Introduction to Qingming Festival 2 - Qingming Customs

Author: Fengmei Publication Date: 2006-04-05 09:03 Number of Clicks: 784

Grave Sweeping

Sweeping tombs during the Qingming Festival is called "respecting the times" for ancestors. Its custom has a long history. "On the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" of the Ming Dynasty records: "On Qingming Day in the third month, men and women sweep the tombs, carry the statues, hang ingots on the backs of the sedans and horses, and the streets are filled with charms. Those who worship, those who pray, those who cry, those who weed and add soil to the tombs , burn ingots, and place paper money on the grave. If there is no paper money in sight, the grave will be lonely. After crying, you will go to the fragrant tree, sit in the garden, and get drunk. "In fact, tomb-sweeping existed before the Qin Dynasty. , but not necessarily during the Qingming Festival. Tomb-sweeping during the Qingming Festival was a matter after the Qin Dynasty. It did not become popular until the Tang Dynasty. "Qing Tong Li" says: "On the New Year's Day, during Cold Food and Frost's Descent Festivals, people worship the tomb sweepers. During the period, they go to the tomb in plain clothes, equipped with wine and food and a tool for cutting grass and trees. They seal the trees and cut off the wattle grass, so it is called tomb sweeping." And it has been passed down to this day.

According to long-established customs, in the old days, most Beijingers would sweep tombs during the Qingming Festival. However, the ceremony was not held on the day of the Qingming Festival, but on an "odd" day close to the Qingming Festival. It is said that only monks visit tombs on Qingming Day.

The Qingming Festival sweeping ceremony should be held in person at the tomb site. However, because each family’s economic and other conditions are different, the method of sweeping the memorial ceremony is also 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". In the past, Nanzhi Store sold the so-called "furoshiki", which was a large bag made of white paper. There are two forms: one is to use a woodblock board with the Sanskrit transliteration of the "Rebirth Mantra" printed around it, and a rosette tablet printed in the middle, which is used to write the name of the deceased person who received the money, such as: "The late Mr. Zhang's family name" The words "Master Yunshan" are both a postal package and a tablet. The other type is plain furoshiki, which does not have any pattern printed on it. It only has a blue label stuck in the middle and the name of the deceased can be written on it. Also used as main card.

There are many types of money in the baggage. 1. Big burning paper, 9K white paper, with four rows of round coins, five in each row; 2. Underworld banknotes, which were imitated after foreign money notes became available in the world, with the words "Bank of Paradise", "Bank of the Underworld", There are words such as "Bank of the Underworld" and the pattern of the capital city. Most of them are huge bills with the Buddhist "Rebirth Mantra" printed on the back; 3. Fake foreign money, with a hard paper core, wrapped with silver foil, and embossed with the currency that was popular at that time. The pattern is the same as that of a silver dollar; 4. The "Mantra for Rebirth" printed in red on yellow paper, shaped like a round coin, so it is also called "Money for Rebirth"; 5. Ingots and ingots made of gold and silver foil, some They also need to be threaded into strings and decorated with colored paper tassels at the bottom.

In the old days, everyone, rich or poor, would burn their baggage. On this day, a confession table is set up in the ancestral hall or the main room of the house, and the bundle is placed in the middle. Dumplings, cakes, fruits and other offerings are placed in front of it, and incense and candles are burned. After the whole family bows respectfully to the elder and the younger, it can be burned outside the door. When incineration, draw a large circle and leave a gap in the direction of the grave. Burning three or five pieces of paper outside the circle is called "sending away evil spirits".

Some wealthy households take their families and family members by car or sedan to visit the tombs in person to pay homage. At that time, the tomb should be repaired, or soil should be symbolically added to the tomb, and some paper money should be pressed on it to let others see it and know that there are descendants of this tomb. After the sacrifice, some people sit around to have a meal and drink; others fly kites and even compete with each other for entertainment. 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." This is both tomb-sweeping and outing, and we don’t return until we have exhausted our excitement.

Inserting willows

It is said that the custom of inserting willows is also to commemorate the founder of farming, Shennong, who "taught the people how to farm". In some places, people put willow branches under the eaves to predict the weather. There is an old proverb that "willow branches are green when it rains; when willow branches are dry, the sky is sunny." During the Huang Chao uprising, it was stipulated that "the Qingming Festival will last for a period of time, and Dai Liu will be the number." After the failure of the uprising, the custom of wearing willows was gradually eliminated, and only inserting willows remained popular. Willows have strong vitality. As the saying goes: "If you plant flowers intentionally, they will not bloom, but if you plant willows unintentionally, they will create shade." Willows will live when they are inserted into the soil. Wherever they are inserted, they will live wherever they are inserted. Willows will be inserted year after year, and they will become shade everywhere.

There is another saying about planting willows during the Qingming Festival: It turns out that the Chinese regard Qingming, half July and the first day of October as the three major ghost festivals, when hundreds of ghosts haunt them. In order to prevent the intrusion and persecution of ghosts, people plant willows and wear willows. Willow has the function of warding off evil spirits in people's minds. Influenced by Buddhism, people believe that willow can ward off ghosts, and are called "ghost-terrible trees." Avalokitesvara dips willow branches in water to save sentient beings. Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty said in "Qi Min Yao Shu": "Putting willow branches on the door will prevent all ghosts from entering the house." Qingming is the Ghost Festival, and when willow branches sprout, people naturally plant willows to ward off evil spirits.

The Han people have a custom of "breaking willows to say goodbye": Baqiao is a bridge across the water in the east of Chang'an. Han people send guests to this bridge and break willows to say goodbye. Li Bai has a poem that goes: "Willows color every year, and Baling is sad to say goodbye." In ancient times, on both sides of the Ba Bridge in Chang'an, the embankment was ten miles long, with a willow per step. Many people going east from Chang'an came here to say goodbye, and broke willow branches to say goodbye to their relatives, because "willow branches" " is homophonic with "stay", which means to retain. This custom originated from the Book of Songs. Xiaoya. In "Plucking Wei", "I have left in the past, and the willows are still there". Use willows as a parting gift to express the inseparability, the inability to bear to see each other, and the reluctance to part. Willows are a symbol of spring. Willows swaying in spring always give people a sense of prosperity.

"Breaking willows to say goodbye" contains the wish of "spring is always here". The ancients broke willows to see each other off, which also means that leaving a loved one in the hometown is like a willow tree that leaves a branch. It is hoped that when he goes to a new place, he can quickly take root and sprout, just like a willow branch that can live anywhere. It is a kind of good wish for friends. Ancient poems also mentioned a lot of breaking willows to say goodbye. Quan Deyu's poem of the Tang Dynasty: "Bring off new knowledge as a gift"; Jiang Baishi's poem of the Song Dynasty: "I'm afraid there will be no green willow branches on other roads"; Guo Deng's poem of the Ming Dynasty: "I see off travelers every year, and break all the willows on the roadside in border towns." Chen Weisong's poem of the Qing Dynasty: "How many wicker sticks are left now? I want to give them away." Not only will people feel sad when they see willows, but they will also be moved when they hear the song "Folding Willows". Li Bai's "Listening to the Flute in Luo City on a Spring Night": "I heard the broken willows in this nocturne, and who can't feel the love for my hometown?" In fact, willows can have many symbolic meanings, and the ancients gave willows various emotions, so it is reasonable to borrow willows to express feelings. Something happened.

Dai Liu

To wear willow during the Qingming Festival, some people braid willow branches into a circle and wear them on their heads. Some people scrape the young willow branches into flowers and insert them into their buns. Some people insert willow branches directly into their buns. Tian Rucheng of the Ming Dynasty wrote in "History of Touring the West Lake": During the Qingming Festival, "every house has willows all over its eaves, and green ashes are cute, and men and women may wear them."

Modern People's "Wuhu Ancient and Modern": Qingming, "In the early morning, willows are sold in the market. Every family breaks a branch of green willow, dips it in clean water, and puts it on the lintel. Women make willow balls and wear them on their temples."

The contemporary Yang Yunhua's "Song of Shantang": "The Qingming Festival is here again, and I can hear willows being sold along the street. I meet all the sisters next to each other, and a tree is inserted diagonally into the green clouds." A folk proverb says: "The Qingming Festival will not be over. "Wearing willow during the Qingming Festival will turn you into a beautiful person." "If you don't wear a willow during the Qingming Festival, you will become a yellow dog after death." This shows that wearing a willow tree has the function of warding off evil spirits. The custom of wearing willows during the Qingming Festival can be seen everywhere.

"Huaian County Chronicles" in the second year of Guangxu's reign in the Qing Dynasty states: During the Qingming Festival, "willows are placed on the door, and men and women also wear them. The proverb goes: 'If you don't wear willows during the Qingming Festival, your beauty will turn into a white head.'"

In the Qing Dynasty, wearing willows was used to ward off evil spirits in most areas of our country. However, in some places, it has the meaning of commemorating the years. , it is said that a beauty becomes a bright head." This custom is a remnant of the "cold food" crown ceremony in the Song Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, the time for adult men and women to wear hairpins was unified on the "Cold Food" festival, regardless of the year and month of birth. "All officials and people, regardless of their family size, whose children have not yet had hairpins, will go to the palace on this day." ("Meng Liang Lu") 》) Wearing Liu is a sign of adulthood. Based on this, later generations had the custom of "commemorating their beauty" and evolved into the custom of women wearing willow balls on their temples to pray for eternal beauty. Here, the green willow tree also symbolizes youth. When women wear Liu in spring, they show their cherishment and nostalgia for their youth.

Sports Activities

Outing:

The Qingming Festival falls in March, which is a great time for outings. Our country's folk have long maintained the custom of outing during the Qingming Festival. According to the historical records of the Song Dynasty: "On the ten days before and after the Qingming Festival, the city's sergeants and women, beautifully decorated and decorated with gold and green silk, joined hands one after another to enjoy the scenery, painting boats, flutes and drums, all day long." People brought food to the countryside and immersed themselves in nature. . The style of outing was very popular in the Song Dynasty. The famous painter Zhang Zeduan's genre painting "Along the River During Qingming Festival" vividly depicts the lively scene of people in Kyoto going out for a hike during the Qingming Festival in the Song Dynasty.

Swinging:

In ancient times, there was a custom of swinging during Qingming Festival. Both the ancient characters "swing" and "swing" have the word "leather" next to them, and the character "qianzhi" means "moving away" by holding on to the leather rope. As early as ancient times, people created the activity of swinging while climbing in order to obtain food from high places. It was first called "Qianqiu". Legend has it that it was created by the Shanrong people in the north during the Spring and Autumn Period. It starts with just a rope, grasping the rope with both hands and swinging. Later, Duke Heng of Qi conquered the Shanrong tribe in the north and brought "Qianqiu" into the Central Plains. By the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the palace used the word "Qianqiu" as a birthday wish, taking the meaning of "Qianqiu Wanshou". Later, to avoid taboos, the word "Qianqiu" was reversed to "Swing". Later it gradually evolved into a swing with two ropes and pedals. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, swings became a game exclusively for women to practice agility and strength. When playing on the swing, people swing back and forth in the air, as if they are flying, which is very interesting. "The Legacy of Kaiyuan Tianbao" records: "On the Cold Food Festival in the palace, swings were erected for competition, which made the concubines laugh and thought it was a feast. The emperor called it a play for half-immortals."

In the works of literati in the Tang and Song Dynasties. , there are many descriptions of swings. Wei Zhuang, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, once wrote a poem "Chang'an Qingming": "The purple streets are hissing and red, and the high green poplars reflect the swings." When the spring breeze of the Qingming Festival blows the willows, the girls swing in groups under the trees in the countryside, which is indeed full of excitement. Poetic. Swinging was a very common game at that time. Li Qingzhao, a female poet in the Song Dynasty, often described it in her poems: "After playing on the swing, I get up and adjust my slender hands. The dew is thick and the flowers are thin, and the sweat is thin and the clothes are light." ("Dian Jiang Lip") ) Folks like to use bamboos to set up a temporary "bamboo shoot swing" in the suburbs during the Qingming outing season for dancing and playing. Because swings are seen everywhere during Qingming Festival, some people call it "Swing Festival". Flying a kite is a favorite game played by people before the Qingming Festival. Kite has a history of more than 2,000 years in my car. According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a Gongshu Ban, the mythical "Lu Ban", who could make wooden kites and cut bamboos into magpies, and then fly them without falling for three days. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Emperor Liang Zhengwu was besieged by Hou Jing's rebels in Taicheng. Minister Yang Kan used a kite to tie an imperial edict to attract reinforcements to rescue him. The initial function of the kite was just a tool for transmitting messages in the military, and later it gradually evolved into an entertainment toy.

Kite Flying:

Gao Pian, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote the poem "Kite": "The sound of strings echoes in the quiet night in the blue sky, and the palace merchants trust the incoming wind; it is only worth listening to it if it vaguely resembles music. , and was blown by the wind. "The real name of the kite is recorded in "Xuncu Lu": Kite is a paper kite, also known as a wind kite. During the Five Dynasties, Li Ye made a paper kite in the palace. He used strings to collect the wind as a pair. Later, he used bamboo as a flute on the head of the kite. The wind entered the flute and made a sweet sound, which was like a "zither". It was commonly known as a kite. At first, it was only limited to the princes and beauties among the royal nobles. After the Song Dynasty, it became a popular activity among the people. Kite is not only a beautiful folk handicraft, but also a popular entertainment product. It has always been praised by writers. "Beijing Bamboo Branch Poems" also has a vivid description of kites: "Thousands of people watched the kites flying, and the bamboo poles were tied with thousands of feet of hemp rope. The world is peaceful and new, and the line is flying up to the blue clouds." As early as the Qing Dynasty, kites were being tied and glued. The four arts of painting, drawing and painting have developed to a very refined level. When Cao Xueqin was "living in poverty and writing books" in Xishan, Beijing, he studied the method of tying kites in detail, and also wrote the book "Southern Harrier and Northern Kite Kao Gongzhi". The book introduces in detail the techniques and crafts of tying, pasting, painting, and flying of forty or fifty kinds of kites, including Winged Swallow, Double Carp, Colored Butterfly, Crab, Chongfei, and Double Boy. In addition, kite flying in ancient times was associated with flying bad luck. There is a description in "A Dream of Red Mansions": Lin Daiyu might as well fly the exquisitely crafted kite. Li Ren advised her: "Flying a kite is about this kind of fun, so it is called flying a kite to bring bad luck. You should fly more to take away the root cause of the disease." And when Zicuckoo was going to pick up the ownerless kite with a broken string. , Tanchun dissuaded again: "It's not a taboo to pick up someone else's kite, isn't it?" It can be seen that flying kites was a means for people to eliminate disasters in ancient times. You cannot pick up other people's kites to avoid getting other people's bad luck. Some people write all their worries on paper when flying a kite and let it fly into the blue sky with the kite, thinking that all their worries will go away with the wind.

Cockfighting:

Cockfighting was a popular game during Qingming Festival in ancient times. Cockfighting started from Qingming Festival and lasted until Summer Solstice. The earliest record of cockfighting in my country can be found in "Zuo Zhuan". By the Tang Dynasty, cockfighting became popular, not only among private citizens, but even the emperor participated in cockfighting. For example, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty loved cockfighting the most.

Cuju:

Cuju is a ball made of leather and stuffed with hair. Cuju means kicking a ball 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.

Qingming Food Customs

Fujian She Nationality Qingming Wu Ning Rice

"It rains heavily during the Qingming Festival." As soon as the rain stops, people carry baskets and carry burdens to pay homage to their ancestors and sweep their tombs. There are more. The period for ancestor worship and tomb-sweeping in Fujian and Taiwan varies from Qingming to Guyu, depending on the county (city). In Ningde, Zhouning, Shouning and other places in eastern Fujian, the whole clan usually goes out to worship ancestors' tombs. More recently, the clan holds banquets at the ancestral hall and gathers for a banquet. At that time, the whole family, men, women, old and young all arrived, which was considered a unique reunion in Eastern Fujian.

During the Qingming Festival, most people in eastern Fujian, both in urban and rural areas, have the custom of eating mustard greens. It is said that eating "mustard rice" cooked with mustard greens and rice on February 2 every year can prevent scabies all year round. There is also a custom of cooking loach noodles to worship ancestors and give them away on March 3rd. Moreover, during this period, in many cities and villages in eastern Fujian, you can also eat a kind of food rich in eastern Fujian characteristics, that is, spring chrysanthemums and golden cherry blossoms are mixed into ground rice milk and cooked into seasonal snacks. The snacks are rich in country flavor.

In addition, regarding the Qingming food customs, we must mention the She family's "Wu Ning Rice" because Eastern Fujian is where the She people live. Every year on the third day of March, every household of the She people cooks "Wunen rice" and gives it as a gift to Han relatives and friends. Over time, the local Han people also have the custom of eating "Wunen rice" during the Qingming Festival. Especially the people in Kurong County must use "Wunen rice" to offer sacrifices every year. It can be seen that our country has been a big family of ethnic groups living in harmony since ancient times.

According to She nationality folklore: In the second year of the Tang Dynasty, Lei Wanxing, a hero of the She nationality, led the She army to fight against the officers and soldiers, and was besieged in the mountains. It was a severe winter and food was scarce. The She army had no choice but to pick Wu Ni fruits to satisfy their hunger. Lei Wanxing led his troops down the mountain on the third day of the third lunar month and broke out of the siege. From then on, every March 3rd, Lei Wanxing would always gather soldiers and generals to hold a banquet to celebrate the victory of the breakout. He also ordered the soldiers of the She army to collect Wu Ning leaves and have the military chef prepare "Wu Ning rice" for the whole army to have a full meal as a commemoration. The method of making this "Wu Nin Rice" is not complicated. Wash the picked Wu Nin leaves, boil them in clean water, remove the leaves, then soak the glutinous rice in the Wu Nin soup, soak for 9 hours and then remove it. , steam it in a steamer basket, and eat it when cooked. The prepared "Wu Ning rice" is not very beautiful in appearance and is dark in color. However, the rice is fragrant and has a unique flavor compared with ordinary glutinous rice. In order to commemorate the national hero, the She people would steam and eat "Wu Ning Rice" every March 3rd every year. As time went by, it became a She family custom. In addition, because She and Han people lived together in the eastern Fujian area, the people lived in harmony with each other throughout the generations, and marriages were frequent, so eating "Wunen rice" has become a Qingming food custom shared by all ethnic groups in eastern Fujian.

Qingming Fruit

Every household will make a food called Qingming Fruit during the Qingming Festival, which is used to pay homage to their ancestors when sweeping tombs. But in my memory, the arrival of Qingming Festival means being able to enjoy the green and fragrant Qingming fruits.

The shape of Qingming fruit is somewhat like a dumpling, but its taste is completely different.

The skin of the Qingming fruit is made of a plant called mugwort, a perennial herbaceous plant with small yellow flowers and small leaves shaped like those of the Compositae family, growing in clusters. Every year before the Qingming Festival, women carry bamboo baskets and come to the fields in groups to pick mugwort leaves. The green and fresh mugwort leaves are piled in the baskets, which is really beautiful and attractive. After collecting the mugwort leaves and returning home, they began the complicated process of making Qingming fruit. The women were like magicians, and the green mugwort turned into delicious Qingming fruit in a blink of an eye.

When I was a child, I was particularly curious. This was obviously grass, but how did it become the Qingming fruit? Grandma and the others were too lazy to pay attention to me, so they let me watch from the side. They pounded the mugwort leaves and mixed them with rice noodles. When the white rice noodles met the green mugwort leaf juice, they immediately turned into a green powder, which was so tender and tender. , it’s still a half-finished product that makes me salivate. The skin of the Qingming fruit has been prepared, and the fillings are also very particular. People with good conditions have a variety of varieties and exquisite production. There are smoked sausages with minced mustard, dried tofu with leeks, and other delicious combinations. But no matter what kind of filling, chili powder is indispensable, so the fruit tastes delicious and satisfying. The noodles and stuffing are all prepared, and the last step is to wrap the fruit. This wrap has the same effect as making dumplings, but the Qingming fruit seems to be more delicate. The folds are like lace, each one is green and clear, cute It’s great, it’s a pleasure to watch them wrapping Qingming fruit, as if pieces of art are flying out of their hands. The neatly arranged Qingming fruits made me swallow my saliva and wait patiently for the moment when they were steamed.

The mugwort leaves are green every year, and the fruits are fragrant every year. The folks can never forget their relatives and friends in the city. They always send us home-made Qingming fruits during the Qingming Festival. The family affection and the delicious taste are still unforgettable to this day. As time has passed, Qingming Fruit no longer simply means worshiping ancestors during the Qingming Festival. It contains deep family affection and pure nostalgia. Nowadays, when I am far away from my hometown, when I think of the green Qingming fruit, a touch of nostalgia and sweet memories well up from the bottom of my heart.

It’s Qingming Festival again. Due to work reasons, I couldn’t go back to my hometown to visit my grandpa and grandma’s graves, but my parents brought Qingming fruits from my hometown. Seeing the fruit is like seeing a person, and I remembered the scene of the folks in the village making Qingming fruit together affectionately. The harmony, the naturalness, the intimacy are so warm and beautiful, but these are in the city, in today's materialistic world. It's hard to find anymore. Only the green and fragrant Qingming fruit is still full of temptation and intriguing.

During the Qingming Festival, it rains continuously, Ai Guo is tender and nostalgic, and the spring breeze accompanies my dream of going home, and I see smoke rising from the village.

Run cakes and vegetables

Every time during the Qingming Festival, Quanzhou people have the custom of eating "moist cakes and vegetables". It is said that this is a legacy of the ancient cold food diet custom.

The correct name of "Runbing Cai" should be spring cakes. Eating runcakes during Qingming Festival is not only unique to Quanzhou, but also popular among Xiamen people. According to legend, the person who pioneered this way of eating was Cai Fuyi, a Tongan native who served as the governor of Yunnan, Guizhou and Huguang Military Affairs in the Ming Dynasty. At that time, Tong'an was under the jurisdiction of Quanzhou Prefecture, so this way of eating spread and became a household name in southern Fujian. However, the form of spring cakes in various parts of southern Fujian is the same, but the content is very different.

Quanzhou's "Run Bing Dish" is made from flour and baked into a thin crust. It is commonly known as "Run Bing" or "Run Bing". When eating, roll out the crust and roll shredded carrots and shredded pork. , oyster omelette, turnip and other mixed pot dishes are simple to prepare and taste sweet and delicious. Jinjiang's "moist cake dishes" are much more complicated. The main ingredients of the "moist cake dishes" must be diverse, and there is a table full of them. There are some main dishes: peas, bean sprouts, dried tofu, fish ball slices, shrimp, diced meat, fried oysters, and radish dishes. There are also some ingredients: crispy seaweed, shredded fried eggs, peanut paste, coriander, and shredded garlic. When eating, you must use two "moisten cake skins" to ensure that it is not burst by the rich content. For most people, 2 rolls of this crispy, tender, luscious, mellow and delicious delicacy is enough.

However, as far as I know, Jinjiang's "moisten cake" is not the most complicated; in terms of complexity, Xiamen should be the most complicated. The main ingredients used in Jinjiang are all available in Xiamen. In addition, bamboo shoots, fish, fried flat fish and fried leeks are added, and then dipped in mustard, spicy sauce, and sweet sauce. This is called authentic Xiamen "pancake."

Nowadays, everyone's living standards have improved, but the custom of eating "moist cakes" still remains. This should be a kind of inheritance.

Why do we eat Qingtuan during Qingming

Shanghai people have the custom of eating Qingtuan before and after Qingming. This custom can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. According to the "Book of Rites of Zhou", there was a law at that time that "in the middle of spring, wooden poles were used to follow the fire in the country", so the people put out their cooking and "cold food for three days." During the cold food period, one or two days before Weiming, it is also designated as the "Cold Day Festival".

The traditional foods of the ancient Cold Food Festival include glutinous rice cheese, wheat cheese, and almond cheese. These foods can be prepared in advance to satisfy hunger during the Cold Food Festival without having to use fire for cooking.

Nowadays, some Qingtuan dumplings are made of mugwort, while others are pounded with brome grass juice and glutinous rice flour and filled with bean paste. They have been passed down for more than a hundred years, but they still have the same appearance. People use it to sweep tombs and pay homage to their ancestors, but more often than not they try new things according to orders, and the function of the Youth League as a sacrificial offering is increasingly diluted.

Lie cheese and ring cakes

"Jingchu Sui Sui Ji" records: "On the 15th day of the Winter Festival, there will be strong winds and heavy rain, which is called cold food. Fire is forbidden for three days One day, make barley porridge." "Ye Zhong Ji" also says: "Eat cold food for three days to make sweet cheese." Sweet cheese is a kind of almond wheat porridge prepared with maltose.

Until the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was still the main food of the Cold Food Festival. In addition, Jia Sixie's "Essentials for Qi Min" also recorded another cold food festival food - ring cakes. "Huanbing, a cold utensil, is made with water mixed with honey to soak the noodles." It is fried until golden brown and can be eaten. The taste is extremely crispy and very similar to today's dim sum.

Jujube Feiyan

On the Qingming Festival in the Song Dynasty, in addition to the ready-made foods such as thick cakes, wheat cakes, cheese, and milk cakes sold in the market, people also made their own The swallow-shaped pasta is called "Jujube Flying Swallow". It is said that it was used as a sacrifice to worship Jie Zitui in the past. People in the Ming Dynasty would also leave part of the jujube and fry it in oil for the children at home to eat at the beginning of summer. It is said that after eating it, they can avoid summer rot.

Qing Jing Rice

Chen Yuanliang (about 1225-1264) recorded in Volume 15 of "Sui Sui Guang Ji" quoted in "Lingling Zong Ji" Another Cold Food Festival food, "Qingjing rice": "Yangtong leaves and fine holly are especially luxuriant when they grow near water. When people encounter cold weather, they pick their leaves to dye rice. The color is green and shiny, and eating it nourishes yang energy. It is called Yangtong rice. , Taoists call it green rice, stone hunger rice. "The custom of eating green rice during the Qingming Festival seems to be more popular in the south. Volume 43 of "Qi Xiu Lei Manu" written by Lang Ying (from 1487 to 1566, Hangzhou) mentions the "green and white dumplings" eaten during the Cold Food Festival. This kind of green dumpling is made by pounding glutinous rice with brome grass juice, and the filling is mostly date paste or bean paste. Before adding the steamed bean sprouts, put new reed leaves on the bottom. After steaming, the color will be lovely green and the fragrance of reed leaves will be present. It is a very popular Qingming Festival food.

Zitui Steamed Bun

Qingming is one of the twenty-four solar terms. The day when this solar term begins is the Qingming Festival. Qingming Festival is a traditional festival popular in my country's Han areas and ethnic minority areas such as Zhuang, Korean, Miao, Dong, Gelao, Maonan, Jing, and She. At this time, the climate in most areas of our country is warming, and vegetation is sprouting, eliminating the dry and yellow scene in winter. A Jiangnan farmer's proverb goes: "The Grain and Rain Days are connected during the Qingming Festival, so don't delay planting and plowing the fields." It also says, "It's better to plant trees than before the Qingming Festival." Tomb-Sweeping Day, for farmers in Jiangnan, is a busy time for spring plowing and planting. The drizzle described by Du Mu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, in his poem "Qingming" is the catalyst for this busy season. In fact, in that rain and fog, there should not only be soul-destroying pedestrians on the road and hotel guises swaying in the wind, but also farmers who are busy plowing in the fields and bending down to plant rice.

On Qingming Festival, people visit their ancestors’ tombs, remove weeds, cultivate new soil, pay homage to their ancestors, and mourn the spirits of the dead. Today is also a day to commemorate martyrs’ cemeteries, carry out afforestation, and carry out traditional education. The day before Qingming Festival is the Cold Food Festival. No fireworks are allowed during the Cold Food Festival, and only cold dishes can be eaten to commemorate Jie Zitui, a nobleman of the Jin Dynasty during the Spring and Autumn Period. Jie Zitui, also known as Jie Zitui, Jie Zitui. He followed Prince Chong'er (later Duke Wen of Jin) into exile. After Duke Wen returned home, he rewarded his followers heavily. However, Jie Zitui did not receive the reward and lived in seclusion with his mother in Mianshan (now Jieshan, southeast of Jiexiu County, Shanxi Province). Later, Duke Wen wanted to grant him an official title, but he refused. Wen Gong had no choice but to set fire to the mountain. He wanted to force him to come out, but unexpectedly he pushed Jie Zi, mother and son and burned them to death in the mountain. Later, due to the connection between Cold Food and Tomb Sweeping Day, they gradually became one festival. However, the custom of steaming "Zitui buns" before the festival has been passed down to this day in Yulin and Yan'an in northern Shaanxi.

"Zitui Mo", also known as Lao Momo, is similar to the helmet of an ancient military commander and weighs about 250-500 grams. Eggs or dates are stuffed inside, and there is a topping on top. The top is surrounded by veneer flowers. Mianhua is a small steamed bun made from dough, with the shapes of swallow, insect, snake, rabbit or the Four Treasures of the Study. The round "Zitui Mo" is specially for men to enjoy. Married women eat strip-shaped steamed buns, while unmarried girls eat steamed buns. Children have noodle flowers such as swallows, snakes, rabbits, and tigers. "Big Tiger" is reserved for boys and is their favorite. Parents use pear branches or thin twine to string various small flowers together, and hang them on the roof of the cave dwelling or next to the window frame for the children to enjoy slowly. The dried noodles can be kept until the Qingming Festival of the next year.

Making noodles is a specialty of women in northern Shaanxi. With their dexterous hands, they can knead the fermented white flour into various shapes of dough flowers. The tools are just combs, scissors, awls, tweezers and other daily necessities, and the accessories are red beans, black beans, peppercorns and food coloring. The steamed noodles are so lifelike, like art treasures, that you can't put them down and want to eat them right away.

In addition to eating "Zitui Mo" and flour flowers for yourself, you can also use them as gifts for relatives and friends. The mother wants to give cold food to her daughter who gets married that year, which is called giving cold food. Rural children give them to their teachers, and let gardeners who leave their homes to teach and educate people alone in remote mountain villages share the festive delicacies.

The Qingming Festival expresses our memory for our ancestors and our admiration for the martyrs; "Zitui Mo" deepens people's warm family affection and sincere friendship.