Ancient cold clothes festival to send cold clothes is what kind of

What to buy on the Cold Clothes Festival

There are many kinds of things burned on the Cold Clothes Festival, some of them, in addition to burning paper money and cold clothes, will also burn some papier-maché mansions, automobiles, and some other "luxury" items. Folk believe that after the incineration of these paper money, paper clothes and so on, it will be sent by the letter carrier in the underworld to the designated person in hell.

Nowadays, these sacrificial offerings are readily available on the market, such as paper clothes, paper shoes, paper cars, paper mansions and other sacrificial offerings are well made and can be purchased anywhere, and in some places, people buy these directly and burn them to the deceased. While some places still keep the tradition - the cold clothes to be burned have to be made by hand.

Giving the dead clothing, money and other things, must be burned, only burned clean, these Yang Shi paper, can be transformed into the netherworld of satin cloth, houses, clothes and coverlets and gold, silver and copper money. As long as there is a little bit not burned out, on the former work, the dead can not be used.

In the crossroads to burn some five-color paper, symbolizing the cloth and silk class. The intention is to provide relief to those desperate and lonely souls who have no one to offer sacrifices to their ancestors, so that the winter supplies sent to their loved ones will not be snatched away by them.

What was it like to send cold clothes on the ancient Cold Clothes Festival

The legend is a reflection of real life, and it often finds its basis in historical records. According to evidence, the custom of sending cold clothes can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty. But the custom was fixed in the form of a festival, and the 10th month of the lunar calendar must be the Cold Clothes Festival, which began in the Song Dynasty.

The custom of the cold clothes festival in the Song Dynasty has two main aspects: the granting of clothes and the burning of clothes. The so-called awarding of clothes, that is, the emperor rewarded civil and military officials with cotton clothes as a sign of care. Meng Yuanlao said in Tokyo Menghua Lu: "On October 1, the ministers were clothed with brocade coats for three days." Lv Xizhe's Miscellaneous Records of Years and Times also records, "On the first day of October, the capital generals and schools above the forbidden guards, and give brocade robes. All dress with thanks? Border defense marshal, Du Cao, Zheng Ren Hou, are given brocade robes."

Burning clothes means preparing warm clothes for the deceased and taking them to the grave to be burned. The Tokyo Dreaming Record described the scene of sending cold clothes on October 1 in Kaifeng (Bianliang), the capital city, as follows: in September, "in the second half of the month, we sell clothes, boots and shoes, mats, hats, and clothes to be burned on the first day of the tenth month," which shows that people at that time were very concerned about sending cold clothes. It can be seen that people attached great importance to the matter of sending cold clothes. In the cold clothes before the arrival of the festival, the clothes store will be ready to sacrifice with the clothes, shoes and hats, for people in the October 1 this day to burn the deceased.

To the Ming Dynasty, the custom of sending cold clothes further development, cold clothes are more colorful. The Ming Dynasty Liu Dong, Yu Yizheng's "Imperial Capital Scenery", the capital city of the cold clothes festival made a detailed account of the situation: "October 1, the paper shop cut paper five colors, as men and women clothes, long feet in length, said the cold clothes, there is a sparse sealing of mutilation, know their surnames and characters generation line, such as the book of the book is sent. Family repair equipment night sacrifice, call and burn its door, said to send cold clothes. New mourning, white paper for the, said the new ghosts do not dare clothes color. Send white clothes who cry, female voice nineteen, male voice eleven." In order to show respect for the deceased, then send cold clothes are also very elaborate, not only clothes have certain specifications size, but also solemnly written on the top of the deceased's name, seniority. Sent when there are certain rules: the deceased longer the cold clothes with five-color paper cut, the new deceased cold clothes need to be cut with white paper. To send the new dead cold clothes, but also a cry, women cry nineteen, men cry eleven. In addition, the cold clothes must be burned cleanly. It is said that if a bit of it is not burnt, the deceased cannot take it away.

The Qing Dynasty Cold Clothes Festival basically followed the old customs of the Ming Dynasty, such as Pan Ronghong in the "Imperial Capital Years and Years Jisheng - send cold clothes," said: "October solstice? Scholars and citizens of the family ancestral tomb, such as in the Yuan Yi. In the evening and evening, the book of the medieval kozo, plus five colors of silk made into a crown, belt, clothes and shoes, outside the door and burned, said to send the cold clothes." In the scale and send items, more elaborate than before, not only send clothes, but also send banknotes. Such as in Beijing, before October 1 every year, people go to the south paper store to buy cold clothes paper, buy home and then cut into a long strip of cloth shape, printed with peonies, chrysanthemums, butterflies, and other colors of the pattern, some also cut the cold clothes paper into the shape of clothes and pants. After the cold clothes are made, they are put into the parcels with paper money and money, and then burned in front of the graves. There are also rich people to ask the medieval clothes store framing some leather jacket, leather pants, leather hat and other high-level winter clothes. But no matter what kind of cold clothes, all to paper money, paper ingots. This shows that the Qing Dynasty people send cold clothes, pay more attention to the role of money.

As an important folk activity, send cold clothes with superstitious colors, but it also reflects the respect for the elderly and love the elderly and attach importance to the fine national traditions of affection, and therefore until today, is still popular in our country folk. People in this folk activity, I hope that the deceased loved ones even if the "underground is not better than the cold", but also "better than on earth", never freeze and discouragement of the worry, sent to the loved ones of the thoughts, attachment and good wishes.