Who ordered Tomb-Sweeping Day?

"It rains in the Qingming period, and pedestrians on the road want to break their souls. Excuse me, where is the restaurant? The shepherd boy refers to Xinghua Village. " (Poems by Du Mu) Write about Tomb-Sweeping Day.

Tomb-Sweeping Day is an important traditional folk festival in China and one of the eight important festivals (Shangyuan (Lantern Festival), Qingming, Long Summer, Dragon Boat Festival, Central Plains, Mid-Autumn Festival, Winter Solstice and New Year's Eve). Generally speaking, it is on April 5 in the solar calendar, but its festival is very long. There are two kinds of sayings: eight days before the tenth day and ten days after the tenth day, and these 20 days belong to Tomb-Sweeping Day. It is said that the origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day began with the "grave-sweeping" ceremony of the ancient emperor, and later people followed suit, and it became a fixed custom of the Chinese nation to worship the ancestors to sweep the grave on this day.

The traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day in China began in the Zhou Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,500 years. Tomb-Sweeping Day was a very important solar term from the beginning. As soon as Tomb-Sweeping Day arrives, the temperature rises, which is a good season for spring ploughing and planting. Therefore, there is a saying that "melons and beans are planted before and after the Qingming Festival". Agricultural proverb "Planting trees is not as clear as Qingming". Later, because Tomb-Sweeping Day is near the Cold Food Festival, cold food is the day when people ban fire to sweep graves. Gradually, cold food and Qingming become one, and cold food has become another name and a custom of Qingming. Qingming, no fireworks, only cold food.

After Tomb-Sweeping Day, the rain increased, and the land showed a scene of spring and tranquility. At this time, everything, whether it is the vegetation in nature or the human body in natural places, has changed the filth in winter, ushered in the breath of spring and realized the transformation from yin to yang.

Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the traditional festivals of the Han nationality in China and one of the 24 solar terms in China, and the time is around April 5th in the solar calendar every year. In ancient times, it was said that the day before Tomb-Sweeping Day was the "Cold Food Festival". According to legend, it began in the Spring and Autumn Period when Jin Wengong mourned the event of "cutting stocks to satisfy hunger", and then gradually the Qingming cold food became one. The date of tomb sweeping in Tang Dynasty is generally one of Mianshan scenic spots: the Cold Food Festival of Mother and Child Stone Statues, which was moved to Qingming after the Song Dynasty. Legend has it that the origin of "Cold Food Festival" is Jiexiu in central Shanxi. Jiexiu's origin is to commemorate Jiexiu's "cutting stocks to satisfy hunger" without asking for gratitude, and finally he died here in Yamakaji. Mianshan was originally named "Ding Yang", and was later renamed "Jiexiu" by Jin Wengong, which means Jiexiu. Mianshan Mountain has been developed into a famous tourist attraction by local people, one of which is the tall stone statue of Jiexiu's mother and son. Xietui became a representative of the local people loyal to both sides.

According to legend, after Dayu's flood control, people used the language of "Qingming" to celebrate that the flood had been eliminated and the world was at peace. At this time, spring blossoms, everything recovers, and the sky is clear and bright, which is a good season for spring outing. Going for an outing began as early as the Tang Dynasty and has become a habit throughout the ages. In addition to enjoying the beautiful lakes, mountains and spring scenery, we also carry out various entertainment activities to increase the interest of life.

Grave-sweeping is very popular in Tomb-Sweeping Day. In fact, sweeping graves is the content of Tomb-Sweeping Day's Cold Food Festival the day before. It is said that cold food originated in Jin Wengong to mourn Jiexiu. During the twenty years of Emperor Xuanzong's reign, he ordered the world to "eat cold food in the ground". Because cold food is associated with Qingming, it gradually spread to sweeping graves in Qingming. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, grave sweeping became more popular. In ancient times, children often flew kites when sweeping graves. Some kites are equipped with bamboo flutes, which can make a sound when the wind blows, just like the sound of kites. It is said that this is the reason why kites get their names.

There are many lost customs in Tomb-Sweeping Day, such as wearing willow, shooting willow and swinging, which have been circulating for a long time in ancient times. According to records, Tomb-Sweeping Day was the most important custom in the Liao Dynasty. From the imperial court down to the common people, people liked to swing, and ladies gathered, and the wind of outing was extremely prosperous.

It is said that the custom of inserting willows is also to commemorate Shennong, the ancestor of farming, who taught the people to cultivate 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. During the period of Huang Chao, it was stipulated that "Qingming lasts for a period, and Liu Dai is the number". After the failure of the uprising, the custom of wearing willow was gradually eliminated, and only willow was popular. 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 planted in the soil, and it lives where it is planted. When it is planted year after year, it becomes gloomy everywhere. There is another saying in Tomb-Sweeping Day: It turns out that China people regard Tomb-Sweeping Day, July 30th and the first day of October as the three major ghost festivals, which are the time for ghosts to haunt and ask for help. In order to prevent the harassment and persecution of ghosts, people put willows and put them on. Because willows have the function of ward off evil spirits in people's minds. Influenced by Buddhism, people think that willows can exorcise ghosts and call them "ghost trees". Guanyin dipped willow branches in water to help all beings. Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty said in the Book of Qi Yao Min: "Put a willow branch on the house, and a hundred ghosts will not enter the house. "Tomb-Sweeping Day is Halloween. When wicker sprouted, people naturally inserted willows to ward off evil spirits. The Han people have the custom of "folding willows to bid farewell": Baqiao is in Chang 'an East, crossing the water is the bridge, and the Han people send guests to this bridge and fold willows to bid farewell. Li Bai has a saying: "Willow falls every year, Lingling hurts." In ancient times, on both sides of Chang 'an Baqiao, the embankment was ten miles long, one step at a time. Many people who walk from Chang 'an East come here to bid farewell to their loved ones and fold willow branches to bid farewell to their loved ones, because "willow" is homophonic with "stay" to show the meaning of retaining. This custom originated from the book of songs, Xiaoya Cai Wei, which said, "I was away yesterday, Liu Yiyi." Send a willow tree as a parting gift to express feelings that are inseparable and reluctant to part. Willow is a symbol of spring. Willow swaying in spring always gives people a feeling of prosperity. "Farewell to the Willows" contains the wish that "spring is always there". The ancients sawed off the willows and sent them to each other, which also meant that their relatives, such as willow branches, left their hometown. I hope that when they arrive in a new place, they can take root and sprout quickly, as if willow branches can grow everywhere. It's a good wish for friends. There are also many references to folding willows to give people away in ancient poems. Quan Deyu's poem in Tang Dynasty: "Give me new knowledge", Song Dynasty's poem: "There are no green willows on the other side of the road, don't worry", and Ming Dynasty's poem: "Give someone away when you are old, and the willows on the edge of the city will be folded." Chen Weisong's Ci in Qing Dynasty: "How many border crossings are left? Want a discount. " People will not only feel sad when they see willow trees, but also touch their mood when they hear the song "Breaking Willow". Li Bai's "Smelling the flute in Los Angeles on a Spring Night": "Everyone can't stand the homesickness." In fact, Liu can have many symbolic meanings. The ancients endowed Liu with various feelings, so it is reasonable to borrow Liu to send feelings.

A few days before Qingming? There are several versions. According to the Chronicle of Jingchu in Liang Zonggu of the Southern Dynasties, it is called the Cold Food Festival 105 days after the winter solstice, which happens to be two days before Tomb-Sweeping Day. Yuan Zhen's poem in Tang Dynasty said that "the first time I ate cold food was 160". He thinks that the day before Tomb-Sweeping Day is the Cold Food Festival, and there is a day difference between Tomb-Sweeping Day and Japan in winter. Because cold food is similar to the Qingming day, and the activities of cold food in the ancients often continued until Qingming. Over time, there is no strict distinction between cold food and Qingming.

There are many traditional customs and activities around Tomb-Sweeping Day. Such as lighting a fire with cold food, sweeping graves in Tomb-Sweeping Day, hiking, playing polo, flying kites, swinging, cockfighting and tug-of-war. These activities change with the passage of time and the evolution of society. Some customs have been abolished, while others have been preserved and given new contents.