The Origin, Legends and Customs of Tomb-Sweeping Day

Tomb-Sweeping Day is the biggest ancestor worship festival of the Chinese nation, which belongs to a traditional cultural festival of remembering ancestors, pursuing the future cautiously, and promoting filial piety. Tomb-Sweeping Day has a long history, which originated from the ancient Spring Festival.

According to the research results of modern anthropology and archaeology, the two most primitive beliefs of human beings are the belief in heaven and earth and the belief in ancestors. The belief of "worshipping the heavens and offering sacrifices to ancestors" has continued since ancient times, and the custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors has become a fixed custom in Tomb-Sweeping Day.

In addition to visiting graves, the custom of Tomb-Sweeping Day has absorbed a series of folk sports activities in its historical development, such as swinging, cuju, polo and willow planting. The custom and tradition of sweeping graves to worship ancestors in Tomb-Sweeping Day has continued from ancient times to the present, that is, today's society.

Before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day, people still went to graves to pay homage to their ancestors: weeding, placing offerings, burning incense and praying in front of graves, burning paper money and gold ingots, or simply offering a bunch of flowers to remember their ancestors.

There are two festivals and traditions: one is to respect one's ancestors and pursue the future with caution; The second is outing and getting close to nature.