Handwritten newspaper about Tomb-Sweeping Day

Origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day

Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the twenty-four solar terms in the lunar calendar, which is at the turn of mid-spring and late spring, that is, 106 days after the winter solstice. The traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day in China began in the Zhou Dynasty, with a history of more than 2,500 years. "Almanac": "On the fifteenth day after the vernal equinox, fighting refers to Ding, for the sake of Qingming, when everything is clean and clear, when it is covered, everything is clear and clear, so it is named." As soon as Qingming comes, the temperature rises, which is a good time for spring ploughing and planting. Therefore, there is a saying that "before and after Qingming, we plant melons and beans". Tomb-Sweeping Day is a festival to worship ancestors, and the traditional activity is grave-sweeping. On May 20th, 2006, this folk festival was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

Tomb-Sweeping Day custom

Qingming sweeping the grave is called "respect for thinking of time" for ancestors. Its custom has a long history. The Ming Dynasty's "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" reads: "On the Qingming Day in March, men and women visited the graves, carrying their respect, and hanging ingots from the back of the sedan chair, the road was 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.

Legend of Tomb-Sweeping Day

According to historical records, in the Spring and Autumn Period more than 2,000 years ago, Zhong Er, the son of the State of Jin, fled and lived a hard life. The meson who followed him cut a piece of meat from his leg to satisfy his hunger. Later, Zhong Er returned to the State of Jin and became a monarch (namely Jin Wengong, one of the five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period). He rewarded all his followers who followed him in exile, but Jiezitui refused to accept the reward. He took his mother to Mianshan and refused to come out.

Jin Wengong was at his wit's end, so he had to let Yamakaji go. He thought that meson would be filial to his mother and would definitely come out with his mother. Who knows that this fire burned the meson mother and son to death. In memory of meson tui, Jin Wengong ordered that on this day every year, no fire should be lit, and every household can only eat cold food, which is the origin of the Cold Food Festival.

The Cold Food Festival is the day before Tomb-Sweeping Day. The ancients often extended the activities of the Cold Food Festival to Qingming. Over time, people combined cold food with Qingming. Now, Tomb-Sweeping Day has replaced the Cold Food Festival, and the custom of worshipping mesons has become the custom of sweeping graves at Qingming Festival.

Qingming verse

Qingming Festival (Tang Dynasty) Du Mu

During the Qingming Festival, it rained a lot.

Pedestrians on the road want to die.

Ask the local people where to buy wine and worry?

The shepherd boy laughed and did not answer the apricot mountain village.

Cold food on the way (Tang) Song Zhiwen

Immediately meet cold food,

It is late spring on the way.

Poor Jiang Puwang,

I don't see Luoqiao people.

The arctic knows the Lord,