What are the origins and customs of Tomb-Sweeping Day?

Tomb-Sweeping Day originated from the ancestral belief and the custom of worshipping spring in ancient times, which has both natural and humanistic connotations. It is both a natural solar term and a traditional festival. Customs:

1, sweeping the grave

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.

2. Go for an outing?

The Chinese nation has had the custom of going for an outing in Qingming since ancient times. In ancient times, it was called spring outing, spring seeking and so on. Spring outing, also known as spring outing, refers to going for a walk in the suburbs in early spring. Outing, a seasonal folk activity, has a long history in China, and its source is the ancient Spring Festival custom of farming sacrifice, which has a far-reaching influence on later generations. ?

3. plant trees?

Before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day, the spring was bright and the spring rain was falling, and the survival rate of planted seedlings was high and the growth was fast. So there is a habit of planting trees in Tomb-Sweeping Day, and some people call Tomb-Sweeping Day Arbor Day. The custom of planting trees has been passed down to this day. The custom of planting trees in Tomb-Sweeping Day is said to have originated from the custom of crossing willows and inserting willows in Qingming Festival.

4. Tug of War

Tug of war was called "tug of war" in the early days and "strong hook" in the Tang Dynasty. It is said that it was invented at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, which began to prevail 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.

Step 5 eat eggs

The custom of eating eggs in Tomb-Sweeping Day has a history of thousands of years. The ancients cooked eggs, duck eggs, bird eggs and other eggs and painted them in various colors, which were called "colored eggs". They threw these colorful eggs into the river and washed them down the river. People downstream scrambled for them, thinking that they could have children after eating them.