The Origin and Legend of Tomb-Sweeping Day

Tomb-Sweeping Day is also called the outing festival, which is at the turn of mid-spring and late spring, that is, 108 days after the winter solstice. It is a traditional festival in China, and it is also one of the most important sacrificial festivals. It's the day to worship ancestors and sweep graves [1]. The traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day of the Han nationality in China began in the Zhou Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,500 years. Influenced by the Han culture, 24 ethnic minorities in China, such as Manchu, Hezhe, Zhuang, Oroqen, Dong, Tujia, Miao, Yao, Li, Shui, Jing and Qiang, also have the customs of Tomb-Sweeping Day. Although customs vary from place to place, sweeping graves to worship ancestors and outing are the basic themes.

Qingming was just the name of a solar term at first, and later became a festival to commemorate ancestors, which was related to the Cold Food Festival. Jin Wengong designated the second day of the Cold Food Festival as Tomb-Sweeping Day. In most parts of Shanxi, the day before Tomb-Sweeping Day was the Cold Food Festival. Some places, such as Yushe County, celebrated the Cold Food Festival two days before Tomb-Sweeping Day. Yuanqu County also pays attention to Tomb-Sweeping Day's Cold Food Festival the day before, and the light cold food the day before.

Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the important "eight festivals a year" in China. Generally, it is around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar, and the festival is very long. There are two sayings: 8 days before 10 and 10 days before 10, and these 20 days belong to Tomb-Sweeping Day. Tomb-Sweeping Day originally meant grave-sweeping day, and the government of the Republic of China designated 15 days after the vernal equinox in 935 as a national holiday, also known as the national grave-sweeping day [2].

"Almanac": "On the fifteenth day after the vernal equinox, the bucket refers to Ding, which is used for Qingming, when everything is clean and bright, and when it is covered, everything is clean and bright, hence the name." As soon as Qingming comes, the temperature rises, which is a good time for spring ploughing and sowing, so there is a saying that "before and after Qingming, we plant melons and beans". [ 1]

It is said that the origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day began with the "grave-sweeping" ceremony of ancient emperors and generals. Later, people followed suit, and it became a fixed custom of the Chinese nation to worship ancestors and sweep graves on this day. On May 20th, 2006, it was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

Festival history

Origin and origin

Jiezhitui legend

According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn Period, Zhong Er, the son of the Jin Dynasty, went into exile to escape persecution. On the way to exile, he was tired and hungry in a deserted place and couldn't stand up anymore. I searched for it for a long time, but I couldn't find anything to eat. When everyone was in a hurry, I pushed the minister to a quiet place, cut a piece of meat from his thigh and cooked a bowl of broth for the son to drink. Zhong Er gradually recovered his spirit. Zhong Er shed tears when he found that the meat was cut off by mesons pushing his legs.

Meson extrapolation

Nineteen years later, Zhong Er became the monarch, that is, the historical Jin Wengong. After he ascended the throne, Wen Gong rewarded the heroes who accompanied him in exile at first, but forgot to push the meson. Many people complained about meson push and advised him to admire it. However, mesons despise those who strive for merit the most. He packed his bags and quietly went to Mianshan to live in seclusion.

Hearing this, Jin Wengong was ashamed and personally took someone to ask Jiexiu, but Jiexiu had left home for Mianshan. Mianshan Mountain is high and dangerous, with dense trees. It's hard to find two people. Someone offered a plan to burn Mianshan from three sides and force a meson to push out. The fire burned all over Mianshan, but there was no trace of meson push. After the fire was put out, it was found that Jiezitui had sat under an old willow tree with his old mother on his back and died. Jin Wengong cried. When I was buried, I found a bloody book in a tree hole, which said, "May my master be clear forever." To commemorate meson tui, Jin Wengong ordered that this day be designated as Cold Food Festival.

The following year, Jin Wengong led the minister to climb a mountain to pay homage, and found that the old willow tree came back from the dead. He named the old willow "Qingming Willow" and told the world that the day after the Cold Food Festival was designated as Tomb-Sweeping Day. [5]

Tomb-Sweeping Day and Tomb-Sweeping Day.

The name of Tomb-Sweeping Day is related to the weather and climate characteristics at this time. Astronomy of Huainanzi in Western Han Dynasty

Introduction to traditional festivals in China [6]

Xun said, "On the fifteenth day after the vernal equinox, the bucket refers to B, and the Qingming wind comes." "Qingming Wind" is a refreshing and clear wind. "When I was in 100 questions" said, "Everything grows at this time, clean and bright. So it is called Qingming. " Although Qingming, as a festival, was only formed in the Tang Dynasty, Tomb-Sweeping Day Qi, as a symbol of time sequence, has long been known by the ancients and clearly recorded in the Han Dynasty.

Twenty-four solar terms are the climatic laws summed up by astronomers and people in ancient China in their life and production practice, which appropriately reflect the changes of temperature, phenology and rainfall throughout the year, and have indispensable guiding significance for people to arrange farming and sericulture activities on time. By Qingming, the temperature is getting warmer and the rainfall is increasing, which is a good season for spring ploughing and spring planting. Therefore, Qingming is an important solar term in ancient agricultural production. The farmer's proverb says, "Before and after Qingming Festival, point melons to plant beans" and "Planting trees is nothing more than Qingming Festival", which is precisely the truth. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cui Mang's Moon Order for Four recorded: "Tomb-Sweeping Day ordered a silkworm concubine to stay in the silkworm room ..." It is said that it was at this time that he began to prepare for sericulture. "Tomb-Sweeping Day" is just a solar term, not a festival.

Tomb-Sweeping Day Qi provides important conditions for the formation of Tomb-Sweeping Day customs in terms of time and weather, and this solar term is considered as one of the origins of Tomb-Sweeping Day. [7]

Development history

Incorporate into the custom of the Cold Food Festival

Qingming was just the name of a solar term at first, and later became a festival to commemorate ancestors, which was related to the Cold Food Festival. Cold Food Festival is an early festival in ancient China. Legend has it that it was set up in the Spring and Autumn Period to commemorate Jiexiu, a loyal minister of the State of Jin. In fact, from the historical reality, the prohibition of cold food mainly reflects the remains of the ancient custom of changing fire in China. In primitive society, the ancestors drilled wood for fire, and fire was very rare. Due to the seasonal changes, the tree species used for making fires are constantly changing. Therefore, changing fire into new fire is a major event in the lives of the ancients. Spring and March are the seasons for changing fires, so people should forbid making fires before new ones come. The Han Dynasty called the Cold Food Festival a no-smoking festival, because people were not allowed to light a fire on this day, and candles were lit in the palace at night, and the fire spread to the homes of dignitaries.

The customs during the Cold Food Festival mainly included forbidding fire and cold food and offering sacrifices to sweep graves, which later became the main content of Tomb-Sweeping Day.

Go for an outing [8]

The ancients in China attached great importance to offering sacrifices to their ancestors. In ancient times, when someone died in the family, they only dug graves for burial, not built graves. Sacrifices are mainly held in ancestral halls. Later, when digging a grave, a mound was built, and ancestor worship was arranged in the cemetery, so there was material support. During the Warring States period, the wind of tomb sacrifice gradually flourished.

During the Qin and Han Dynasties, sweeping graves became more popular. According to Hanshu, Yan Yannian, the minister, regularly returned to his hometown to pay homage to the cemetery even though he was thousands of miles away from Beijing. In the Tang Dynasty, both literati and civilians regarded the grave sweeping of the Cold Food Festival as a ritual festival to return to their hometown and pursue religion. Because Tomb-Sweeping Day is close to the Cold Food Festival, people often extend the time for sweeping graves to Tomb-Sweeping Day. Poets' works are often cold food and Qingming. For example, Wei has a poem saying: "Qingming is good for cold food, and the spring garden is full of flowers." Bai Juyi also has a poem that says, "The cock crows and the tree is faint, and the Qingming cold food cries." In view of the fact that both folk cold food and Tomb-Sweeping Day have become a habit, the imperial court formally stipulated in the form of official documents that when Tomb-Sweeping Day came, he could have a holiday with the Cold Food Festival. This regulation has been around for more than 1200 years, which shows that Qingming began to have the color of a national statutory holiday.

During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Tomb-Sweeping Day gradually rose from being attached to the Cold Food Festival to replacing it. This is not just a grave-sweeping ceremony on the dining table, but the original customs and activities of the Cold Food Festival, such as cold food, cuju and swinging, have all been taken over by Tomb-Sweeping Day.

Incorporate the custom of Shangsi Festival.

Tomb-Sweeping Day later absorbed the contents of another earlier festival-Shangsi Festival. In ancient times, Shangsi Festival was held on the third day of the third lunar month. The main customs were jogging and bathing by the river, which reflected people's psychological needs for mental adjustment after a dull winter. There is a poem written by Lu Ji in the Jin Dynasty: "It's late spring and the weather is soft. Yuanji Longchu, swim the Yellow River. " It is a vivid portrayal of people's childhood travel in Shangsi Festival.

Since the Tang Dynasty, people have been sweeping graves in Tomb-Sweeping Day, accompanied by recreational activities. As Tomb-Sweeping Day is going to the suburbs, while paying homage to his ancestors, it is also a way to adjust his mood to visit gardening and metallurgy in the bright spring. Therefore, Tomb-Sweeping Day is also called Youth Day. Children who are playful by nature are often not satisfied with having an outing in Tomb-Sweeping Day only once, just like the poem "When a teenager goes on a trip, he doesn't have to be both Tomb-Sweeping Day and thinking" written by Wang Wei, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty.

Subsequent development

Tomb-Sweeping Day combined the essence of two ancient festivals, and finally formed a traditional festival in Song and Yuan Dynasties, which centered on worshipping ancestors and sweeping graves, and integrated cold food customs with activities such as thinking about going for an outing. The Ming and Qing Dynasties generally inherited the old system of the previous generation, and Tomb-Sweeping Day still adhered to and developed its position as an indispensable festival in spring life. During the Republic of China, on this day in Tomb-Sweeping Day, in addition to the original customs of sweeping graves and hiking, tree planting was also determined as a routine project, which was actually just an official recognition of the long-standing tree planting folk custom. [9]

Holiday change

Tomb-Sweeping Day is at the turn of mid-spring and late spring, that is, 106 days after the winter solstice. Grave-sweeping activities are generally carried out in Tomb-Sweeping Day (Qingming in the morning and cold food at night) before 10 or after 10. In some places, people's grave-sweeping activities last for a month. Officials sometimes delay their duties when they go back to their hometowns to sweep graves. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty issued a decree to solve the problem of holidays.

Beginning to stipulate that the Cold Food Festival has a holiday of four days: "(Kaiyuan) Twenty-four years (736)

During the Qingming Festival, it rained in succession [8]

February 2 1 day:' Four days off for cold food and Qingming.' "("Tang Yao Hui "Volume 82) According to the imperial edict of the twelfth year of Dali (777), the yamen in the Tang Dynasty had a five-day holiday as usual:" From now on, the cold food will be clear, and five days will be off. "In the sixth year of Zhenyuan (790), the holiday was increased to seven days.

In this way, officials can calmly pay homage to the grave. It can be seen that the Cold Food Festival has become a very grand national festival in the Tang Dynasty. Wang Lengran's Cold Food in the Tang Dynasty said: "Autumn is as expensive as wax, so it is better to eat cold food before spring." That is, the importance of the Cold Food Festival exceeds that of the Double Ninth Festival and the twelfth lunar month at the end of the year. [ 10]

The Cold Food Festival in Song Dynasty also had seven days' holiday. Volume 1 of Pang Wenchang Magazine in the Northern Song Dynasty records: "Every 70-year-old ancestral temple has six days, and Yuan Day, cold food and winter are seven days each." In the Southern Song Dynasty, Chen Juan quoted Song Luyuan-ming's Miscellaneous Notes on the Age of the Year as saying, "The first two days in Tomb-Sweeping Day are Cold Food Festival, with three days before and after, and seven days off. Civil fire ban 104 days, called private cold food, also known as big cold food. Northerners use this day to offer sacrifices first. There is a saying that there is no way out for the moon. "

1935, the government of the Republic of China designated April 5th as a national holiday in Tomb-Sweeping Day. [2] 65438 On February 7, 2007, the 1 98th executive meeting of the State Council adopted a decision on amending the National Festival and Memorial Day, stipulating that "Tomb-Sweeping Day will have a holiday1day (the Lunar New Year is clear) [1], 2008. It was changed to three days in 2009. [12]20 14 Tomb-Sweeping Day holiday is from April 5 to April 7. [ 13]

2 Customs editor

traditional custom

In addition to paying attention to the prohibition of fire to sweep graves, the customs in Tomb-Sweeping Day also include hiking, swinging, cuju and polo.

Swing [14]

A series of custom sports activities such as inserting willows. According to legend, this is because it is forbidden to eat cold food during the Cold Food Festival. In order to prevent the harm of cold food and cold meal to people, everyone comes to participate in some sports activities to exercise. In Tomb-Sweeping Day, people avoid injections and washing clothes, and women in most areas avoid walking. Before evening, a gray line should be spread in front of the gate, which is said to prevent ghosts from entering the house. Therefore, this festival is a unique festival, which has both sad and sour tears for sweeping graves and laughter for an outing. [ 1]

play on the swing

This is the custom of ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day in China. Swing, that is, lift the rope, move. It has a very long history. It was originally called Qian Qiu, but later it was changed into a swing to avoid taboos. In ancient times, swings were made of branches and tied with ribbons. Later, it gradually developed into two ropes, a pedal swing. Swing can not only improve health, but also cultivate courage, which is deeply loved by people, especially children. [ 1]

play football

Bow is a rubber ball, the skin of which is made of leather, and the ball is stuffed with wool. Cuju is kicking the ball with your feet. This is a popular game in ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day. According to legend, it was invented by the Yellow Emperor with the original purpose of training warriors. Playing polo is also one of the ways to play the Dragon Boat Festival. Polo is riding a horse and hitting with a stick. In ancient times, it was called bowing. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, there is a saying in Cao Zhiming's name that "there is a sentence in a row". Chang 'an in the Tang Dynasty,

Cuju [15]

There is a spacious stadium here, and emperors such as Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and Jing Zong all like polo. Ma Qiutu, in the tomb of Prince Zhang Huai, depicts the prosperity of polo in the Tang Dynasty: more than 20 horses galloped at high speed and their ponytails were tied up. Players are wearing shawls, boots and sticks, hitting each other one by one. Analysis of Golden Branches records the traditional custom of polo as a festival in Liao country, and polo is played on Dragon Boat Festival and Double Ninth Festival. Li Shizhi also recorded that Jin people hit the ball during the Dragon Boat Festival. In the Song Dynasty, there was a "Ball Play Music" dance team. In the Ming Dynasty, polo was still popular.

According to the general examination of continued literature, Ming Chengzu hit the ball and shot the willow many times in Dongyuan. In the Ming Dynasty's "Music Map of Xuanzong", there are scenes of Xuanzong enjoying polo. At that time, Wang Zhi, an official, wrote a poem about watching the game in the afternoon: "Jade is like a golden horse, carved with seven treasures." When you fly, you will be shocked and feel the stars. The incitement page has become three wins, and joy is the first. Qingyun follows the footsteps and winds in the eastern end of the temple. "In front of the Baiyun Temple in Beijing, there are also rules for the masses to ride horses and hit the ball. There were polo in the Temple of Heaven in Qing Dynasty, and polo didn't disappear until the middle of Qing Dynasty. Since 1965, antique polo has appeared in Xi 'an, making this ancient sport reappear in China after many years of extinction.

spring outing

Also called spring outing. It was called Tanchun and Xunchun in ancient times. Qingming in April, spring returns to the earth, and nature presents a vibrant scene everywhere, which is a good time for an outing. China folks have always maintained the habit of going for an outing in Tomb-Sweeping Day. [ 1]

plant trees

Tree Planting in Tomb-Sweeping Day [15]

Before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day, the spring was bright and the spring rain was falling, and the survival rate of planted seedlings was high and the growth was fast. Therefore, China has the habit of planting trees in Qingming since ancient times. Some people even call Tomb-Sweeping Day Arbor Day. The custom of planting trees has been passed down to this day. [ 1]

The custom of planting trees in Tomb-Sweeping Day originated from Tomb-Sweeping Day. There are three legends about Tomb-Sweeping Day. The oldest legend is to commemorate Shennong, the ancestor of farming, and later developed the meaning of praying for longevity. Later legends are all related to meson push. It is said that when Jin Wengong led the minister to climb a mountain to pay homage to Jiexiu, he found that the old willow tree on which Jiexiu once lived came back from the dead and gave it the title of "Qingming Willow". Later, it was said that Emperor Taizong gave the minister a wicker ring to show his blessing and drive away the epidemic [16].

fly a kite

Flying kites is also the most popular activity in Tomb-Sweeping Day. During their stay in Tomb-Sweeping Day, people not only wore it during the day, but also at night. At night, a string of colored lanterns is hung under the kite or on the wind-stabilizing stay, like twinkling stars, which is called "magic lamp". Someone used to put kites in the blue sky, then cut the strings and let the breeze send them to the ends of the earth. It is said that this can eliminate diseases and disasters and bring good luck to yourself. [ 1]

Pay tribute to the dead at their graves.

Commemorative activities in Tomb-Sweeping Day (18)

Sweeping graves on Qingming Festival is called "respecting thinking about time" for ancestors. Its customs have a long history. In the Ming Dynasty's "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital", it was written: "On the Qingming Festival in March, men and women went to the grave to pay their respects, and the gold ingot was hung on the back of the sedan chair, and the road was full of embarrassment. Worshipers, mourners, weeping, weeding, adding soil to graves, burning ingots several times, and buying graves with paper money. If you can't see the paper money, it will be a lonely grave. After crying, don't go back, go to the fragrant tree, choose the garden, and sit down and get drunk. " In fact, grave-sweeping existed before the Qin Dynasty, but not necessarily during the Qingming period, but after the Qin Dynasty. It was not until the Tang Dynasty that it became popular. And spread to this day.

Tomb-Sweeping Day's sweeping ceremony was supposed to be held in person, but because of the different economic conditions of each family, the way of sweeping was different. "Burning a bundle" is the main form of paying homage to ancestors. The so-called "baggage", also known as "parcel", refers to the postal parcel that Xiao sent from Shi Yang to the underworld. In the past, Nanzhi store sold the so-called "wrapped skin", that is, a big bag was pasted with white paper. There are two forms: one is a woodcut version with Sanskrit transliteration of "Death Mantra" printed around it, and a lotus tablet printed in the middle to write down the name of the deceased in the area code, such as "The late Zhang Fujun was afraid of the boss in Yunshan", which is both a package and a tablet. The other is plain foreskin, which does not print any patterns. Just put a blue sign in the middle and write down the name of the deceased. Also used as a master card. There are many kinds of money in the bag. [ 1]

Chuanliuzhi

Tomb-Sweeping Day and China have the folk custom of inserting willows. According to experts, there are three theories about the origin of the custom of inserting willows in Tomb-Sweeping Day.

Zhao Zhi Heng, director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society, said that it is said that the custom of inserting willows is to

Qingming and Willow [15]

In memory of Shennong, the founder of agriculture, who taught people to grow crops. In some places, people put willow branches under the eaves to forecast the weather. There is an old saying that "the willow branches are green and the rain is raining;" The saying that there is another village. Willow has a strong vitality, as the saying goes: "If you plant flowers with your heart, you will plant willows without your heart. "Wicker lives when it is inserted in the soil, where it is inserted, where it is inserted every year, and the shade is everywhere.

There is another saying: China people regard Tomb-Sweeping Day, July 30th and the first day of October as the three major ghost festivals. Tomb-Sweeping Day is a season of frequent ghost haunts and great demand. Influenced by Buddhism, Guanyin Bodhisattva held willow branches in her hands and dipped them in water, so many people think that willow branches have the function of exorcising ghosts and evil spirits, calling them "ghost trees". Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty wrote in the Book of Qi Yao Min: "Take Yang Liuzhi to the mansion, and a hundred ghosts will not enter the mansion." Because Tomb-Sweeping Day is a Ghost Festival, people insert willows and wear willows to ward off evil spirits in the season when wicker sprouts.

Another way of saying it is that this custom is to commemorate meson push. Jietui set himself on fire under the willow tree to keep the festival, which made Jin Wengong, his ministers and people feel sad. The next year, when Jin Wengong personally led the ministers to climb the mountain to worship Jiexiu, he found that the old willow trees that had been burned in those years had actually come back from the dead. Jin Wengong named the old willow in front of him "Qingming Willow", and on the spot, he broke off a few branches and put them on his head to show his memory. Since then, officials and people have followed suit and followed suit. Qingming inserting willows and crossing willows has become a symbol to commemorate meson push [17].

Liu She

Shooting willow is a game to practice archery. According to the records of the Ming Dynasty, pigeons were placed in gourds, then the gourds were hung high on willow trees, and the gourds and pigeons flew out with bows, and the victory or defeat was judged by the height of the flying pigeons. [ 1]

gamecock

In ancient times, the game of cockfighting prevailed in Qingming, which started from Qingming and lasted until the summer solstice. The earliest record of cockfighting in China can be found in Zuo Zhuan. In the Tang dynasty, cockfighting became a common practice, not only among the people, but also the emperor. For example, Tang Xuanzong likes cockfighting best. [ 1]

Canhuahui

"Silkworm Flower Festival" is a unique folk culture in Silkworm Township. During the past period in Tomb-Sweeping Day, this folk activity was held in Wu Tong, Wuzhen, Chongfu and Zhouquan. Among them, A?vagho?a Temple in Zhouquan and Double Temple in Qingshi are the most spectacular. A?vagho?a Temple, located in the west of Zhouquan Town, is known locally as "the king of temples". Every year, there are many activities, such as welcoming the silkworm god, rocking the clippers, making trouble in Taiwan Pavilion, worshiping incense benches, boxing, playing dragon lanterns, lifting poles and singing operas. Some of these activities are carried out on shore, and most of them are carried out on ships, which is very characteristic of water towns.

Seasonal food

Due to the combination of Cold Food Festival and Tomb-Sweeping Day, some places still retain the Qing Dynasty.

Qingming cold food [15]

The habit of eating cold food in Mid-Autumn Festival. In Shandong, Jimo eats eggs and cool cakes, while Laiyang, Zhaoyuan and Long Island eat eggs and cool sorghum rice. It is said that if not, there will be hail. Taian eats cold pancakes and rolls bitter vegetables. It is said that his eyes are bright. Jinzhong area still retains the habit of banning fire the day before Qingming.

In many places, after the sacrificial ceremony is completed, food will be sacrificed. When people in southern Shanxi crossed Tomb-Sweeping Day, they used to steam big steamed buns with white flour, with walnuts, dates and beans in the middle, coiled into dragons outside, and an egg tied in the middle of the dragon's body, named "Zifu". It is necessary to steam a big "blessing" to symbolize family reunion and happiness. When going to the grave, the "Zifu" is usually dedicated to the ancestors and shared by the whole family after sweeping the grave. According to the old custom in Shanghai, steamed cakes for sacrifice should be put on wicker and dried and stored. When they come in the long summer, they will be fried and given to the children. It is said that eating it in summer won't make you sick.

Tomb-Sweeping Day has the custom of eating dumplings. Mix Bromus inermis juice with glutinous rice to make the green juice and rice flour blend with each other, then wrap it with stuffing such as bean paste and jujube paste, and put it in a steamer with reed leaves as the bottom. Steamed balls are green in color and fragrant, which is the most distinctive seasonal food in Tomb-Sweeping Day. There are also some people in Shanghai, Tomb-Sweeping Day, who love to eat peach blossom porridge and fish with knives when sweeping graves and having family dinners.

In Huzhou, Zhejiang, Tomb-Sweeping Day's family will wrap zongzi as a sacrifice or a belt for an outing.

Qingming cake [15]

Dry food. As the saying goes: "Qingming Zongzi is real." Before and after Qingming, snails were fat and strong. As the saying goes: "Qingming snail, a goose." Farmers have the habit of eating snails in Qingming. On this day, they use needles to pick out snail meat for cooking, which is called "picking green". After eating, throw the snail shell on the roof. It is said that the rolling acoustic energy emitted by roof tiles scares away mice, which is beneficial to sericulture after Qingming Festival. On this day in Tomb-Sweeping Day, there will be club wine. Have dinner with people from the same ancestral temple. People who don't have ancestral temples usually have dinner with the grandchildren of their great-grandfathers. The dishes of Shejiu are mainly fish, tofu and vegetables, as well as homemade sweet white wine. There is a saying in Heshan Town, Tongxiang City, Zhejiang Province that "Tomb-Sweeping Day is like the New Year". Tomb-Sweeping Day evening, emphasizing family reunion for dinner. There are several traditional dishes on the table: fried snail, glutinous rice with lotus root slices, bean sprouts, Malantou and so on. These dishes are all related to sericulture. Throwing the leftover snail shells into the house, it is said that the sound can scare away the mice, and the caterpillars will get into the shells to nest and stop harassing the silkworms. Eating lotus root is to wish silkworm babies always spin silk well. Eating sprouted beans is a lottery to win "money". Eating fresh vegetables like Malantou means taking the word "green" to match the "green" of "Qingming". [ 18]

Sweep the grave

general situation

Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the three major Halloween festivals in China. "Ghost Festival" is a festival to mourn the dead, as opposed to a festival to worship gods and land gods.

The participants in Tomb-Sweeping Day are all the people, from princes and ministers to ordinary people, to pay homage to the dead souls of their ancestors on this festival. Since the Tang Dynasty, the imperial court has given officials a holiday and asked them to go to their hometown to visit their graves. According to "Dream of Liang Lu" in the Song Dynasty, every time you go to Tomb-Sweeping Day, "officials go out to the tombs of the suburbs to show their respect for their thoughts." The number of grave sweepers is not limited to men and women, and they often go out with their families. In this way, grave-sweeping activities around Tomb-Sweeping Day often become the personal participation of the whole society. Within a few days, the country people came and went, and the scale was extremely prosperous.

Hope to adopt, thank you!