the origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day

Tomb-Sweeping Day is an important traditional folk festival in China, and it is one of the eight important festivals (Shangyuan, Qingming, long summer, Dragon Boat Festival, Zhongyuan, Mid-Autumn Festival, Winter Solstice and New Year's Eve). Generally speaking, it falls on April 5th of the Gregorian calendar, but its festival is very long. There are two kinds of sayings: eight days before the 11th and ten days after the 11th, which belong to Tomb-Sweeping Day in the past 21 days. It is said that the origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day began with the ceremony of "tomb sacrifice" by the ancient emperors and generals, and later the people followed suit, and it became a fixed custom of the Chinese nation to worship ancestors and sweep graves on this day. Originally, the Cold Food Festival and Tomb-Sweeping Day were two different festivals. In the Tang Dynasty, the day to worship the grave was designated as the Cold Food Festival. The correct date of the Cold Food Festival is 115 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! The custom of worshipping ancestors and sweeping graves in front of graves originated very early in China. As early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, great attention was paid to tombs. Mencius Qi Ren Pian in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and the Warring States Period also mentioned a person who was laughed at by people in the State of Qi. He often went to the tomb of Dongguo to beg for offerings from the tomb, which shows that sweeping graves was very popular in the Warring States Period. When I arrived in Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, I made it one of the "five rituals" to sweep the grave with cold food. Therefore, whenever Tomb-Sweeping Day came, "the fields and roads were full of scholars and women, and the servants and beggars of the soap merchants all got their parents' graves." (Liu Zongyuan's Book with Xu Jingzhao) Sweeping graves has become an important social custom. In the spring, when it is still cold, it is forbidden to eat cold food by fire, for fear that some old and weak women and children can't stand the cold, and in order to prevent cold food from hurting their health, outdoor activities such as hiking, outing, swinging, playing football, playing polo, inserting willows, tug of war, fighting cocks, etc. have been decided, so that everyone can come out to bask in the sun, exercise their bones and muscles and increase their resistance. Therefore, in addition to worshipping ancestors and sweeping graves, Tomb-Sweeping Day also has various outdoor fitness activities, which makes this festival not only have sentimental feelings of pursuing the future with caution, but also blend the atmosphere of enjoying spring with joy; There are both where will you go's sad and sour tears, and there are fresh and bright vivid scenes everywhere. It's really a very special festival. Tomb sweeping in Qingming Festival is a festival custom related to funeral customs. According to records, in ancient times, "the tomb was not a grave", that is to say, only the grave pit was dug, and no grave mound was built, so the sacrifice was not recorded. Later, tombs and graves, the custom of offering sacrifices to sweep, had a support. In the Qin and Han dynasties, tomb sacrifice has become an indispensable ritual activity. Hanshu. Yan Yannian's Biography states that Yan's family will "return to the grave site in the East China Sea" in Qingming even though he is thousands of miles away from Beijing. As far as China people's ancestor worship and kinship awareness are developed and strengthened, Yan Yannian's actions are reasonable. Therefore, the tomb sacrifices that were not included in the norms in ancient times were also included in the Five Rites: "It is advisable for a scholar's family to go to the tomb and be included in the Five Rites, which will always be a routine." With the official affirmation, the wind of tomb sacrifice is bound to flourish. As the days of Qingming and cold food are close, and cold food is the day when people ban fire to sweep graves, gradually, cold food and Qingming become one, and cold food has become another name for Qingming, and it has also become a custom in Qingming period. On Qingming day, no fireworks are moved, only cold food is eaten. One of the 24 solar terms. On April 4th or 5th and 6th every year, folk customs sweep graves during this period. Due to the custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors, sweeping graves and hiking on Qingming Day in vast areas of China, it has gradually evolved into a traditional China festival in which Chinese people commemorate their ancestors by sweeping graves and worshipping. At the turn of mid-spring and late spring, it is generally 116 days after the winter solstice, the day after the Cold Food Festival. Grave-sweeping activities can last about ten days before and after the festival.

the climate in Tomb-Sweeping Day

Qingming is a solar term representing phenology, which means sunny weather and lush vegetation. As the saying goes, "Snow breaks in Qingming, and frost breaks in Grain Rain." When it is clear, the climate in South China is warm and the spring is strong. However, before and after the Qingming Festival, cold air still intrudes from time to time, even making the daily average temperature lower than 1.2℃ for more than three consecutive days, resulting in rotten seedlings of middle rice and dead seedlings of early rice. Therefore, rice planting and transplanting should avoid warm tail and cold head. In the northwest plateau, livestock are weak under the influence of severe winter and insufficient forage, so it is necessary to guard against the harm of strong cooling weather after spring to the old, weak and young livestock. "It rains in succession during the Qingming Festival" is a portrayal of the spring rain in the south of the Yangtze River by Du Mu, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty. But in some areas, this is not the case. In particular, the western part of South China is often in the spring drought period, and the rainfall in early April is generally only 11 to 21 mm, which is less than half of that in the south of the Yangtze River. Although there are many spring rains in eastern South China, the rainfall in early April is generally only 21 to 41 mm, and the natural precipitation is not enough for agricultural production, and it must be supplemented by water storage years ago. In addition, May-June is the month with the most hail in a year, so the defense against hail disaster should be strengthened. During the Qingming Festival, the average daily temperature in most parts of China has risen to above 12℃ except the northeast and northwest regions, and there is a busy scene of spring ploughing everywhere from the north to the south to the inside and outside of the Great Wall. "During the Qingming Festival, the wheat grows in three sections". The wheat in the south of Huanghuai area is about to start heading, the rape has already blossomed, and the wheat in the northeast and northwest areas has also entered the jointing stage. We should pay close attention to the fertilizer and water management and pest control in the later period. Dry farming in the north, early and middle rice in the south of the Yangtze River are in the suitable season for sowing in large quantities, so it is necessary to seize the opportunity to catch the sunny day and sow early. "Pear blossoms are getting clearer and clearer". At this time, many kinds of fruit trees enter the flowering period, so we should pay attention to artificial pollination and improve the fruit setting rate. Early rice planting in South China should be cleaned up, and fertilization should be carried out in time. Corn, sorghum and cotton will also be planted everywhere. "Tea before tomorrow, two buds", the new buds of tea trees are growing vigorously, so we should pay attention to the prevention and control of pests and diseases; Famous tea producing areas have been mined one after another, so strict and scientific mining should be carried out to ensure the yield and quality.

The Legend of Tomb-Sweeping Day

The traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day in China started in the Zhou Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,511 years. Qingming Festival is a very important solar term at first. As soon as Qingming Festival arrives, the temperature rises, which is a good season for spring ploughing and spring planting. Therefore, there is a saying that "before and after Qingming Festival, melons and beans are planted". The agricultural proverb "Planting trees is better than Qingming". Later, as the days of Qingming and cold food approached, and cold food was the day when people banned fire to sweep graves, gradually, cold food and Qingming became one, and cold food became another name of Qingming and a custom of Qingming. On Qingming, no fireworks were used, only cold food was eaten. (Figure) Flying a Kite

There is a legend about cold food: It is said that in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Jin Xiangong's concubine Li Ji set a poisonous plot to kill Prince Shen Sheng in order to let her son Xi Qi succeed to the throne, and Shen Sheng was forced to commit suicide. Shen Sheng's younger brother, Zhong Er, fled into exile to escape the scourge. During his exile, Zhong Er suffered humiliation. Originally, most of the courtiers who went out with him went out one after another. There are only a few loyal people who have been following him. One of them is called meson push. On one occasion, Zhong Er fainted from hunger. In order to save Zhong Er, Jiezitui cut a piece of meat from his leg, cooked it with fire and gave it to Zhong Er to eat. Nineteen years later, Zhong Er returned to China and became a monarch, namely Jin Wengong, one of the famous five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period. After Jin Wengong came to power, he raised a lot of rewards for those courtiers who share the joys and sorrows with him, except for the meson push. Someone pleaded for mesons in front of Jin Wengong. Jin Wengong suddenly remembered the past, feeling guilty, and immediately sent someone to ask meson to take the court to be rewarded as an official. However, after several trips, the meson could not be pushed. Jin Wengong had to go to please. However, when Jin Wengong came to the meson pusher's house, he saw the door closed. Jiezitui didn't want to see him, and had already hid in Mianshan (now southeast of Jiexiu County, Shanxi Province) with his mother on his back. Jin Wengong asked his body-guard to search Mianshan, but he couldn't find it. So, someone had an idea, saying, it's better to set Yamakaji free, set fire on three sides, and leave one side behind, and mesons will come out by themselves when the fire starts. Jin Wengong ordered Yamakaji to be promoted. Unexpectedly, the fire burned for three days and three nights. After the fire was extinguished, mesons were not pushed out after all. Looking up the mountain, the mother and the son were holding a charred willow tree and were dead. Jin Wengong looked at meson push's body and wept for a while. Then he buried the body and found that meson push's back was blocked with a willow tree hole, which seemed to have something. When I took it out, it turned out to be a piece of skirt with a bloody poem inscribed on it: I hope your master will always be clear. It's better to be a ghost without seeing it, than to accompany you as a remonstrator. If your master has me in his heart, remember my frequent introspection. I have a clear conscience in Jiuquan, and I am diligent and clear. Jin Wengong hid the bloody book in his sleeve. Then meson tui and his mother were buried under the charred willow tree. To commemorate Jietui, Jin Wengong ordered Mianshan to be changed to "Jieshan", and an ancestral temple was built on the mountain, and the day when Yamakaji was released was designated as the Cold Food Festival, telling the whole country that fireworks were forbidden on this day every year, and only cold food was eaten. When he left, he cut a section of charred willow and made a pair of clogs in the palace. He looked at it every day and sighed, "What a pity." "The first step" is the name of the ancient people's subordinates to respect each other between their superiors or peers, which is said to come from this. In the second year, Jin Wengong led his ministers and went hiking in plain clothes to pay homage and express his condolences. Walking to the grave, I saw the dead old willow tree resurrected, with thousands of green branches, dancing in the wind. Jin Wengong looked at the resurrected old willow as if he had seen a meson push. He walked up to him respectfully, pinched a branch lovingly, braided a circle and put it on his head. After the sacrifice, Jin Wengong named the resurrected old willow "Qingming Willow" and named it Tomb-Sweeping Day. In the future, Jin Wengong often wore a bloody book around him as a memorial to spur himself to be in power. He is diligent and clear-cut, makes great efforts to govern the country well. Since then, the people of the state of Jin have been able to live and work in peace and contentment, and they are very nostalgic for meson Tui, who has made meritorious deeds and is not seeking wealth. On the day of his death, fireworks are forbidden to commemorate him. It is also made of flour and jujube paste, kneaded into the shape of a swallow, strung together with willows, inserted in the door, and summoned his soul. This thing is called "pushing the swallow" (also called the push of the intermediary). Since then, cold food and Qingming have become grand festivals for people all over the country. Whenever there is cold food, people don't make a fire to cook, but only eat cold food. In the north, people only eat cold food prepared in advance, such as jujube cakes and wheat cakes. In the south, it is mostly green balls and glutinous rice sugar lotus roots. Every Qingming Festival, people put wicker into a circle and put wicker branches in front of and behind the house to show their nostalgia.

solar festival custom

Qingming outing

Qingming custom is rich and interesting. Every family steamed Qingming fruit and gave it to each other, not only paying attention to banning fire and sweeping graves, but also a series of folk sports activities such as outing, swinging, cuju, playing polo and inserting willows. According to legend, this is because Tomb-Sweeping Day wants to ban cold food and fire. In order to prevent cold food and cold meals from hurting people, we all take part in some sports activities to exercise. Therefore, this festival is a distinctive festival, with both sad tears of offering sacrifices to sweep new graves, parting between life and death, and laughter for an outing. [1] jogging

jogging. Also known as spring exploration, spring seeking and outing. It means stepping on the grass, playing in the countryside and watching the spring scenery. March is clear, spring returns to the earth, and nature presents a vibrant scene everywhere, which is a good time for an outing. The folk in our country have long maintained the habit of going for an outing in Qingming. It is a good time to go for an outing before and after Qingming Festival, so it has become an important part of Tomb-Sweeping Day customs. In ancient times, women couldn't go out casually on weekdays, and it was a rare opportunity to go hiking in Qingming, so women had more fun than men in Qingming, and there was a folk saying that "women's Qingming men's year". Cuju Cuju. Bow is a kind of rubber ball, the skin of which is made of leather, and the ball is stuffed with wool. Cuju is to play football with your feet. This is a popular game in ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day. According to legend, it was invented by the Yellow Emperor, with the original purpose of training warriors. Now we call football. Grave-sweeping

Tomb-sweeping was originally a custom of cold food the day before (or three days before) Qingming Festival, which gradually merged with Qingming Festival since the Tang Dynasty. It became a custom in Tomb-Sweeping Day. It is called "respect for thinking of time" for ancestors. The Ming Dynasty's "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" reads: "On the Qingming Day in March, men and women sweep graves, paying tribute to them, and hanging ingots behind the sedan chairs and horses, the streets are full of embarrassment. Worshippers, mourners, weeping, weeding and adding soil to the tomb, burn ingots several times and buy graves with paper money. If there is no paper money in sight, it will be a lonely grave. After crying, don't go back, go to the fragrant trees, choose the garden, and sit down and get drunk. " In fact, sweeping graves existed before Qin dynasty, but not necessarily during Qingming period, but after Qin dynasty. It didn't become popular until the Tang Dynasty. "Qing Tong Li" says: "On the New Year's Eve, cold food and first frost Festival, you worship to sweep the tomb. During the period, you will serve the tomb in plain clothes, with wine and tools for cutting vegetation, and you will seal the trees and cut off the jingcao in the week, so it is called sweeping the grave." And passed down to this day. In contemporary China, most social tombs have been changed into cemeteries with small square stone chambers. There is a poem in Qingming: "It rains like hemp at first sight, and the grass in the countryside is green." Or look for the stone in the cemetery and think about the flowers in the tomb. " (Excerpted from "Poems of Jingtang Collection and Jiangnan Jingshi") The Qingming Festival should have been held in the cemetery in person, but because the economic conditions and other conditions of each family are different, the way of sweeping is different. "Burning a bundle" is the main form of paying homage to ancestors. The so-called "baggage", also known as "parcel", refers to the postal parcel sent by filial piety from Yangshi to Sheol. In the past, Nanzhi store sold so-called "wrapped skins", that is, a large bag was pasted with white paper. There are two forms: one is a woodcut version, in which the Sanskrit transliteration of the "Death Mantra" is printed around it, and a lotus tablet is printed in the middle to write the names of the dead people who receive money, such as "the late Zhang Fujun was afraid of the boss in Yunshan", which is both a parcel and a tablet.

The other one is plain wrapped leather, which does not print any patterns. Just stick a blue sign in the middle and write down the names of the dead. Also used as the main card. There are many kinds of money in the bag. First, burn paper, nine k white paper, and smash four lines of round money, five pieces per line; Second, the ghost money, which is copied after the world has a foreign currency ticket, is written with the words "Paradise Bank", "Ghost Country Bank" and "Hell Bank", and has the pattern of □ capital, mostly with a huge face value, and the Buddhist "Death Mantra" is printed on the back; Third, fake foreign money, with hard paper as the heart, wrapped in silver foil, and pressed with the same pattern as the prevailing silver dollar at that time; Fourth, the "Death Mantra" printed in red on yellow paper is a round money, so it is also called "Death Money"; Five, with gold and silver foil stacked ingot, hammer, and some have to thread into a string, with a colored paper ear at the bottom. In the old days, no matter whether rich or poor, there was a move to burn burdens. On that day, a confession case was set up in the ancestral temple or the main house of the family house, and the baggage was placed in the middle. In front of it, offerings such as dumplings, cakes and fruits were set up, and incense was burned and candles were held. After the whole family salutes according to seniority, they can be incinerated outside the door. When incinerating, draw a big circle and leave a gap in the direction of the graveyard. Burn three or five pieces of paper outside the circle, which is called "sending away the special things outside." Some rich people want to take their families and their families by car and go to the graves to pay homage. At that time, it is necessary to trim the grave, or symbolically add soil to the grave, and put some paper money on it to let others see it, knowing that there are still descendants in this grave. Worship and worship, and some kowtow to their ancestors; Some sit around for dinner and drink; Others fly kites and even compete with each other for entertainment. Women and children will also fold some Yang Liuzhi nearby and wear the steamed food offerings with wicker. Others weave wicker into a reed and wear it on their heads, saying that "if you don't wear willow in Qingming, you will become a yellow dog in the afterlife." This is a grave-sweeping and an outing, and you can only go home when you are happy. It is said that the custom of inserting willows is also to commemorate Shennong, the founder of farming, who taught the people to cultivate crops. In some places, people put willow branches under the eaves to forecast the weather. There is an old saying, "The willow branches are green and rainy; The saying that the wicker is dry and the sky is sunny. During the Huang Chao Uprising, it was stipulated that "Qingming is a period, Dai Liu is the number". After the failure of the uprising, the custom of wearing willow was gradually eliminated, and only inserting willow prevailed. Willow has a strong vitality, as the saying goes: "If you have the heart to plant flowers, you will not grow them." Wicker lives when it is inserted into the soil, where it is inserted, where it lives, and when it is inserted year after year, it becomes cloudy everywhere. There is another saying in Qingming Festival: It turns out that China people regard Qingming Festival, July 31 and October New Moon as the three major ghost festivals, which are the time when hundreds of ghosts haunt and seek for help. People try to prevent ghosts from invading.