What is heaven and earth?

Forgiveness Day means that there are four auspicious days in a year. The ancients thought that God would not blame these four days no matter what they were, so this day was commonly called forgiveness day.

There are different opinions about the origin of forgiveness day, one of which comes from the Amnesty of the ancient emperor. According to the records of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty issued the first amnesty decree on the day of beginning of spring in the first year of Yuanshou (BC 122), stipulating that the amnesty decree would be issued on the day of beginning of spring every year. Therefore, beginning of spring became a special auspicious day, known as "Spring Forgiveness".

Another view comes from the ancient folk art of choosing a day. The ancients believed that heavenly stems and earthly branches was a symbol representing the movement and change of heaven and earth, while the five elements of Yin and Yang represented the law of the birth and death of all things. Through the cooperation of heavenly stems and earthly branches, Yin and Yang, we can calculate good or bad luck.

Among them, there are four special combinations: Wuyin, Wu Jia, Wushen and Jiazi, which represent wood and fire, fire and earth, gold and water, and Shui Mu respectively, all of which conform to the principle of yin and yang and five elements, so they are considered to be the most auspicious combinations. These four combinations just correspond to the qi of the four seasons, so they are called forgiveness.

The significance of forgiveness day

Forgiveness Day is a ceremony to express repentance and ask God to forgive him for his mistakes in the world. On this day, people can go to the local Tiangong Temple (mainly for the Jade Emperor) to offer sacrifices, pray, seek heirs and fast, so as to avoid disasters and pray for disaster relief.

Forgiveness Day is also a ceremony to express loyalty, filial piety, gratitude and awe. On the day of forgiveness, people can go to the graves of themselves or their relatives and friends to sweep graves, repair tombs, worship ancestors and other activities to show respect and memory for their ancestors.

Forgiveness Day is also a ceremony to pursue happiness, improve fate and expand luck. On this day, people can get married, get married, move, start a business, travel and other important things, hoping to get God's blessing and sponsorship.