Articles about celebrating traditional festivals in China and analyzing the characteristics

Festival Name Date (Lunar Calendar) Brief Description

Spring Festival The first day of the first month of the lunar calendar is commonly known as New Year's Day, which traditionally lasts from New Year's Eve at the end of the year and the first day of the first month of the new year to the fifteenth day of the first month of the first lunar month

The Spring Festival The Spring Festival The Spring Festival The spring festival The spring festival is known as spring from this day until the beginning of summer

Man's Day The 7th day of the first month of the first lunar month The legend says that Nuwa created the living creatures and made a man on the seventh day of the lunar month, therefore the seventh day is the birthday of the human being

Grain Day The eighth day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the eighth day of the grain

The Day of Heaven The ninth day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the ninth day of heaven

The Day of Earth The tenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the tenth day of the earth

The Lantern Festival The fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar is also known as the Shangyuan Festival, the Small New Year's Day, the First Night Festival, and the Festival of Lights

The Day of Heavenly Pathways The twenty-first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, the twenty-fifth day of the month of the lunar calendar, is the festival of the plentiful supply of grains

The Day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the Obscurity Festival, a day which was abolished by the Tang Dynasty<

Chung Wo Festival, 1st day of February*, mixed with Chun Long Festival

Chun Long Festival, 2nd day of February, mixed with Chun Wo Festival

Flower Festival, 15th day of February*, birthday of the God of Flowers

Guanyin's Birthday, 19th day of February

Spring Equinox Festival, Spring Equinox, equalization of day and night and equalization of summer and winter

Shang Si Festival, 3rd day of March, springtime, to purify and cleanse the shoreline.

Cold Food Festival 105 days after the winter solstice, one or two days before Ching Ming Festival, also known as Cooked Food Festival, No Smoking Festival, Cold Festival

Ching Ming Festival, Ching Ming Festival, ancestor worship and grave sweeping

Bathing Buddha Festival, the eighth day of the fourth lunar month [Buddhism] Sakyamuni's birth anniversary. It is also known as Buddha's Birthday, Longhua Hui, Huayan Hui, etc.

Bixia Yuanjun Festival April 18th [Taoism] Birthday of Bixia Yuanjun, the Taishan Niangniang (Lady of Taishan)

Duanwu Festival May 5th, also known as Duanyang Festival, Noon Festival, May Festival, Wuzhi Festival, etc.

Rain Festival May 13th, also known as Rain Festival, Bamboo Drunkenness Festival, and Guan Gong's Sword Sharpening Festival

Splitting of the Dragons Festival May 20th*, splitting of the dragons to bring down the rains

Summer Solstice Festival Summer Solstice, the first day of the summer solstice. p>Summer Solstice Festival Summer Solstice to the local elf

Tian Kuang Festival; Auntie's Festival June 6 June 6, Sun Bug Festival, Bug King Festival, Return to Mother's House Festival?

Guanyin Festival, June 19* [Buddhist] Guanyin Dengliantai Day

Guanyin Festival, June 24, Lotus Life Day

Seventh Night of the Seventh Month, July 7, also known as Begging for Qiaojiao, Seven Coincidences Festival or Seven Sisters' Birthday, Altair and Vega Galaxy meet

Autumn Purification, July 14, Autumn, pulling the Purification

Middle Era Festival, July 15, also known as the Bon Festival, the Bon Bon Festival, popularly known as the half of the seventh month, the Ghost Festival, etc., and there are customs such as soul worship. It is also known as the Bon Festival and the Ghost Festival, and has the custom of offering sacrifices to the souls.

Loksu Festival; Jizo Festival July 29 Eggplant Festival; [Buddhist] Jizo Festival

Tianmai Festival August 1 Exorcism

Mid-Autumn Festival August 15 Also known as Autumn Festival, August Festival, Moon Festival, and Reunion Festival. Customs include enjoying the moon, eating mooncakes and playing with lanterns.

Chrysanthemum Festival The ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar is called "Chrysanthemum Festival" because nine is the number of yang. Customs include climbing up to a higher altitude, inserting dogwoods and drinking chrysanthemum wine.

Guanyin Festival September 19th [Buddhist] Guanyin's Day

Cold Clothes Festival The first day of October, also known as the Clothes Festival and the Festival of the Underworld, is a day of worship for ancestors.

Xiaoyuan Festival October 15, "Water Officer Emperor" Yu's birthday, also known as the Day of Disaster Relief, the next Yuan Water Officer Festival

Winter Solstice Festival Winter Solstice, the cathodic solstice, the beginning of the birth of yang

Exorcise the day of Lunar New Year's Day Lunar New Year's Day to drive away the disease

Lunar New Year Festival Lunar New Year's Day Lunar New Year's Day According to legend, it is the day of the completion of the path of Sakyamuni in the Buddha Yabu, so it is also known as "Buddha's Day". The eighth day of the Lunar New Year is said to be the day that Sakyamuni became a Buddhist monk under the Buddha Yabodhi. The first day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar is the Spring Festival. Modern collectively referred to as the Spring Festival, the word "New Year's Day" to refer to "the first day of the first month of the Western calendar".

The date with a "*" sign indicates that there is a dispute.

Three, the Chunghwa Festival and the Chunryong Festival were actually mixed.

Four, some major festivals (such as the spring equinox, winter solstice, etc.) can be categorized as festivals because of their general solemnity or richness of content, but the rest of the ordinary festivals are not categorized.

Fifth, after all, folk traditions are not the same as religious traditions, so inside a few folk had been prevalent in the Buddhist festivals are not introduced in detail, only listed in the overview.

Sixth, some festivals have fixed religious activities, but the folk culture color is more intense, so in this information is not classified as religious festivals. "Shangshu Dazhuan" also known as the first day of the year only Chao, the month of three Chao, the day of Chao, it is also known as wrathful.

Since the Gregorian calendar is dominated by the year, the common will be January 1 of the Gregorian calendar known as New Year's Day. The first day of the first month of the lunar calendar should not be called New Year's Day to avoid confusion. Because the first day of the first month from the establishment of the Spring Festival is very close, it is called the Spring Festival. New Year's Day for the beginning of the year, so the official folk, are thought to be a big holiday. Song "wild guest book" cloud: the state government and private to the winter solstice, Yuanzheng, cold food three big festival for the big festival, seven days off.

The Spring Festival is the grandest traditional folk festival. Generally from the last day of the lunar month (New Year's Eve) until the fifth day of the first month. New Year's Eve dinner is the most sumptuous, boiled pig's head and pig's tail (which means to do things with a head and tail), rooster, fish (which means that the year is full), eat green onions (which means smart), garlic (calculating), a large variety of vegetables (which means unity and harmony), mixed with the rice grain (to get the "grain more" in the auspicious words), cooked food sacrifices to the sky and the earth, Zaojun, the ancestors, the family get together to eat and drink to their heart's content. In the evening, everyone washes their feet (a sign of good luck), and the older people give "New Year's money" to the younger ones, ranging from a few cents to tens of hundreds of yuan. Young people keep watch until late at night, when the clock strikes zero, competing fireworks, to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, get up early to grab the first water, burning incense at the well, a good omen. Early posting of Spring Festival couplets (or the first day posted), firecrackers, wearing new clothes. When you get up, do not urge to shout, in the hall to scatter change, let the children get up early and pick up. Do not move the kitchen knife (that can be safe all year round), do not sweep the floor (that will sweep away the wealth), open the door to read "open the door of wealth, gold and silver treasure rolled in". Early in the morning to eat steamed cakes, rice flowers, lunch to eat dumplings (commonly known as dumplings) or dumplings, after dinner are out to play. Many villages play dragons and lions, singing lanterns.

Miao Chinese New Year, the first to the fifth "stamping flower mountain" (Green Miao language called "O Road"), held a grand recreational activities, said the organizer for the "You Houdao". Some New Year's Eve feed cows with glutinous rice, put red paper on their horns, and pull them to the well to "look in the mirror". On the second, fourth and sixth day of the first month of the three days to kill the pig sacrifice "door master", or sacrifice "fire dragon pig", sacrifices outsiders and women are not allowed to participate in, Han Chinese are not allowed to peek. It is believed that the sacrifice of the "master of the door" in order to get the blessing of the ancestors, the next year in order to wind and rain, a good harvest. In addition, the first month or two, March, the whole village village in the hillside sacrifice "Mars" (i.e., "Fire God"), in order to pray for the village not to fire.

(Note from Nanzhi: See the last section of the full data: New Year's Eve)

Lantern Festival

The 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the traditional Chinese Lantern Festival, also known as the Shangyuan Festival, the Lantern Festival, or the Lantern Festival. The first month of the year is the first month of the year, the ancient people called the night "night", and the fifteenth day of the year is the first night of the full moon, so the fifteenth day of the first month of the year is called the "Lantern Festival".

The Lantern Festival began in the Han Dynasty, according to Chinese folk tradition, in the beginning of the festival night, the bright moon hanging high in the sky, on the ground colorful lanterns, people watch the lanterns, riddles, eating Lantern Festival, the family reunion, happy.

---- Lantern Festival Customs ----

-Burning Lantern Society

Since the Lantern Festival custom was formed, successive dynasties have been to the 15th of the first month of the Lantern Lantern Lantern as a major event. Liang Jianwendi once wrote a "light fugue": "South oil is full, the West paint to burn. Su Zheng rest, wax out of Longchuan. The slanting sunlight is reflected, and the reflection is clear and fresh." It depicted the pomp and circumstance of the palace at the Lantern Festival. In the time of Emperor Yang of Sui, a grand party was held on the 15th day of the first month every year to entertain the guests and envoys from all over the world. According to the "Sui book - music" records: the Lantern Festival is very grand, everywhere lights and colors, day and night singing, dancing and playing music, performers up to more than 30,000 people, playing music up to more than 18,000 people, the stage is eight miles long, playing the people watching the lights is countless, all night long, enjoy the fun, lively very much. In the Tang Dynasty, it developed into an unprecedented lantern market, and after the Middle Tang Dynasty, it has developed into a national carnival. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (AD 685--762), the beginning of the heyday, Chang'an lamp market is very large, burning lamps 50,000, lanterns, lanterns, the emperor ordered to make a giant lamp building, as wide as 20 rooms, 150 feet high, bright gold, extremely spectacular. Tang Dynasty is the implementation of the curfew, the night ban on the drums will be prohibited from traveling, criminal night to be punished; only in the first yuan festival, the emperor chartered three days, known as "put the night". Along to the Song Dynasty, the lights from three nights extended to five nights, lights outside the fireworks, performing a variety of juggling, the scene is more lively. Tokyo Dreaming Records recorded: Every Lantern Festival, Kaifeng Imperial Street, ten thousand colored lanterns base lamps mountain, lanterns fireworks, gold and blue shot, embroidery and glitter. The girls of Kyoto sang and danced, and ten thousand people gathered around to watch." Tourists gathered under the two corridors of the Imperial Street, strange arts and crafts, singing and dancing, and music and noise for more than ten miles." The streets and alleys, tea houses and wine shops lights and candles, drums and gongs, firecrackers, hundreds of miles of lights endless compatriots from all over the world to celebrate the Lantern Festival.

To the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang in Jinling after the throne, in order to make the capital prosperous and lively, and the provisions of the eighth day of the first month on the lights, seventeen lights, even Zhang ten nights, every house is hanging colorful lanterns, lanterns depicting a variety of characters, dancing, birds flying flowers. Dragons and fish leap, lanterns and fireworks shine all night long. Drums and music. The clamor of the day, which is our country's longest festival of lights.

The Qing Dynasty, Manchu dominated the Central Plains, the court no longer do lights, folk lights but still spectacular. The date was shortened to five days and has continued to this day.

-Guessing Lantern Riddles

"Guessing Lantern Riddles", also known as "playing Lantern Riddles", is an activity added after the Lantern Festival, Lantern Riddles were first developed from riddles, originating in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It is a kind of literary game which is full of ridicule, admonition, warning, wit and jest. Riddles are hung in lamps for people to guess and shoot, which began in the Southern Song Dynasty. The Old Story of Wulin - Lanterns" recorded: "Silk lamps cut and written poems, sometimes with ridicule and laughter, and painting characters, hidden hidden words, and gags in the old capital, teasing pedestrians." Lantern Festival, the Imperial City is not night, the spring Lantern Festival lanterns, the people mixed, poetry riddles book in the lamp, reflected in the candle, listed in the thoroughfare, let people guess, so called "lantern riddles". Nowadays, every Lantern Festival, all places are playing lantern riddles, hoping that this year can be joyful and peaceful. The riddles are popular among all levels of society because they are both intellectually stimulating and interesting.

"Guessing lantern riddles", also known as "playing lantern riddles", is an activity added after the Lantern Festival, which appeared in the Song Dynasty. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the capital Lin'an made riddles every Lantern Festival, and there were many people guessing riddles. At the beginning of the riddles were written on strips of paper and pasted on colorful lanterns for people to guess. The riddles were popular among people from all walks of life because they were both intellectually stimulating and interesting.

-The Dragon Dance

The Dragon Dance is also known as the Dragon Dance or Dragon Dance. Its origin can be traced back to ancient times. Legend has it that as early as during the time of the Yellow Emperor, in a large-scale song and dance called "Qingjiao", there was an image of a dragon with a bird's head and body played by a human being, and then a dance scene with six augur dragons interspersed with each other was choreographed. See in the written records of the dragon dance, is the Han Dynasty Zhang Heng's "Xijing Fu", the author of the hundred plays in the narrative of the dragon dance made a vivid depiction. According to the "sui book - music" records, sui yang emperor, similar to the dragon dance performance in the hundred theater "yellow dragon change" is also very wonderful, dragon dance is popular in many parts of our country. The Chinese nation reveres the dragon as a symbol of good luck.

-Lion Dance

Lion Dance is an excellent folk art in our country, every Lantern Festival or gathering celebration, folk are to lion dance to cheer. This custom originated in the Three Kingdoms period and became popular during the North and South Dynasties, and has a history of more than a thousand years.

-Stilt-walking

Stilt-walking is a kind of mass skill performance popular among the people. Stilts are one of the hundred ancient plays in China, which appeared as early as the Spring and Autumn Period. China's earliest introduction to stilts is "Liezi - said Fu" chapter: "Song have Lanzi, to skill dry Song Yuan. Song Yuan called and made to see his skills.

-Rowing Dry Boats

Rowing dry boats, according to folklore, commemorates Dayu, who was successful in water control. Rowing a dry boat, also known as running a dry boat, is to imitate the boat on land, the performance of running a dry boat is mostly girls. Dry boat is not a real boat, more than two thin boards, sawed into a boat shape, bamboo and wood tied into, and then masked with colorful cloth, set of ties in the girl's waist, as sitting in the boat, as in the hands of the same paddle, to do the rowing position, one side running, one side singing some local ditties, singing and dancing, which is the rowing of dry boat. Sometimes there is another man dressed as a boat passenger, partnering with the show, is mostly dressed as a clown, with a variety of comical actions to amuse the audience joy. Rowing dry boat is popular in many parts of China.

-Eating Lantern Festival

China's folk custom of eating Lantern Festival. According to folklore, the Lantern Festival originated from King Zhao of Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period. On the fifteenth day of the first month, King Zhao of Chu passed by the Yangtze River and saw something floating on the surface of the river, a kind of sweet food that was white on the outside and red on the inside. King Zhao of Chu consulted Confucius, who said, "This floating fruit is also a sign of revival of the Lord". Lantern Festival and the Spring Festival rice cakes, Dragon Boat Festival dumplings, are festive food. Eating the Lantern Festival symbolizes the reunion of the family like the full moon, and sends people's good wishes for the future life. Lantern Festival in the south called "dumplings", "round", "floating rounds", "water round", made of glutinous rice, or They are made of glutinous rice, either solid or filled with bean paste, sugar, hawthorn, etc. They can be boiled, fried, steamed or deep-fried.

-Sacrifices for doors and households

There were seven ancient sacrifices, and these are two of them. They were performed by sticking a branch of a poplar tree above a gateway, inserting a pair of chopsticks into a bowl of bean porridge, or placing wine and meat directly in front of the door.

-Rats

This activity is mainly said to people who raise silkworms. Because rats often ate the silkworms in large pieces at night, people heard that on the 15th day of the first lunar month, they fed the rats with rice gruel so that they could stop eating the silkworms. So, these people in the first month of the fifteenth simmering on a big pot of sticky porridge, some also covered with a layer of meat on the top, the porridge with a bowl, put the porridge into the rat-infested roofs, corners, and put the side of the mouth while chanting, cursing the rats to eat silkworms again on the baby shall not die.

The Jing Chu chronicle said, the first month of the fifteenth time, there is a fairy down to a family surnamed Chen, said to them: if you can worship me, this year, let your silkworm harvest. Then the custom was formed.

-Sending children lamps

Short for "sending lamps", also known as "sending lanterns," etc., that is, before the Lantern Festival, the mother's family to send lanterns to the family of the daughter of the newly married, or general friends and relatives to give the newly married family of the infertile, in order to add a good omen because the "lamp" and "lamps" are the same as the "lamps" and the "lamps" are the same as the "lamps" of the newly married family of the infertile. "Lights" and "Ding" harmonized. This custom in many places, Xi'an, Shaanxi area is the first eight to fifteen during the first month to send lamps, the first year to send a pair of large lanterns, a pair of glass lamps with colorful paintings, hope that the daughter of the marriage of the lucky star, early birth of a child; such as the daughter of the pregnancy, in addition to the large lanterns, but also to send one or two pairs of small lanterns, wishing the daughter a safe pregnancy.

-Welcome the purple nun

Purple nun is also known as the Chi Nun, the northern part of the more known as the toilet nun, pit three nuns. Ancient folk custom on the fifteenth day of the first month to welcome the toilet god Zigu and sacrifice, divination sericulture, and account for many things. Legend has it that the purple nun was originally a concubine, jealous of the older women, the first month of the fifteenth was killed in the toilet, the toilet god. Every day to welcome the purple nun this night, people with straw, cloth, etc. tied into a life-size portrait of the purple nun, and at night in the toilet between the pigsty to meet and worship. This custom is popular throughout the north and south, as early as the period of the North and South Dynasties in the records.

-Walking the hundred diseases

"Walking the hundred diseases", also known as the tour of the hundred diseases, scattered hundred diseases, baked hundred diseases, walk the bridge, etc., is a kind of elimination of disasters and pray for health activities. Lantern Festival night women meet to travel, traveling in pairs, see the bridge must be over, that can get rid of diseases and prolong life. Walking 100 diseases is a custom in the north since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, some in the 15th, but more in the 16th. On this day, women dressed in festive costumes, groups of people out of the house, walking bridge across the danger, climbed the city, touching the nail for a child, until midnight, to return.

Shang Si Festival

Shang Si Festival is an ancient Han Chinese traditional festival, in some ethnic minorities have also been passed down, commonly known as the third of March, also known as the "Daughter's Day". Rich in meaning, in the beginning is a day of self-cleaning - purging bath; in addition to the Daughter's Day - one of China's many Daughter's Day; and finally can be said to be the ancient tradition of Valentine's Day - the day can be free to show their love. The last can also be called the ancient traditional Valentine's Day - a day to show love at will, the "Zhou Li" declares that "those who run are not forbidden" (what do you think the meaning of "run" is here?). ^_^).

Previously, the Han Dynasty, the first six days of March, the first six days of March called "on the six". Later fixed in the summer calendar on the third day of the third month, because the third day of the third month of the sixth day of the sixth day of the sixth month.

This is a beautiful festival of fluctuating styles, this day, people have come to the river islet ponds and swamps of the water, to spring water to wash dirt, that this can be removed throughout the winter of the accumulated disease, in the new year, clean immunity, good luck. "on the Si" is not only to get rid of evil seeking auspicious festivals, but also free and happy spring tour, young men and women to the field to trekking, splashing water play, free to choose a spouse. On this day, in addition to married and family funeral, unmarried men and women are to participate in the official organization of the "magpie bridge". After the Wei and Jin dynasties fixed for March 3rd.

Ching Ming Festival

"Fifteen days after the vernal equinox, are designated as the Qingming, when everything is clean and clear, cover when the gas is clear and bright, everything is clear, so the name." Among the twenty-four festivals in a year, the folk pay special attention to the Qingming Festival on April 5 of the lunar calendar. It is an ancient festival and an affectionate holiday valued by the Chinese.

The Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu's poem "Qingming" says: "Rain falls one after another during the Qingming Festival, and pedestrians on the road want to break their souls. Where are the taverns? The shepherd boy pointed to the apricot blossom village." It writes about the special atmosphere of Qingming Festival.

The popularity of the Qingming festival is inherited from the Han Dynasty, and then popularized among the people, which has lasted for two thousand years, with some regions inserting willow branches on their doors. On this day, families of filial piety to the outskirts of the ancestral tombs, monuments, graves, graves pressed money and paper, or in the cemetery meal, or return to the sacrificial tablets at home after the meal. In recent times, filial sons and daughters may not always observe the Qingming Festival to sweep the graves. Some will worship a few days before the festival, and some will worship on a number of days of the festival, only to generalize that it is the Qingming grave worship.

Trekking is a side show to accompany Qingming. After sweeping the graves, families take advantage of the opportunity to have some fun in the mountains and fields, breaking willow branches to wear on their heads, and then returning home at nightfall.

----Customs of Qingming ----

The customs of Qingming are rich. The family steamed Qingming fruit to give each other, not only pay attention to the ban on fire, sweeping the tomb, there are a series of customs and sports activities such as trekking, swinging, Cuju, playing polo, willow and so on. Legend has it that this is because the Qingming Festival to cold food and fire ban, in order to prevent cold food and cold food injury, so we come to participate in some sports activities, in order to exercise the body. Therefore, this festival is a festival rich in local flavor with both the sad and sour tears of sweeping new graves and parting from life and death, and the laughter of trekking and playing.

-Sweeping the graves

It is called "thinking of the time and honoring the ancestors". The custom has a long history. Ming Dynasty Beijing Scenic Spectaculars: "On Qingming Day in March, men and women sweep the tombs, carrying Zunxu, and hanging kozo ingots on the backs of the sedan chairs and horses, all over the road with a great deal of charm. 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 down to this day. Qingming ceremony should be held in person to the graveyard, but due to the economic and other conditions of each family is not the same, so the way of cleaning is also different. The main form of ancestor worship is the "burning of baggage". The so-called "package," also known as "parcel," refers to the parcel that a filial son sends to the "netherworld" from the earthly world. In the past, the so-called "baggage skin" was sold in the southern paper store, i.e., a large 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. Regarding the money in the package, there are many kinds of money. First, a large burnt paper, nine K white paper, smashed on four lines of round money, five per line; Second, the meditative money, which is the earth has a foreign money after the imitation of the banknotes, on the book "Bank of Paradise", "Underworld Bank", "the netherworld bank of hell "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 a treasure, grease-pot, some also threaded into a string, the lower side of a colorful paper spike. In the old days, regardless of the 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 up dumplings, cakes, fruit 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 with their families in cars and sedan chairs, personally 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.

-Worship

Some people sit around and eat and drink; others fly kites and even compete with each other in recreational activities. The women and children will also break 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 and excursion, the party returned. Willow It is said that the custom of willow planting is also to commemorate Shen Nong's agricultural ancestor who "taught the people to gather crops". In some places, people put willow branches under the eaves of the house to forecast the weather, and there is an old proverb that says, "When the willow is green, it rains; when the willow is dry, it is sunny". 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 do not plant a willow, 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. Qingming willow wear willow there is a saying: the original Chinese people to Qingming, July half and October solstice for the three major ghosts, is a hundred ghosts out of the time to ask for. 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 willow branches on the household, a hundred ghosts do not enter the home." Qingming is a ghost festival, the willow sprouting season, people have naturally inserted willow wear willow to ward off evil spirits.

-Treading Green

Treading Green

It is also known as exploring spring, searching for spring, and picnicking. Its meaning is to step on the green grass, play in the countryside, viewing the spring colors. March Qingming, spring back to the earth, the natural world everywhere presents a vibrant scene, it is a great time for excursions. China's folk long maintained the Qingming trekking habit. Before and after the Qingming is a good time for trekking, so it has become an important part of the Qingming Festival. In ancient times, women could not travel on weekdays, Qingming tomb is a rare opportunity to trekking, so the women in the Qingming more happy than men play, folk "women's Qingming men's year" said.

Swinging, which is China's ancient Qingming Festival customs. Swinging, that is, grabbing the leather rope and migration. Its history is very ancient, the earliest called the thousand autumn, after in order to avoid taboos, changed to swing. 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. Swinging can not only improve health, but also cultivate the spirit of bravery, and 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.

Flying kites is also a favorite activity during the Qingming Festival. Every Qingming Festival, people not only fly during the day, but also at night. At night, under the kite or on the wind steady pull line hangs a string of small colorful lanterns, like twinkling stars, known as the "God lamp". In the past, some people put the kite on the blue sky, then cut the line, 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.

There are too many introductory materials, please look at the links in the references.

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