Introduction: Qingming Festival is named after the Qingming solar term among the 24 solar terms in the Chinese lunar calendar. Below is the blackboard announcement for Qingming Festival in April. Come and take a look at it with me.
Customs of the Qingming Festival
Customs of the Qingming Festival 1. Cuju
Ju is a ball with a leather cover and a hair plug inside. tight. Cuju means playing football with your feet. This is a game that people loved during the Qingming Festival in ancient times. According to legend, it was invented by the Yellow Emperor, and its original purpose was to train warriors.
Customs of Qingming Festival 2. Outing
Also called spring outing. In ancient times, it was called Tanchun, Xunchun, etc. On the Qingming Festival in March, spring returns to the earth, and nature presents a vibrant scene everywhere. It is a great time for outings. Chinese people have long maintained the habit of going outing during the Qingming Festival.
Customs of Qingming Festival 3. Swinging
This is the custom of Qingming Festival in ancient my country. Swing means moving by holding on to the leather rope. It has a very ancient history. It was first called Qianqiu, but later was changed to Swing to avoid taboos. In ancient times, swings were mostly made of tree branches and tied with colorful ribbons. Later, it gradually developed into a swing with two ropes and pedals. Playing on the swing can not only improve health, but also cultivate bravery. It is still loved by people, especially children.
Customs of the Qingming Festival 4. Planting trees
Before and after the Qingming Festival, the spring sun shines, the spring rain falls, and the saplings planted have a high survival rate and fast growth. Therefore, since ancient times, our country has had the habit of planting trees during the Qingming Festival. Some people also call Qingming Festival "Arbor Day". The custom of planting trees has been passed down to this day. In 1979, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress stipulated that March 12th every year would be my country's Arbor Day. This is of great significance in mobilizing people of all ethnic groups across the country to actively carry out activities to green the motherland.
Customs of the Qingming Festival 5. Tomb-sweeping during the Qingming Festival
It is called "respect for the times" to the ancestors. Its custom has a long history. The "Scenery of the Imperial Capital" of the Ming Dynasty records: "On the Qingming Day in March, men and women sweep the tombs, carry the sedans and horses, and hang pu ingots all over the road. Those who worship, those who pray, those who weep, and those who weed and add soil to the tombs burn pu ingots. Paper money is placed on the grave. If there is no paper money in sight, the grave will be lonely. Even if you don't return, you will sit in the garden under a fragrant tree and get drunk. "In fact, tomb-sweeping existed before the Qin Dynasty, but it was not necessarily done during the Qingming Festival. Things after Qin. It was not until the Tang Dynasty that it became popular and has been passed down to this day. The Qingming Festival sweeping ceremony should be held in person at the tomb site, but because each family's economic and other conditions are different, the method of sweeping the grave is different. "Burning baggage" is the main form of paying homage to ancestors. The so-called "baggage", also known as "package", refers to the parcel sent by filial piety from the Yang world to the "underworld".
Customs of the Qingming Festival 6. Kite flying
It is also a favorite activity during the Qingming Festival. During the Qingming Festival, people not only play during the day but also at night. At night, strings of small colorful lanterns are hung under the kite or on the wind-stabilizing wire, like twinkling stars, and are called "magic lanterns." In the past, some people would cut the strings after flying kites into the blue sky and let the breeze carry them to the ends of the earth. It is said that this can eliminate diseases and disasters and bring good luck to themselves.
Why is it necessary to sweep tombs during the Qingming Festival?
The Qingming Festival has now become an important festival for people to visit graveyards and remember their loved ones. When did tomb-sweeping begin during the Qingming Festival? Folklorists comment on this An explanation was given, and the general view is that the custom of sweeping tombs during the Qingming Festival is inherited from the tradition of the Cold Food Festival. "Before the Tang Dynasty, tomb sweeping was always during the Cold Food Festival. The confusion of Qingming and Cold Food Festival probably started in the Tang Dynasty; the confusion of tomb sweeping during the Cold Food Festival was Tomb-sweeping during the Qingming Festival probably only started in the Tang Dynasty."
What kind of sacrifices are there during the Qingming Festival?
1. Incense and candles
Incense and candles are essential and the most important for sweeping the tombs during the Qingming Festival. 's items. Not only must incense be lit in front of the ancestors, but the incense must also be offered to the mountain god who looks after the cemetery, praying to the mountain god to protect the cemetery and bless the souls of the ancestors.
2. Paper money
Paper money is burned to the deceased so that they have money to spend in the afterlife, so it must be burned cleanly.
3. Vegetarian wine
The process of sweeping the tomb is equivalent to bringing food to celebrate the festival for the ancestors, so it is necessary to offer libations to the ancestors, and wine is a must for sweeping the tomb.
4. Fruit snacks
Fruits are suitable for seasonal fruits from various places. There are no special requirements; snacks may depend on the specific situation.
5. Food
It is better to eat what the ancestors liked to eat during their lifetime. Many people will tell their children about their ancestors’ deeds during their lifetime while paying homage to their ancestors, so that the next generation can Don’t forget your ancestors.
6. Flowers
Chrysanthemums have the meaning of longing and yearning. Chrysanthemums are generally suitable for visiting graves during the Qingming Festival, especially white chrysanthemums.
7. "Baggage"
"Baggage" refers to the food and clothing brought by the grave sweepers (family members of the deceased) to the deceased, because it is made of white paper. It is named after the pocket, which contains banknotes, gold and silver, as well as various paper "ingots", "clothes", "furniture" and so on. "Burning the burden" is an important form of paying homage to the deceased. Burning the "burden" means giving these items to the ancestors.
Tomb-sweeping procedures during the Qingming Festival
First of all, we must sweep the tomb, that is, clean the cemetery.
The second step is to offer sacrifices. This procedure is very important. One is to express grief, and the other is to relate to the ancestors, because the mountains have spirits but no owners, and the ancestors have owners but no spirits. It is necessary to relate to the ancestors. Feeling can better capture the aura of mountains and rivers. This is Feng Shui.
When sweeping the tomb, people bring wine, food, fruit, paper money and other items to the cemetery, offer the food in front of the tomb of their relatives, burn the paper money, put new soil on the tomb, trim the tomb, and break a few new green branches. Insert it on the grave, and press some paper money on it, so that others can see it and know that there are descendants of this grave, and then kowtow and worship. Afterwards, they can sit around and have a meal and drink; they can also fly kites, or even compete with each other and engage in related activities. Women and children also need to fold some willow branches nearby and tie the removed steamed food offerings with wickers. Some people braid willow sticks into a basket shape and wear them on their heads, saying, "If you don't wear willow during Qingming Festival, you will become a yellow dog in the next life." That is: modifying the cemetery - offering incense - serving meat - toasting - paying homage - setting off cannons in farewell.