Why is Qingming both a festival and a solar term? Is Qingming a solar term or a festival?

Introduction: Among the traditional festivals in China, Tomb-Sweeping Day can be said to be a poetic traditional festival of offering sacrifices and an important solar term among the 24 solar terms. But is Qingming a solar term or a festival? Let me show you why Qingming is both a festival and a solar term.

Why is Qingming a festival and a solar term?

Tomb-Sweeping Day is developed from solar terms, and people follow this natural law to arrange their production and life. It is also one of the most important traditional festivals in China. Tomb-Sweeping Day has a history of more than 2,500 years. In ancient times, it was also called Walking Festival, March Festival, Ancestor Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, Ghost Festival and so on. It is also known as the three famous "Ghost Festivals" in China, together with the Mid-Autumn Festival on July 15 and the Cold Clothes Festival on July 10/Sunday. Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the 24 solar terms around April 5th in the Gregorian calendar. Among the 24 solar terms, Qingming is the only solar term that is both a solar term and a festival.

1, the so-called "solar term"

It is a time unit set according to the rhythm of agricultural production. Agricultural production depends on "the right time" and "the right place". The ancient agricultural book said: "Spring ploughing, summer harvest, autumn harvest and winter storage are all in season, so there are endless grains, and food is the most important thing for the people." The so-called "Qingming" means that the cold winter has passed, the climate is getting warmer, the spring is bright, the vegetation is lush, and everything is fresh. According to "A Hundred Questions at the Age of Years", "Everything grows clean and bright at this time, hence the name Qingming." When Tomb-Sweeping Day arrives, the temperature rises and the rainfall increases, which is a good time to sow in spring. Therefore, there is an agricultural proverb that "before and after Qingming, plant melons and beans" and "planting trees is just better than Qingming". It can be seen that this solar term is closely related to agricultural production.

2. The so-called "festival"

Refers to the time unit set by social culture. Festivals are based on the calendar cycle and take the 24 solar terms as the clue, but they are different from ordinary calendar days, because festivals have the social and cultural significance of specific dates, specific origins and legends, specific theme pursuits, festivals and other activities, and have the characteristics of ritual, sociality, etiquette and circulation. As a traditional festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day is different from pure solar terms. Solar terms are symbols reflecting climate change, phenological characteristics, seasonal order and farming; On the other hand, festivals contain certain customs and activities and some commemorative significance, which is a folk cultural phenomenon. In this regard, according to the traditional division of the twenty-four solar terms, only Qingming is implemented as a festival.

Is it the same day in Tomb-Sweeping Day and Tomb-Sweeping Day?

In fact, Tomb-Sweeping Day and Tomb-Sweeping Day were angry on the same day. However, these two terms are complementary. Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the 24 solar terms. According to the temperature and phenology, it can guide farming. Although Tomb-Sweeping Day is a traditional festival to worship ancestors and sweep graves, there are quite a few customs in Tomb-Sweeping Day, such as prohibiting fire to sweep graves, hiking, swinging, playing cuju, playing polo and inserting willows.

What does Tomb-Sweeping Day Qi have to do with Tomb-Sweeping Day?

derivative product

Tomb-Sweeping Day gas and Tomb-Sweeping Day are derived, and Tomb-Sweeping Day is the product of Tomb-Sweeping Day gas. In ancient times, there was a traditional custom of offering sacrifices to the grave in Tomb-Sweeping Day, so this festival in Tomb-Sweeping Day was slowly derived from the beginning, and it will be offered to the grave in Tomb-Sweeping Day.

But now we don't often compare them together, because they are different things in essence. Tomb-Sweeping Day is a traditional festival, while Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the 24 solar terms. Most people will choose to pay homage to the grave in Tomb-Sweeping Day, while Tomb-Sweeping Day still belongs to the solar term.