Origin of willow cuttings

The willow inserted in Tomb-Sweeping Day has the function of expelling insects and evil spirits, and the wicker has the function of expelling evil spirits.

Tomb-Sweeping Day, when I'm sweeping the grave, I stick wicker in the door, or stick wicker in the grave.

People believe that the willow branches in Tomb-Sweeping Day have the function of expelling insects and evil spirits. On this day, in addition to inserting them in the doorframe, they also folded a pile in their hands to clean the earth wall. While sweeping, he murmured, "Clear the willow, sweep the wall, and scorpions fly up the mountain." Adults break willow branches and children follow. However, children break willow branches purely for fun, or throw them in their hands as whips, or weave willow branches hats to wear in their hair, or weave willow branches into willow flutes and blow them around.

In the Tang dynasty, folk customs such as Qingming outing and inserting willows were very popular. The so-called willow insertion originally refers to an act of inserting willow branches into people. However, in the process of walking in the fields and worshipping ancestors in graves, people often insert willow branches into graves or the ground, so that willows will survive and inadvertently play a role in planting trees. It is said that willow is planted to commemorate Shennong, the ancestor of farming.

Wicker has a strong vitality. When it is inserted in the soil, it will live, and it will turn cloudy every year. As the saying goes, "If you have a heart, you can't plant flowers, but if you don't have a heart, you will have a willow as a shade", which gradually formed the custom of inserting willow in Qingming.

Willow is a native tree species in China, which is widely planted in northern China. In ancient times, there was a saying that "elms save the famine and willows cure diseases", so the ancients planted willows to ward off evil spirits and cure diseases.