What are the origins, customs and climate characteristics of Tomb-Sweeping Day?

Qingming is one of the 24 solar terms in China. If Qingming is calculated according to the lunar calendar, there is no definite date, that is, last winter to the future 106 is Qingming; According to the solar calendar, Tomb-Sweeping Day begins on April 4th or 5th (depending on whether February is flat or leap), when the sun reaches15th degree. At that time, the climate in most parts of China was warm, the winter when trees withered was over, the vegetation was lush, and the spring scenery was full of vitality everywhere. As soon as Qingming arrives, the temperature rises, which is a good time for spring ploughing and sowing. Therefore, there is an agricultural proverb that "before and after Qingming, plant melons and beans" and "planting trees is not as good as Qingming".

The word "Qingming", according to Chen's "Guang Ji at the Age of Years" in the Song Dynasty, said: "A person who is Qingming means that things are clean." During the Qingming Festival, the weather is fine and the flowers are long and green, changing the cold and yellow scene in winter, and the earth is clean and bright. In Huai Nan Zi written by Liu An in Han Dynasty, "Fifteen days after the vernal equinox will bring a breeze". The "Tomb-Sweeping Day" here is in the spring of March, so it is called "March Festival". The book "Questions at the Age of 100" once explained: "Everything grows clean and bright at this time, so it is called Qingming." It can be seen that Tomb-Sweeping Day is named after its excellent weather, temperature, light and rainfall.

However, Qingming, as a festival, is different from pure solar terms. Solar terms are symbols of phenological changes and seasonal order in China, while festivals contain certain customs and activities, which have certain commemorative significance. Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the traditional festivals in China, and it is also the most important festival to worship ancestors and sweep graves. To this day, the custom of worshipping ancestors and mourning the dead relatives in Tomb-Sweeping Day is still very popular. Therefore, the state has made Tomb-Sweeping Day a legal holiday through legislation.

Tomb-Sweeping Day's customs are rich and colorful. In addition to prohibiting fire from sweeping graves, there are a series of customs and sports activities such as jogging, swinging, cuju, polo and willow insertion. According to legend, this is because Tomb-Sweeping Day wants to ban cold food and fire. 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.

Pay tribute to the dead at their graves.

Sweeping graves on Qingming Festival is called "respecting thinking about 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 visited graves and paid tribute to them, and gold ingots were hung behind sedan chairs, making noise all over the street. 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.

hanging paper

"Hanging paper" is called "tomb paper" in the custom of Taiwan Province Province. When hanging paper, you should use a hoe or sickle to clean up the weeds growing on the ancestral graves, and press the tomb paper on the graves with pebbles or bricks, indicating that the graves have heirs, otherwise it is easy to mistake it for an orphan grave and damage it. Tomb paper is divided into white, red and yellow antique paper and five-color paper (red, yellow, blue, white and black). Five-color paper is often used now, which means to cover tiles or to show that future generations have worshipped. As for the traditional Hakkas, they are more cautious when hanging paper. They first dug a piece of green turf with a hoe, put stacks of yellow paper dripping with chicken blood in front of the grave with turf, and then put twelve pieces of silver paper around the grave. In addition to the purpose of hanging tomb paper, there is also a symbol of blood sacrifice.

spring outing

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. Our people have kept the habit of walking in Tomb-Sweeping Day for a long time. The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival by Zhang Zeduan, a famous painter, depicts the lively scene of Kyoto people going for an outing and going to the market during Qingming Festival in Song Dynasty.

plant trees

Before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day, the spring is bright, the spring is bright, and the spring rain is falling. The planted seedlings have high survival rate and fast growth. 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's 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.

Chuanliuzhi

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.

play on the swing

This is the custom of ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day in 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. Playing swing can not only improve health, but also cultivate courage, which is deeply loved by people, especially children.

play football

Bow is a rubber ball, the skin of which is made of leather, and the ball is stuffed 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.

a rat race

Tug-of-war was invented during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It was called "pulling hook" at that time. The main equipment used is a thick hemp rope with many small hemp ropes at both ends. In ancient times, a flag was the boundary, and it was a victory to see which side pulled the other side over the middle line first (representing the river). The purpose of tug-of-war is to enhance physical fitness. First popular in the army, then popular among the people. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, a large tug-of-war was held in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Since then, tug-of-war has become a Qingming custom.

fly a kite

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.