立春:春意生发冰雪中******
立春:
春意生发冰雪中(解码二十四节气)
“二十四节气”是中国人通过观察太阳周年运动,认知一年中时令、气候、物候等方面变化规律所形成的知识体系和社会实践,2016年被列入联合国教科文组织人类非物质文化遗产代表作名录。为了让海内外读者更好地了解二十四节气,本报即日起推出“解码二十四节气”栏目,介绍节气相关知识及历史文化内涵,阐释其中蕴含的中国智慧。
——编者
2月4日,北京冬奥会开幕,恰逢立春节气。开幕式上,二十四节气倒计时惊艳了世人,尽显中华文化的瑰丽与浪漫。在这场冰雪盛会中,昂扬奋进的奥运精神与温厚悠远的中国气韵交融互映,让人们感受到春意盎然、生机勃发。
中国古人顺天应时,依据天象、气候、物候的变化,将一年农耕的日子“网格化”,网格里的二十四节气,凝聚着中华民族经天纬地的伟大智慧。
立春为二十四节气之首,宣告着一年春耕夏耘、秋收冬藏的开始。在农耕时代,立春是庄重的节日,国家要举办祈求农事顺利的仪典。《礼记·月令》记载,立春之日,天子亲率三公九卿诸侯大夫,到东郊祭祀春神。回朝后,赏赐群臣,布德令以施惠兆民。打春牛,是与农耕相关的重要节俗。各地守土官率僚属,盛陈卤簿仪仗,抬芒神(春神句芒)、春牛(土制的牛),杂以秧歌、龙灯、高跷、旱船等,迎春于东郊高地。带队长者鞭打春牛,春官诵曰:“一打风调雨顺,二打土肥地喧;三打三阳开泰,四打四季平安;五打五谷丰登,六打六合同春;七打七星高照,八打八节康宁;九打九九归一,十打天下太平。”鞭毕,抬春牛沿地垄缓缓前移,行120步(象征一年十二月),将春牛放置垄顶,守土官执镐向正南“农祥星”方向奋臂刨土,以示农事开始。春牛打碎之后,人们争抢牛头,谓之抢春;又抢春牛腹中糖果,以为一岁的甜蜜。将春牛之土洒于牛圈内,以期牛畜繁衍兴旺。
“东风吹散梅梢雪,一夜挽回天下春。”立春之际,人们开展多姿多彩的迎春活动,如送春帖、贴春条、戴彩胜等。文人书写文字工丽的春帖子,相互赠送。北宋欧阳修写有春帖子词二十首,其一曰:“气候三阳始,勾萌万物新。雷声初发号,天下已知春。”民间则在炕头贴春条:“春天春日春水流,春草地上放春牛,春花开在春园内,春鸟喜落春树头。”女子用彩色绢或纸剪成小幡、燕、蝶、花朵等形状,戴于头上,以示迎春,统称“彩胜”。
咬春亦是历史悠久的民间习俗,在立春这天咬食春盘、春饼、萝卜等,有养生之效。宋《岁时广记》引唐《四时宝镜》云:“立春日食萝菔、春饼、生菜,号春盘。”据传,春盘源自汉魏的“五辛盘”,即在盘中盛上五种带有辛辣味的蔬菜,作为凉菜食用。李时珍《本草纲目》解释说:“五辛菜,乃元日、立春以葱、蒜、韭、蓼蒿、芥,辛嫩之菜杂和食之,取迎新之意。”食之有调节气血、发散邪气的作用。春饼是用面粉烙制的薄饼,常裹卷萝卜细丝和其他辛味蔬菜共食。清代《燕京岁时记》云:“是日,富家多食春饼,妇女等多买萝卜而食之,曰‘咬春’。谓可以却春困也。”
“春,蠢也,动而生也。”立春之后,虽然天地间寒意未消,但在冰雪之下,蛰虫逐渐苏醒,鱼儿浮上水面,生机悄然萌发。
一年之计在于春。春回大地时,开启新一年的奋斗,种下新一年的希望,将追梦的足迹,印满欣欣向荣的中国。
(施立学为吉林省民俗学会理事长,宋佳佳为吉林艺术学院硕士研究生)
中新网评:美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后,美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕,众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录,将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图:美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀摄
由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素,众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中,美国民主党议员继续抱团,多轮投票中,一票不投麦卡锡,共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折,除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外,与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面,共和党党内反对者认为,麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱,无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府,另一方面,因为共和党的多数优势微弱,党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大,有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外,党内反对者也认为,自己的选票没有换取更多利益,希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步,比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物,众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任,选举几乎没有悬念。然而,麦卡锡此次为当选,不得不做出多个关键让步,其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制,使得众议长的权力被削弱,难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称,麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步,这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下,党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上,美国两党相互拆台,陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内,也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系,相互对抗,选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举,“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈,长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力,其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病,美国所谓的“民主”形象,让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举,变成了政客们利益置换的游戏,进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能,不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)