Introduction to the time and customs of Qingming Festival

What are the customs and characteristics of the Qingming Festival? Introduction to the time and customs of the Qingming Festival

Tomb sweeping

Tomb sweeping during the Qingming Festival is called "respecting the time of thinking" for ancestors. Its custom has a long history. "On the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" of the Ming Dynasty records: "On Qingming Day in the third month, men and women sweep tombs, carrying bamboo poles, hanging ingots on the backs of sedans and horses, and the streets are full of charm. People worship, pray, cry, and weed and add soil to the tomb. , burn ingots, and place paper money on the grave. If there is no paper money in sight, the grave will be lonely. After crying, you will go to the fragrant tree, sit in the garden, and get drunk. "In fact, tomb-sweeping existed before the Qin Dynasty. , but not necessarily during the Qingming Festival. Tomb-sweeping during the Qingming Festival was a matter after the Qin Dynasty. It did not become popular until the Tang Dynasty. "Qing Tong Li" says: "On the New Year's Day, during Cold Food and Frost's Descent Festivals, people pay homage to the tomb sweepers. During the period, they go to the tomb in plain clothes, equipped with wine and food and a tool for cutting grass and trees. They seal the trees and cut off the wattle grass, so it is called tomb sweeping." And it has been passed down to this day.

The Qingming Festival sweeping ceremony should be held in person at the tomb site. However, because each family’s economic and other conditions are different, the method of sweeping the memorial ceremony is also different. "Burning baggage" is the main form of paying homage to ancestors. The so-called "baggage", also known as "package", refers to the parcel sent by filial piety from the Yang world to the "underworld". In the past, Nanzhi Store sold so-called "furoshiki", which was a large bag made of white paper. There are two forms: one is to use a woodblock board to print the Sanskrit transliteration of the "Rebirth Mantra" around it, and print a rosette tablet in the middle to write the area code and the name of the deceased, such as: "The late Zhang Fujun said: The words "Sir Shan Lao" are both a mail package and a tablet. The other type is plain furoshiki, which does not have any pattern printed on it. It only has a blue label stuck in the middle and the name of the deceased can be written on it. Also used as main card. There are many types of money in the baggage.

Inserting willows

It is said that the custom of inserting willows is also to commemorate the founder of farming, Shennong, who "taught the people how to farm". 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.

Willow Shooting

Willow Shooting is a game for practicing archery skills. According to records from the Ming Dynasty, pigeons were placed in gourds, and then the gourds were hung high on a willow tree. The gourds were shot with a bow, and the pigeons flew out. The victory was determined by the height at which the flying pigeons flew.

Swinging

This is an ancient Chinese Qingming Festival custom. Swing means moving by holding on to the leather rope. It has a very ancient history. It was first called Qianqiu, but later was changed to Swing to avoid taboos. In ancient times, swings were mostly made of tree branches and tied with colorful ribbons. Later, it gradually developed into a swing with two ropes and pedals. Swinging can not only improve health, but also cultivate bravery. It is still loved by people, especially children.

Cuju

Cuju is a ball made of leather and stuffed with hair. Cuju means kicking a ball with your feet. This is a game that people loved during the Qingming Festival in ancient times. According to legend, it was invented by the Yellow Emperor, and its original purpose was to train warriors. Playing polo is also one of the Dragon Boat Festival dramas. Polo is played by riding on a horse and holding a stick. It was called Juju in ancient times. There is a sentence in "Famous Capitals" written by Cao Zhi of the Three Kingdoms: "Strike the soil continuously". In Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty, there was a large stadium, and emperors such as Xuanzong and Jingzong were all fond of polo. The "Polo Picture" in the tomb of Prince Zhanghuai depicts the prosperity of polo in the Tang Dynasty: in the picture, more than 20 horses are galloping, their tails are tied up, and the player wears a scarf on his head, boots on his feet, and holds a ball. The sticks hit each other ball by ball. "Analysis of Jinzhi" records that the Liao Dynasty regarded polo as a traditional festival custom, and played polo on the Dragon Boat Festival and Double Ninth Festival. "History of the Jin Dynasty·Li Zhi" also records that the Jin people hit the ball on the Dragon Boat Festival.

Outing

Also called spring outing. In ancient times, it was called Tanchun, Xunchun, etc. On the Qingming Festival in April, spring returns to the earth, and the natural world presents a vibrant scene everywhere. It is a great time for outings. Chinese people have long maintained the habit of going outing during the Qingming Festival.

Planting trees

Around the Qingming Festival, when the spring sun shines and the spring rain falls, the survival rate of planted saplings is high and they grow quickly. Therefore, since ancient times, our country has had the habit of planting trees during the Qingming Festival. Some people also call Qingming Festival "Arbor Day". The custom of planting trees has been passed down to this day. In 1979, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress stipulated that March 12th every year would be my country's Arbor Day. This is of great significance in mobilizing people of all ethnic groups across the country to actively carry out activities to green the motherland.

Kite flying

Kite flying is also a favorite activity during the Qingming Festival. During the Qingming Festival, people not only play during the day but also at night. At night, a string of small colorful lanterns are hung under the kite or on the wind-stabilizing wire, like twinkling stars, and are called "magic lanterns." In the past, some people would cut the strings after flying kites into the blue sky and let the breeze carry them to the ends of the earth. It is said that this can eliminate diseases and disasters and bring good luck to themselves.

Cockfighting

Cockfighting was a popular game during the Qingming Festival in ancient times. Cockfighting started from the Qingming Festival and lasted until the Summer Solstice. The earliest record of cockfighting in my country can be found in "Zuo Zhuan". By the Tang Dynasty, cockfighting became popular, not only among private citizens, but even the emperor participated in cockfighting. For example, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty loved cockfighting the most.

Silkworm Flower Fair

"Silkworm Flower Fair" is a unique folk culture of Silkworm Township. During the Qingming Festival in the past, there were people in Wutong, Wuzhen, Chongfu, Zhouquan and other places. This folk activity. Among them, the Silkworm Flower Fair at Maming Temple in Zhouquan and Shuangmiao in Qingshi are the most exciting and grand. Maming Temple is located in the west of Zhouquan Town. It is known locally as the "King of Temples". Every year, the Silkworm Flower Festival is crowded with people and has frequent activities, including welcoming the Silkworm God, rocking the speed boat, making a Taiwan pavilion, worshiping incense benches, boxing, and dragon lanterns. There are more than ten activities such as climbing poles, singing operas and so on. Some of these activities are carried out on the shore, and most of them are carried out on the boat, which is very characteristic of a water town. In recent years, the Silkworm Flower Fair in Wuzhen Fragrance Market has only a few projects such as welcoming the silkworm god, stepping on the white boat, and raising the high pole, which has great potential to be tapped.

Tomb-Sweeping Festival Time

Every year around April 5, the sun reaches 15 degrees of ecliptic longitude and meets the "Qingming" solar term. "Qingming" means that the ice and snow melt, the grass and trees are green, the weather is clear and bright, and everything is prosperous. "The willows all over the floor are as green as the grass, painting the March sky of the Qingming Festival", "Peaches and plums smile during the Qingming festival", "The grass and trees in the suburbs are soft under the rain", etc. are vivid descriptions of the phenology of the world during the Qingming season.

Qingming is an important agricultural solar term. From a climate perspective, entering this season, the average daily temperature in most areas of my country, except for the northeast and northwest, has risen to 12°C. In the north and south of the Yangtze River and inside and outside the Great Wall, glaciers are thawing, wild geese are flying north, and magnolias, winter jasmines, etc. are in bud one after another. The pistil blossoms, then the redbud, cherry blossoms, peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, pear blossoms, etc. bloom one after another, competing for beauty, while the hard-working farmers are busy sowing hope and cherishing this "one-year plan". "Before and after the Qingming Festival, sow melons and beans," "The Grain and Rain during the Qingming Festival are connected, so don't hesitate to soak the seeds and cultivate the fields." These farming proverbs are evidence that farmers attach great importance to the Qingming solar term.

In the south, "the wind blows in the pear blossoms during the Qingming Festival". At this time, the colors are pink, willow green, pear white, and vegetable yellow. Many plants have entered the flowering period. In order to increase the fruit setting rate, necessary artificial Assisted pollination is necessary. Wheat in the area south of the Huanghuai River has also entered the jointing stage. Proper fertilizer and water management and pest and disease control in the later stage of wheat are the key to achieving a high yield. For early and mid-season rice, we must seize the opportunity to sow them when the weather is clear. At the same time, the new buds of the tea tree are growing vigorously, which is an excellent time to pick high-quality tea. If you are lucky enough to visit the tea town, you will also witness the scene of tea brothers and tea girls singing in antiphonal style.