Qingming Festival, what are the customs in different places.

The customs of Qingming Festival are rich and interesting:

1, sweeping tombs and paying homage to ancestors, this time of the year everyone thinks of the departed

2, in addition to talking about banning fires and sweeping tombs, there are also a series of customs and sports activities, such as trekking, swinging, cuju, playing polo, sticking willow. 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, made of leather and stuffed with wool. Cuju is a kind of leather ball made of leather and stuffed tightly with wool. Cuju is a kind of leather ball made of leather and stuffed with hair. It is said to have been invented by the Yellow Emperor, and its original purpose was to train warriors.

Trekking is also called spring tour. In ancient times, it was called exploring spring, searching for spring and so on. April 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 Around Ching Ming, the spring sun shines, 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: Duke Wen of Jin

Tomb-sweeping at Ching-ming: Jie Zi-Tui

Tomb-sweeping at Ching-ming is said to be "thinking about the time of the honor" of the ancestors. Its custom has a long history. In the Ming Dynasty, "The Scenery of the Imperial Capital", it is written: "On Qingming Day in March, men and women sweep the graves, carrying Pusaetha scandens, and hanging kozo ingots on the backs of the palanquins and horses, all over the road with a great deal of charm. Those who worship, pour libations, cry, and weed the graves, burn kozo 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.

One, a large burnt paper, nine K white paper, smashed on four lines of round money, five per line;

Two, the medieval banknotes, this is the earth has a foreign money after the imitation of the bank, on the book, "Bank of Paradise", "Bank of the Underworld", "Bank of Heaven", "Bank of the Underworld", "Bank of the Underworld", etc., and has the pattern of Fengdu City, more than a huge amount of tickets, the back of the Buddhist "mantra of the afterlife";

three, fake foreign money, with cardboard for the heart, wrapped in silver foil, pressed with the same pattern as the prevailing silver dollar;

four, "mantra of the afterlife" printed in red on a yellow sheet of paper, into a round money-like, so it is also the same as the silver dollar;

four, printed on a yellow sheet of paper, "mantra of the afterlife", in red. Into a round money shape, so it is also known as "past life money";

5, with gold and silver foil folded into the treasure, ingot, some also threaded into a string, underneath decorated with a colorful paper spikes. 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 according to their 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, personally 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 the willow It is said that the custom of plugging the willow, but also in honor of "teaching 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 day". 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.

The Qingming Festival is characterized by a bright spring breeze and green trees. People trek on this day, sweep the tomb and visit the grave. Everyone has to wear willow and stick willow branches at the door of every house. Where did this custom actually come from? There is a legend about the Qingming Festival that it is related to Liu Yong, a great lyricist in the Song Dynasty. It is said that Liu Yong lived a debauched life and often traveled to and from the streets and alleys. At that time, courtesans loved his talent and were proud to be favored by Liu Yong. However, because of his unruly life, Liu Yong was not allowed to pursue a career, and even though he won a bachelor's degree, he finally died in poverty in Xiangyang. His burial expenses were collected by the songstresses who admired him. Every year at the Qingming Festival, the singers went to his grave to insert willow branches in honor of him, and over time the custom of inserting willow at the Qingming Festival was established. In fact, this custom as early as in the Tang Dynasty. Tang people believe that March 3 in the riverside rituals, head wear willow branches can get rid of the harm of poisonous insects. After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the custom of willow at Qingming Festival was very popular, and people came back from playing and traveling in front of their houses to avoid insects and epidemics. Whether it is folklore or historical records, the Qingming Festival willow is always associated with avoiding epidemics. The Spring Festival warming climate, a variety of germs began to reproduce, people in the case of poor medical conditions can only hope to shake the willow branches.

There is another way to say that the Qingming willow willow: the original Chinese people to Qingming, July 30 and October Solstice for the three major ghosts, is the time of the ghosts out of the discussion. 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 the willow branch on the household, a hundred ghosts do not enter the home." Qingming is a ghost festival, at this time of year when the willow sprouting, 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, east of Chang'an, was a bridge across the water, and the Han people would fold the willow to give goodbye to their guests when they arrived at the bridge. 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 Book of Songs. 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 that leaves its branches, hoping that it will quickly take root and sprout in a new place, just like the willow branches that 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 symbolic meaning, the ancients have given the willow tree a variety of feelings, so borrowing the willow to send feelings is a reasonable thing.

Ancient Cold Food Festival customs

Customs of the Cold Food Festival, there are the grave, the effect of swimming, fighting chickens, swinging, playing the carpet, pulling hooks (tug-of-war) and so on. Among them, the custom of visiting graves is very old. There are graves must be tomb sacrifice, and later, because of the integration with the custom of invoking the soul and renewing the spirit in March, it was gradually set in the cold food on the sacrifice. The Tang Book: "Kaiyuan twenty years Royal Decree, cold food on the tomb," Rites of the scriptures "no text. In recent times, it has been passed down, soaked in custom, and it is appropriate to allow the same worship and sweeping rituals on the tomb." Song Zhuang Jiyu "Chicken Ribs" Volume 1: "Cold food on the grave, also does not set incense. Paper money was hung on the tombs. Those who go to their hometowns and villages climb up the mountain to look at the sacrifice. The paper is cracked in the air, which is called breaking money. And the capital of the four sides of the cause of worship sweep, then set up wine compilation (zhuan, meals), with the family spring tour."

Old Beijing Qingming Festival customs

Old Beijing Qingming Festival, another custom, is in this day to go to the City God Temple to burn incense and bowing to seek a sign of wishing for fortune-telling, in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republic of China in the old Beijing there are seven or eight City God Temple, the incense was also the most prevalent at that time. The "City God" enshrined in the City God Temple was the most beloved deity outside of the people's belief in Zao Wang, the God of Wealth. This "Master" is actually the minister of a city or a county's "Ministry of Whatever". When the City God Temple opens every year on the Ghost Festival - Ching Ming Festival, people go there to pray for drought and rain (or sunshine when it rains a lot). When it rains a lot, people go to the temple to pray for rain for the drought (when it rains a lot, they ask for sunshine), to go out to seek peace and safety, to seek recovery from illness, to pray for the blessing of the dead, etc. They burn incense and worship God, and at that time, the temple was very lively inside and outside, and there was a theater inside the temple to play plays, and there was a miscellany of goods outside the temple. According to the old people's memories in the beginning of the Republic of China, there is also "City God" on patrol, people with eight palanquins carrying a rattan "City God" in the city patrol, a variety of incense will follow, respectively, in "City God "After the race performance Yangge, stilt walkers, five tiger sticks, etc., walking and performing, the market through the viewers like a tide. There is a song: "the temple is also divided into inside and outside the city, the spring will be looking forward to the Qingming race, but also the beginning of autumn and winter, men and women burning incense to ask about the death of life and death." That is to say, the custom of the Qingming Festival.

Annual solar calendar April 5 is one of China's traditional festivals Qingming Festival, has a history of more than 2,500 years. Qingming Festival in addition to sweeping tombs and ancestors, its food customs are also colorful.

3, eat green dumplings

Ching Ming Festival, the southern part of the country has the custom of eating green dumplings. The green dumplings are made from a wild plant called "wheatgrass" which is pounded and squeezed out of juice, and then this juice is used to mix and knead with dried water-ground pure glutinous rice flour, and then the dumplings begin to be 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 made, they are steamed in a cage and when they are taken out of the cage, the cooked vegetable oil is brushed evenly over the surface of the dumplings, which is the end of the process. Green dumplings green as jade, glutinous and soft, fragrant, sweet but not greasy to eat, fat but not fat. Green dumplings are also used to worship ancestors in the southern part of the necessary food, because of this, the green dumplings in the southern part of the folk food custom is particularly important.

Eating deep-fried noodle cakes

There is a custom of eating deep-fried noodle cakes at Qingming Festival in the north and south of China. "Deep-fried noodle cakes, which are crispy and exquisite, were called "cold utensils" in ancient times. The custom of forbidding fire and cold food on the cold food festival is no longer popular in most parts of China, but deep-fried noodle cakes related to this festival are y loved by the world. Nowadays, the deep-fried noodle cakes popular in Han areas have differences 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 the deep-fried cakes of Uygur, Dongxiang and Naxi, as well as the deep-fried cakes of Ningxia Hui are the most famous.

Eating Qingming Snail

The best time to eat snail is during the Qingming season, because the snail has not yet reproduced at this time, and it is most plump and fat, so it is said that "Qingming snail can be eaten by a goose". Snail eating method is quite a lot, can be fried with onion, ginger, soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar; can also be boiled to pick out the snail meat, can be mixed, can be drunk, can be bad, can be choked, all appropriate. If the food method is appropriate, it can be called "a flavor of snail a thousand interesting, delicious wine are not as good as".

In addition, China's north and south of the festival in the Qingming Festival, there are food eggs, cakes, cakes, sandwich cakes, Qingming dumplings, buns, mochi, Qingming poi, dry porridge, and other varied and nutritious food customs.