The origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day and the modern law in Tomb-Sweeping Day.

The origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day and the modern law in Tomb-Sweeping Day.

Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as outing festival, outing festival, March festival, ancestor worship festival, etc. It was celebrated at the turn of mid-spring and late spring. Tomb-Sweeping Day originated from the ancestral belief and the custom of worshipping spring in ancient times, which has both natural and humanistic connotations. It is both a natural solar term and a traditional festival. The following is my collection of the history of Tomb-Sweeping Day and the laws of modern Tomb-Sweeping Day. Welcome to share.

Zhang: Why is Tomb-Sweeping Day called "Tomb-Sweeping Day"?

"There are many rains during the Qingming period, and pedestrians on the road want to break their souls." This poem is beautiful and moving. I wonder if a big question mark flashed through your mind when you were enjoying it? Why is a festival to honor ancestors and martyrs called Tomb-Sweeping Day? This seems a bit of a misnomer. Because I have, I want to lift the dust of history and go back to the source of Tomb-Sweeping Day to find out.

It was during the Warring States Period that Zhong Er, the son of the State of Jin, fled abroad to escape civil strife. The road to escape, wandering around, life is extremely difficult, not only can not see meat and fish every day, but also often in a state of hunger. On one occasion, Zhong Er was dizzy with hunger and couldn't walk any further. Jie wanted to help the savior, so he cut a piece of meat from his leg and fried a plate of delicious food to satisfy his hunger. In this way, he finally passed the gate of hell and found a place to stay. Ten years later, Zhong Er's fortunes changed, and he returned to the State of Jin and became the monarch, namely Jin Wengong.

After Zhong Er ascended the throne, he rewarded the active ministers who followed him. I don't know why, but I forgot to push it. I don't know what Jie Zhitui was thinking. He went to Zhong Er not for reward, but for fame and fortune. Instead, I took my old mother to Mianshan for seclusion. After the news spread, Zhong Er was ashamed and personally took someone to ask Jiezhitui. Jie Zhitui refused to be rewarded and went out of the mountain. Mianshan Mountain is high and dense, so it is difficult to find his shadow. Zhong Er was at a loss, suddenly remembering that Jie Zhitui was a dutiful son, he ordered Yamakaji to be released. I think, the mountain is on fire, and you will definitely run out with my mother. But I didn't want this torch to push Jiezhi out, but I burned his mother and son to death.

The heroic feat did not end there. It is said that Xie Zhitui thought a lot about the fire and was also very profound. After figured it out, he bit his index finger and wrote a poem in blood:

Cut the meat to suit the heart,

I hope your majesty will always know.

Liu Xia's ghost is gone forever,

I might as well be an admonisher with you.

If your master has me in his heart,

I often reflect on myself.

I have a clear conscience in Jiuquan,

May the government understand clearly!

Since then, Jin Wengong commemorated Jiexiu with "Tomb-Sweeping Day", which gradually became popular in China. From the source of the story, it is not difficult to see that Tomb-Sweeping Day's original intention is to advocate loyalty and look forward to clear politics.

Today, when we visit Tomb-Sweeping Day, it is necessary to remember and pay homage to the rituals and ceremonies of our ancestors. This is a feeling of gratitude and filial piety, and it is also a manifestation of human nature. One cannot forget one's ancestors by counting the classics. But as an official, it is not enough to pay homage to the ancestors. Since our country has made it a legal program, when we are in Tomb-Sweeping Day, we should calm down and seriously think about how to make it "clean and white". Being a good official, being honest and upright, will naturally bring political clarity and peace and prosperity to the country and people, and make Tomb-Sweeping Day live a more cultural connotation and significance of the times!

Cherish our ancestors, attach importance to environmental protection, and make Tomb-Sweeping Day more "clean"

Every time we go to Tomb-Sweeping Day, people have to visit graves, remember their ancestors and mourn. This is not only a great custom of our Chinese nation, but also human nature, beyond reproach.

However, in recent years, in some places, there have been more and more grave-sweeping ceremonies, and the atmosphere has become more and more turbid, making grave-sweeping "tasteful". Expanding graves, burning paper and setting off firecrackers are behind the traditional memorial ceremony of China's traditional world outlook and ethics, which has a strong cultural background. When I miss Tomb-Sweeping Day, burning "paper money" to give flowers to my ancestors can only be said to be a wish and a hope, leaving behind environmental pollution except smoky fire and garbage everywhere; Smog makes more people see the other side of firecrackers; The reduction of cultivated land has promoted the change of funeral methods ... Now that times are different, we might as well adopt a civilized, low-carbon and environmentally-friendly grave sweeping method.

During the Qingming Festival, bloom is warm in spring and flowers are fragrant, which is a good time to go for an outing in spring. Tomb-Sweeping Day's original intention is to express his feelings and respect for his loved ones. The form can be different, but the connotation is the same. Some people simply go near, go far by bike and bring a bunch of flowers to their old friends; Some people plant a tree or several trees next to the cemetery by cultivating soil; Some people's "Weibo Sacrifice" and "Time and Space Mailbox" are fresh and natural sacrifices, which conform to the new trend of the times and meet the new requirements of society. As long as we remember our ancestors and respect the old and filial piety, flowers can replace paper money, music can replace firecrackers, and online worship can replace travel and fatigue. This is not only solemn and frugal, but also green and environmentally friendly. Tomb-Sweeping Day can obtain the "Qingming" of the environment and the "Qingming" of the mind, and enjoy more abundant connotations. Tomb-Sweeping Day has become "clear", so why not?

Custom content

Main customs

On April 6th, 2004 in Gregorian calendar, the activities to sweep the Qing Dynasty (Tomb-Sweeping Day's ancestor worship) are usually 10 days before and 10 days after Tomb-Sweeping Day, and in some places, the activities to sweep the Qing Dynasty last for one month. Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the important "eight festivals a year" in China. As a festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day is different from pure solar terms. Solar terms are signs of phenological changes and seasonal order, while festivals contain spiritual beliefs and customs. Ancestor belief and sacrificial culture are important factors in the formation of Tomb-Sweeping Day. Tomb-Sweeping Day is an important carrier of inheriting faith and family ethics. Qingming Festival is a cultural expression and an important way to thank ancestors and get close to human feelings. The custom of sweeping graves to worship ancestors in Tomb-Sweeping Day has become a fixed etiquette and custom theme.

Tomb-Sweeping Day bears rich cultural connotations in its historical development, and there are differences in the content or details of customs in different parts of the country. Although the festival activities vary from place to place, grave sweeping and outing are the same basic custom theme. During Tomb-Sweeping Day, no matter where people are, they will return to their hometown to participate in ancestor worship activities and remember their ancestors. The culture of Qingming etiquette and custom fully embodies the humanistic spirit of the Chinese nation of respecting ancestors and cautiously pursuing the future. It is an important function of Qingming etiquette and custom culture to be cautious and independent in ancestor worship ceremony, enjoy spring outing, inherit culture and adjust body and mind.

spring outing

The Chinese nation has had the custom of going for an outing in Qingming since ancient times. In ancient times, it was called spring outing, spring seeking and so on. Spring outing, also known as spring outing, refers to going for a walk in the suburbs in early spring. Outing, a seasonal folk activity, has a long history in China, and its source is the ancient Spring Festival custom of farming sacrifice, which has a far-reaching influence on later generations. There are both solar terms and festivals in Tomb-Sweeping Day, and the atmosphere in Tomb-Sweeping Day provides important conditions for the formation of the Qingming outing custom in terms of time and meteorological phenology. During the Qingming Festival, spring returns to the earth, and nature presents a vibrant scene everywhere, which is a good time to go for an outing. People use the opportunity of sweeping graves to have fun with their families in mountainous areas and rural areas.

China folks have long maintained the custom of Tomb-Sweeping Day's outing with a long history. The Qingming Festival is a season when the spring breeze is proud and full of spring. When everything is in bud, it has long been a custom to go for an outing in the wild. According to the Book of Jin, every spring, people go to the suburbs to enjoy the scenery together. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the custom of hiking was particularly popular. According to "Old Tang Book", "In February of the second year of Dali, at noon, it was fortunate that Kunming was green." It can be seen that the custom of spring outing has long been deeply rooted in people's hearts.

plant trees

Tomb-Sweeping Day Planting Trees [45] Before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day, the spring was bright and the spring rain was falling, and the saplings planted had high survival rate and fast growth. So there is a habit of planting trees in Tomb-Sweeping Day, and some people call Tomb-Sweeping Day Arbor Day. The custom of planting trees has been passed down to this day. The custom of planting trees in Tomb-Sweeping Day is said to have originated from the custom of crossing willows and inserting willows in Qingming Festival. There are three legends about Tomb-Sweeping Day. The first legend is said to commemorate Shennong, the founder of agriculture, and later developed into the meaning of praying for longevity. The second legend is related to meson push. It is said that when Jin Wengong led the minister to climb a mountain to pay homage to Jietui, he found that the old willow tree on which Jietui once lived came back from the dead and gave it the title of "Qingming Willow". The third legend is that Emperor Taizong gave the minister a willow circle as a blessing to drive away the epidemic.

fly a kite

Kites are also called "paper kites" and "kites". Flying kites is the most popular activity in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Kite is an aircraft that sticks paper or silk with bamboo strips and other skeletons, pulls a long line on it, and drops it into the sky under the action of wind. It belongs to an aircraft that only uses aerodynamic force. 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.

Worship of tomb ancestors

Tomb-Sweeping Day's grave-sweeping [45] Tomb-sweeping in Qingming Festival is a kind of "grave-sweeping sacrifice", and the name of ancestors is "respecting the time". Sacrificing ancestors is a way of remembering ancestors, and its custom has a long history. According to archaeological excavations, an ancient tomb of 10,000 years ago was found in Qingtang Site, Yingde, Guangdong. According to AMS, it was the earliest burial tomb in China about 13500 years ago, indicating that Lingnan ancestors had a clear sense of burial behavior and customs more than 10000 years ago. Grave-sweeping is the center of Tomb-Sweeping Day custom. Tomb-Sweeping Day is a cultural tradition of paying homage to his ancestors and pursuing the future with caution, mainly offering sacrifices to his ancestors and expressing his filial piety and yearning for them. According to the different places of sacrifice, Tomb-Sweeping Day can be divided into tomb sacrifice and ancestral temple sacrifice. Tomb sacrifice is the most common, and the Qingming sacrifice is characterized by tomb sacrifice. The reason why Qingming Festival is called sweeping graves is mainly because of the way of sweeping graves. Another form is ancestral temple sacrifice, also called temple fair sacrifice, which means that people of a clan gather in the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors first, and then have a meeting and dinner after the sacrifice. This kind of sacrifice is a way of ethnic reunion.

There are differences around Tomb-Sweeping Day. In Tomb-Sweeping Day, according to the custom, we usually set out to visit the grave in the morning in Tomb-Sweeping Day. The ways or projects of offering sacrifices to green vary from place to place. The common practice includes two parts: one is to renovate the tomb, and the other is to hang paper money to offer sacrifices. When you sweep the grave, you should repair it first. The main method is to remove weeds, cultivate new soil, and then kowtow. 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 ancients, the graves of ancestors have a great relationship with the rise and fall of future generations, so tomb repair is a commemorative content that cannot be ignored. The sacrifices are mainly food, and the varieties vary from place to place. They are all foods that locals think can be taken out according to the economic ability of sacrifice, or they are seasonal specialties.

Chuanliuzhi

Qingming and Willow [45] Tomb-Sweeping Day and China have the folk custom of inserting willow. There are three theories about the origin of the custom of inserting willows in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Some experts believe that the custom of inserting willows is to commemorate Shennong, the agricultural ancestor 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.

Another way of saying it is to exorcise ghosts and evil spirits. Tomb-Sweeping Day, Mid-Autumn Festival and Cold Clothes Festival are collectively called "Three Ghosts Festival" in some places in northern China. Influenced by the Buddhist avalokitesvara, many people think that wicker has the function of exorcising ghosts and evil spirits, and call it "ghost wood". Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty wrote in the Book of Qi Yao Min: "Take Yang Liuzhi into the house, and ghosts will not enter the house. "Because Tomb-Sweeping Day is a ghost festival, people insert willows and wear willows to ward off evil spirits in the season of wicker germination.

There is also a saying 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. It has become a symbol to commemorate meson push.

a rat race

Tug of war was called "tug of war" in the early days and "strong hook" in the Tang Dynasty. It is said that it was invented at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, which began to prevail in the military and later spread among the people. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, a large tug-of-war was held in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Since then, tug-of-war has become a part of the Qingming custom.

play on the swing

Swing [54] Swing is one of the customs of ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day in China. Wang Renyu's "Kaiyuan Tianbao Legacy" in the Five Dynasties recorded that "the Tianbao Palace Mid-solstice Cold Food Festival actually erected a swing, which made the wives and concubines in the palace laugh and thought it was a feast. The emperor called it a semi-fairy play, so the scholars in the capital called it. " Wen Yanbo, the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, wrote the poem "Cold Food Day Crossing the Dragon Gate", which is described as "the willow on the bridge hangs on a line and hangs more colorful ropes." Swing, that is, lift the rope, move.

Swing has a very long history. It was originally called Qian Qiu, but later it was changed to 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.

gamecock

In ancient times, cockfighting competitions prevailed in Qingming, which began in 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 among the emperors. For example, Tang Xuanzong likes cockfighting best.

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.

play football

Cujuju is a rubber ball, the skin of which is made of leather, and the ball is filled with wool. Cuju is kicking the ball with your feet. This is the favorite game of northerners in ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day. According to legend, it was invented by the Yellow Emperor with the original purpose of training warriors. 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". 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.

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

Cold food was transplanted to Tomb-Sweeping Day because of the cold food custom of the Cold Food Festival, and some places in northern China still retain the habit of eating cold food in Tomb-Sweeping Day. 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. People in southern Shanxi used to steam steamed bread with white flour, with walnuts, dates and beans in the middle. The records of folk cold food customs almost suddenly appeared in the documents of the Eastern Han Dynasty, mainly concentrated in Shanxi. Even in the Tang and Song Dynasties, when the custom of cold food was quite popular, its spread did not come from the north. The Jin Dynasty's "Zhong Ye Ji" first talked about the special food in cold food: "On the day of cold food, you can cook preserved cheese, boiled japonica rice and wheat as cheese, and boiled apricot red as porridge." Until the Tang and Song Dynasties, people were still eating this kind of cold coix seed porridge.

In Tomb-Sweeping Day, some areas in the south of China have the custom of eating the Youth League, which is also called Qingming Cake, Flour Cake, Cike Cake, Qingming Baba, mugwort Baba, mugwort, Qingming Fruit, Bobo Cake, Qingming Cake and mugwort Cake. In the hometown of overseas Chinese in southern Fujian, every time we go to Tomb-Sweeping Day, we will make some cakes, cakes and rice noodles for our families to eat before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day. 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. In Huzhou, Zhejiang, every family in Tomb-Sweeping Day makes zongzi, which can be used as a grave-sweeping sacrifice or as dry food for hiking. As the saying goes: "Qingming Zongzi is real." Before and after Qingming, snails were fat and strong. Eating lotus root is to wish silkworm babies long and good silk. 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".

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