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★Customs of Qingming Festival

The Qingming Festival is both one of the twenty-four solar terms and a traditional festival with a long history. The day before Qingming is called the Cold Food Festival. The two festivals coincide with the spring of March, the spring is bright and beautiful, peach and willow green, a thriving weather. During the Qingming Cold Food Festival, there are folk customs such as forbidding fire and cold food, offering ancestors and sweeping tombs, and trekking. There are also traditional activities such as swinging, flying kites, planting trees, trekking and sweeping tombs. Make Qingming a poetic festival.

The festival includes giving fire for cold food, sweeping tombs at Qingming, trekking, playing polo, flying kites, swinging, cockfighting, tug-of-war and so on.

◆Swinging

This is an ancient Qingming custom in China. Swinging means to migrate by holding the leather rope. Its history is very ancient, first called thousand autumns, and then changed to swing in order to avoid taboos. Ancient swing with tree branches for the frame, and then bolted on the ribbon made. Later gradually developed into a swing with two ropes and pedals. Playing the swing can not only improve health, but also cultivate the spirit of bravery, which is still loved by people, especially children.

◆Cuju

Cuju is a kind of leather ball made of leather and stuffed with wool. Cuju is to kick the ball with the foot. It is a favorite game during the ancient Qingming Festival. It is said to have been invented by the Yellow Emperor, and its original purpose was to train warriors.

◆Treading Green

It is also called spring tour. In ancient times, it was called exploring spring, searching for spring and so on. In March, when spring returns to the earth, nature shows a vibrant scene everywhere, which is a good time for excursions. China's folk have long maintained the habit of trekking in Qingming.

◆Tree Planting

Before and after the Qingming Festival, the spring sun shines and the spring rain falls, planting saplings with high survival rate and fast growth. Therefore, since ancient times, China has the habit of planting trees at Qingming. Some people also call the Qingming Festival "Tree Planting Day". Tree-planting custom has been handed down to the present day. 1979, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress stipulated that every year on March 12 for China's Tree Planting Day. It is of great significance to mobilize people of all nationalities to actively carry out activities of greening the motherland.

◆Kite Flying

It is also a favorite activity of people during the Qingming Festival. Every Qingming Festival, people not only fly kites in the daytime, but also at night. At night, a string of small colorful lanterns are hung under the kite or on the wind steady pulling line, which is like a flickering star and is called "God's lantern". In the past, some people put the kites on the blue sky, then cut the string, let the wind send them to the end of the world, it is said that this can get rid of diseases and bring good luck to themselves.

◆Playing Polo An ancient activity.

◆Tomb-sweeping

Tomb-sweeping at Ching Ming is said to be "thinking of the time of honor" for ancestors. The custom has a long history. According to Ming Dynasty Beijing Scenic Spectacle, "On Qingming Day in March, men and women sweep the graves, carrying Zunxu and hanging kozo ingots on the backs of palanquins and horses, and the road is full of worshippers, libationists, and weepers. Those who worship, pour libations, cry, and weed the graves, burn kozo ingots and put paper money on the graves. If there is no paper money, the grave will be left alone. Weeping, do not return, tend to the fragrant trees, choose the garden, sit in the list of all drunk." In fact, tomb-sweeping before the Qin Dynasty, but not necessarily on the occasion of Qingming, Qingming tomb-sweeping is after the Qin Dynasty. Only in the Tang Dynasty did it begin to flourish. "Qing Tongli" cloud: "year, cold food and frost festival, worship sweeping Xieng Khouang tombs, the period plain clothes at the tomb, with wine and food and scythes cut grass and trees of the device, Zhou calloused seal tree, cut off the thorns and grasses, it is known as sweeping the tomb." And passed on to this day.

According to the long-established custom, in the old days, Beijing people more in the Qingming tomb sweeping, but the ceremony is not in the Qingming day, but in the near Qingming "single" day held. It is said that only the monks sweep the graves on the day of Qingming.

The Ching Ming ceremony should be held in person at the graveyard, but because the economic and other conditions of each family are different, the way of cleaning is also different.

"Burning the baggage" is the main form of ancestor worship. The so-called "package", also known as "parcel", is a parcel that is sent to the "netherworld" from the world of filial piety. In the past, the so-called "baggage skin" was sold in the southern paper store, i.e. a big pocket made of white paper. There are two forms: one is a woodcut version, printed around the Sanskrit translation of the "mantra", the center of a Lotus seat, used to write on the name of the deceased to receive money, such as: "the late Zhang Fu Jun, the boss of the mountain," the words, both the mailbag and the seat of the card. Another is a plain wrapping skin, do not print any pattern, the center of only a blue sticker, write the name of the deceased can be. Also do the main card.

About the money in the package, there are many kinds. First, the big burnt paper, nine K white paper, smashed on the four lines of round money, each line of five; second, the medieval banknotes, which is the earth has a foreign money after the imitation of the banknotes, on the book "Bank of Paradise", "Hades Bank", "hell of the netherworld bank "and so on, and has the pattern of the city of □, more than a huge amount of tickets, printed on the back of the Buddhist "mantra of the living"; third, fake foreign money, with cardboard for the heart, wrapped in silver foil, pressed with the prevailing pattern of the same silver dollar; fourth, printed in red on the yellow sheet of paper "mantra of the living", into a round money, so it's called "the living money "; five, with gold and silver foil folded into the dollar, grease-pot, some also threaded into a string, the lower side of a colorful paper spikes.

Old times, regardless of rich and poor have burned baggage action. On this day, in the ancestral hall or the main house of the family house set up offerings, will be placed in the center of the package, set before the dumplings, cakes, fruits and other offerings, burning incense and candles. After the whole family salutes in order of seniority, the package is incinerated outside the door. When incinerating, make a big circle and leave a gap according to the direction of the grave. Burning three or five sheets of paper outside the circle is called "sending out the evil spirits".

Some rich families have to bring their families by car and sedan chair, and personally go to the graves. At that time to repair the grave, or symbolically add soil to the grave, but also on the top of the pressure of some paper money, so that others see, know that this grave still have descendants. After the festival, some people sit around and eat and drink; others fly kites and even compete with each other in recreational activities. The women and children also folded some willow branches nearby, and put the steamed food offerings on the willow. Some of the willow woven into a wicker circle, wearing on the head, said "Qingming not wear willow, the next life into a yellow dog". This is a tomb-sweeping and picnic, and the party returns.

◆Plugging in willow

It is said that the custom of plugging in willow is also in honor of Shennong, the ancestor of agriculture who "teaches the people to harvest". In some places, people put willow branches under the eaves to forecast the weather, the old proverb "willow green, rainy; willow dry, sunny days". Huang Chao revolt stipulated that "the period of clearing, wear willow for the number". After the failure of the uprising, the custom of wearing willow was gradually eliminated, and only the willows prevailed. Willow has a strong vitality, as the saying goes: "If you plant a flower, it will not grow; if you don't plant a flower, it will become a shade." Willow inserted into the soil on the living, inserted where, living where, year after year into the willow, everywhere into the shade.

There is another way of saying willow in Qingming: the original Chinese people to Qingming, half of July and the October solstice for the three major ghosts, is the time of the ghosts out to discuss. People in order to prevent the ghosts of the persecution, and inserted willow wear willow. Willow in people's minds have the function of warding off evil spirits. Influenced by Buddhism, people believe that the willow can be but ghosts, and called "ghosts horror wood", Guan Shiyin to willow branches dipped in water to help all beings. Northern Wei JiaSiFu "qimin yaojutsu" said: "take the willow branch on the household, a hundred ghosts do not enter the home." Qingming is a ghost festival, the willow sprouting season, people naturally have inserted willow wear willow to ward off evil spirits.

The Han people had a custom of "folding the willow to give goodbye": Ba Bridge was located in the east of Chang'an, and it was used as a bridge across the water, so the Han people would send their guests to this bridge by folding the willow to give them goodbye. Li Bai wrote, "The color of the willows makes Ba a sad place to say goodbye every year." On both sides of the Ba Bridge in Chang'an in ancient times, the embankment was ten miles long, with a willow at each step. People going east from Chang'an would often come here to say goodbye and break willow branches to bid farewell to their loved ones, as the word "willow" harmonizes with the word "stay" to express the meaning of staying. This custom first originated in the Classic of Poetry. Xiao Ya. Caiwei" in the "I used to go, willow,". With the parting gift willow to express the hard to part, can not bear to part, the heart of love. Willow is the symbol of spring, and the swaying willow in spring always gives people a sense of prosperity. The "parting of the willow" implies the wish that "spring will always be here". Ancient people sent off their loved ones by folding the willow, which is also a metaphor for their departure from the countryside, just like the willow that leaves its branches, hoping that it will quickly take root and sprout in a new place, just like the willow branches that can live anywhere. It is a kind of good wishes for friends.

The poems and lyrics of the ancients also made a lot of references to willow bending as a farewell gift. In the Tang Dynasty, Quan Deyi's poem reads, "The new acquaintance is given a gift by folding a willow"; in the Song Dynasty, Jiang Baishi's poem reads, "I am afraid that there are no green willow branches on the road of farewell"; and in the Ming Dynasty, Guo Deng's poem reads, "Year after year, I have been sending away people, and folding up all the willows by the road side of the border city." In the Qing Dynasty, Chen Weisong wrote: "How many willow branches are left today? To be folded and gifted." People not only see the willow will cause parting sorrow, even hear the song "folding willow", will also touch the feelings of separation. Li Bai's "Hearing the flute in the city of Luo Cheng on a spring night": "When I hear the willow in the song on this night, I can't recall the feelings of the old garden." In fact, the willow tree can have various symbolic meanings, and the ancients gave the willow tree all kinds of feelings, so borrowing the willow to send feelings is a reasonable thing

◆Wearing Willow

Wearing willow at Ching Ming Festival, there will be willow branches braided into a circle and worn on the head, and there are also young willow branches scraped and knotted into a flower and inserted in a bun, and there are also willow branches inserted directly into a bun. Ming Dynasty Tian Rucheng "West Lake Tourism Zhiyu": Qingming, "home willow full of eaves, green Xi lovely, men and women or wear it.

Today's Wuhu Ancient and Modern: Ching Ming, "early in the morning, the market sells willows, families folded a branch of green willow dipped in water, inserted on the lintel, women are knot willow ball, worn in the temples".

A recent writer, Susanna Yang, wrote a song called "Mew Song of Shantang": "In the blink of an eye, I heard willow being sold along the street. We are all in close proximity to our sisters, and we are all in the green clouds." A folk proverb says: "If you don't wear a willow at Qingming, your face will turn into a white head." "If you don't wear a willow at Ching Ming, you'll die a yellow dog." "If you don't wear a willow at Ching Ming, you'll become a dog or a pig in the next life." It shows that wearing willow has the function of warding off evil spirits. The custom of wearing willow at Qingming is found all over the world.

Qing Guangxu two years "Huai'an County Records": Qingming, "insert willow in the door, men and women also wear. Proverbs: 'Qingming not wear willow, red face into white head'".

The Qing dynasty willow wear willow, in most parts of our country is to ward off evil spirits, but in some places there is the meaning of Nianhua, there is the so-called Ching Ming willow "Nianhua", "Ching Ming do not wear willow, red face into white head" said. This custom is the Song Dynasty "cold food" crown ceremony remains. Song dynasty will be men and women adult crown ceremony time unified in the "cold food" festival, regardless of the birth of the year, "all officials and citizens, regardless of large and small family, the children have not yet crowned maturity, this day on the head." (Mengliang Records) (Mengliang Records) Dai liu is a sign of adulthood.

Accordingly, the later generations will have "Ji Nianhua" of the legacy of custom, and evolved into a woman wearing a willow ball in the sideburns to pray for the red face of the custom of eternal life. Here, the green spring willow, and symbolizes the meaning of youth. When the spring women wear willow, it shows the youthfulness of the cherish and attachment.