The origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day? Why did Tomb-Sweeping Day sweep the grave?

1. It is said that the origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day began with the ceremony of "offering sacrifices to tombs" by ancient emperors and generals. Later, people followed suit, and on this day, offering sacrifices to ancestors and sweeping graves became a fixed custom of the Chinese nation.

Secondly, sweeping graves, which was originally the custom of cold food the day before (or three days before Qingming Festival) in Tomb-Sweeping Day, gradually merged into Qingming Festival from the Tang Dynasty. This has become a custom in Tomb-Sweeping Day. It is called "respect for thinking time" for ancestors. Because, since the Zhou Dynasty, respecting ancestors has become as important as respecting heaven, earth and ghosts and gods.

Thirdly, Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as the outing festival, is at the turn of mid-spring and late spring, that is, the first 108 day after the winter solstice. It is a traditional festival in China, and it is also one of the most important festivals to worship ancestors and sweep graves. The traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day of the Han nationality in China began in the Zhou Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,500 years. Influenced by the Han culture, 24 ethnic minorities in China, such as Manchu, Hezhe, Zhuang, Oroqen, Dong, Tujia, Miao, Yao, Li, Shui, Jing and Qiang, also have the customs of Tomb-Sweeping Day. Grave sweeping, ancestor worship and outing are the basic themes.

Fourth, Qingming was originally just the name of a solar term, which became a festival to commemorate ancestors and was related to the Cold Food Festival. Jin Wengong designated the second day of the Cold Food Festival as Tomb-Sweeping Day.