Second, the object of sacrifice. As a Ghost Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day mainly worships ancestors and deceased relatives, expressing the worshippers' filial piety and feelings of missing the deceased. Tomb-Sweeping Day belongs to Ghost Festival, but it is usually not named Ghost Festival, because it mainly worships good ghosts, family ghosts, or the dead souls of loved ones, and focuses on expressing filial piety and affection. In the other two Halloween festivals, even evil spirits and wild ghosts sacrifice together, and the key point is to appease ghosts and prevent them from doing anything. But we can't generalize. There are differences in different places.
Third, the place of sacrifice. According to the different places of sacrifice, Tomb-Sweeping Day can be divided into tomb sacrifice and ancestral temple sacrifice. Tomb sacrifice is the most common.
Fourth, the way or project of sacrifice. The ways or items of sacrifice in Tomb-Sweeping Day vary from place to place. The common practice includes two parts: one is to renovate the tomb, and the other is to hang paper money to offer sacrifices.
Fifth, the method of sweeping graves. When sweeping the grave, repair the grave first. Its practice is mainly to remove weeds and cultivate new soil. On the one hand, this behavior can express the filial piety and care for the dead. On the other hand, from the perspective of Feng Shui, in the belief of the ancients, the graves of ancestors have a great relationship with the wealth and misfortune of future generations, so the cultivation of graves is a commemorative content that cannot be ignored.
Sixth, the purpose of sweeping graves. It is to comfort our ancestors, so we should worship devoutly. Just like meeting relatives and friends among the dead, it is not good to meet with nostalgia and intimacy, unless it is sincere respect, and sweeping the grave is also the best way to pray for the blessing of ancestors. When sweeping the grave, prepare flowers, incense, candles, brooms, buckets, fruits, etc. Clean up the soil in front of the cemetery and clean up the tombstones. After the whole cemetery is cleaned, we will pay homage, light candles, burn incense, offer fruit and flowers. Let everyone have a meal with the gods after paying homage to all the articles. The rest of the items must be taken home, not left in the cemetery, so as not to cause health problems such as decay and moth-eaten. After worshipping the incense, we will cross our hands to show that the immortal and my heart are one, to comfort the immortal to die at an early date, and to thank future generations for their peace. Request to protect the happiness of future generations.
Seven, how to determine the specific date of Tomb-Sweeping Day's sacrifice. The date of sacrifice varies from place to place, and some are ten days after Tomb-Sweeping Day; Some people call it "the first three and the last three"; Some are held in the "Singles Day" around Tomb-Sweeping Day; In some places, grave-sweeping activities last for a month.
Eight, time limit. In the dark, there are many ghosts in the cemetery, and floating spirits are easy to rely on. So you are not allowed to sweep graves before dawn or when the sun goes down, and you are not allowed to sweep graves at night. There are many ghosts and floating spirits at night, which are easy to attach to people and cause mental disorders. Because there are vast cemeteries, many cemeteries have no descendants to sweep graves, and these ownerless spirits become lifeless, and they are dependent on people and are most prone to accidents. Therefore, it is best to sweep the grave in the afternoon (American daylight saving time 10: 00 am-4: 00 pm), when the sun is shining and the sun is heaviest. Later, because the yang gradually fades and the yin gradually increases, people with low fortune can easily provoke ghosts or harassment.
9. How did Tomb-Sweeping Day worship his ancestors abroad? Tomb-Sweeping Day should have been held in the cemetery in person, but for various reasons, when he can't go back to his hometown to attend the Qingming Festival, he can also worship his ancestors at home. The method is to put worship food on the balcony or living room at home, face the hometown, light three sticks of incense, bow three times and meditate on related words. Then, burn paper money for sacrifice.
10. Look at your forehead on the morning of grave sweeping. On the morning of sweeping the grave, before washing, look at your forehead in the mirror to see if there are dark circles under your eyes. If there is, it means you are unlucky. It is recommended to avoid sweeping graves as much as possible. If you must go, you can wear jade, mahogany and so on. Work it out with you.