How did Tomb-Sweeping Day come from?

Brief introduction of Tomb-Sweeping Day

Tomb-Sweeping Day/Qingming

Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as Tomb Sweeping Festival, Ghost Festival and Ghost Festival, is called Sanming Festival together with Zhongyuan Festival on July 15 and Xiayuan Festival on July 10/5, which is related to offering sacrifices to ghosts and gods.

Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as the outing festival, according to the solar calendar, between April 4th and 6th every year, it is the season of beautiful spring and lush vegetation, and it is also a good time for people to have a spring outing (called outing in ancient times), so the ancients had the custom of going for an outing in Qingming and carrying out a series of sports activities. Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as the March Festival in ancient times, has a history of more than 2,000 years.

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. In ancient China, the Qingming Festival was divided into three stages: "One stage was when tung flowers began to bloom; Second, the vole became a quail; I'll see you when I wait for the rainbow. " That is to say, at this time, the white paulownia blooms first, then the happy voles in the shade disappear and all return to the underground caves, and then the rainbow can be seen in the sky after the rain.

Because the 24 solar terms objectively reflect the changes of temperature, rainfall and phenology throughout the year, ancient working people used them to arrange agricultural activities. "Huainanzi Astronomical Training" says: "Fifteen days after the vernal equinox, the bucket refers to B, and the Qingming wind is coming." According to the centenarian question, "everything grows clean and bright at this time." So it is called Qingming. " As soon as Qingming arrives, the temperature rises and the rainfall increases, which is a good time for spring ploughing and planting. Therefore, there is an agricultural proverb that "before and after Qingming, point melons and plant beans" and "planting trees is not as good as Qingming". It can be seen that this solar term is closely related to agricultural production.

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 a traditional festival in China, and it is also the most important festival to worship ancestors and sweep graves. Grave-sweeping is commonly known as going to the grave and offering sacrifices to the dead. Most Han people and some ethnic minorities visit graves in Tomb-Sweeping Day. According to the old custom, when sweeping graves, people should bring food, wine, fruit, paper money and other items to the cemetery, offer food to the graves of their loved ones, then burn the paper money, cultivate new soil for the graves, break some green branches and insert them in front of the graves, then kowtow and worship, and finally go home after eating and drinking. The poem Qingming written by Du Mu, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, said: "There are many rains during the Qingming period, and pedestrians on the road want to break their souls. Ask local people where to buy wine? The shepherd boy pointed to Xinghua Village. " Write about the special atmosphere in Tomb-Sweeping Day. To this day, the custom of worshipping ancestors and mourning the dead relatives in Tomb-Sweeping Day is still very popular.

The origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day

The traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day in China began in the Zhou Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,500 years. In ancient times, it was not as important as the Cold Food Festival the day before, because the dates of Tomb-Sweeping Day and the Cold Food Festival were close, and the people gradually merged their customs. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties (58 1 to 907), Tomb-Sweeping Day and Cold Food Festival gradually merged into the same festival, which became the day to visit graves and worship ancestors, that is, today's Tomb-Sweeping Day. Therefore, Tomb-Sweeping Day has become a fixed custom of the Chinese nation.

Cold food festival-cold food means not getting angry, and you can only eat cold or pre-cooked food. According to legend, this custom originated in the Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, someone in the State of Jin wanted to kill his eldest son, Zhong Er, and the loyal minister Jiezhitui (also known as Jiezhitui) escorted Zhong Er to escape. Even when he was hungry and cold, he would cut off his own meat for Zhong Er to eat, hoping that he would return home safely, become a monarch, and be diligent and love the people.

After more than ten years, Zhong Er finally returned to China to become a monarch, that is, Jin Wengong, one of the five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period, rewarded those who helped him during his exile, but forgot to introduce him. After being reminded by others, he quickly sent someone to invite Jiezhi to come and receive the reward. However, Jie Zhitui and his mother went to live in seclusion in the mountains. Jin Wengong and his courtiers found nothing in the mountains. It is suggested that Yamakaji be released. Jie Zhitui is a dutiful son and will definitely save his mother. However, the fire burned for three days and nights, and there was still no referral. After the fire went out, people found Zhizhi carrying his mother's body under a willow tree. Jin Wengong was so sad and regretful that he buried them under the willow tree. Jin Wengong designated the day when Yamakaji was released as the Cold Food Festival, and stipulated that people were forbidden to use fire and eat cold food for one day to commemorate Jie Zhitui's loyalty.

The following year, Jin Wengong and his ministers climbed to the top of the mountain in plain clothes to pay homage to Jiexiu. They found that the old willow tree buried by Jiexiu came back from the dead. Jin Wengong stepped forward and folded the willow branches into a circle, put them on his head and hung them outside the door as a souvenir, which gradually evolved into today's Tomb-Sweeping Day custom.

In March and April, when spring is bright, pink and green, one of the most important festivals in China's traditional customs is Tomb-Sweeping Day. Tomb-Sweeping Day is now a national grave-sweeping festival. According to Sunday, it is around April 5, and according to the lunar calendar, it is the first half of March. The ancients divided a year into 24 solar terms and used this calendar to sow and harvest. Qingming is one of the twenty-four solar terms, fifteen days after the vernal equinox. According to the saying of "always asking questions": "Everything is long, clean and bright at this time. So it is called Qingming. " Therefore, "Tomb-Sweeping Day" was originally a solar term. Later, the custom of forbidding cold food and fire and beating graves was added, and Tomb-Sweeping Day was formed.

Originally, the Cold Food Festival and Tomb-Sweeping Day were two different festivals. In the Tang Dynasty, the day of sweeping graves was designated as the Cold Food Festival. The correct date of the Cold Food Festival is from winter to the future 105, around Qingming, so Qingming and cold food are combined into one!

The custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors and sweeping graves in front of graves originated very early in China. As early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, people attached great importance to tombs. Mencius and Qi People in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and the Warring States Period also mentioned a person who was laughed at by Qi people. He often went to the tomb of Dongguo to beg for offerings from the tomb, which showed that sweeping graves was very popular during the Warring States period. When I arrived in Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, I designated cold food sweeping the grave as one of the "five rituals". Therefore, whenever Tomb-Sweeping Day comes, "the fields and roads are crowded with scholars and women, and the servants and beggars of soap merchants get their parents' graves." (Liu Zongyuan's Book with Xu Jingzhao) Grave sweeping has become an important social custom.

In spring, when it is still cold, it is forbidden to make a fire to eat cold food, for fear that some old, weak women and children can't stand the cold. In order to prevent cold food from harming their health, outdoor activities such as hiking, outing, swinging, playing football, playing polo, inserting willows, tug of war, fighting cocks, etc. It has been decided that everyone should come out to bask in the sun, exercise their bones and muscles and increase their resistance. Therefore, in addition to ancestor worship and grave-sweeping, there are various outdoor fitness activities in Tomb-Sweeping Day, which make this festival not only have emotional appeal, but also have a joyful atmosphere of spring outing. There are both sad and sour tears in Where Are You Going, and vivid and bright scenes everywhere. This is really a very special festival.

Grave-sweeping in Tomb-Sweeping Day is a festival custom related to funeral customs. According to records, in ancient times, "tombs were not graves", that is to say, only graves were dug and graves were not built, so sacrifices were not recorded. Later, graves and graves, the custom of offering sacrifices to sweep graves, were supported. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, tomb sacrifice has become an indispensable ritual activity.

According to the biography of Yan Yannian in the Han Dynasty, although Yan is thousands of miles away from Beijing, her family will still return to the East China Sea Tomb in Qingming. Yan Yannian's behavior is reasonable in terms of the development and strengthening of ancestor worship and consanguinity consciousness of China people. Therefore, the tomb sacrifices that were not included in the norms in ancient times were also included in the Five Rites: "It is appropriate for a scholar to go to the grave and be included in the Five Rites, and it will always be a routine." With the official affirmation, the wind of tomb sacrifice is bound to prevail. Tomb-Sweeping Day is a festival in memory of ancestors. The main memorial ceremony is to sweep the grave, which is a concrete embodiment of being cautious in pursuing the future, caring for the family and filial piety. Based on the above significance, Tomb-Sweeping Day has become an important festival for China people.

Tomb-Sweeping Day is at the turn of mid-spring and late spring, that is, after the winter solstice 106 days. Grave-sweeping activities are usually held 10 days before or 10 days after Tomb-Sweeping Day. Some people in their hometown have been sweeping graves for a month.

Tomb-Sweeping Day custom

Tomb-Sweeping Day's customs are rich and interesting. In addition to paying attention to the prohibition of fire to sweep graves, there are a series of customs and sports activities such as jogging, swinging, cuju, playing polo and inserting willows. 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.

Swing is a custom in ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day, 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.

Cujuju is a rubber ball, the skin of which is made of leather, and the ball is filled 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.

Hiking is 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. People in our country have always maintained the habit of going for an outing in Qingming.

Before and after planting trees, it is clear, the spring is bright, the spring rain is flying, and the survival rate of seedlings is high and the growth is fast. 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.

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.

Going to the river to sweep the grave on Qingming Festival is called "respecting 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 went to the grave to pay their respects, and the gold ingot was hung on the back of the sedan chair, and the road was full of embarrassment. 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.

Tomb-Sweeping Day's sweeping ceremony was supposed to be held in person, but because of the different economic conditions of each family, the way of sweeping was different. "Burning a bundle" is the main form of paying homage to ancestors. The so-called "baggage", also known as "parcel", refers to the postal parcel that Xiao sent from Shi Yang to the underworld. In the past, Nanzhi store sold the so-called "wrapped skin", that is, a big bag was pasted with white paper. There are two forms: one is a woodcut version with Sanskrit transliteration of "Death Mantra" printed around it, and a lotus memorial tablet printed in the middle with the name of the deceased who received the money, such as "The late Zhang Fujun was afraid of the boss in Yunshan", which is both a package and a memorial tablet. The other is plain foreskin, which does not print any patterns. Just put a blue sign in the middle and write down the name of the deceased. Also used as a master card. There are many kinds of money in the bag.

First burn paper, nine k white paper, and smash four rows of round money, five for each row;

2. Ghost banknotes, which are copied after the world has foreign currency tickets, are written with the words "Paradise Bank", "Ghost Bank" and "Bank of Hell and Cao Yin", and have the pattern of the capital city, mostly with huge denominations, and the Buddhist "death curse" is printed on the back;

3. Fake foreign currency, with cardboard as the core and wrapped in silver foil, suppressing the same pattern as the prevailing silver dollar at that time;

Fourth, the "death curse" printed in red on yellow paper is round money, so it is also called "death money";

Five, with gold foil and silver foil stacked ingots, hammers, and some string into a string, with a colored paper ear at the bottom. In the old society, no matter rich or poor, there was a burning burden. On that day, a confession case was set up in the ancestral hall or the main room of the family house, with the luggage in the middle. In front of it, there are offerings such as jiaozi, cakes and fruits, burning incense and holding candles. After the whole family salutes according to their generations, they can be incinerated outside the door. When incinerating, draw a big circle and leave a gap in the direction of the cemetery. Burning three or five pieces of paper outside the circle is called "special delivery."

Some rich people want to take their families and their families to the grave to pay homage. At this time, it is necessary to repair the grave, or symbolically add soil to the grave and put some paper money on it to let others see and know that there are descendants in this grave. After the sacrifice, some people sat around to eat and drink; Others fly kites and even compete with each other for entertainment. Women and children will also fold some Yang Liuzhi nearby and put on steamed food with wicker. Others weave wicker into reeds and wear them on their heads, saying, "If you don't wear willow in Qingming Festival, you will become a yellow dog in the afterlife." This is a grave-sweeping and an outing. You can't go home until you are happy.

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.

Tomb-Sweeping Day has beautiful spring breeze and trees. People go hiking, sweeping graves and going to graves on this day. Everyone should wear willow, and willow branches should be inserted at the door of every household. Where did this custom come from? There is a legend about Tomb-Sweeping Day related to Liu Yong, a great poet in the Song Dynasty. It is said that Liu Yong lives a dissolute life and often travels between Huajie Liuxiang. Geisha at that time loved their talents and were proud of being favored by Liu Yong. However, Liu Yong was not allowed to have a career because of his bad life. Although he passed the Jinshi, he died in poverty in Xiangyang. His funeral expenses were all raised by singers who admired him. Every year in Tomb-Sweeping Day, the singer will plant willow branches in front of his grave as a souvenir. It has become a custom to plant willow branches on Qingming Festival. In fact, this custom existed as early as the Tang Dynasty. People in the Tang Dynasty believed that wearing willow branches when offering sacrifices by the river on March 3 could get rid of the harm of poisonous insects. After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the custom of inserting willows in Tomb-Sweeping Day was very popular. When people come back from an outing, they stay at home to avoid insects. Whether recorded in folklore or historical records, planting willows in Tomb-Sweeping Day is always related to avoiding diseases and epidemics. During the Spring Festival, the climate gets warmer, and all kinds of germs begin to multiply in large numbers. People can only hope to shake willows and branches under the condition of poor medical conditions.

There is another saying in Tomb-Sweeping Day: It turns out that China people regard Tomb-Sweeping Day, July 30th and the first day of October as the three major ghost festivals, which are the time for ghosts to haunt and ask for help. In order to prevent the harassment and persecution of ghosts, people put willows and put them on. Willow has the function of ward off evil spirits in people's minds. Influenced by Buddhism, people think that willows can exorcise ghosts and call them "ghost trees". Guanyin dipped willow branches in water to help all beings. Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty said in the Book of Qi Yao Min: "Take a willow branch and put it on the house, and a hundred ghosts will not enter the house." Tomb-Sweeping Day is a ghost festival. When wicker sprouted, people naturally inserted willows to ward off evil spirits. The Han people have the custom of "folding willows to bid farewell": Baqiao is in Chang 'an East, crossing the water is the bridge, and the Han people send guests to this bridge and fold willows to bid farewell. Li Bai has a saying: "Willow falls every year, Lingling hurts." In ancient times, on both sides of Chang 'an Baqiao, the embankment was ten miles long, one step at a time. Many people who walk from Chang 'an East come here to bid farewell to their loved ones and fold willow branches to bid farewell to their loved ones, because "willow" is homophonic with "stay" to show the meaning of retaining. This custom originated from the book of songs, Xiaoya Cai Wei, which said, "I was away yesterday, Liu Yiyi." Send a willow tree as a parting gift to express feelings that are inseparable and reluctant to part. Willow is a symbol of spring. Willow swaying in spring always gives people a feeling of prosperity. "Farewell to the Willows" contains the wish that "spring is always there". The ancients sawed off the willows and sent them to each other, which also meant that their relatives, such as willow branches, left their hometown. I hope that when they arrive in a new place, they can take root and sprout quickly, as if willow branches can grow everywhere. It's a good wish for friends. There are also many references to folding willows to give people away in ancient poems. Quan Deyu's poem in Tang Dynasty: "Give me new knowledge", Song Dynasty's poem: "There are no green willows on the other side of the road, don't worry", and Ming Dynasty's poem: "Give someone away when you are old, and the willows on the edge of the city will be folded." Chen Weisong's Ci in Qing Dynasty: "How many border crossings are left? Want a discount. " People will not only feel sad when they see willow trees, but also touch their mood when they hear the song "Breaking Willow". Li Bai's "Smelling the flute in Los Angeles on a Spring Night": "Everyone can't stand the homesickness." In fact, Liu can have many symbolic meanings. The ancients endowed Liu with various feelings, so it is reasonable to borrow Liu to send feelings.