Time and customs in Tomb-Sweeping Day.

Tomb-Sweeping Day usually falls from April 4th to April 6th in the Gregorian calendar. Traditional customs in Tomb-Sweeping Day include swinging, cuju, hiking, flying kites and sweeping graves.

1. Swing: the custom of ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day in China. Swing has a very long history. It was originally called Qian Qiu, but later it was changed to a swing to avoid taboos. In ancient times, swings were mostly made of branches and tied with ribbons, and then gradually developed into swings with two ropes and pedals.

2, Cuju: Cuju is a kind of ball, the ball skin 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.

3, hiking: also known as 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. Our people have kept the habit of walking in Tomb-Sweeping Day for a long time.

4. Flying kites: It is also Tomb-Sweeping Day's favorite activity. During their stay in Tomb-Sweeping Day, people not only wore it during the day, but also at night. At night, a string of colorful lanterns, like twinkling stars, is hung under the kite or on the stay wire, 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.

5. Grave-sweeping: it is a kind of "grave-sweeping sacrifice" and a kind of "respect for time thinking" for ancestors. Its customs have a long history. In the north, it is called going to the grave; in some places, it is called "sweeping mountains" or "worshipping mountains"; in the south, it is called "hanging mountains" or "hanging paper".