Why is Qingming Festival on the solar calendar? Why is Qingming Festival on the 4th or 5th?

Many people will find that every year, the Qingming Festival falls on the 4th or 5th! So some people are confused, why is the Qingming Festival on the 4th or 5th? About, why is the Qingming Festival on the solar calendar? Why is Qingming Festival on the 4th or 5th? I'll answer for you one by one!

Why is Qingming Festival on the solar calendar

Qingming Festival, is China's current eight traditional festivals, the only neither in accordance with the solar calendar (Gregorian calendar), nor in accordance with the lunar calendar (Lunar calendar), to determine a traditional festival, it is China's lunar calendar, one of the twenty-four solar terms, generally in the solar calendar (Gregorian calendar) on the fourth or fifth of April each year. Traditional festivals are basically calculated according to the lunar calendar, such as the Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Dragon Boat Festival. But with these festivals is not the same, Qingming but "belongs to" the solar calendar, the date of its basic fall in the solar calendar on April 4 ~ 6 days.

Jiangsu Provincial Astronomical Society astronomical experts Yan Jiarong said, China's ancient time, whether it is timekeeping, or remember a person's birthdate, are based on the lunar calendar, which is destined to our country's traditional festivals are basically based on the lunar calendar, such as the Spring Festival is the first day of the first month, the Mid-Autumn Festival is the fifteenth day of the eighth month. However, and other traditional festivals is not the same, Qingming is the "body to bear two jobs", it is both festivals and festivals (winter solstice was also both festivals and festivals, but its influence is now far less than Qingming). The astronomical calendar shows that at 17:46 on April 4 this year, we will usher in the "Qingming" of the twenty-four solar terms, when the sun runs to 15 degrees of the yellow meridian.

Fundamentally, the 24 solar terms are part of the solar calendar because they are divided according to the position of the sun on the ecliptic, the orbit of the Earth around the sun. The period of time during which the Earth orbits the Sun is called a "regression year" or a "solar year", and the Sun's orbit in the context of the stars is called the "ecliptic". Since ancient times, the equinox has been set at 0 degrees, and every 15 degrees of advancement is a solar term, with a week's orbit divided into 24 solar terms. Therefore, the date of the festival in the solar calendar is basically fixed, before and after the difference of only one or two days, while the date in the lunar calendar is very different.

Why is Qingming Festival on the 4th or 5th

The date of Qingming in the solar calendar varies among three days: April 4th, April 5th and April 6th. Statistics show that in the 518 years between 1582, when the current calendar was adopted, and 2100, Qingming has been celebrated on April 4 for 219 years, on April 5 for 281 years, and on April 6 for a minimum of only 18 years. The festival difference will only be within 3 days So why does Qingming vary between April 4-6 in the solar calendar?

In addition to the Qingming Festival is the traditional ancestor tomb-sweeping festival, or one of the twenty-four solar terms in China, the Qingming Festival is not counted according to the lunar calendar, exactly according to the sun's yellow meridian to count. The twenty-four solar terms are divided according to the position of the sun on the ecliptic (i.e., the earth's orbit around the sun). Depending on the sun from the equinox (zero degrees of longitude, at this moment the sun shines vertically on the equator), every forward 15 degrees for a festival; run a week and back to the equinox, for a return to the year, and 360 degrees, therefore divided into 24 festivals. Generally are the previous year's winter solstice after 108 days is Qingming, the sun reaches 15 degrees of yellow longitude, Qingming began.

The dates of the solar terms are relatively fixed in the solar calendar, such as the beginning of spring is always between February 3 and 5 in the solar calendar. But in the lunar calendar, the date of the festival is not very good to determine, and then take the spring as an example, it can be as early as in the previous year's lunar calendar on December 15, the latest can be in the first month on the 15th. Qingming, on the other hand, generally falls between April 4 and June in the solar calendar, but cannot be dated by a definite lunar date.

Customs and Cuisine of Qingming Festival

The customs of Qingming Festival are rich and interesting, in addition to preaching the prohibition of fire, sweeping the tomb, and a series of customs and sports activities, such as trekking, swinging, Cuju, playing polo, willow and so on. 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 a festival rich in characteristics of both sweeping the new graves of the sorrowful tears of life and death, but also the laughter of trekking and playing.

Qingming Festival food from ancient times. Ancient people to adapt to the cold food ban fire cold food needs, created some food. For example, with wheatgrass pounding juice and glutinous rice to do green powder dough, sebiferum juice dye Wu rice to do cake, or with toon buds mixed gluten, tender willow leaves mixed with tofu for cold food. The Qingming Festival was a sacrificial festival in ancient times, and the average family had to honor their ancestors with four plates and six bowls of delicacies and clear wine. After the sacrifice, the family and invited relatives *** enjoy the food and wine, called "eat Qingming".

Anciently in Jiangnan, people have to pick chestnuts to make wontons for the festival, Qingming tomb sweeping to do yellow flowers and green fruit cake as offerings, using a kind of chrysanthemum family of wild grasses young leaves pounded to juice and powder made of very tasty. Moreover, the tradition of Qingming food also comes from the ancient Qingming picnic after trekking.

During the Qingming Festival, it is customary to eat green dumplings in the southern part of the country. The green dumplings are made from a wild plant called "berry wheatgrass" that is pounded and squeezed to produce juice, which is then mixed and kneaded with dried, water-ground pure glutinous rice flour, and then the dumplings are made. The filling of the dumplings is made of fine sweetened bean paste, and a small piece of sweetened lard is added to the filling. After the dumplings are ready, they are steamed in a cage, and when they come out of the cage, the cooked vegetable oil is brushed evenly on the surface of the dumplings with a brush, which is a great success

There is a custom of eating deep-fried noodle cake on Qingming Festival in the north and south of China. "Deep-fried noodle cake is a deep-fried food, which is crispy and exquisite, and was called "cold utensil" in ancient times. Now the deep-fried noodle cakes popular in Han areas have the difference between the north and the south: the northern deep-fried cakes are generous and free, with wheat flour as the main material; the southern deep-fried cakes are delicate and detailed, with rice flour as the main material. In the minority areas, there are many varieties of deep-fried noodle cakes with different flavors, especially those of Uygur, Dongxiang and Naxi, as well as those of Ningxia Hui, which are the most famous.