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[Edit this paragraph] The origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day

Mourning day, drizzle like tears; Pedestrians on the road want to die. Excuse me, where is the restaurant? The shepherd boy points to Xinghua Village. (Du Mu) Tomb-Sweeping Day; Tomb-Sweeping Day.

Tomb-Sweeping Day is an important traditional folk festival in China and one of the eight important festivals (Shangyuan (Lantern Festival), Qingming, Long Summer, Dragon Boat Festival, Central Plains, Mid-Autumn Festival, Winter Solstice and New Year's Eve). Generally speaking, it is on April 5 in the solar calendar, but its festival is very long. There are two kinds of sayings: eight days before the tenth day and ten days after the tenth day, and these 20 days belong to Tomb-Sweeping Day. It is said that the origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day began with the "grave-sweeping" ceremony of ancient emperors and generals. Later, people followed suit, and it became a fixed custom of the Chinese nation to worship ancestors and sweep graves on this day.

The traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day in China began in the Zhou Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,500 years. Tomb-Sweeping Day was a very important solar term from the beginning. As soon as Tomb-Sweeping Day arrives, the temperature rises, which is a good season for spring ploughing and planting. Therefore, there is a saying that "melons and beans are planted before and after the Qingming Festival". Agricultural proverb "Planting trees is not as clear as Qingming". Later, as the days of Qingming and cold food approached, cold food was the day when people banned fire to sweep graves. Gradually, cold food and Qingming became one, and cold food became another name of Qingming and became a custom of Qingming. On Qingming Day, there are no fireworks, only cold food.

Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the traditional festivals of the Han nationality in China and one of the 24 solar terms in China, and the time is around April 5th in the solar calendar every year. After Tomb-Sweeping Day, the rain increased, and the land showed a scene of spring and tranquility. At this time, everything, whether it is the vegetation in nature or the human body in natural places, has changed the filth in winter, ushered in the breath of spring and realized the transformation from yin to yang.

In ancient times, it was said that the day before Tomb-Sweeping Day was the "Cold Food Festival". According to legend, it began in the Spring and Autumn Period when Jin Wengong mourned the event of "cutting stocks to satisfy hunger", and then gradually the Qingming cold food became one. The date of tomb sweeping in Tang Dynasty is generally one of Mianshan scenic spots: the Cold Food Festival of Mother and Child Stone Statues, which was moved to Qingming after the Song Dynasty. Legend has it that the origin of "Cold Food Festival" is Jiexiu in central Shanxi. Jiexiu's origin is to commemorate Jiexiu's "cutting stocks to satisfy hunger" without asking for gratitude, and finally he died here in Yamakaji. Mianshan was originally named "Ding Yang", and was later renamed "Jiexiu" by Jin Wengong, which means Jiexiu. Mianshan Mountain has been developed into a famous tourist attraction by local people, one of which is the tall stone statue of Jiexiu's mother and son. Xietui became a representative of the local people loyal to both sides.

According to legend, after Dayu's flood control, people used the language of "Qingming" to celebrate that the flood had been eliminated and the world was at peace. At this time, spring blossoms, everything recovers, and the sky is clear and bright, which is a good season for spring outing. Going for an outing began as early as the Tang Dynasty and has become a habit throughout the ages. In addition to enjoying the beautiful lakes, mountains and spring scenery, we also carry out various entertainment activities to increase the interest of life.

Grave-sweeping is very popular in Tomb-Sweeping Day. In fact, sweeping graves is the content of Tomb-Sweeping Day's Cold Food Festival the day before. It is said that cold food originated in Jin Wengong to mourn Jiexiu. During the twenty years of Emperor Xuanzong's reign, he ordered the world to "eat cold food in the ground". Because cold food is associated with Qingming, it gradually spread to sweeping graves in Qingming. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, grave sweeping became more popular. In ancient times, children often flew kites when sweeping graves. Some kites are equipped with bamboo flutes, which can make a sound when the wind blows, just like the sound of kites. It is said that this is the reason why kites get their names.

There are many lost customs in Tomb-Sweeping Day, such as wearing willow, shooting willow and swinging. It has been circulating for a long time in ancient times. According to records, Tomb-Sweeping Day was the most important custom in the Liao Dynasty. From the imperial court down to the common people, people liked to swing, and ladies gathered, and the wind of outing was extremely prosperous.

It is said that the custom of inserting willows is also to commemorate Shennong, the ancestor of farming, who taught the people to cultivate crops. In some places, people put willow branches under the eaves to forecast the weather. There is an old saying that "the willow branches are green and the rain is raining;" The saying that there is another village. During the period of Huang Chao, it was stipulated that "Qingming lasts for a period, and Liu Dai is the number". After the failure of the uprising, the custom of wearing willow was gradually eliminated, and only willow was popular. Willow has a strong vitality, as the saying goes: "If you plant flowers with your heart, you will plant willows without your heart. "Wicker lives when it is planted in the soil, and it lives where it is planted. When it is planted year after year, it becomes gloomy everywhere. There is another saying in Tomb-Sweeping Day: It turns out that China people regard Tomb-Sweeping Day, July 30th and the first day of October as the three major ghost festivals, which are the time for ghosts to haunt and ask for help. In order to prevent the harassment and persecution of ghosts, people put willows and put them on. Willow has the function of ward off evil spirits in people's minds. Influenced by Buddhism, people think that willows can exorcise ghosts and call them "ghost trees". Guanyin dipped willow branches in water to help all beings. Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty said in the Book of Qi Yao Min: "Put a willow branch on the house, and a hundred ghosts will not enter the house. "Tomb-Sweeping Day is Halloween. When wicker sprouted, people naturally inserted willows to ward off evil spirits. The Han people have the custom of "folding willows to bid farewell": Baqiao is in Chang 'an East, crossing the water is the bridge, and the Han people send guests to this bridge and fold willows to bid farewell. Li Bai has a saying: "Willow falls every year, Lingling hurts." In ancient times, on both sides of Chang 'an Baqiao, the embankment was ten miles long, one step at a time. Many people who walk from Chang 'an East come here to bid farewell to their loved ones and fold willow branches to bid farewell to their loved ones, because "willow" is homophonic with "stay" to show the meaning of retaining. This custom originated from the book of songs, Xiaoya Cai Wei, which said, "I was away yesterday, Liu Yiyi." Send a willow tree as a parting gift to express feelings that are inseparable and reluctant to part. Willow is a symbol of spring. Willow swaying in spring always gives people a feeling of prosperity. "Farewell to the Willows" contains the wish that "spring is always there". The ancients sawed off the willows and sent them to each other, which also meant that their relatives, such as willow branches, left their hometown. I hope that when they arrive in a new place, they can take root and sprout quickly, as if willow branches can grow everywhere. It's a good wish for friends. There are also many references to folding willows to give people away in ancient poems. Quan Deyu's poem in Tang Dynasty: "Give me new knowledge", Song Dynasty's poem: "There are no green willows on the other side of the road, don't worry", and Ming Dynasty's poem: "Give someone away when you are old, and the willows on the edge of the city will be folded." Chen Weisong's Ci in Qing Dynasty: "How many border crossings are left? Want a discount. " People will not only feel sad when they see willow trees, but also touch their mood when they hear the song "Breaking Willow". Li Bai's "Smelling the flute in Los Angeles on a Spring Night": "Everyone can't stand the homesickness." In fact, Liu can have many symbolic meanings. The ancients endowed Liu with various feelings, so it is reasonable to borrow Liu to send feelings.

A few days before Qingming? There are several versions. According to the Chronicle of Jingchu in Liang Zonggu of the Southern Dynasties, the105th day after the winter solstice is called the Cold Food Festival, which happens to be the first two days in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Yuan Zhen's poem in Tang Dynasty said that "the first time I ate cold food was 160". He thinks that the day before Tomb-Sweeping Day is the Cold Food Festival, and there is a day difference between Tomb-Sweeping Day and Japan in winter. Because cold food is similar to the Qingming day, and the activities of cold food in the ancients often continued until Qingming. Over time, there is no strict distinction between cold food and Qingming.

There are many traditional customs and activities around Tomb-Sweeping Day. Such as lighting a fire with cold food, sweeping graves in Tomb-Sweeping Day, hiking, playing polo, flying kites, swinging, cockfighting and tug-of-war. With the alternation of time and the evolution of society, some customs have been eliminated, while others have been left behind and given new content.

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[Edit this paragraph] Cold Food Festival

To talk about Tomb-Sweeping Day, we should start with a very famous ancient festival-Cold Food Festival.

Cold food festival, also known as cooked food festival, no smoking festival and cold food festival. Its date is from the winter solstice 105, that is to say, it is only one or two days away from Qingming. The main custom of this festival is to ban fire, cook without fire, and only eat prepared cooked food and cold food, hence the name.

There is a legend about cold food: It is said that during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Shen Sheng was forced to commit suicide because his concubine set a poisonous plan to kill the prince in order to let her son inherit the throne. Shen Sheng's younger brother, Zhong Er, went into exile to escape the scourge. During his exile, Zhong Er suffered humiliation. Most of the courtiers who went out with him went out one after another. Only a few loyal people have been following him. One of them is called meson push. On one occasion, Zhong Er fainted from hunger. In order to save Zhong Er, Jiezitui cut a piece of meat from his leg, cooked it with fire and gave it to Zhong Er. Nineteen years later, Zhong Er returned to China and became the monarch, that is, Jin Wengong, one of the famous five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period.

After Jin Wengong came to power, in addition to meson push, he offered many rewards to courtiers who shared his joys and sorrows. Someone defended meson in front of Jin Wengong. Jin Wengong suddenly remembered the past and felt guilty. He immediately sent someone to ask meson to take the imperial court to be rewarded as an official. However, after several trips, the meson could not be pushed. Jin Wengong had to please. However, when Jin Wengong came to the meson pusher's house, he saw that the door was closed. Jiezitui didn't want to see him, and had already been hiding in Mianshan (now southeast of Jiexiu County, Shanxi Province) behind his mother's back. Jin Wengong asked his body guard to search Mianshan, but he couldn't find it. So, someone had an idea, saying, it is better to let Yamakaji go, set fire on three sides, leave one side, burn it and the meson will come out. Jin Wengong ordered the promotion of Yamakaji. Unexpectedly, the fire burned for three days and nights. After the fire was put out, the meson was not pushed out after all. Looking up the mountain, the mother and son were holding a charred willow tree and were dead. Jin Wengong looked at meson push's body and cried for a while. Then I buried the body and found that the back of meson push was blocked by a willow hole, as if there was something. Take out a look, turned out to be a skirt, with a blood poem:

I hope your master is always clear.

It is better to be a ghost than to accompany you as an exhorter.

If your master has me in his heart, remember that I often reflect.

I have a clear conscience in Jiuquan, diligent and honest.

Jin Wengong hid the bloody book in his sleeve. Then meson tui and his mother were buried under the charred willow tree. To commemorate Jiexiu, Jin Wengong ordered Mianshan to be changed to Jiexiu Mountain, and an ancestral temple was built on the mountain, and the day when Yamakaji was released was designated as the Cold Food Festival, telling the whole country that it is forbidden to set off fireworks and firecrackers on this day every year and only eat cold food.

When he left, he cut a charred willow and made a pair of clogs in the palace. He looked at it every day and sighed, "What a pity." The "first step" is the name of ancient people's subordinates respecting each other between superiors or peers, which is said to come from it.

The following year, Jin Wengong led his ministers to go hiking in plain clothes to show their respect and condolences. Walking to the grave, I saw the dead old willow tree resurrected, with thousands of green branches dancing in the wind. Jin Wengong looked at the resurrected old willow tree and seemed to see the meson push. He walked up to him respectfully, lovingly squeezed a branch, braided it into a circle and put it on his head. After the sacrifice, Jin Wengong named the revived old willow "Qingming Willow" and named it Tomb-Sweeping Day.

Later, Jin Wengong often took a bloody book with him as a souvenir, urging himself to take power. He is diligent and honest, and strives to govern the country well.

Since then, the people of Jin have been able to live and work in peace and contentment, and they are very nostalgic for Jietui, who has made outstanding contributions and is not looking for wealth. On the day of his death, it is forbidden to set off fireworks in memory of him. It is also made of flour and jujube paste into the shape of a swallow, strung with willows and inserted in the door to summon his soul. This thing is called "pushing swallows" (also called intermediary pushing). Since then, cold food and Qingming have become grand festivals for the people of the whole country. Whenever there is cold food, people don't make a fire to cook, but only eat cold food. In the north, people only eat cold food prepared in advance, such as jujube cakes and wheat cakes. In the south, there are mostly green balls and glutinous rice and sugar lotus roots. Every time I go to Tomb-Sweeping Day, people put wicker in a circle and put wicker branches in front of the house to show their memory.

In fact, the real origin of the Cold Food Festival originated from the ancient system of drilling wood for new fire. Because of different seasons, the ancients used different trees to drill fires, which is the custom of making fires in different seasons. And every time you change the fire, you have to change it with a new one. People are forbidden to make a fire until a new one comes. This was a great event at that time. "Zhou Li Autumn Lawsuit Xuanjiashi": "In the middle of spring, it is forbidden to repair the fire with Muduo." It can be seen that he was walking in the street shaking the wooden head and ordered the fire to be banned. This is the company's propagandist, that is, a small official who specializes in making fires. When the fire is banned, people prepare some cold food to eat, which gradually becomes a fixed custom. Later, it was linked with the legend of meson push and became the Cold Food Festival, which lasted for one month. After all, it is unhealthy, so the date is shortened from seven days to three days and gradually changed to one day. After the Tang Dynasty, it was integrated into Tomb-Sweeping Day.

The customs of the Cold Food Festival include going to the grave, sightseeing, cockfighting, swinging, playing with carpets, pulling hooks (tug of war) and so on. The custom of going to the grave is very old. Where there is a grave, there must be a tomb sacrifice. Later, due to the integration with the custom of evoking souls in March, it was gradually decided to sacrifice on cold food. The book of the Tang Dynasty says: "In the twentieth year of Kaiyuan, cold food went to the tomb, and the book of rites was silent. According to modern legend, it is advisable to go to the tomb to worship the ceremony. " Song Yu's "Chicken Ribs" volume: "Cold food is buried, and there is no fragrance. Paper money hangs on the tree. People who go to the countryside climb mountains to watch sacrifices. Breaking in the air is called breaking money. However, due to the fate of Shi Jing, we set up wine (seal, rice) and took our family for a spring outing. "

"The Story of Jingchu Times": "(Cold food) fighting chickens, carving chickens and laying eggs, fighting chickens and laying eggs." It can be seen that there was a game of cockfighting and eggs in the Southern Dynasties. Cockfighting is more common today, and egg fighting is mostly a game in which children in rural areas collide with their eggs. In ancient times, eggs used for collisions and fights were mostly dyed and carved, which were very beautiful. Draw eggs. The custom of carving eggs originated from the "carving eggs" recorded in Guanzi. Undoubtedly, it developed from the ancient witchcraft of eating eggs for fertility and became the custom of cold food. Today, people still have the custom of eating eggs on Qingming Day (such as the "son-in-law" mentioned earlier). Cold food attacks autumn dryness. According to the Collection of Arts and Literature, Shanrong in the north played on a swing at the Cold Food Festival. But I'm afraid this is just a legend. Liu Xiang's Bielu records that he swings in spring, not necessarily in cold food. Another blanket, Wang Jian's "Gong Ci": "Cold food palace people step on the carpet." Dramas like pulling hooks and hitting carpets are not necessarily produced by cold food.

Because Tomb-Sweeping Day was angry on the third day of cold food, later generations gradually moved the custom of cold food to Qingming with the passage of time. After the Song Dynasty, the custom of cold food sweeping graves moved to Qingming. Customs such as spring outing and swinging are only held in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Tomb-Sweeping Day rose from a simple agricultural solar term to an important festival, and the influence of the Cold Food Festival disappeared. However, the custom of cold food has been handed down in several ways and has been preserved in Tomb-Sweeping Day.

[Edit this paragraph] Twenty-five nationalities have crossed Tomb-Sweeping Day.

There are 25 nationalities in China who have visited Tomb-Sweeping Day. Although the customs vary from place to place, the basic theme is to sweep the grave to worship the ancestors and go outing. Influenced by the Han culture, 24 ethnic minorities in China, such as Manchu, Hezhe, Zhuang, Oroqen, Dong, Tujia, Miao, Yao, Li, Shui, Jing and Qiang, also have the customs of Tomb-Sweeping Day.

Taiwan Province Province, Tomb-Sweeping Day and China are vast, and the climate in the north and south is different, so Tomb-Sweeping Day also varies from place to place, from the second day of February to the third day of March. Tomb-Sweeping Day, Taiwan Province Province, is the105th day from the winter solstice of the previous year, and Tomb-Sweeping Day, a native of Zhangzhou, Taiwan Province Province, is on the third day of the third lunar month. The customs in Tomb-Sweeping Day, Taiwan Province Province are similar to those in southern Fujian. The time for the Hakka people in Taiwan Province Province to worship their ancestors and sweep graves begins after the Lantern Festival, and the date is decided by each family until the Qingming Festival. The custom of people sweeping graves in Taiwan Province Province can be roughly divided into two types: one is general grave sweeping, and the rituals and sacrifices are relatively simple, and most of them are just rice cakes, cakes and cakes; The second is to repair the ancestral graves, and the sacrifices are also quite grand. Sacrifice generally includes all kinds of sacrifices, twelve kinds of vegetables, cakes and so on. When sweeping the grave, you must stick "tomb paper" around the grave (cut into rectangles with five-color paper). There are small stones on every piece of paper, and a pile must be placed on the tombstone. This ceremony, commonly known as "hanging paper", is money for ancestors. If it is to repair the tomb, that is, to repair the ancestral grave, the whole family gathers in front of the grave to eat red eggs, and the eggshells are scattered on the cemetery, which contains the auspicious meaning of metabolism and endless life. While sweeping graves, we should also pay homage to the landlords (with small stone tablets) who have stood by for a long time guarding the cemetery and resting their ancestors. On the one hand, it is a kind of comfort, but also means gratitude. There is also a special custom in Taiwan Province Province. If there is a happy event at home this year, you should renovate the grave when you sweep it, put a small red light (oil lamp) in front of the grave and take it home when you go home. It is said that it can attract more happiness and auspiciousness. In the rural areas of Taiwan Province Province, a group of children came to beg for money after each grave-sweeping. The more people come, the more developed the family will be in the future, and the owners will be willing to give money or money to those children. Later, due to the decrease of cemeteries in Taiwan Province Province, an urn was implemented. Many people put the urn on the urn tower and go to the urn tower to worship whenever they go to Tomb-Sweeping Day, which also plays the role of ancestor worship. Due to the gradual change of people's concept, the ceremony of sweeping graves has also been omitted. Tomb-Sweeping Day's Poems In ancient China, Tomb-Sweeping Day was a day with rich connotations and emotions, and it was also a day when literati's poems flourished. Among all the 24 solar terms, Qingming is the best, with the largest quantity and the highest quality. Farewell to Willows (300 Tang Poems) Looking up the Complete Works of Tang Poems and Song Poems, there are 335 Tang poems with the words "Qingming" and "Cold Food", and there are more than 520 in Song Dynasty, but most of the solar term poems such as "Spring Equinox", "Mangzhong" and "Summer" are only about 10.

[Edit this paragraph] The origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day

The traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day in China began in the Zhou Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,500 years. In ancient times, it was not as important as the Cold Food Festival the day before, because the dates of Tomb-Sweeping Day and the Cold Food Festival were close, and the people gradually merged their customs. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties (58 1 to 907), Tomb-Sweeping Day and Cold Food Festival gradually merged into the same festival, which became the day to visit graves and worship ancestors, that is, today's Tomb-Sweeping Day. Since then, Tomb-Sweeping Day's outing to sweep the grave has become a fixed custom of the Chinese nation.

Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as Tomb Sweeping Festival, Ghost Festival and Ghost Festival, is called Sanming Festival together with the Mid-Autumn Festival on July 15 and the Han Festival on July 10/day, which is related to offering sacrifices to ghosts and gods.

Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as the outing festival, according to the solar calendar, between April 4th and 6th every year, it is the season of beautiful spring and lush vegetation, and it is also a good time for people to have a spring outing (called outing in ancient times), so the ancients had the custom of going for an outing in Qingming and carrying out a series of sports activities. Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as March Festival in ancient times, has a history of more than 2,000 years.

Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the 24 solar terms around April 5th in the Gregorian calendar. Among the 24 solar terms, only Qingming and Solstice are both solar terms and festivals. Its original intention is that nature is warming up, everything is beginning to recover, and it can be planted in spring. In ancient China, the Qingming Festival was divided into three stages: "One stage was when tung flowers began to bloom; Second, the vole became a quail; I'll see you when I wait for the rainbow. " That is to say, at this time, the white paulownia blooms first, then the happy voles in the shade disappear and all return to the underground caves, and then the rainbow can be seen in the sky after the rain.

Because the 24 solar terms objectively reflect the changes of temperature, rainfall and phenology throughout the year, ancient working people used them to arrange agricultural activities. "Huainanzi Astronomical Training" says: "Fifteen days after the vernal equinox, the bucket refers to B, and the Qingming wind is coming." According to the centenarian question, "everything grows clean and bright at this time." So it is called Qingming. " As soon as Qingming arrives, the temperature rises and the rainfall increases, which is a good time for spring ploughing and planting. Therefore, there is an agricultural proverb that "before and after Qingming, point melons and plant beans" and "planting trees is not as good as Qingming". It can be seen that this solar term is closely related to agricultural production.

However, Qingming, as a festival, is different from pure solar terms. Solar terms are signs of phenological changes and seasonal order in China, while festivals contain certain customs and activities and certain commemorative significance. Tomb-Sweeping Day is a traditional festival in China, and it is also the most important festival to worship ancestors and sweep graves. Grave-sweeping is commonly known as going to the grave and offering sacrifices to the dead. Most Han people and some ethnic minorities visit graves in Tomb-Sweeping Day. According to the old custom, when sweeping graves, people should bring food, wine, fruit, paper money and other items to the cemetery, offer food to the graves of their loved ones, then burn the paper money, cultivate new soil for the graves, break some green branches and insert them in front of the graves, then kowtow and worship, and finally go home after eating and drinking. The poem Qingming written by Du Mu, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, said: "There are many rains during the Qingming period, and pedestrians on the road want to break their souls. Ask local people where to buy wine? The shepherd boy pointed to Xinghua Village. " Write about the special atmosphere in Tomb-Sweeping Day. To this day, the custom of worshipping ancestors and mourning the dead relatives in Tomb-Sweeping Day is still very popular.

Cold food festival-cold food means not getting angry, and you can only eat cold or pre-cooked food. According to legend, this custom originated in the Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, someone in the State of Jin wanted to kill his eldest son, Zhong Er, and the loyal minister Jiezhitui (also known as Jiezhitui) escorted Zhong Er to escape. Even when he was hungry and cold, he would cut off his own meat for Zhong Er to eat, hoping that he would return home safely, become a monarch, and be diligent and love the people.

After more than ten years, Zhong Er finally returned to China to become a monarch, that is, Jin Wengong, one of the five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period, rewarded those who helped him during his exile, but forgot to introduce him. After being reminded by others, he quickly sent someone to invite Jiezhi to come and receive the reward. However, Jie Zhitui and his mother went to live in seclusion in the mountains. Jin Wengong and his courtiers found nothing in the mountains. It is suggested that Yamakaji be released. Jie Zhitui is a dutiful son and will definitely save his mother. However, the fire burned for three days and nights, and there was still no referral. After the fire went out, people found Zhizhi carrying his mother's body under a willow tree. Jin Wengong was so sad and regretful that he buried them under the willow tree. Jin Wengong designated the day when Yamakaji was released as the Cold Food Festival, and stipulated that people were forbidden to use fire and eat cold food for one day to commemorate Jie Zhitui's loyalty.

In March and April, when spring is bright, pink and green, Tomb-Sweeping Day is the most important festival in the traditional customs of China. Tomb-Sweeping Day is now a national grave-sweeping festival. According to Sunday, it is around April 5, and according to the lunar calendar, it is the first half of March. The ancients divided a year into 24 solar terms and used this calendar to sow and harvest. Qingming is one of the twenty-four solar terms, fifteen days after the vernal equinox. According to the saying of "always asking questions": "Everything is long, clean and bright at this time. So it is called Qingming. " Therefore, "Tomb-Sweeping Day" was originally a solar term. Later, the custom of forbidding cold food and fire and beating graves was added, and Tomb-Sweeping Day was formed.

[Edit this paragraph] Tomb-Sweeping Day custom

Tomb-Sweeping Day's customs are rich and interesting. Besides paying attention to burning fire to sweep graves, there are also a series of customs and sports activities such as jogging, swinging, cuju, playing polo and inserting willows. According to legend, this is because Tomb-Sweeping Day wants to burn a fire with cold food. In order to prevent the harm of cold food and cold meal to people, we all take part in some sports activities to exercise. Therefore, this festival is a distinctive festival, with both sad tears to sweep graves and laughter for an outing.

Swing is a custom in ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day, China. Swing, that is, lift the rope, move. It has a very long history. It was originally called Qian Qiu, but later it was changed into a swing to avoid taboos. In ancient times, swings were made of branches and tied with ribbons. Later, it gradually developed into two ropes, a pedal swing. Swing can not only improve health, but also cultivate courage, which is deeply loved by people, especially children.

Cujuju is a rubber ball, the skin of which is made of leather, and the ball is filled with wool. Cuju is kicking the ball with your feet. This is a popular game in ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day. According to legend, it was invented by the Yellow Emperor with the original purpose of training warriors.

Hiking is also called spring outing. It was called Tanchun and Xunchun in ancient times. March is clear, spring returns to the earth, and nature is full of vitality everywhere, which is a good time to go for an outing. China folks have always maintained the habit of going for an outing in Tomb-Sweeping Day.

Before and after planting trees, it is clear, the spring is bright, the spring rain is flying, and the survival rate of seedlings is high and the growth is fast. Therefore, China has the habit of planting trees in Qingming since ancient times. Some people even call Tomb-Sweeping Day Arbor Day. The custom of planting trees has been passed down to this day. 1979, the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) stipulated March 12 every year as China Arbor Day. This is of great significance to mobilize people of all ethnic groups in China to actively carry out activities to green the motherland.

Flying kites is also the most popular activity in Tomb-Sweeping Day. During their stay in Tomb-Sweeping Day, people not only wore it during the day, but also at night. At night, a string of colored lanterns is hung under the kite or on the wind-stabilizing stay, like twinkling stars, which is called "magic lamp". Someone used to put kites in the blue sky, then cut the strings and let the breeze send them to the ends of the earth. It is said that this can eliminate diseases and disasters and bring good luck to yourself.

Going to the river to sweep the grave on Qingming Festival is called "respecting time" for ancestors. Its customs have a long history. In the Ming Dynasty's "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital", it was written: "On the Qingming Festival in March, men and women went to the grave to pay their respects, and the gold ingot was hung on the back of the sedan chair, and the road was full of embarrassment. Worshipers, mourners, weeping, weeding, adding soil to graves, burning ingots several times, and buying graves with paper money. If you can't see the paper money, it will be a lonely grave. After crying, don't go back, go to the fragrant tree, choose the garden, and sit down and get drunk. " In fact, grave-sweeping existed before the Qin Dynasty, but not necessarily during the Qingming period, but after the Qin Dynasty. It was not until the Tang Dynasty that it became popular. Qing thomas lee said, "On New Year's Eve, the Cold Food Festival and the First Frost Festival, you should offer sacrifices to sweep the graves. During the period, I will serve my bed with vegetarian food, use wine and tools for cutting vegetation, seal trees in the middle of the week, and break Cao Jing, so it is called sweeping the grave. " And spread to this day.

Tomb-Sweeping Day's sweeping ceremony was supposed to be held in person, but because of the different economic conditions of each family, the way of sweeping was different. "Burning a bundle" is the main form of paying homage to ancestors. The so-called "baggage", also known as "parcel", refers to the postal parcel that Xiao sent from Shi Yang to the underworld. In the past, Nanzhi store sold the so-called "wrapped skin", that is, a big bag was pasted with white paper. There are two forms: one is a woodcut version with Sanskrit transliteration of "Death Mantra" printed around it, and a lotus memorial tablet printed in the middle with the name of the deceased who received the money, such as "The late Zhang Fujun was afraid of the boss in Yunshan", which is both a package and a memorial tablet. The other is plain foreskin, which does not print any patterns. Just put a blue sign in the middle and write down the name of the deceased. Also used as a master card. There are many kinds of money in the bag.

First burn paper, nine k white paper, and smash four rows of round money, five for each row;

2. Ghost banknotes, which are copied after the world has foreign currency tickets, are written with the words "Paradise Bank", "Ghost Bank" and "Bank of Hell and Cao Yin", and have the pattern of the capital city, mostly with huge denominations, and the Buddhist "death curse" is printed on the back;

3. Fake foreign currency, with cardboard as the core and wrapped in silver foil, suppressing the same pattern as the prevailing silver dollar at that time;

Fourth, the "death curse" printed in red on yellow paper is round money, so it is also called "death money";

Five, with gold foil and silver foil stacked ingots, hammers, and some string into a string, with a colored paper ear at the bottom. In the old society, no matter rich or poor, there was a burning burden. On that day, a confession case was set up in the ancestral hall or the main room of the family house, with the luggage in the middle. In front of it, there are offerings such as jiaozi, cakes and fruits, burning incense and holding candles. After the whole family salutes according to their generations, they can be incinerated outside the door. When incinerating, draw a big circle and leave a gap in the direction of the cemetery. Burning three or five pieces of paper outside the circle is called "special delivery."

Some rich people want to take their families and their families to the grave to pay homage. At this time, it is necessary to repair the grave, or symbolically add soil to the grave and put some paper money on it to let others see and know that there are descendants in this grave. After the sacrifice, some people sat around to eat and drink; Others fly kites and even compete with each other for entertainment. Women and children will also fold some Yang Liuzhi nearby and put on steamed food with wicker. Others put wicker into reeds and put them on their heads, saying, "If you don't wear willow in Qingming Festival, you will become a yellow dog in the afterlife." This is a grave-sweeping and an outing. You can't go home until you are happy.

6. Flowers are used in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Generally speaking, white flowers are used to express condolences. Bai Baihe and calla lilies are more suitable for grave-sweeping, while white roses, gardenias or plain flowers symbolize regret and nostalgia. Others prefer simple plants such as Pinus bungeana and weeds. Of course, flowers for sweeping graves are no longer limited to this. Many citizens will choose flowers according to the age and preferences of the deceased, such as forget me, yellow roses, red roses, birds of paradise and so on.

It is said that the custom of inserting willows is also to commemorate Shennong, the ancestor of farming who taught the people to cultivate crops. In some places, people put willow branches under the eaves to forecast the weather. There is an old saying that "the willow branches are green and the rain is raining;" The saying that there is another village. During the period of Huang Chao, it was stipulated that "Qingming lasts for a period, and Liu Dai is the number". After the failure of the uprising, the custom of wearing willow was gradually eliminated, and only willow was popular. Willow has a strong vitality, as the saying goes: "If you plant flowers with your heart, you will plant willows without your heart. "Wicker lives when it is inserted in the soil, where it is inserted, where it is inserted every year, and the shade is everywhere.

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