Time flies, months have passed, and a very grand festival has descended on this land of China.

New Year's Day has arrived.

New Year's Day during the Warring States period was not the first day of January in the Gregorian calendar in later generations, after all, Jesus had to be born for more than 200 years.

In terms of the grandeur of the New Year's Day celebration during the Warring States period, it is actually the Spring Festival of later generations.

In fact, there was a "Spring Festival" in the Warring States Period, but it refers to the beginning of spring in the 24 solar terms, which is completely different from the Spring Festival in later generations.

In the Warring States period, the date of New Year's Day was also different from the Spring Festival in later generations.

Among the three dynasties of Xia, Shang and Zhou before the Warring States period, only the Xia Dynasty set New Year's Day as the first day of the first lunar month, Yin Shang's New Year's Day as the first day of December, and Zhou Dynasty's New Year's Day as the first day of November.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were also the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, it was natural that in accordance with the regulations of the Zhou Dynasty, the New Year's Day was set on the first day of the 11th month of the lunar calendar.

"The Book of Songs: July" has a saying: "Peel dates in August, harvest rice in October, for this spring wine, celebrate the harvest, and honor the elderly." "It's the New Year's Day on the first day of the 11th month.

However, there is one country that likes to engage in alternatives, and this country is Qin, Qin's Spring Festival is the first day of October, which is different from other countries, which is also one of the major "criminal evidence" that Qin is regarded as heresy.

On New Year's Day, there are some grand celebrations to celebrate the successful completion of the autumn harvest and to worship ancestors to bless the harvest in the coming year.

The description of the sacrificial activities in the Book of Songs, Zhou Song, and Fengnian is: "There are many crops in the harvest year, and there are also high trees. Trillion and Zi, for the wine for the liquor. The ancestors of the Xuan, in order to negotiate a hundred gifts, blessing Kong. ”

In addition, great feasts were held on New Year's Day, and the kings would invite their ministers to the palace for a feast and to enjoy the food and wine.

"The Book of Songs, Feng Feng, July" describes the banquet as follows: "Friends drink and feast, and they say kill the lamb." Standing in the court, called him, longevity is boundless! ”

On the evening of New Year's Day, Zhao Dan held a grand dinner in the palace city of Handan, and invited many ministers of Zhao to come to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year.

There is warm wine in the big ding, the rich aroma of wine fills the whole hall, the delicious food is constantly served, even the queen and the princess who live in the deep palace all the year round also have a rare appearance, and the entire Zhao State hall is full of joy.

The main dish of this banquet is the famous "Eight Treasures of the Zhou Dynasty".

The first dish is boiled, which is meat and soy sauce poured over early rice.

The second dish is Chunwu, which is meat and soy sauce poured with yellow rice. This dish is similar to Chunwu, the difference is only in the rice.

The third dish is the cannon dolphin, which is the little suckling pig.

This dish is made by slaughtering the suckling pig and then digging up the internal organs, filling the belly with red dates, wrapping the outside with reeds, coating it with clay and roasting it over a charcoal fire.

After the suckling pig shell is burned, the gray film of the skin is wiped off with wet hands, the paste is applied to the skin with rice flour, and it is fried in a pan of oil until golden brown, and then taken out, cut into long strips, and served with spices.

This is not over, the next has to be placed in the tripod, put the tripod in the cauldron to stew, the cauldron of water should not be full to the edge of the tripod, simmer for three days and three nights, and finally finish.

This dish involves four cooking methods: simmering, grilling, frying, and stewing, and is the most famous of the eight treasures of the Zhou Dynasty, and it is also the most complex dish to make.

The fourth course is pounded with treasures, roasted beef, sheep and deer loin.

The fifth course is beef and sheep stains.

The sixth dish is boiled, which is baked dried meat.

The seventh dish is grits, which is three fresh cooked rice.

The eighth dish is liver cheek, which is roasted dog liver with net oil.

Since the Warring States period was popular in the meal system, and the dignity of status was extremely important, even the number of utensils during the meal was regulated, so it does not mean that everyone can eat this week's eight treasures.

In fact, among the hundreds of ministers of Zhao State present, most of them were only able to eat Zhou Dao or two.

A person at the level of a county guard like Zhao Ling can eat three of them.

Yu Xin and Li Bo, who are among the top important ministers of Zhao State, but who do not have a feudal monarch, can eat four dishes.

Zhao Sheng, Zhao Bao, and Lian Po who have the title of monarch can eat five dishes.

The queen and princesses can eat six courses.

Zhao Heng and Zhao Yan can eat seven courses.

And the only person who can go through everything is Zhao Dan, who is the monarch of Zhao State.

In fact, this was originally Zhou Tianzi's prerogative, but now everyone is the king, and the level is the same as Zhou Tianzi, and the treatment is naturally on par with Zhou Tianzi.

After many delicacies were served, Zhao Dan did not start immediately, but led the ministers of Zhao State to conduct a very formal and serious pre-dinner sacrifice.

There are sacrificial words before the meal, and everyone must recite them, that is, to pray for the blessing of the ancestors, and to have many blessings and many sons to have good weather and so on.

After the pre-dinner festival is over, the feast is officially begins.

Zhao Dan picked up the dagger in front of him, picked up a piece of cannon dolphin and put it in his mouth, eliminated it in two or three sips, and then took another sip of wine, then put down the wine lord and dagger, and said to the ministers of Zhao State in front of him: "The widow is full." ”

No one in the hall looked surprised.

Xiangbang Zhao Sheng stood up and said respectfully: "As the king of the ministers, if the king does not eat, how can the ministers dare to eat?" Please also invite the king to eat. ”

The ministers stood up and saluted: "Please eat, the king!" ”

Zhao Dan stood up and returned the salute to all the Zhao courtiers present: "The widow also invites you to eat." ”

Only then did everyone sit down and start one after another.

At this time, Zhao Dan was actually very tired in his heart, you must know that those just now were not Zhao Dan's hypocrisy, but the standard Zhou Dynasty etiquette, even Zhao Dan as the king of Zhao must abide by it.

What's more, there is so much superficial effort to eat, and this week's ceremony is really troublesome.

Thinking of the very unpleasant "sue the temple" on his wedding night, Zhao Dan's heart became even more crooked.

It has to be changed, and it will be changed next year!

After the banquet began, the melodious music sounded, and dozens of Zhao Guo dancers dressed in costumes entered the main hall with gentle steps in this burst of music, dancing in front of everyone.

This dance is not simple, I saw that these singers dance steps are slender waist and round, the dance steps are not only very soft, but also faintly reveal a bit of solemnity, it is called "perfect" by Confucius "Da Shao".

Another group of singers sang in unison:

"Drunk with wine, full with virtue. Ten thousand years of gentlemen, Jieer Jingfu.

Both drunk with wine, and gourmet with food. Ten thousand years of gentlemen, Jieer Zhaoming.

Zhaoming has integration, Gao Lang has the end, the order has the end, and the public corpse has a good report.

He told him......"

The song from the Book of Songs, Daya, and the People is called "Drunk", and the lyrics are mainly to the effect that they sing the praises of kings, and it is a common song in New Year's Day banquets in various countries.

After the singers and dancers retired, there were "haiyu" (clowns) who came forward to perform various juggling and funny programs such as cross talk sketches, which made bursts of laughter from time to time in the main hall.

On this night, the palace city of Handan of Zhao State can be said to be brightly lit, and the monarchs and ministers are happy.

However, the New Year's Day banquet held in the Taoyi Palace, the capital of Wei, hundreds of miles away, was not so harmonious.

In fact, an undercurrent is quietly surging in the Taoyi Palace.

The object of this undercurrent is none other than the famous Prince of Wei, the current Xiangbang of Wei, and Wei Wuji, the king of Xinling. 8)