Explore the origin of 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, which originated from the ancestor belief of early human beings, is the biggest ancestor worship festival of the Chinese nation. Tomb-Sweeping Day has two connotations: nature and humanity. It is both a natural solar term and a traditional festival. Grave-sweeping and hiking are two major themes of Tomb-Sweeping Day customs handed down from ancient times in China.
Tomb-Sweeping Day has a history of more than 2,500 years. Tomb-Sweeping Day, which originated in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, 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 5 in the solar calendar every year. As soon as Tomb-Sweeping Day arrives, the temperature rises, which is a good season for spring ploughing and sowing. Therefore, there is an agricultural proverb "Before and after Qingming, plant melons and beans" and "Planting trees is not before Qingming". Tomb-Sweeping Day is also related to the Cold Food Festival. Because the dates are similar, Qingming and cold food are merged into one day.
Tomb-Sweeping Day is a traditional major Spring Festival. It is a fine tradition of the Chinese nation since ancient times to sweep graves and remember our ancestors. It is not only conducive to promoting filial piety, awakening family memories, but also conducive to promoting the cohesion and identity of family members and even the nation. Tomb-Sweeping Day's integration of natural solar terms and humanistic customs is a combination of humanistic and natural conditions, which fully embodies the Chinese ancestors' pursuit of harmony between heaven, earth and people, pays attention to conforming to the right time, place and people, and follows the laws of nature.