It is now the evening of February 3rd, with 7 days left until returning to school. The Spring Festival is nearing its end, and it's time to focus, go to bed early, and prepare for exams. According to tradition, I should introduce the festivals of February, but I feel that the day to break this tradition is not far off, as the first time I wrote about festival introductions was in the March 2022 issue, so writing about the March festivals can conclude it; continuing further would be repetitive.
Needless to say, I will introduce the Lantern Festival, also known as the Shangyuan Festival, Little New Year, Yuan Evening, or Lantern Festival, which occurs on the 15th day of the first lunar month each year (this year it is on February 5th). The first month of the lunar calendar is called "Yuan," and the ancients referred to "night" as "Xiao." The 15th day of the first month is the first full moon night of the year, hence it is called the "Lantern Festival." According to Taoist beliefs about the "Three Yuan," the 15th day of the first month is also known as the "Shangyuan Festival." The customs of the Lantern Festival have historically centered around the lively and festive practice of lantern viewing. The formation of the Lantern Festival has a long history, rooted in the ancient custom of lighting lamps to pray for blessings. According to general information and folk legends, the 15th day of the first month was already being valued during the Western Han Dynasty, but the Lantern Festival truly became a nationwide folk festival after the Han and Wei Dynasties. The rise of the custom of lighting lamps on the 15th day of the first month is also related to the spread of Buddhism. During the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism flourished, and both officials and common people commonly "lit lamps to worship Buddha" on this day, leading to the widespread practice of lighting lamps among the people. Since the Tang Dynasty, the Lantern Festival has become a formal event.
In the first month of 2023, although I have been idle at home, I have done quite a bit. I finished reading a book titled "A Pilgrimage to the Astronomical Sky"; completed a summary of short answer questions on the heat treatment of steel; went out for barbecue and walks with QY, PPT, and MJJ; discovered a café in a narrow alley; played board games with seven or eight friends; took a stroll around my high school; and recently, after having fun at a riverside tea house, I enjoyed a meal of fish and rabbit, which led me to decide to focus and prepare for school. Regarding skills outside my major, I have picked up OOP programming languages represented by Java and C++, and wrote my first Minecraft Spigot plugin, Fireworkyu; my progress in learning Japanese has been slow, but as long as I don't regress, that's good.
The start of the semester means I am entering the second semester of my junior year. My feeling is that I am being swept forward by the torrent of time, facing it whether I want to or not. Whether to pursue graduate school or find a job (?), that's a question. I am not someone who only looks at the present, but as long as I change one word to "live in the moment," I can also accept being someone who does not envision the so-called "short-sightedness" of the future. "The present" is a magical word; it can become the past in an instant, yet at that moment, it is still in your hands. I know what I want, so I can stop thinking about the future, as long as I am responsible for the present. However, the anxiety of unattainable ideals and the peace of the present create a contradiction, so I have to say that I am being swept forward by time.
Having said so much, I gradually began to get philosophical, so I will stop. I will talk about February's matters next time; for now, I know that I can no longer live leisurely and face the exams unprepared.