What's so particular about grave-sweeping time?

Grave-sweeping time is usually on the morning of New Year's Day or during Tomb-Sweeping Day, preferably from 10 am to 3 pm.

I visited the grave twice, once on the morning of New Year's Day (some people also visited the grave on the third day) and once during my stay in Tomb-Sweeping Day. In addition, it is best to sweep graves during the day, and it is best to sweep graves from 10 am to 3 pm, when the sun is shining and the sun is strongest. It is not recommended to sweep graves at dusk or at night. You can sweep the grave a few days in advance or a week in advance.

Grave-sweeping is a "grave sacrifice", which has a long history. In the north, this is called going to the grave. Some places are called "sweeping mountains" or "worshipping mountains", and some areas in the south are called "hanging mountains or hanging paper". There are two kinds of "mountains" to worship: one is the "home mountain" when parents trace their ancestors within three generations, and the other is the "ancestral mountain" and "sweeping the public mountain" when they worship their ancestors.

Custom of sweeping graves

Grave-sweeping, commonly known as going to the grave, is an activity to sacrifice the dead. The younger generation should prepare sacrificial supplies (including tobacco, alcohol, steamed buns, incense, paper money, firecrackers, wreaths, etc.). ) and sacrifice in front of the tomb of the deceased to show the feelings of future generations for the older generation. The custom of going to the grave is the most solemn, especially in Tomb-Sweeping Day. The morning before, we would add soil to the graves of our ancestors to show the prosperity of our family. Most sons of rural families go to graves when they get married, which means telling their ancestors that their sons are married and have a large population.

It is very important for Tomb-Sweeping Day to go to the grave, because ancestor worship and filial piety are tied together. If you don't take part in ancestor worship, you are an unfilial person, a person who forgets your ancestors. When going to the grave, people come to the cemetery with food, wine, fruit, paper money and other items, offer food to the graves of their loved ones, then burn the paper money, cultivate new soil for the grave, repair the grave, fold some fresh green branches and insert them in the grave, put some paper money on it, put bricks on it, let others know that there are descendants in the grave, and then kowtow.