日也就確定在二月二了。民間又有“二月二,龍?zhí)ь^”的說法,古代天文學(xué)將天上的二十八星宿分為四組,位于東方的一組稱東方蒼龍。其中,角宿是龍的頭角。冬季,蒼龍七宿都隱沒在地平線下。至二月初,黃昏來臨時(shí),角宿就從東方地平線上出現(xiàn)了,這時(shí)整個(gè)龍身還隱沒在地平線下,只是角宿初露,故稱“龍?zhí)ь^”,所以二月二也稱“青龍節(jié)”。還有另外一種說法,二月二前后正逢雨水、驚蟄這兩個(gè)節(jié)氣,古人認(rèn)為冬天龍也是蟄伏不動(dòng)的,驚蟄前后,龍方蘇醒,“龍?zhí)ь^”意味著龍要開始履行它行云布雨的職責(zé),故有民諺曰“二月二,龍?zhí)ь^,大囤尖,小囤流”,二月二有祈求風(fēng)調(diào)雨順的意思在,故又被稱為“春龍節(jié)”。
北方對(duì)二月二尤為看重,這一天有好多習(xí)俗。老黃縣(今龍口)習(xí)俗,二月二這一天要把過年剩下的太陽餅、餑餑、圣蟲等熥一熥全家分食,象征著從臘八開始的年節(jié)狂歡徹底結(jié)束,新的一年正式開始。還要把過年時(shí)留下的糕煎全吃了,這是“熏蟲”之遺俗。
還有一種習(xí)俗是“引龍”。人們把草灰從大門外蜿蜒撒入廚房,然后圍水缸“軒”一周,謂之“引龍”。也有用糠撒到井里,再用草灰由井撒入室內(nèi)的。引龍的目的,一說是增加財(cái)富,水為財(cái),故謂“引錢龍”。與之相似的是“打灰囤”。就是在院子里,用草灰撒成一個(gè)圓圈,代表糧食囤子,在灰圈內(nèi)放一把五谷雜糧,代表五谷滿倉,還有的要在灰囤外撒上梯子,意思是糧食太多了,囤子里盛不了,上面加上絞兒,人要取糧得登梯而上才行。如今引龍不太常見,二月二這天主要就是打灰囤。
還要吃“炒豆”,豆子炒熟后分給自家或鄰家小孩兒食之,據(jù)說可保五谷豐收,不受蟲害。還有一種說法是豆子在鍋里受熱炸開,“噼啪”作響,有喚醒神龍之意。
老黃縣規(guī)矩,“正月不剃頭,剃頭死舅舅”,所以人們尤其是孩子們便都聚集在“龍?zhí)ь^”這天理發(fā)。小孩子帽子上還要縫龍尾。龍尾是用花布剪成銅錢大的圓片,與蒜秸間隔,穿成長串,釘在小孩帽后,據(jù)說可保小孩平安。
傳統(tǒng)上,每年夏歷十月初一日為“辭工日”,這時(shí)地了場(chǎng)光,地里已無農(nóng)活可干。到了二月二,大地開始解凍,天氣逐漸轉(zhuǎn)暖,扛活的長工開始上工,謂之“上工日”,故二月二又稱為“春耕節(jié)”。由此可見,驚蟄為二十四節(jié)氣之一,節(jié)氣是為農(nóng)事服務(wù)的;二月二是節(jié)日,與祭祀和祈愿等民俗有關(guān)。二者都與農(nóng)耕有些關(guān)系,時(shí)間上也相隔不遠(yuǎn)(從歷法上講,二者會(huì)19年左右相遇一次),所以容易讓人混淆,便也不奇怪了。
Awakening of Insects, a solar term in the 2nd lunar month between Rain Water and the Spring Equinox, is the 3rd of the 24 solar terms of a year. By then, the sun reaches 345 degrees in the celestial longitude and it is Mar.5 or Mar.6 for each year. The Awakening of Insects in 2021 was Mar.5 and the 22nd day of the 1st month in the lunar calendar. The ancient name for the Awakening of Insects was “啟啟(Qizhe),” which was changed to “啟啟(Jingzhe)” in order not to use the name of Emperor Jing of Han (啟啟). “Everything grows as the spring thunders sound.” In the time of the Awakening of Insects, spring thunders sound and dormant insects and small animals awaken from their hibernation.
According to the Book of the Tang Dynasty·Biography of Li Qin, there were only three festivals before the middle of the Tang Dynasty: the 9th day of the 1st lunar month, the end of the 1st lunar month and the Shangsi Festival in the 3rd lunar month; there was no festival for the 2nd lunar month. In the reign of Emperor Dezong of Tang, Li Qin submitted a written statement to delete the end of the 1st lunar month as a festival, take the 1st day of the 2nd lunar month as the Zhonghe Festival and combine the 9th day of the 1st lunar month, the end of the 2nd lunar month and the Shangsi Festival into the Sanling Festival. It was said among the populace that the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month was the birthday of the God of Land and people ought to worship him to pray for a good harvest of crops. Both festivals were related to agricultural production and only one day apart. Therefore, they are celebrated on the same day.