Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the important "Eight Festivals of the Year" in China. Generally, it is around April 5th in Gregorian calendar, and the festival is very long. There are two kinds of sayings, namely, before the 1th, after the 8th, and before the 1th, after the 1th, which belong to Tomb-Sweeping Day in the past 2 days. Tomb-Sweeping Day originally meant Tomb-Sweeping Day, 15 days after the vernal equinox. In 1935, the government of the Republic of China designated April 5 as a national holiday, also known as the National Tomb Sweeping Festival. Tomb-Sweeping Day was at the turn of mid-spring and late spring, that is, the 18th day after the winter solstice. It is a traditional festival in China, and it is also one of the most important festivals for offering sacrifices to ancestors and sweeping graves. The traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day of Han nationality in China began in the Zhou Dynasty, with a history of more than 2,5 years.
Tomb-Sweeping Day custom:
Grave-sweeping and ancestor worship
Tomb-Sweeping Day is a day to remember ancestors. People go to their graves to remove weeds, put tributes, offer incense and prayers, and present flowers to express their gratitude and memory. People pay homage to their ancestors and cherish the memory of the martyrs through Tomb-Sweeping Day, which is the link for the Chinese nation to recognize their ancestors and return to their ancestors, to know their ancestors, to see their own shortcomings, to correct themselves and to drive future generations. Realize the value of life, get rid of the dead branches and leaves left by our ancestors, and keep the new buds that can be used for reference. It is a clear revision day to promote positive energy from generation to generation.
Go for an outing
During the Qingming Festival, people return to the earth in spring and have fun in the countryside after sweeping graves. There are also friends who go to nature to feel the countryside and hike in the suburbs during their stay in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Also known as spring outing, it was called exploring spring and seeking spring in ancient times. It means stepping on the grass, playing in the countryside and watching the spring scenery.
inserting willows
There is a saying in the proverb, "Don't wear willows in Qingming Festival, the beauty will become a bright head" and "Don't wear willows in Qingming Festival, and you will become a yellow dog after death", which shows that folding willows in Qingming Festival is a very common custom in the old days. Willow branches have the function of ward off evil spirits, and inserting willow and wearing willow is not only a decoration, but also a blessing to ward off evil spirits. People have the custom of folding willows, wearing willows and inserting willows when they go for an outing. It is said to commemorate Shennong, who invented various agricultural production tools and tasted a hundred herbs. It is also said that the willow held by meson when he died was later resurrected, and Jin Wengong named it Qingming Willow, and folded it into a circle and put it on his head. It expresses people's joy and romantic feelings about the return of spring to the earth.
Flying a kite
The ancients believed that when people were sick, they could write or draw their illness on a kite, let it fly to the sky and then cut the string, and the disease disaster would fly away with the kite. Flying kites tomorrow is a favorite activity, and it has also developed into an outing entertainment.
These activities are still generally preserved today, in addition to shooting willows, cuju, swinging, hooking, silkworm flower parties, cockfighting and other activities.
Origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day:
It is said that Tomb-Sweeping Day started with the ceremony of "tomb sacrifice" by ancient emperors and generals, and later the people followed suit, and it was a fixed custom of the Chinese nation to worship ancestors and sweep graves on this day. In the Tang Dynasty, the day of worshipping the grave was designated as the Cold Food Festival. The correct date of the Cold Food Festival is 15 days after the Winter Solstice, around the Qingming Festival. Because the two dates are similar, Qingming Festival and cold food are merged into one day. Tomb-Sweeping Day combines Cold Food Festival and Shangsi Festival. Tomb-Sweeping Day is also related to the legend of meson tui, and Qingming in the 24 solar terms is also one of the origins of Tomb-Sweeping Day.
Tomb-Sweeping Day-related taboos
Tomb sweeping on Qingming Day is not as early as possible. Generally, grave sweeping activities are completed from 7: am to 4: pm. At this time, the yang is fading, and the yin is getting longer. People who are unlucky for a long time in the cemetery are likely to provoke the yin spirit.
Pregnant women should generally avoid grave-sweeping activities, and it is best not to attend them after 3 pm. Before going to sweep the grave in the morning, you should see if there is a dark look on your forehead. If there is, you'd better avoid it that day. If you have to go, you'd better wear some evil spirits or jade articles.
It's easy to dream about the deceased ancestors around Qingming Festival, which obviously tells you that it's time to visit them at the grave. It needs to be grand then. Dress formally and neatly. Don't play around in the cemetery, don't talk casually, be respectful to the dead, and don't comment on other cemeteries.
When people with weak character and poor health come back from grave-sweeping, they should go to crowded places as much as possible, or get more sunshine, and don't take the dirt under their feet home.
If Tomb-Sweeping Day can't go home to visit the grave on the mountain, he should also put offerings in the balcony or living room at home, burn incense sticks and remember them in his heart.