What is the Qingming custom in Shantou?

A sacrificial ceremony was held in Gurao, Shantou, to pay homage to "Marshal Song" in memory of Wen Tianxiang and the soldiers killed in the Southern Song Dynasty. This custom has lasted for more than 600 years. The local people say that this is a bigger festival than the Spring Festival, and fellow villagers at home and abroad will return to their hometowns to attend the festival and pray for peace.

Legend has it that at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, Wen Tianxiang, the right prime minister, planned to restore the country in Chaoyang, and was captured in Haifeng County during the battle. Commander-in-Chief Chen Yi colluded with Zhang Hongfan, the rebel, and fought a bloody battle with Song Jun at the foot of Xiaobei Mountain in Gurao. Because of the disparity in strength between the two sides, most people in Song Jun died here.

The local villagers respected Wen Tianxiang and his men's integrity in defending the country and buried the soldiers who died in battle in Kunshan. In the Ming Dynasty, Ming Taizu posthumously awarded the soldiers killed in the late Song Dynasty as "marshals", and ordered neighboring villages such as Chiliao (formerly known as Gu Rao) in Guishan to regularly offer sacrifices to the soldiers killed in that year, and Gu Rao and other places began to offer sacrifices to the society. Gu Rao has five big houses in the Zhang family and five houses in the neighboring village, which are worth ten years and last for more than 600 years.

Foshan inserted willows to commemorate loyal ministers

Foshan has the custom of Tomb-Sweeping Day inserting willows to commemorate Jie Jietui, the minister of Jin Dynasty. Jiezitui set himself on fire under the willow tree to celebrate Zhi Ming. The next year, the old willow tree came back from the dead. Jin Wengong named the old willow "Qingming Willow", and on the spot, he broke off the willow and put it on his head to show his memory. Since then, officials and people have followed suit and followed suit.

Chaozhou Chen Shi lobster sacrifices to Sheng Jie.

In a certain year in Tomb-Sweeping Day, the Chen family in Chaozhou prepared rich offerings to worship the virgin before sweeping the tomb in Qingming, among which there was always a pair of big lobsters. Legend has it that when the ancients went up the mountain to sweep the grave and passed by the Shentou Palace in Baimangzhou to shelter from the rain, the holy sister said that if she wanted to shelter from the rain at her house, she would have to make lobster for her to eat, which has been handed down from generation to generation.