A short story about the origin of the Qingming Festival is as follows:

Once upon a time, there was a man followed by a minister called Jie Zi Tui, they walked to a barren land, the man was very hungry, and fainted, Jie Zi Tui went around looking for food, so he had to cut off the meat from his own leg, and give it to the man to eat, who ate the roasted meat and woke up. The man ate the roasted meat and woke up. He was very strange, asked where the meat came from, and Kai Zi Tui had to say that the meat was cut from his own thigh. The man's mouth was wide open, and he was very touched, so he said, "When I become the king of the country, I will reward you."

Nineteen years later, this man really became the king of the country, the first thing he did was to give awards to meritorious ministers, the names of the ministers are almost finished, but still did not read Jie Zi Tui, next to the next minister to comfort him, said: "The king left you behind, surely the good." But after the minister's name was read out, still no Jie Zi Tui was read out, and the man even forgot about him.

A minister in the middle said, "Great King, how could you forget Jie Zi Tui, he saved your life!" He blushed when he heard that, he searched and searched in the crowd but still didn't find Jie Zi Tui, later he knew that Jie Zi Tui packed his baggage and hid in Mian Mountain because of his sadness. Later he sent the imperial guards to look for Jie Zi Tui on Mian Mountain, and after searching for a long time, he still could not find Jie Zi Tui. Chong Er thought of a way to set fire from the north, east and west, and waited himself in the south.

He said to himself, "If Jie Zi Tui wants to avoid the fire, he must come out from the south." As a result, the fire burned from morning to night, and he never saw Jie Zi push out, Chong Er got anxious, so he ordered the men to put out the fire, and went in to look for him himself, and he found Jie Zi push in a big tree. He found Jie Zi Tui in a big tree with a poem written next to it, meaning that he wanted Chong Er and his people not to make fire on this day. Chong Er called this day "Qingming Festival" and "Cold Food Festival".

Customs of the Qingming Festival

1, ancestor worship and tomb sweeping

The Qingming Festival is one of the four major traditional sacrificial festivals in China, and it is a day for ancestor worship and tomb sweeping. Tomb-sweeping is commonly known as tomb-sweeping, in Han and some ethnic minority areas, people in accordance with local customs, bring fruits and food, paper money and other items to the cemetery, will be placed in front of the cemetery offerings, paper money incineration, add some new soil for the grave, and then kowtow to worship in front of the tomb, you can pack up the offerings to go home.

2, folding willow farewell

Willow is the symbol of spring, in the spring breeze swaying willow, always give a person a sense of euphoria, vigor. Since the Han Dynasty, people have gradually formed the custom of folding the willow to give goodbye, through which to wish each other peace, because "willow" and "stay" consonant, so also take the meaning of love, to stay. At the same time, I hope that the parting of friends and relatives, to the countryside is also as far from the branch of the willow, can quickly take root and germinate, survive everywhere, these are all sent to the friends and relatives of the wonderful blessings of the feelings.