The origin of Qingming Festival and modern ways of celebrating it

Qingming Festival, also known as Treading Green Festival, Hsing Ching Festival, March Festival, Ancestor Festival, etc., is celebrated at the intersection of mid-spring and late spring. Qingming Festival originated from the ancient times of ancestral beliefs and spring festival rituals, both natural and humanistic two connotations, is a natural festival point, but also a traditional festival. The following is my collection of the origin of the Qingming Festival and the modern way of Qingming Festival, welcome to share.

Zhang Chuanlu: Tomb Sweeping Day why called "Qingming Festival"

"Qingming Festival rain, the road people want to break their souls," the poetic lines of the poem poignant, deductive heart.

It was during the Warring States period, when Chong Er, the Prince of Jin, fled abroad to escape the civil unrest in his country. The road to escape, dislocation, life is extremely difficult, every day not only to see meat, and often in a state of hunger. Once, the heavy ear starvation dizziness, really can not walk. Attendant Jie Zhi push to save the Lord eager, from their own legs cut off a piece of meat, fried plate of fragrant dishes, let Chong Er ate hunger, so, finally through the ghost gate, found a place to stay. A decade later, Chong Er returned to the state of Jin and became the king of the state, the Duke of Jin.

After he became the king of the country, Chong Er rewarded all those who followed him. For some reason, he forgot about Jie Zhitui. I don't know what Jie Zhi Tui was thinking, but instead of asking for rewards and fame, he took his mother and went to live in seclusion in Mianshan Mountain. After this story spread, Chong Er was so ashamed that he personally brought his men to invite Jie Zhi Pui. Jie Zhitui refused to accept the reward and refused to come out of the mountain. Mianshan Mountain was so high and forested that it was difficult to find him. Chong Er was at his wits' end, but suddenly remembered that Jie Zhi Pui was a filial son, so he ordered the mountain to be set on fire. He thought, "If there is a big fire on the mountain, you will surely run out with your mother. However, the fire did not force Jie Zhitui to come out, but burned his mother and son to death.

The heroic feat did not end there, and legend has it that Jie Zhitui thought a lot about the fire. After he had thought it through, he bit his index finger and wrote a poem in blood:

I cut my flesh to serve my lord, and I hope that my lord will always be clear.

I'm not going to be able to see the ghosts under the willow,

but I'm going to be able to be a counselor to the king.

If you have me in your heart,

you will always think of yourself when you remember me.

I have no shame in my heart,

and I hope that the government will be clear and bright!

After this, Duke Wen of Jin commemorated Jie Zhitui with the Qingming Festival, which was gradually popularized in China. From the source of the story, it is easy to see that the original intention of the Qingming Festival is to honor the loyalty and pride of the people, and to look forward to the politics of the Qingming Festival.

Today, we have Qingming Festival, memorial, ancestral rituals and rites are needed, which is grateful heart, filial piety and respect, but also the manifestation of human nature, people can not forget their ancestors. But as an official to speak, just sweeping the tomb, sacrificing ancestors or not enough, since the state has designated it as a legal program, in the Qingming Festival, we must be quiet and seriously think about how to do "clean government and honesty"? For the officials to do a good job, not greedy, not stained, two-sleeve clean, will naturally bring political clarity, the country and the people in peace, so that the Qingming Festival has more cultural connotation and significance of the times!

Remembering the ancestors sends condolences, pay attention to environmental protection so that the Qingming Festival more "Qingming"

Every Qingming Festival, people have to sweep the tomb sacrifice, remembering the ancestors, send condolences, which is a major custom of the Chinese nation, but also a common sense of human nature, this is not to be disputed.

However, in recent years, some places in the Qingming Tomb Sweeping Hall of fame more and more, the wind is more and more sweeping turbid, so that the Tomb Sweeping changed the "flavor". Expansion of the grave, burning paper, firecrackers, the traditional rituals behind the traditional Chinese world view, ethical views, has a strong cultural foundation. Want to burn "paper money" during the Qingming Festival to send ancestors to spend, can only be said to be a kind of wish, an expectation, leaving in addition to smoke and fire, garbage everywhere in addition to environmental pollution; haze so that more people see the other side of the firecrackers; arable land is reduced to promote changes in the way the funeral ...... Now the times are different, may wish to adopt a civilized, low-carbon, environmentally friendly way to sweep the tomb.

Qingming Festival, spring flowers, birds and flowers, it is a good time to embark on a spring trip. The original meaning of the Qingming Festival is to express the feelings of remembrance and respect for loved ones. The form can be different, but the connotation is the same. Some people, near simply walk, far ride a bicycle, with a bouquet of flowers, dedicated to the deceased; some people take the opportunity to cultivate the soil, planted in the cemetery next to a tree or trees; some people "microblogging sacrifice", "time and space mailbox", etc., fresh and natural sacrifice, in line with the new trends of the times, but also in line with the new trends of the times, but also in line with the new trends of the times, but also in line with the new trends of the times. In line with the new trend of the times, but also meet the new requirements of society. As long as the memory of ancestors, respect for the elderly and filial piety of the true feelings in the flowers instead of paper money, music instead of firecrackers, the network can be replaced by remote worship instead of traveling. This is both solemn and thrifty, but also green the environment. The festival can harvest the environment of the "clear", the heart of the "bright", enjoy a richer connotation, the festival has become "clear", why not?

Customs

Main Customs

Countryside trekking Qingming Festival in the calendar 04-06, Qingming (Qingming ancestor worship) activities are usually in the first 10 days of the Qingming Festival to the next 10 days, and in some places, the worship of the Qingming activities for up to a month. Qingming Festival is one of the important "eight festivals of the year" in China. As a festival, Qingming is different from pure festivals in that festivals are signs of changes in climate and the order of the seasons, while festivals contain spiritual beliefs and rituals. Ancestor beliefs and sacrificial culture are important factors in the formation of the Qingming Festival, which is an important carrier for the transmission of beliefs and family and human relationships, and the Qingming Festival is a cultural expression and an important way to be grateful to ancestors and close to human feelings. Qingming tomb-sweeping and ancestor worship custom has become a fixed ritual theme through generations.

Qingming Festival in the historical development of carrying a rich cultural connotation, the country due to the different regions and the existence of customary content or details of the differences, local festivals are not the same, but sweeping tombs and ancestral worship, trekking excursions is the *** with the basic etiquette of the theme. Every Qingming Festival, people, no matter where they are, will return to their hometowns to participate in ancestor worship activities, in memory of their ancestors. The culture of Qingming rituals and customs fully embodies the humanistic spirit of the Chinese nation of honoring ancestors and pursuing the future with caution. In the ancestor worship rituals to be careful to catch up with the past, in the trekking excursions to enjoy the fun of spring, cultural heritage and physical and mental adjustment is an important function of the Qingming rituals and culture.

Treading Green

The Chinese people have had the custom of trekking green since ancient times. In ancient times, trekking was called exploring spring, searching for spring, that is, spring excursions, also known as "spring trekking". Generally refers to the early spring to the countryside to walk and play. Treading the green this kind of seasonal folk activities, in China has a long history, its source is the ancient farming sacrifices to welcome the spring custom, this farming sacrifices to welcome the spring custom has a profound influence on the later generations. The Qingming Festival has two major connotations, namely, the Qingming festival and the festival, and the Qingming festival provides important conditions for the formation of the Qingming Treading Customs in terms of time and meteorological and physical characteristics. Qingming Festival, spring back to the earth, nature everywhere presents a vibrant scene, is a great time for excursions. People are in favor of taking advantage of the convenience, but also a family of young and old in the mountains and countryside between the wild play some.

Chinese folk have long maintained the Qingming green habits, green customs have a long history. During the Qingming period is the spring breeze, spring is full of season, when everything is budding, spring excursions in the field has long been a custom. According to "Jin Shu" records: every spring, people have to travel to the countryside to enjoy the spring scenery. The custom of trekking to the Tang and Song Dynasty is particularly flourishing. According to the "old Tang Book" records: "Dali two years in February nonwo, the lucky Kunming Pond trekking." It can be seen that the custom of spring trip has long been popular.

Tree planting

Tree planting in Qingming Festival [45] before and after the Qingming Festival, the spring sun shines, spring rain sprinkles, planting saplings with a high survival rate, fast growth. Therefore, there is a Qingming tree planting custom, some people also called the Qingming Festival "tree planting festival". The custom of tree planting has been passed down to this day. The custom of planting trees on Qingming Day is said to have begun with the custom of wearing and inserting willows on Qingming Day. There are three kinds of legends about wearing and inserting willows at Qingming. The first legend is said to be in honor of Shennong, the ancestor who taught people how to gather crops and farm, and later developed the idea of praying for longevity. The second legend has to do with Jie Zi Tui. It is said that when the Duke of Jin led his ministers to climb the mountain to pay homage to Jie Zi Tui, he found that the old willow tree that Jie Zi Tui had leaned on before his death had come back to life, and so he gave the old willow tree the name of "Qingming Willow". The third legend is that Emperor Tang Taizong gave the minister of willow circle, to show that the blessing to drive away the epidemic.

Kite flying

Kites, also known as "paper kites", "kite", kite flying is a favorite activity during the Qingming Festival. Kites are made of paper or silk on a skeleton made of bamboo gabions and pulled by a long line tied to it, which can be flown into the sky while the wind is blowing, belonging to a kind of flying machine that utilizes aerodynamic power alone. During the Qingming Festival, people not only fly kites in the daytime, but also at night. At night, a series of small colorful lanterns are hung under the kite or on the wind steady pulling line, like twinkling stars, which are called "divine lanterns". In the past, some people put the kite on the blue sky, they cut the line, let the wind send them to the end of the world, it is said that this can remove the disease, bring good luck to themselves.

Tomb-sweeping and ancestor worship

Tomb-sweeping in Qingming Festival [45] Qingming Tomb-sweeping, that is, the "tomb sacrifice", called the ancestors of the "thinking of the time of respect", ancestor worship is the way of remembrance of ancestors, the custom of its long history. According to archaeological excavations, Guangdong Yingde Qingtang site found 10,000 years ago, by gas pedal mass spectrometry (AMS) determination, the age of about 13,500 years ago, the era of the Late Paleolithic, is the earliest age of China can be confirmed burial burial, indicating that more than 10,000 years ago, Lingnan ancient people already have a clear conscious of the concept of burial behavior and etiquette. Sweeping tombs and paying homage to ancestors is the center of the Qingming Festival. The Qingming Festival is a cultural tradition of honoring ancestors and tracing the past with caution. According to the different places of worship, Qingming ceremonies can be divided into tomb ceremonies and ancestral hall ceremonies. The most common form is the Tomb Sacrifice, which is a feature of the Qingming Festival. The Qingming Festival is known as the Tomb Sweeping Festival, mainly because of the way it is performed in the Tomb Sacrifice. Another form is the ancestral hall sacrifice, also known as the temple festival, is a clan of people gathered in the ancestral hall *** sacrifice ancestors, after the sacrifice to meet the dinner, etc., this sacrifice is a way to reunite the clan.

Ching Ming Festival sacrifices before and after Ching Ming, varying from place to place. Qingming ancestor worship, according to custom, usually set off to sweep the tomb in the morning of Qingming Day. Worship Qing's way or project varies from place to place, the common practice has two components: one is to refurbish the grave, the second is to hang and burn paper money, offerings. Tomb-sweeping begins with the renovation of the grave, which is mainly done by removing weeds and adding new soil, and then bowing and paying homage. On the one hand, this kind of behavior can express the filial piety and care for the ancestors, on the other hand, in the belief of the ancient people, the graves of the ancestors and the future generations of the rise and fall of fortune and misfortune have a great relationship, so the cultivation of graves is a memorial service that can not be ignored. The offerings are mainly food, varieties vary from place to place, are local people think and according to the worshipper's financial ability to get out of the delicious food, or seasonal special food.

Willow

Qingming and willow [45] Qingming Festival, Chinese folk custom of willow. Qingming willow custom, the origin of the prevalence of three sayings. Some experts believe that the custom of inserting willows is in honor of Shen Nong, the agricultural ancestor who "taught the people to gather crops". In some places, people put willow branches under the eaves of the house to forecast the weather, the old proverb "willow green, rainy; willow dry, sunny days". Willow has a strong vitality, as the saying goes, "You plant flowers do not grow, do not want to willow into shade." Willow inserted into the soil on the living, inserted where, living where, year after year, willow, everywhere into the shade.

Another way of saying the Qingming Festival willows is to drive away ghosts and evil spirits. Some places in the north of China will be the Qingming Festival, Festival of the Middle Ages, Cold Clothes Festival, known as the "three big ghost festival". Because of the influence of the Buddhist Guanyin holding a willow branch dipped in water, many people believe that willow has the role of driving away ghosts and evil spirits, the willow branch called "ghosts and horrors of wood". Northern Wei JiaSiFu "qimin yaojutsu" wrote: "take willow branches on the household, the ghosts do not enter the home." Since Qingming is a ghost festival, the value of this willow sprouting season, people have inserted willow wear willow to ward off evil spirits.

There is also a saying that this custom is to commemorate the jiezi push. The story goes that Jie Zi Tui burned himself under a willow tree to honor his memory, which made the Duke of Jin and his ministers very sad. The next year, when Duke Wen of Jin climbed up the mountain to pay homage to Jie Zi Tui, he found that the old willow tree, which had been burnt down that year, had actually come back from the dead. Duke Wen of Jin gave the old willow tree the name of "Qingming Willow", and broke off a few willow branches and put them on his head to show his nostalgia. From then on, the ministers and people followed suit, and it became a custom. The willow on the head has become a symbol of commemorating Jie Zi Tui.

Tug of war

Tug of war was called "pulling hook" and "hook strong" in the early days, and it was called "tug of war" in the Tang Dynasty. It is said to have been invented in the late Spring and Autumn period, and began to be popular in the army, and later spread to the people. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty held a large-scale tug-of-war at Qingming, and since then, tug-of-war has become part of Qingming customs.

Swinging

Swinging[54] Swinging is one of the customs of Qingming Festival in ancient China. Fifth generation Wang Renyu "Kaiyuan Tianbao remains" in "Tianbao Palace to the cold food festival even erected swing, so that the concubines of the generation play and laugh as a feast. The emperor called for the play of the half-century, the people in the city and thus called", the Song dynasty chancellor Wen Yanbo poem "cold food day through the Dragon Gate", the poem describes as "the bridge willow hanging green line, Lin Li swing hanging colorful rope." Swing, meaning migrate by holding the leather rope.

The history of swinging is very old, the earliest called the thousand autumn, after in order to avoid taboos, changed to swing. Ancient swing with branches for the frame, and then tied to the ribbon made. Later, it gradually developed into a swing with two ropes and a pedal. Swinging can not only improve health, but also cultivate the spirit of bravery, and is still loved by people, especially children.

Cockfighting

In ancient times, cockfighting was practiced at Ching Ming, and it started at Ching Ming and lasted until the summer solstice. The earliest record of cockfighting in China can be found in Zuo Zhuan (左传). In the Tang Dynasty, cockfighting became a trend, not only the folk cockfighting, even the emperor also participated in cockfighting. For example, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Xuanzong liked cockfighting the most.

Willow Shooting

Willow Shooting is a game to practice archery skills. According to the Ming Dynasty, it is to put pigeons in the gourd, and then hang the gourd high in the willow tree, bend the bow and shoot the gourd, the pigeons fly out, and the height of the pigeons fly to determine the winner.

Cuju

Cuju is a leather ball, the ball skin made of leather, the ball with hair stuffed tight. Cuju, is to use the foot to kick the ball. This is an ancient Qingming Festival when the North favorite game. It is also said to have been invented by the Yellow Emperor, and was originally intended to be used to train warriors. Polo, is riding on a horse, holding a stick to play the ball, the ancient name for bow. Cao Zhi of the Three Kingdoms wrote in "Ming Du Zhuan" the sentence "Lianfan hit the bow border". The analysis of the Jin Zhi" recorded the Liao country to play polo as a traditional custom of the festival, in the Dragon Boat Festival, the 9th day of the festival. Jin Shi - Rites Zhi" also recorded Jin people in the Dragon Boat Festival. Song dynasty "playing ball music" dance team. To the Ming Dynasty, polo is still popular.

Continuing Literature Tongkao - Lekao recorded that Emperor Chengzu had several times to the East Garden batting, shooting willow. Ming Dynasty "Xuanzong Xingle Tu" scroll painted in the Xuanzong appreciate the scene of polo. Wang Zhi, an official at that time, wrote a poem about watching the ball game on the Dragon Boat Festival: "Jade Le Thousand Gold Horses, Carved Seven Treasures Ball. The bridle flew in surprise at the lightning, and the ball felt the stars flowing. The Yan page has become three successes, and the first chip has been passed on with great joy. Celebration of clouds with the feet of escape, dazzled by the east end of the temple." Beijing Baiyunguan also has a mass of horseback riding in front of the batting ceremony. Qing Dynasty Temple of Heaven area there is also polo, until after the mid-Qing Dynasty, polo only disappeared.

Silkworm flower will

"Silkworm flower will be" is a unique folk culture of the Silkworm Township, in the past during the Ching Ming Festival, Wutong, Wuzhen, Chongfu, Chauquan and other places have this folk activity. Among them to Chauquan's Maming Temple and Qingshi's double temple of silkworms will be the most exciting and grand. Maming Temple is located in Chauquan town west, in the local "king of the temple" said, every year silkworms will be a sea of people, frequent activities, there are welcome silkworm god, shake the fast boat, haunted the pavilion, worship incense stool, boxing, dragon lanterns, warping Gorgon, singing opera and other more than a dozen activities. Some of these activities are carried out on the shore, the vast majority of them are carried out on the boat, very water village characteristics.

Festival food

Cold meat and potatoes due to the cold food festival cold food customs transplanted to the Qingming Festival, some places in the north of China still retain the Qingming Festival to eat cold food habits. In Shandong, Jimo eat eggs and cold meat and potatoes, Laiyang, Zhaoyuan, Changdao eat eggs and cold sorghum rice, it is said that if you do not, you will be hail. Tai'an eat cold pancakes rolled raw bitter vegetables, said to eat the eyes bright. The area around Jinzhong still retains the custom of banning fires the day before Qingming. In many places, sacrificial food is divided and eaten after the completion of the sacrificial ceremony. When Jinnan people celebrate Qingming, they are used to steaming big buns with white flour, with walnuts, jujubes and beans in the center. Records about the folk custom of cold food appeared almost suddenly in the literature of the Eastern Han Dynasty, mainly concentrated in the Shanxi region. Even in the Tang and Song dynasties, when the custom of cold food was quite prevalent, its spread did not extend beyond the north. Jin Lu Hui's "Yecheng Records" was the first to talk about special food during the cold food: "On the day of the cold food, we made sweet cheese, boiled round-grained rice and wheat for cheese, and pounded apricot red and boiled it for porridge." Until the Tang and Song dynasties, people still eat this cool barley porridge.

Qingming Festival, some parts of southern China have the custom of eating green dumplings, green dumplings, also known as Qingming cake, cotton bun patty, Chess shell kuey teow, Qingming Po, Ai Ye Po Po, Ai Mochi, Qingming fruit, spinach kuey teow, Qingming kuey teow, Ai Ye Mochi, Ai met, Ai grass cake, Qingming dumplings, warm mushroom packets, Ai grass green dumplings, and so on. In the overseas Chinese towns of southern Fujian, some cakes, kuehs and rice palms are made for family members to eat before and after the Ching Ming Festival. Shanghai's old custom, with wicker will be sacrificed with the steam cake dough through up, dry after storage, to the day of summer, will be fried, to the children to eat, it is said to eat after not Resistance to summer disease. In Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, Qingming Festival family wrapped zongzi, can be used as offerings to the graves, but also can be done to bring dry food trekking. As the saying goes: "Qingming zongzi stable firm." Before and after Qingming, snail fat. Eating lotus root is to wish that the silk spit by the silkworm baby is long and good. Eating sprouted beans is a good way to get the word "Haijia". Eat Malan head and other seasonal vegetables, is to take its "green" word, in order to "Qingming" of the "green".