Can my nephew visit the graves of grandma and grandpa?

The nephew can visit the graves of grandma and grandpa. Because tomb sweeping is a way to remember relatives, it refers to going to the cemetery to worship ancestors to express the worshiper's filial piety and longing for the ancestors. It is a cultural tradition of paying respect to ancestors and looking forward to the future with caution.

According to custom, people generally set out to sweep the tombs in the morning. When sweeping the tombs, people have to bring wine, food, fruits, paper money and other items to the cemetery, repair the tombs, add new soil, remove weeds, and offer food in front of the ancestors’ tombs. , then burn the paper money, and then kowtow to worship.

Extended information:

Related customs

1. Inserting willows

It is said that the custom of inserting willows is also to commemorate the "religious people" The Shennong family is the founder of farming. In some places, people put willow branches under the eaves to predict the weather. There is an old proverb that "willow branches are green when it rains; when willow branches are dry, the sky is sunny." During the Huang Chao Uprising, it was stipulated that "the Qingming Festival will last for a period of time, and Dai Liu will be the number."

After the failure of the uprising, the custom of wearing willows was gradually eliminated, and only inserting willows remained popular. Willows have strong vitality. As the saying goes: "If you plant flowers intentionally, they will not bloom, but if you plant willows unintentionally, they will create shade." Willows will live when they are inserted into the soil. Wherever they are inserted, they will live wherever they are inserted. Willows will be inserted year after year, and they will become shade everywhere.

There is another saying about planting willows during the Qingming Festival: In ancient times, people in northern my country regarded the Qingming Festival, the first half of July and the first day of October as the three major ghost festivals, when hundreds of ghosts haunted them. In order to prevent the intrusion and persecution of ghosts, people plant willows and wear willows.

Willow has the function of warding off evil spirits in people's minds. Influenced by Buddhism, people believe that willow can ward off ghosts, and are called "ghost-terrible trees." Avalokitesvara dips willow branches in water to save all living beings. Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty said in "Qi Min Yao Shu": "Putting willow branches on the door will prevent all ghosts from entering the house." Qingming is the Ghost Festival, and when willows germinate, people naturally plant willows to ward off evil spirits.

2. Customs and culture of the Cold Food Festival

The customs of the Cold Food Festival include visiting graves, swimming, fighting cocks, swinging, playing blankets, and pulling hooks (tug of war), etc. Among them, the custom of visiting graves is very ancient. Where there is a tomb, there must be a tomb sacrifice. Later, because it was integrated with the custom of summoning the soul and reviving the spirit in March, it was gradually settled on cold food. During the Spring and Autumn Period, he was born in Hutou Village, Wenxi County, and grew up in Peijie Village, Xia County. He was born in Hutou Village, Wenxi County, and grew up in Peijie Village, Xia County during the Zhou Dynasty.

After his death, he was buried in Mianshan, Jiexiu. Duke Wen of the Jin Dynasty, Chong'er, felt deeply guilty, so he changed Mianshan Mountain to Jieshan Mountain and built a temple to offer sacrifices. This gave rise to the "Cold Food Festival" (the day before Qingming Festival). Poets and literati of the past dynasties left a large number of poems in memory. "Book of the Tang Dynasty" records: "In the 20th year of Kaiyuan, there was an edict to go to the tomb with cold food, and there is no text in the Book of Rites. It has been passed down in modern times and has become a custom. It is appropriate to go to the tomb and worship together."

Songzhuang Jiyu's "Chicken Ribs Chapter" Volume: "Cold food is brought to the tomb, and no incense is placed. Paper money is hung on the tomb tree. Those who go to the countryside climb mountains to watch the sacrifices. Split the silk in the air, which is called breaking the money. People from all over the capital pay homage to each other. , so we set up a wine shop (zhuan, meal) and took the family on a spring outing. ”

3. Beijing Customs

Another custom of the Qingming Festival in old Beijing is to go on this day. Burning incense and kowtowing in the City God's Temple, praying for fortune-telling, and divination. During the Ming, Qing, and Republic of China, there were seven or eight City God's temples in old Beijing, and the incense was at its peak at that time. The "City God" enshrined in the City God's Temple was the most believed-in god and Buddha among the people at that time, besides the Kitchen God and the God of Wealth.

This "Master" is actually the "no matter department" minister of a city or a county. When the Town God's Temple is open every year during the Ghost Festival - Qingming Festival, people go there to make wishes and pray for rain for drought ( Asking for sunshine when it rains), going out to pray for peace, asking for recovery when sick, praying for the deceased, burning incense and worshiping gods. At that time, the temple fair was extremely lively inside and outside the temple. There were performances on the stage inside the temple, and various merchandise and goods outside the temple.

According to the memories of the elderly at home, in the early Republic of China, there was also a tour of the "City God". People used eight-carriage sedans to carry the "City God" made of rattan around the city, and various incense would accompany it. , performed Yangko, stilts, five tiger sticks, etc. after the "City God" competition. They performed while walking, and there were a large number of spectators in the streets and markets they passed. There is a miscellaneous chant: "The temple is also divided into an inner and outer city. When spring comes, people will look forward to the Qingming Festival. It also coincides with the beginning of autumn and winter. Men and women burn incense and ask questions about life and death." This is the custom of the Qingming Festival.

4. Tianjin customs

Chinese culture attaches great importance to filial piety, and Tianjin folk customs have been simple since ancient times. Tianjin people remember their deceased family ancestors and relatives and attach great importance to sacrificial rituals. They hold sacrifices on three "Ming Festivals" every year. "Among them, the most important one is the Qingming Festival (the other two "Ming Festivals" refer to the Ghost Festival on July 15th of the lunar calendar and the "October 1st, send cold clothes" day).

Tianjin people commonly call Qingming Festival as "Ghost Order". They worship ancestors 10 days before and after Qingming Festival. The best day is to sweep tombs on Qingming Festival (Tianjin people once generally called tomb sweeping as "adding tombs"). " (later renamed as "going to the grave") is an important custom inherited in Tianjin area.

In Wuqing District of Tianjin City (formerly Wuqing County), cooked dumplings are also added to memorial offerings. In villages in northern Wuqing, some people visiting graves break pine branches and wear them on their chests or The practice on the head. Some wealthy families have the custom of eating "Qingming Festival".

In contemporary society, cremation is practiced throughout the city. People go to the crematorium, take out the urn, wipe it respectfully, find an open space, and perform the above-mentioned procedures to pay homage. Many families will buy flowers and place them in front of the urn.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Grave Sweeping