Where did the Cold Food Festival come from?

Origin of Cold Food Festival. The most widely circulated theory is to honor Jie Zi Tui of the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, when Prince Chong Er of the State of Jin fled the country and lived a hard life, Jie Zi Pui, who followed him, went so far as to cut a piece of meat from his own leg for him to fill up his hunger. Later, Chong Er returned to Jin, became the king of the state (i.e. Duke Wen of Jin), and rewarded his meritorious ministers. Only Jie Zi Tui, who had been of special help to him, was forgotten. By the time the Duke of Jin recalled Jie Zi Tui's loyalty to him, Jie Zi Tui had already gone to his hometown of Mianshan (southeast of present-day Jiexiu County, Shanxi Province) to live in seclusion, carrying his elderly mother on his back.

Duke Wen of Jin, who was y ashamed, personally led a search for him in Mianshan, but Jie Zi push avoided him. According to the advice of others, the fire burned Mianshan Mountain, leaving a small path, want to take advantage of the forest fire, the mother and son will be out of the mountain to avoid the fire. However, the fire burned for three days and three nights in a row, dozens of miles of forest was burned to charcoal, but still did not see the mother and son of Jie Zi Tui's silhouette. After the fire was extinguished, it was found that he and his son had burned to death by hugging a large tree.

The Cold Food Festival, also known as the "Smoke-free Festival", "Cold Festival", "Hundred and Five Festival", is inherited from the ancient custom of changing the fire. Every early spring season, the climate is dry, not only people save the fire is easy to cause fire, and spring thunder is also easy to cause fire. Ancient people in this season to carry out solemn ritual activities, the previous year passed down all the fire extinguished, that is, "banning the fire", and then re-drill flint to take out the new fire, as the starting point for the new year's production and life, so-called "change the fire" or This is called "changing the fire" or "inviting a new fire". When the fire is changed, a grand ritual is held to burn the symbols of Jikji, the god of grain, called human sacrifices.

The Cold Food Festival, also known as the "Smoke-free Festival," "Cold Festival," and "Hundred and Five Festival," is an inheritance of the ancient custom of changing the fire. Every early spring season, the climate is dry, not only people save the fire is easy to cause fire, and spring thunder is also easy to cause fire. Ancient people in this season to carry out solemn ritual activities, the previous year passed down all the fire extinguished, that is, "banning the fire", and then re-drill flint to take out the new fire, as the starting point for the new year's production and life, so-called "change the fire" or This is called "changing the fire" or "inviting a new fire". When the fire is changed, a grand ritual is held to burn the symbols of Jikji, the god of grain, called human sacrifices.

Tomb-sweeping and ancestor worship on the Cold Food Festival was regarded as a "wild festival" in the North and South Dynasties until the Tang Dynasty. Tang Dynasty, compiled into the "Kaiyuan Rites" "Volume 87 - Wang Gong following the worship and sweep (cold food worship and sweeping attached)", became the official recognition and advocate of one of the auspicious rites. Later on, it evolved into the royal ceremony for the mausoleum, the official ceremony for the Confucius temple and the sages, and the people's ceremony for the graves. When a family or a clan to the ancestors' graves, to worship, add soil, hanging paper money, and then will be pushed Yan, snake pan rabbit scattered on the top of the grave rolled down, with a willow branch or pimple needle threaded, placed in the room in a high place, intended to dip the ancestor's virtue and zephyr.