Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional stories - Tomb-Sweeping Day custom
Tomb-Sweeping Day custom
1, outing. During the Qingming Festival, the spring is bright and the scenery is beautiful, so our country has always had the habit of going for an outing in Tomb-Sweeping Day for many years. In recent years, some flower festivals and picking festivals will be held all over the country according to different climates to provide more colorful activities for people to go out for an outing.
2. Fly a kite. Flying kites is people's favorite activity in spring. Flying kites is also one of the customs in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Kite festivals will also be organized in some areas. When children fly kites, they can cut the string when the kite flies higher and higher, so that the kite can fly freely into the blue sky. It is said that it can ward off evil spirits and bring good luck.
3. Sweep the grave. Tomb-Sweeping Day is a traditional festival of sacrifice in China, hence the name "Siyi", that is, to sweep the weeds around the grave and express grief and respect for ancestors. According to legend, the Qingming custom began with the "grave-sweeping ceremony" held by ancient emperors and generals when they went out for an outing. Later, people followed suit and began to pay homage to their ancestors. The Tang people began to follow the custom of offering sacrifices to tombs in the previous generation and expanded the whole society.
4. swing. This is the custom of ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day in 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. Swing can not only improve health, but also cultivate courage, which is deeply loved by people, especially children.
5. plant trees. Although China stipulates that March 12 is the Arbor Day every year, it is a good time to plant trees during the Qingming period when precipitation is increasing and the weather is getting warmer. At this time, planting saplings is easy to survive, so planting trees in Tomb-Sweeping Day has become a custom activity.
6. Tug of war. It was called "tug of war" in the early days and "strong hook" in the Tang Dynasty. It was invented at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, which became popular in the military and later spread among the people. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, a large tug-of-war was held in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Since then, tug-of-war has become a part of the Qingming custom. Tug-of-war is held in the Qingming period when spring ploughing and spring planting are in full swing, which means praying for a bumper harvest.
7. insert willow and wear willow. In the concept of the ancients, willow has magical power. If you put a willow branch on the house, a hundred ghosts can't get into the house. 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.
A Brief Introduction to the Origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day
It is said that the origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day began with the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the tombs of ancient emperors, and later people followed suit. On this day, offering sacrifices to ancestors and sweeping graves became a fixed custom of the Chinese nation. 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 Tomb-Sweeping Day. Because the two dates are similar, Tomb-Sweeping Day and Cold Food merged into one day. "
Stories and legends of Tomb-Sweeping Day.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, Zhong Er, the son of the Jin Dynasty, was exiled. Hungry and dizzy on the way, the minister meson pushed the meat on his thigh to eat. Later, my son Zhong Er became Jin Wengong, and the loyal minister forgot to recommend him. When Zhong Er remembered this incident, Jiezitui refused to be an official again and lived in Mianshan behind his mother's back. Zhong Er asked Yamakaji to force him out of the mountain, but the fire burned for three days and no one came out. He went up the mountain and found himself and his mother burned to death. On the charred willow tree, there is a big fairy who writes a bloody poem, "May the Lord be always clear when I cut meat and serve you." Therefore, Zhong Er designated the day when Yamakaji was released as Cold Food Festival. The next day, Zhong Er climbed a mountain to pay homage, and found that the old willow was revived, so he named it "Qingming Willow" and Tomb-Sweeping Day to pay homage to Jiexiu.
The above is an introduction to some customs, origins, stories and legends of Tomb-Sweeping Day. I hope I can help you ~ ~
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