What can Tomb-Sweeping Day do?

1. Sacrificing ancestors and sweeping graves is one of the main ceremonies in Tomb-Sweeping Day, which is used to remember the deceased relatives and pay homage to the ancestors of the same clan.

Tomb-Sweeping Day used to be the custom of the Cold Food Festival, but after that, cold food and Qingming gradually merged into one. With this custom, there are perennial fire altars in ancient shrines in China. Every year, a sacrificial ceremony is held to destroy the old and welcome the new, which is called "changing the fire". Smoking is forbidden during this period, and only cold food is allowed, which is also the origin of the Cold Food Festival.

Walking is the most popular custom in Tomb-Sweeping Day. At this time, people will abandon their busy work, make an appointment with friends, go to the flowers for tea or swim freely to welcome the arrival of spring.

4. There is an old saying: "If you don't plant willow in Qingming, a beautiful woman will turn her head." Men, women and children who go out on this day in Tomb-Sweeping Day will fold the willow branches and put them at the door, or wear them on their heads in a circle, which can ward off evil spirits and have a decorative effect.

5. During the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Tomb-Sweeping Day was designated as Swing Festival, which was also an important part of Tomb-Sweeping Day customs, mainly for people's entertainment.

6. The ancients thought that if someone was sick or unlucky, they could write their illness on a kite, put it in the air, cut the rope, and the disease and bad things would be taken away by the kite.

7. The Silkworm Flower Festival is a unique activity in Silkworm Township. During my stay in Tomb-Sweeping Day, I had such activities in Wu Tong and Wuzhen, with rich contents, such as welcoming the silkworm god, rocking the clippers and singing operas. This day is also crowded and lively.