What is the origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day?

1, Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the twenty-four solar terms in the lunar calendar, which is at the turn of mid-spring and late spring, that is, 108 days after the winter solstice. The traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day of the Han nationality in China began in the Zhou Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,500 years. "Almanac": "On the fifteenth day after the vernal equinox, the bucket refers to Ding, which is used for Qingming, when everything is clean and bright, and when it is covered, everything is clean and bright, hence the name." As soon as Qingming comes, the temperature rises, which is a good time for spring ploughing and sowing, so there is a saying that "before and after Qingming, we plant melons and beans". Tomb-Sweeping Day is a festival to worship ancestors, and the traditional activity is to sweep graves. On May 20th, 2006, it was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

2. It is said that the origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day began with the supplement of "basic sacrifice" by ancient emperors. Later, people followed suit, and it became a fixed custom of the Chinese nation to worship ancestors and sweep graves on this day.

3. The name "Tomb-Sweeping Day" also comes from "Tomb-Sweeping Day" in the twenty-four solar terms of the China lunar calendar. 108 The day after beginning of winter is Qi's Tomb-Sweeping Day. Tomb-Sweeping Day gas * * * has 15 days. As it is Tomb-Sweeping Day, the time is after the vernal equinox. At this time, winter has gone, spring is full, the weather is sunny, the fields are bright and clean, and the vitality of nature is everywhere. It is an appropriate word to call this period "Qingming".

The revolution of the earth is 360 degrees of the longitude of the Yellow River. When the earth reaches the longitude zero of the Yellow River, it is designated as the vernal equinox, and then there is a solar term every 15 degrees, and * * * has 24 solar terms. Therefore, the dates of solar terms in the solar calendar are fixed, and there will be two-day differences in leap years. The lunar calendar is a yin-yang calendar that reflects phenological changes and guides agricultural time. It also combines the lunar calendar, that is, the cycle of the lunar phase is 29.5 days (the time interval from one full moon to the next). Because calculating the specific time of solar terms in the lunar calendar requires accurate astronomical knowledge and mathematical knowledge, the occurrence time of each solar term in the previous almanac was promulgated by the state (for example, beginning of spring was accurate to year, month, day, minute and second), and the rules for calculating different times were different, so the local chronicles of the Qing Dynasty used a long space and many graphic formulas to illustrate the calculation method at that time. Generally speaking, the law of setting solar terms in the lunar calendar only determines that the first month is a solar term and the middle of the month is a neutral one. The interval between two solar terms is 15 days, which is the only basis for people to calculate. Solar term song is also the necessary knowledge for ordinary people to master solar terms. A slightly more complicated calculation is that the winter solstice of the previous year (when the sun is the least in a year) is cold food after 105, and Qingming is after 106; It's much simpler according to the solar calendar. April 5 or 4 (depending on February 29 of that year) will do. Astronomically speaking, on April 5 or 6, when the apparent sun (that is, the position of the sun on the ecliptic) reaches 15 degrees.

5. In the concept of the ancients, 108 is a large number representing perfection, auspiciousness, antiquity and profundity. It is of far-reaching significance to put Qingming Festival on the 108 day after the winter solstice. Qingming gets its name not only because everything grows cleanly at this time, but also because the sun in this period is also a fresh sun, and the sun flowing between heaven and earth in this period is also a fresh sun.