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 festivals in a summary was in the March 2022 issue, so writing about the festivals in March can conclude it, and continuing further would be repetitive.
Needless to say, I am going to 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 month of the lunar calendar 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 regarding 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 emphasized 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, which flourished during the Tang dynasty. Officials and common people generally "light lamps to offer to Buddha" on this day, and thus Buddhist lights spread among the populace. From the Tang dynasty onwards, the lighting of lanterns for the Lantern Festival became an official matter.
In the first month of 2023, although I have been idle at home, I have not been doing nothing. I finished reading a book titled "A Pilgrimage to the Astronomical Sky"; completed a summary of questions on the heat treatment of steel; had barbecues and went for 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 teahouse, I enjoyed a meal of fish and rabbit, which led me to decide to focus and prepare for the start of 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 school means the beginning of my junior year, second semester. I feel like I am being swept forward by the torrent of time, facing it whether I want to or not. Whether to pursue graduate studies 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 becomes the past in an instant, yet in that instant, 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 am gradually starting to get philosophical, so I will stop. We will talk about February's matters next time; for now, what I know is that I can no longer live leisurely and unprepared for the exams.