What are the customs and traditions in Tomb-Sweeping Day?

Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the traditional festivals in China, and Tomb-Sweeping Day is also called Cold Food Festival, Walking Festival and so on. Tomb-Sweeping Day is a season of beautiful spring and lush vegetation, so ancient people often go for an outing in Qingming Festival and carry out various colorful folk activities.

Tomb-Sweeping Day customs and traditions

First, worship the ancestors to sweep the grave?

Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the four traditional festivals in China, and it is a day to worship ancestors and sweep graves. Grave sweeping is commonly known as going to the grave. In Han and some ethnic minority areas, according to local customs and habits, people come to the cemetery with fruits, food, paper money and other items, put their offerings in front of the cemetery, burn the paper money, add some new soil to the grave, and then kowtow to worship at the grave, so that they can pack up their offerings and go home.

Second, fold the willow and give it away?

Willow is a symbol of spring. Willow swaying in the spring breeze always gives people a feeling of prosperity and vitality. Since the Han Dynasty, people have gradually formed the custom of breaking willows to bid farewell, in order to wish each other peace. Because "Liu" and "Liu" are homophonic, they also take the meaning of being reluctant and try to keep them. At the same time, relatives and friends who want to leave are like willow branches in other places, which can quickly take root and sprout and survive everywhere, and all of them are pinning their good wishes on their relatives and friends.

Third, swing?

The custom of swinging in Tomb-Sweeping Day has a long history. It was originally called Qian Qiu, but later it was changed to a swing to avoid some taboos. Swing plays were popular in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The Chronicle of Jingchu records: "In spring, a long rope hangs on a big tree, and a scholar and a woman sit on it and push it, which is called swinging." Swing was a very common game in the Tang Dynasty, and it became an important part of Tomb-Sweeping Day customs.

Because swings can be seen everywhere in Tomb-Sweeping Day, Tomb-Sweeping Day was designated as a swing festival in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and swings were also installed in palaces for queens, concubines and maids to play with. The earliest swings were usually made of branches and then tied with ribbons. Later it gradually developed into a swing made of two ropes and pedals. The custom of swinging has been passed down to this day and is deeply loved by people. It can not only exercise your body, but also exercise your courage.

Fourth, tug of war?

Tug of war originated in the late Spring and Autumn Period and was first popular in the army. At that time, it was called "tug-of-war" and "strong hook", which later spread to the people and was called "tug-of-war" in the Tang Dynasty. Tug-of-war means that both sides are equal in number. Pull a thick rope and pull the other side out of the river boundary, even if you win. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, a large tug-of-war competition was held in Tomb-Sweeping Day, which gradually evolved into a folk custom in Tomb-Sweeping Day.

5. Cuju?

Cuju is the earliest football activity in the world, which originated in the Warring States Period. Cuju refers to an ancient rubber ball whose spherical surface is made of leather and filled with feathers. Cuju was a very popular game in ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day. By the Han Dynasty, cuju had become a very specialized sport. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, cuju technique was greatly improved and became a large-scale activity. In court, there are often hundreds of people involved. Gao Qiu in Water Margin is a master of cuju. It is because of his superb skills that he won the appreciation of Song Huizong and stepped onto the top step by step.

6. Fly a kite?

Flying kites is a popular custom in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Pan Rongbi, a writer in A Qing, wrote in "Ji Sheng at the Age of Emperor Jingdi": "When sweeping graves in Qingming Festival, men and women in the whole city flocked out from the suburbs, carrying boxes and wheels facing each other. Everyone brings a kite spool, and it will be better to put it in front of the grave after the sacrifice. " The ancients also thought that the Qingming wind was very suitable for flying kites.

Jia Qinglu said: "The wind of spring is from bottom to top, and kites rise because of it, so there is a proverb" Clear and clear ". "In ancient times, flying kites was not only an entertainment activity, but also an act of witchcraft: they thought flying kites could release their bad breath. Therefore, when flying kites in Tomb-Sweeping Day, many people will write all the disasters they know on paper kites. When the kite flies high, they cut the kite string and let the kite float away with the wind, symbolizing that their illness and dirty air have been taken away by the kite.

Tomb-Sweeping Day itself is a festival with rich connotations. Pursuing the distance with caution is not only the recognition and dependence on the blood inheritance of a family, but also the continuation of the blood of the Chinese nation. China people's concern for their ancestors comes from their concern for history and the past, which is also the endless source of China culture.