the origin and legend of Tomb-Sweeping Day

China's traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day 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.

There is a legend about cold food:

According to legend, 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 greatly rewarded those courtiers who shared his joys and sorrows, 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 poem in blood inscribed on it:

I wish my Lord would always be clear.

it's better to be a ghost under Liu Xia than to accompany you as a remonstrator.

If you have me in your heart, remember my 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, expressing 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 took the bloody book with him as a memorial to spur him 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 Jietui, 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.

the origin and legend of the dragon boat festival

the dragon boat festival is an ancient traditional festival, which started in China during the spring and autumn period and the warring States period and has a history of more than 2,111 years. There are many origins and legends of the Dragon Boat Festival. Here are only the following four:

It originated in memory of Qu Yuan

According to Records of the Historian, Qu Yuan was a minister of Chu Huaiwang in the Spring and Autumn Period. He advocated the promotion of talents and empowerment, made Qiang Bing rich, and urged the joint efforts against Qin, which was strongly opposed by Zilan and others. Qu Yuan was forced to leave his post, was driven out of the capital, and was exiled to Yuan and Xiang basins. During his exile, he wrote immortal poems such as Li Sao, Tian Wen and Jiu Ge, which are of unique style and far-reaching influence (hence, Dragon Boat Festival is also called Poet's Day). In 278 BC, Qin Jun conquered Kyoto, Chu. Qu Yuan's heart ached at the sight of his motherland being invaded, but he couldn't bear to give up his motherland all the time. On May 5th, after writing his masterpiece Huai Sha, he threw himself into the Miluo River and died, writing a magnificent patriotic movement with his own life.

It is said that after the death of Qu Yuan, the people of Chu were so sad that they flocked to the Miluo River to pay their respects to Qu Yuan. Fishermen rowed boats and fished for his real body back and forth on the river. A fisherman took out rice balls, eggs and other foods prepared for Qu Yuan and threw them into the river "plop, plop", saying that the ichthyosaurs, shrimps and crabs were full and would not bite the doctor's body. People followed suit after seeing it. An old doctor took an altar of realgar wine and poured it into the river, saying that it was necessary to stun the dragon water beast with medicine so as not to hurt Dr. Qu. Later, for fear that rice balls would be eaten by dragons, people came up with the idea of wrapping rice with neem leaves and wrapping them with colored silk to develop them into brown seeds.

After that, on the fifth day of May every year, there was the custom of dragon boat race, eating zongzi and drinking realgar wine. In memory of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan.

The second legend, which originated in commemoration of the Dragon Boat Festival in Wu Zixu, is widely spread in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and commemorates Wu Zixu in the Spring and Autumn Period (771 BC-476 BC). Wu Zixu, a famous member of the State of Chu, and his father and brother were all killed by the King of Chu. Later, Zixu abandoned the dark and went to the State of Wu to help Wu cut Chu, and entered the city of Ying, the capital of Chu, in the Five Wars. At that time, King Chu Ping was dead, and Zixu dug a grave and whipped 311 corpses to avenge the killing of his father and brother. After the death of Prince Helu of Wu, his son Fu Cha succeeded to the throne. Wu Jun's morale was high, and he was defeated by the state of Yue. The king of Yue Gou Jian asked for peace, and Fu Cha promised it. Zi Xu suggested that the state of Yue should be completely destroyed, but Fu Cha refused to listen. Wu was slaughtered by the state of Yue, and was bribed by the state of Yue. He was framed by slanderers, and Fu Cha believed him, giving him a sword, and Zi Xu died. Zi Xu, a loyal man, regarded death as death. Before he died, he said to his neighbors, "After I die, I will gouge out my eyes and hang them on the east gate of Wujing to watch the Vietnamese army enter the city and destroy Wu." He then committed suicide. Fu Cha was furious when he heard this, so he took Zi Xu's body in leather and put it into the river on May 5. Therefore, it is said that the Dragon Boat Festival is also the day to commemorate Wu Zixu.

The third legend, which originated from the Dragon Boat Festival in memory of the filial daughter Cao E

, is to commemorate the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 23-221) when the filial daughter Cao E saved her father and threw herself into the river. Cao E was a native of Shangyu in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Her father drowned in the river, and her body was not seen for several days. At that time, Cao E, a filial daughter, was only fourteen years old, crying day and night along the river. Seventeen days later, he also threw himself into the river on May 5, and took out his father's body five days later. This was passed down as a myth, and then passed on to the governor of the county government, who made it a monument and let his disciple Han Danchun make a eulogy.

The tomb of Cao E, a dutiful daughter, is located in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. Later, Cao E tablet was written by Wang Yi of Jin Dynasty. Later, in order to commemorate Cao E's filial piety, Cao E Temple was built in the place where Cao E threw himself into the river. The village where she lived was renamed Cao E Town, and the place where Cao E died was named Cao E River.

Totem Sacrifice originated from the ancient Yue nationality

A large number of cultural relics unearthed in modern times and archaeological studies have confirmed that there was a cultural relic with Tao Wei characteristics in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in the Neolithic Age. According to experts' inference, the remaining clan is a clan that worships the dragon totem-Baiyue clan in history. The decorative patterns on the unearthed pottery and historical legends show that they have the custom of continuously tattoo, live in a water town, and compare themselves to the descendants of dragons. Its production tools, a large number of stone tools, but also shovel, chisel and other small pieces of bronze. As daily necessities, the printed pottery tripod for cooking food is unique to them and is one of the symbols of their ethnic group. Until the Qin and Han Dynasties, there were still more than 111 Yue people, and the Dragon Boat Festival was a festival they founded to worship their ancestors. In thousands of years of historical development, most Baiyue people have been integrated into the Han nationality, and the rest have evolved into many ethnic minorities in the south. Therefore, the Dragon Boat Festival has become a festival for the whole Chinese nation.

The origin and legend of Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history, which, like other traditional festivals, developed slowly. The ancient emperors had a ritual system of offering sacrifices to the sun in spring and the moon in autumn, and the word "Mid-Autumn Festival" was recorded as early as in Zhou Li. Later, nobles and scholars followed suit. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, they watched and worshipped the bright and round moon in the sky, expressing their feelings. This custom spread to the people and formed a traditional activity. Until the Tang Dynasty, people paid more attention to this custom of sacrificing the moon, and the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. The Book of Tang Taizong recorded the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15, which was popular in the Song Dynasty.

The legend of Mid-Autumn Festival is very rich, and fairy tales such as the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang's felling of Guangxi and Jade Rabbit's smashing medicine are widely spread.

One of the Mid-Autumn Festival legends-the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon

According to legend, in ancient times, there were ten days in the sky at the same time, and the crops died in the sun, and the people were miserable. A hero named Hou Yi had infinite strength. He sympathized with the suffering people, climbed to the top of Kunlun Mountain, took full advantage of his divine power, opened his bow, shot down more than nine suns in one breath, and ordered the last sun to rise and fall on time to benefit the people.

Hou Yi was respected and loved by the people. He married a beautiful and kind wife named Chang 'e. In addition to hunting, Hou Yi spent all his time with his wife, and people envied this beautiful and loving couple.

Many people with lofty ideals have come here to study as teachers, and Peng Meng, who has ulterior motives, has also mixed in.

One day, Hou Yi went to Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek the Tao. He happened to meet the Queen Mother who passed by and asked her for a pack of elixir. It is said that taking this medicine can instantly ascend to heaven and become immortal. However, Hou Yi could not bear to leave his wife, so he had to give the immortal medicine to Chang 'e for the time being. Chang 'e hid the medicine in the treasure box of the dresser, only to be seen by the villain Peng Meng. He wanted to steal the immortal medicine and become immortal himself.

Three days later, Hou Yi led his followers out hunting, and Peng Meng, who had ulterior motives, pretended to be ill and stayed. Soon after Hou Yi led the crowd away, Peng Meng broke into the backyard of the inner house with a sword in his hand, threatening Chang 'e to hand over the elixir. Chang 'e knew that she was no match for Peng Meng. When she was in a crisis, she made a decisive decision, turned around and opened the treasure box, took out the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp. Chang 'e swallowed the medicine and immediately floated off the ground, rushed out of the window and flew to the sky. Because Chang 'e was concerned about her husband, she flew to the nearest moon and became a fairy.

In the evening, Hou Yi came home, and the maids cried about what happened during the day. Hou Yi was both surprised and angry, and drew his sword to kill the villains. Peng Meng fled early. Hou Yi was so angry and heartbroken that he looked up at the night sky and called out the name of his beloved wife. At this time, he was surprised to find that today's moon was exceptionally bright and bright, and there was a swaying figure resembling Chang 'e. He chased after the moon desperately, but he chased three steps, the moon retreated three steps, he retreated three steps, and the moon advanced three steps, but he couldn't catch up with him anyway.

Hou Yi was helpless and missed his wife, so he had to send someone to Chang 'e's favorite back garden, set up a table incense, put on her favorite honey and fresh fruit, and pay a tribute to Chang 'e in the moon palace. After hearing the news that the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon became an immortal, people set up incense tables under the moon to pray for good luck and peace to the kind Chang 'e.

Since then, the custom of Yue Bai in Mid-Autumn Festival has spread among the people.

Legend No.2 of Mid-Autumn Festival-WU GANG's laurel

There is another legend about Mid-Autumn Festival: It is said that the laurel tree in front of the Guanghan Palace on the moon grows luxuriantly, with a height of more than 511 feet. There is a man who often cuts it down below, but every time he cuts it down, the cut place is closed immediately. For thousands of years, this laurel tree can never be cut down. It is said that this tree-chopping man named WU GANG, a native of Xihe, Han Dynasty, once followed the immortal to the heaven, but when he made a mistake, the immortal relegated him to the Moon Palace, and did this kind of futile drudgery every day to show his punishment. In Li Bai's poems, there is a record that "if you want to be in the middle of the moon, you will pay for the cold."

the third legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival-Zhu Yuanzhang and the moon cake uprising

It is said that eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the broad masses of people in the Central Plains could not bear the cruel rule of the ruling class in the Yuan Dynasty and rebelled against the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang joined forces with various resistance forces to prepare for the uprising. However, the officers and men of the court searched very closely and it was very difficult to pass on the news. Strategist Liu Bowen came up with a plan and ordered his subordinates to hide the note containing the "August 15th night uprising" into the cake, and then sent someone to send it to the uprising troops in various places separately to inform them to respond to the uprising on August 15th night. On the day of the uprising, all the rebels responded together, such as single spark can start a prairie fire.

Soon, Xu Da captured the capital of Yuan Dynasty, and the uprising was successful. When the news came, Zhu Yuanzhang was so happy that he quickly gave a message that all the soldiers would have fun with the people in the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, and he would give the "moon cakes" that were sent in secret when he started fighting that year as seasonal cakes to his ministers. Since then, the production of "moon cakes" has become more and more elaborate, with more varieties, such as discs, and has become a good gift. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the custom of eating moon cakes spread among the people.

The origin and legend of the Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China, which began in the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,111 years ago. Lantern Festival viewing began in the period of Emperor Han Ming in the East. Ming Di advocated Buddhism. Hearing that Buddhism had the practice of monks observing Buddhist relics and lighting lanterns to worship Buddha on the 15th day of the first month, he ordered that lanterns be lit in palaces and temples on this night to make the gentry and ordinary people hang lanterns. Later, this Buddhist ceremonial festival gradually formed a grand folk festival. This festival has experienced the development process from the court to the people and from the Central Plains to the whole country.

In the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the 15th day of the first month was designated as the Lantern Festival. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the sacrificial activities of "Taiyi God" were scheduled for the 15th day of the first month. Taiyi: the God who rules everything in the universe. When Sima Qian founded the "taichu calendar", he had identified the Lantern Festival as a major festival.

Another saying is that the custom of burning lanterns in Lantern Festival originated from the Taoist "three-yuan theory"; The 15th day of the first month is Shangyuan Festival, the 15th day of July is Zhongyuan Festival, and the 15th day of October is Xiayuan Festival. The officials in charge of the upper, middle and lower three elements are heaven, earth and man respectively, and the heaven official is happy, so the lantern festival should be lit.

The festivals and customs activities of the Lantern Festival are extended and expanded with the development of history. As far as the length of the festival is concerned, it was only one day in the Han Dynasty, three days in the Tang Dynasty, and five days in the Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, the lights were lit from the eighth day of the eighth month until the night of the seventeenth day of the first month, for ten days. Connecting with the Spring Festival, the day is the city, which is very lively, and the lights are lit at night, which is spectacular. Especially the delicate and colorful lights, make it more successful.