Folk Sports Activities Related to Tomb-Sweeping Day in China ()

China's customs and sports activities related to Tomb-Sweeping Day (outing and cuju).

Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as outing festival, outing festival, March festival, ancestor worship festival, etc. It was celebrated at the turn of mid-spring and late spring. Tomb-Sweeping Day, which originated from the ancestor belief of early human beings, is the biggest ancestor worship festival of the Chinese nation.

Tomb-Sweeping Day has two connotations: nature and humanity. It is both a natural solar term and a traditional festival. Grave-sweeping and hiking are two major themes of Tomb-Sweeping Day customs handed down from ancient times in China.

Tomb-Sweeping Day is a traditional major Spring Festival. It is a fine tradition of the Chinese nation since ancient times to sweep graves and remember our ancestors. It is not only conducive to promoting filial piety, awakening family memories, but also conducive to promoting the cohesion and identity of family members and even the nation.

Tomb-Sweeping Day's integration of natural solar terms and humanistic customs is a combination of humanistic and natural conditions, which fully embodies the Chinese ancestors' pursuit of harmony between heaven, earth and people, pays attention to conforming to the right time, place and people, and follows the laws of nature.

Tomb-Sweeping Day, Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival are also called the four traditional festivals in China. Besides China, some countries and regions in the world also have Tomb-Sweeping Day, such as Viet Nam, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore.

Tomb-Sweeping Day is the most solemn festival for ancestor worship of the Chinese nation, and it belongs to a traditional cultural festival for ancestor worship. Tomb-Sweeping Day embodies the national spirit, inherits the sacrificial culture of Chinese civilization, and expresses people's moral feelings of respecting and honoring their ancestors.

The main customs of Tomb-Sweeping Day:

The Chinese nation has had the custom of going for an outing in Qingming since ancient times. At the turn of mid-spring and late spring, Tomb-Sweeping Day is full of spring and everything is full of vitality. It is a traditional custom handed down from ancient times to pay homage to ancestors and go hiking at this time.

This seasonal folk activity has a long history in China, and its source is the ancient custom of welcoming the Spring Festival, which has a far-reaching influence on later generations.

Cuju is kicking the ball with your feet. This is the favorite game of northerners in ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day. According to legend, it was invented by the Yellow Emperor with the original purpose of training warriors. Polo is riding a horse and hitting with a stick. In ancient times, it was called bowing.

In the Song Dynasty, there was a "Ball Play Music" dance team. In the Ming Dynasty, polo was still popular. According to the general examination of continued literature, Ming Chengzu hit the ball and shot the willow many times in Dongyuan. There were polo in the Temple of Heaven in Qing Dynasty, and polo didn't disappear until the middle of Qing Dynasty.