Resume of Qingming

Ching Ming Festival (Tomb-sweeping Day/Pure Brightness)

Ching Ming Festival, also known as the Treading Green Festival, according to the solar calendar, it is between April 4 and 6 every year, it is the time when the grass and trees spit out the green in the spring, but also it is the time for people to travel to the spring (called trekking in ancient times), so the ancients have the custom of trekking on the green of Ching Ming, and a series of sports activities. Therefore, the ancient people had the custom of Qingming Green Walking and carried out a series of sports activities. The Qingming Festival was also known as the March Festival, which has a history of more than 2,000 years.

The Qingming Festival, which falls around April 5 on the Gregorian calendar, is one of the twenty-four solar terms. Among the 24 solar terms, only Qingming is both a solar term and a festival. Since the 24 solar terms objectively reflect the changes in temperature, rainfall and weather conditions throughout the year, the ancient working people used them to organize their agricultural activities. Huainanzi Tianwenxun (《淮南子-天文训》): "Fifteen days after the vernal equinox, when the bucket points to B, the winds of Qingming arrive." According to the "time of the year and a hundred questions": "Everything grows at this time, are clean and clear. Therefore, it is called Qingming." Qingming, the temperature rises, rainfall increases, is a good time for spring plowing and planting. Therefore, there are "before and after the Qingming, point melon planting beans", "planting trees, no more than the Qingming" of the farmers' proverbs. It can be seen that this festival has a close relationship with agricultural production.

But, as a festival, Qingming is different from a pure festival. The festival is a sign of changes in climate and the order of the seasons in China, while the festival contains certain customs and commemorative significance.

The Qingming Festival is a traditional festival in China and the most important festival of worship, a day of ancestor worship and tomb-sweeping. Tomb-sweeping is commonly known as visiting the graves, an activity to honor the dead. Most Han Chinese and some ethnic minorities sweep their tombs on Qingming Day.

According to the old custom, when sweeping tombs, people should bring wine, food, fruits, paper money and other items to the graveyard, offer the food in front of their loved ones' graves, then incinerate the paper money, cultivate new soil for the graves, fold a few young green branches and stick them on the graves, and then kowtow and worship, and then eat the wine and food and go home at last. Du Mu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote a poem entitled "Qingming": "The rain falls one after another during the Qingming Festival, and the pedestrians on the road want to break their souls. Where can I find a tavern? The shepherd boy points to the apricot blossom village." It writes the special atmosphere of Qingming Festival.

To this day, the custom of paying homage to ancestors and mourning deceased relatives on Qingming Festival is still very popular.

The Origin of Qingming Festival

The Origin and Legend of Qingming Festival

The traditional Qingming Festival in China began around the Zhou Dynasty, and has a history of more than 2,500 years. Qingming is a very important festival in the beginning, once Qingming arrives, the temperature rises, it is a good time for spring plowing and planting, so there is "before and after Qingming, planting melons and beans". "Tree planting, not over the Qingming" proverbs. Later, due to the Qingming and cold food days close, and cold food is the folk ban on fire sweeping the day, gradually, cold food and Qingming into one, and cold food has become the alias of Qingming, but also become a custom for the Qingming festival, Qingming day does not move fireworks, only eat cold food.

On the cold food, there is such a legend:

According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, in order to let her son Xi Qi succeed the throne, Li Ji, the consort of Duke Xian of Jin, set up poisonous plots to kill the Prince Shen Sheng, who was forced to commit suicide. Shen Sheng's younger brother, Chong Er, went into exile in order to escape the disaster. While in exile, Chong Er suffered a lot of humiliation. Most of the ministers who followed him went their own way one after another. There were only a few loyal men left who followed him all the way. One of them was called Jie Zi Tui (介子推). Once, Chong Er passed out from hunger. In order to save Chong Er, Jie Zi Pui cut off a piece of meat from his own leg, cooked it over a fire and gave it to Chong Er to eat. Nineteen years later, Chong Er returned to his country and became the ruler, Duke Wen of Jin, one of the famous Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period.

When Duke Wen of Jin came to power, he rewarded those who had suffered with him, but he forgot about Jie Zi Tui. Some people complained for Jie Zi Tui in front of Duke Wen of Jin. Duke Wen of Jin suddenly remembered the old story, the heart of shame, and immediately sent to ask mesoteric push on the court to be rewarded by the official. However, after several trips, Jie Zi Tui did not come. Duke Wen of Jin had to go in person to invite. However, when Duke Wen came to Jie Zi Tui's house, he saw that the door was closed. Jie Zi Tui didn't want to see him, and had already carried his mother to hide in Mianshan Mountain (southeast of present-day Jiexiu County, Shanxi Province). The Duke of Jin then sent his imperial army up to Mianshan to search for him, but they did not find him. So, someone came up with an idea, saying that it would be better to set fire to the mountain, lighting fires on three sides and leaving one side behind, so that when the fire started, Jie Zi Tui would come out on his own. Duke Wen of Jin ordered the fire to burn the mountain, but the fire burned for three days and three nights, after the fire was extinguished, did not see Kai Zi push out. Up the mountain to see, jiezi push mother and son holding a big charred willow tree has died. Duke Wen of Jin looked at the body of the mesquite push to cry and worship for a while, and then buried the remains, found the mesquite push the spine blocked a willow tree hole, the hole seems to have something.

Cutting out the flesh and serving the king, I wish my lord would always be clear.

It is better to be a ghost under the willow than to be an advisor to the king.

If you have me in your heart, you will always think of yourself when you remember me.

If I am not ashamed of myself in the nine springs, I will be diligent and clear in my administration.

Duke Wen of Jin hid the bloody book in his sleeve. Then he buried Jie Zi Tui and his mother under the charred willow tree. To honor Jie Zi Tui, Duke Wen of Jin ordered that Mian Shan be changed to "Jie Shan", built a shrine on the mountain, and designated the day the mountain was set on fire as the Cold Food Festival, telling the whole country to abstain from fireworks and to eat only cold food on that day every year.

When he left, he cut down a section of burnt willow wood and made a pair of wooden clogs in the palace, looking at them every day and sighing, "Woe is the foot." "This is said to have been the origin of the ancient term of respect used by subordinates for their superiors or peers.

The next year, the Duke of Jin led a group of ministers on a hike in plain clothes to pay homage and express their condolences. When he arrived at the grave, he saw the old willow tree come back to life, with thousands of green branches dancing in the wind. Duke Wen of Jin looked at the resurrected old willow tree and saw it as if he had seen Jie Zi Tui. He went to it respectfully, pinched a branch and wove a circle on his head. After the ceremony, the Duke of Jin gave the name "Qingming Willow" to the resurrected old willow tree, and designated this day as the Qingming Festival.

Afterward, Duke Wen of Jin often put the bloody book on his side, as a motto to spur his own ruling. He was diligent and clear, and he managed the country well.

Since then, the people of Jin have been able to live and work in peace and contentment, and they miss Jie Zi Tui very much. On the day of his death, people banned fireworks to commemorate him. Also with flour and jujube clay, kneaded into the swallow, with willow string up, inserted in the door, to summon his soul, this thing is called "the push of the swallow" (jiezitui also known as jiezhitui). Since then, the cold food and Qingming became the grand festivals of the people all over the country. Whenever cold food is served, people do not make fire to cook and only eat cold food. In the north, the people only eat pre-made cold food such as jujube cake, wheat cake, etc.; in the south, it is mostly green dumplings and glutinous rice candy root. Every Qingming, people weave willow into a circle and wear it on their heads, and stick willow branches in front of and behind their houses to show their remembrance.

In March and April, when the spring is bright and the peaches are red and the willows are green, one of the most important festivals in traditional Chinese customs is the Qingming Festival. The Qingming Festival is now known as No Tomb Festival. According to the Sunday, it falls around April 5, and according to the lunar calendar, it falls in the first half of March. Ancient people divided the year into twenty-four seasons and used this calendar to sow and harvest. Qingming is one of the twenty-four seasons, which occurs fifteen days after the vernal equinox, and according to the "Hundred Questions about the Time of the Year," "Everything grows at this time, and it is all clean and clear. Therefore, it is called Qingming." Therefore, "Qingming" is the name of the festival, and later added the cold food ban on fire and no grave customs to form the Qingming Festival.

Originally, the Cold Food Festival and the Qingming Festival were two different festivals, but in the Tang Dynasty, the day for visiting graves was designated as the Cold Food Festival. The correct date for the Cold Food Festival is one hundred and five days after the winter solstice, around the time of Qingming, so Qingming and the Cold Food Festival were combined into one!

The custom of making offerings to ancestors and sweeping graves has a very early origin in China. As early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, great importance was attached to burials. In the Warring States period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Meng Zi's Qi Ren chapter also mentioned that a disgraced Qi man often went to Dongguo graves to beg for food and offerings to the tomb, so it can be seen that in the Warring States period, the custom of sweeping the tomb was very prevalent. To the Tang Xuanzong, the imperial decree set the cold food tomb sweeping as one of the "five rituals", so whenever the Qingming Festival comes, "the fields and roads, women all over, soaps and servants and beggars, all have to parents Qiu tomb." (Liu Zongyuan "and Xu Jingzhao book") tomb sweeping has become an important social custom.

And in the spring is still a little cold, but also to ban the fire to eat cold food, for fear that some of the old and weak women and children can not withstand the cold, but also in order to prevent cold food and cold food injuries, so it is set up a trekking, picnicking, swinging, playing soccer, polo, willow, tug-of-war, cockfighting, and other outdoor activities, so that everyone out of the sun, activities, activities, and increase the resistance. Therefore, in addition to the Qingming Festival, in addition to ancestor sweeping, there are various field fitness activities, so that the festival, in addition to a prudent end of the sentimental, but also a blend of the atmosphere of joy and enjoyment of the spring; both the parting of life and death of the tears of sadness and sorrow, but also everywhere a fresh and bright and vivid scene. It's really a very special festival with a lot of characteristics.

Cleaning the graves at Qingming is a festival related to funeral rites and customs. It is reported that in ancient times, "the tomb but not the grave", that is to say, only hit the grave pit, do not build mounds, so the festival will not be seen in the book. Later on, the tomb and the grave, the custom of cleaning will have a basis. In the Qin and Han Dynasties, the tomb festival has become an indispensable ritual and customary activities.

The Book of Han.

The Book of Han. In terms of Chinese ancestor worship and the development of the sense of kinship, Yan Yan Nian's action is reasonable. Therefore, later generations did not include the ancient norms of the tomb sacrifice into the five rituals: "the common people's homes, it is appropriate to allow the tomb, into the five rituals, forever as a regular pattern." With the official recognition, the wind of tomb sacrifice is bound to flourish.

The Qingming Festival is a festival to honor ancestors. The main commemorative ritual is to sweep the graves, which is a concrete expression of the prudence of the end of the day, the unity of family and filial piety, based on the above significance, the Qingming Festival has become an important festival of the Chinese people.

The Qingming Festival falls on the 106th day after the winter solstice, at the intersection of mid-spring and late spring. Tomb-sweeping activities usually take place 10 days before or 10 days after the Ching Ming Festival. Some people of origin have tomb-sweeping activities for as long as a month.

Methods of Commemoration

There are various forms of commemorating ancestors on the Qingming Festival:

Tomb-sweeping is one of the earliest customs of the Qingming Festival, which continues today and has been gradually simplified with the advancement of society. On the day of tomb-sweeping, children and grandchildren first trim and clean up the weeds in and around the graves of their ancestors, and then make offerings of food and flowers.

As cremation has become more common, the practice of visiting places where ashes are deposited to pay respects to the deceased is gradually replacing the practice of grave-sweeping.

Chinese Singaporeans also erected shrines for the dead in temples, which became places of worship for the ancestors during Ching Ming.

Some families also worship their ancestors at home on Ching Ming Day.

On Ching Ming Day, one may go to the gravesite of the deceased, the place where the ashes are placed, or the shrine in the temple to bow in silence.

No matter what form of remembrance it takes, the most basic ritual of the Ching Ming Festival is to go to the gravesite, the place where the ashes are placed, or the shrine to memorialize the ancestors. In order to make the ceremony more meaningful, we should let the younger generation of family members know about the past struggles of their ancestors.

Customs of Qingming Festival

The customs of Qingming Festival are rich and interesting. Besides preaching fire ban and sweeping graves, there are also a series of customary sports activities such as trekking, swinging on swings, cuju, playing polo and willow planting. 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 people come to participate in a number of sports activities, in order to exercise the body. Therefore, this festival is characterized by both the sorrowful tears of sweeping the new graves of life and death, and the laughter of trekking and playing.

Swinging

This is China's ancient Qingming Festival custom. Swinging, meaning migrating by the leather rope. 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. Playing swing not only can improve health, but also can cultivate the spirit of bravery, and is still loved by people, especially children.

Cuju

Cuju is a kind of leather ball, the ball skin made of leather, the ball with hair stuffed tight. Cuju is to kick the ball with the foot. It is a favorite game in ancient times during the Qingming Festival. It is said to have been invented by the Yellow Emperor, and its original purpose was to train warriors.

Treading Green

Also called spring tour. In ancient times, it was called exploring spring, searching for spring and so on. 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.

Tree planting

Before and after Qingming, the spring sun shines, the spring sun shines, the spring rain sprinkles, planting saplings with a high survival rate, fast growth. Therefore, since ancient times, China has the Qingming tree planting habit. Some people also call the Qingming Festival "Tree Planting Day". Tree-planting custom has been handed down to the present day. 1979, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress stipulated that every year on March 12 for China's Tree Planting Day. This is to mobilize the people of all nationalities to actively carry out activities to green the motherland, has a very important significance.

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, a string of small colorful lanterns are hung under the kite or on the wind steady pulling line, like twinkling stars, which are called "divine lanterns". 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.

Tomb-sweeping

Tomb-sweeping at Ching Ming is said to be "thinking of the time of respect" for ancestors. The custom has a long history. Ming Dynasty Beijing Scenic Spectaculars recorded: "On Qingming Day in March, men and women sweep the graves, carrying Zunxu, and hanging broussonetia behind the sedan chair and horse, charmingly filling the road. 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 on to this day.

The Qingming ceremony should be held in person to the graveyard, but because of the economic conditions of each family and other conditions are not the same, so the way of cleaning is also different. "Burning baggage" is the main form of ancestor worship. 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 medieval banknotes, which is the earth has a foreign currency stamps copied after the book "Bank of Paradise", "Underworld Bank", "the netherworld of hell bank "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 middle of the package, before the 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 have to bring their families by car and sedan chair, and personally go 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. After the festival, some people sit around and eat and drink; others fly kites and even compete with each other in recreational activities. The women and children also folded 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.

Plugging willow

It is said that the custom of plugging the willow, but also to commemorate the "teach people to harvest" of the agricultural ancestor Shennong. In some places, people put willow branches under the eaves to forecast the weather, the old proverb "willow green, rainy; willow dry, sunny days". 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 don't plant a flower, 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.

There is another way of saying willow in Qingming: the original Chinese people to Qingming, half of July and the October solstice for the three major ghosts, is the time of the ghosts out to discuss. 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 naturally have inserted willow wear willow to ward off evil spirits.

The Han people had a custom of "folding the willow to give goodbye": Ba Bridge was located in the east of Chang'an, and it was used as a bridge across the water, so the Han people would send their guests to this bridge by folding the willow to give them goodbye. Li Bai wrote, "The color of the willows makes Ba a sad place to say goodbye every year." On both sides of the Ba Bridge in Chang'an in ancient times, the embankment was ten miles long, with a willow at each step. People going east from Chang'an would often come here to say goodbye and break willow branches to bid farewell to their loved ones, as the word "willow" harmonizes with the word "stay" to express the meaning of staying. This custom first originated in the Classic of Poetry. Xiao Ya. Caiwei" in the "I used to go forward, the willows are still". With the parting gift of willow to express the hard to part, can not bear to part, the heart of love and reluctance to part. Willow is the symbol of spring, and the swaying willow in spring always gives people a sense of prosperity. The "parting of the willow" implies the wish that "spring will always be here". Ancient people sent off their loved ones by folding the willow, which is also a metaphor for their departure from the countryside, just like the willow branch, hoping that it will quickly take root and sprout in a new place, as if the willow branch can live anywhere. It is a kind of good wishes for friends. The poems of the ancients also mentioned a lot of willow bending to give goodbye. In the Tang Dynasty, Quan Deyi's poem reads, "The new acquaintance bends the willow to give it to him"; in the Song Dynasty, Jiang Baishi's poem reads, "I am afraid that there are no green willow branches on the road of farewell"; and in the Ming Dynasty, Guo Deng's poem reads, "Every year, I have been sending away people since long time ago, and I have broken all the willows by the roadside of the border city." In the Qing Dynasty, Chen Weisong wrote: "How many willow branches are left today? To be folded and gifted." People not only see the willow will cause parting sorrow, even hear the song "folding willow", will also touch the feelings of separation. Li Bai's "Hearing the flute in the city of Luo Cheng on a spring night": "When I hear the willow in the song on this night, I can't recall the feelings of the old garden." In fact, the willow tree can have a multifaceted symbolism, the ancients and give the willow tree all kinds of feelings, so borrowing the willow to send feelings is a reasonable thing.

Foreign "Qingming Festival"

May 6 Syrian Martyrs' Day. The evening was marked by a banquet hosted by senior government officials for relatives of martyrs.

May 30 Memorial Day in most U.S. states.

August In Japan, Obon is celebrated in July and August on the lunar calendar, with a three-day holiday for organizations and businesses, and city dwellers returning to the countryside to visit the graves of their ancestors.

September 1 Tunisia's National Tomb-sweeping Day, also known as Heroes' Day, to commemorate the martyrs who died in the struggle for independence.

October 31, Mexico's Day of the Dead (also known as All Souls Day) is a night when people dress up in fancy costumes and masks passed down from generation to generation and sing and dance to the spirits of their ancestors. This is said to be an Indian custom.

November 1 All Souls Day in France. In addition to visiting the tombs of the deceased, people also go to the Paris Commune monument to lay flowers.

Ching Ming Poetry

Ching Ming

(Tang) Du Mu

The rain falls one after another at the time of Ching Ming, and the pedestrians on the road want to break their souls.

Where can I find a tavern? The shepherd boy is pointing to the apricot blossom village.

The Cold Eclipse on the Way

(Tang) Song Zhiwen

The cold eclipse on the way, the twilight spring on the way.

It is a pity to look at Jiangpu and not see the people of Luoqiao.

The North Pole is pregnant with the Lord of Light, and the South Sea is in the sea.

The old garden is a broken place, and the willows are new every day and night.

"Cold Eclipse"

(Tang) Han Jian (swarming)

There is no place where flowers don't fly in spring, and the wind blows in the east to make the willows slant in the cold eclipse.

The candles were passed to the Han Palace at sunset, and the light smoke was scattered into the houses of the five vassals.

"Qingming"

(Song) Wang Yuxiao

No flowers, no wine over the Qingming, the taste is like a wild monk.

Yesterday, the neighbors begged for a new fire, and the dawn window was divided into reading lamps.

Su Causeway: A Brief History of Qingming

(Song) Wu Weixin

The winds of the pear blossoms are rising at the time of the Qingming Festival, and the tourists are halfway out of the city in search of spring.

At sunset, the pianos and songs were packed away, and ten thousand willows belonged to the warblers.

The Cold Food on the Mound

(Song) Yang Wanli

The road is straight, but the bridge is not so thin! The bridge is dangerous, can we not help it?

The distant mountains are pale, and the broken house is lonely by the wheat.

The grass is still there in the spring, and the new road is not there in the last year.

The pear blossom has been in the air since the last day of the festival.

Suburban Walking

(Song) Cheng Hao Roy

Fang Grass green field wantonly act, spring into the remote mountain blue all around;

Xing chased messy red through the Willow Lane, solid because of the flowing water to sit on the moss iso;

Mo resigned to the wine is very persuasive, just afraid of the wind and flowers of a piece of red;

When it is a good day of the Qingming Ming Dynasty, it may be better to travel to the Yan Yan Mo forget to return.

There is a good weather, may be better to swim in the world, and may not forget to return.

Sending Chen Xiucai back to his tomb

(Ming) Gao Qi

Full of blood, tears, and dust, he returned to his hometown after the chaos.

The wind and rain, the pear blossoms, the cold food, how many graves have children and grandchildren come?

The Qingjiang River Leads the way for a trip on a bright day

(Ming) Wang Pan

Where is the good place to ask about the prohibition of smoke in the west building?

The green field and the clear sky.

The horse is wearing a willow, and the man is leaning on a swing and laughing.1

The warbler is always drunk with spring.