The earliest reliable record of firecrackers can be found in the Chronicle of Jingchu written by Zongba in the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty: "The first day of the first month, which is also the third day, is called the end of the month. When the cock crows, set off firecrackers in front of the court to avoid evil spirits. " At that time, firecrackers burned bamboo in the fire, making a crackling sound. The purpose is to exorcise ghosts. The first thing to get up in the New Year is to set off firecrackers.
Why are there firecrackers? Du Gongzhan of Sui Dynasty commented on the above quotation and said: "laity thought that firecrackers started from the court." In other words, people think that the custom of lighting and setting off firecrackers in the Spring Festival originated from ancient etiquette. This is very reasonable. Because firewood is burned in the yard and there are many bamboos in the south, if bamboo is used instead of firewood, it will definitely explode. There are three clouds in Yuan Wen's "Comment on the urn" in the Song Dynasty: "When I was young, I burned bamboo in the court. The so-called meteor bamboo, firecrackers also. " Yuan Wen's statement confirmed the record of Du Gongzhan. At that time, the effect of exorcising ghosts with fire and loud noise was much better than that of the original court. Therefore, the custom of setting off firecrackers to drive away ghosts is widely loved.
According to reliable historical records, gunpowder and firecrackers appeared in the Song Dynasty, that is, modern firecrackers, firecrackers and firecrackers. Su said in Volume XIII of the Minutes of the Meeting: "On New Year's Eve, firecrackers are heard, or sulfur is used as explosives, and the sound is particularly loud, which is called an explosion." In the Song Dynasty, Zhou Mi recorded a series of firecrackers-firecrackers: "As for firecrackers ... there are more than 100 medicine lines hidden in them." With gunpowder and firecrackers, firecrackers can be set off in areas without bamboo. Firecrackers later became a national custom.
Later, the festive color of firecrackers made people have a further understanding of the symbolic significance of firecrackers: greeting God with festive firecrackers. During the Republic of China, the "Hulan County Records" and "Beizhen County Records" all recorded that the purpose of setting off firecrackers was to "welcome the gods".
The sound of firecrackers itself is also an excellent cultural symbol of "saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new". Even complete atheists like to set off firecrackers. It can make people experience the difference between the old and the new more deeply and make life more artistic. Wang Anshi's January Day: "In addition to firecrackers, the spring breeze send warm enters Tu Su." Among them, firecrackers are a symbol of "saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new". With its excellent symbolic function, firecrackers have become the first important thing for us to welcome the New Year instead of the court. If we don't set off firecrackers, the Spring Festival won't be like the Spring Festival!
However, firecrackers are dangerous. The government of the Republic of China once banned it on the grounds that it was not conducive to social security. However, even in the strictly controlled Jingzhao area, the ban failed. "Setting off firecrackers was originally forbidden by Guanting. From the year of the Republic of China, the police department suddenly adopted a laissez-faire policy, so every household rushed to buy it at the end of the year. When I first handed over my children, the sound of table tennis was endless. "