The Origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day's Speech under the Kindergarten Flag

Today is Tomb-Sweeping Day, China, so there must be many children going out to sweep graves with their parents, right? So, do children know the origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day?

Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as outing festival, outing festival, March festival and ancestor worship festival, is one of the four traditional festivals in China. Speaking of Qingming, we must first talk about the legend of Cold Food Festival and meson push.

According to legend, Zhong Er, the son of the State of Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, fled his hometown to escape the scourge. 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 became the monarch, and Jin Wengong was one of the 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 recalled the past and felt deeply guilty, so he went to ask meson to go to court and be rewarded as an official. Jiezitui didn't want to see him, hiding behind his mother's back in Mianshan.

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 regretted it, looked at meson's body, cried for a while, and then buried the body.

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. After the sacrifice, Jin Wengong named the resurrected old willow "Qingming Willow" and designated this day as the Cold Food Festival. Later generations combined it with Qingming, one of the 24 solar terms, and it became the present Tomb-Sweeping Day.