It rains heavily during Qingming Festival: What are the traditional customs of Qingming Festival?
Sweeping tombs and worshiping ancestors
In Chinese history, it has long been a custom to eat cold food and ban fire, and to pay homage to ancestors. After the Tang Dynasty, the Cold Food Festival gradually declined, and sweeping tombs and worshiping ancestors during the Qingming Festival became an ongoing festival tradition. Bai Juyi, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote in his poem "The Wild View of Cold Food": "The crows and magpies make noise in the darkened trees. Who will cry during the cold food during the Qingming Festival? Paper money flies in the wind in the wilderness, and the ancient tombs are full of spring grass. The pear blossoms reflect the poplar trees, which are all partings of life and death. There are many springs in the desert, and people are returning home in the evening rain. "Gao Juqing, a poet of the Song Dynasty, once described it in a poem: "There are many graveyards on the mountains in the north and south, and the paper ashes fly like white butterflies in the Qingming Festival. Tears and blood dye the cuckoo red. On the fox's grave at sunset, not a single drop has ever reached the nine springs!" Even in today's society, people still have the custom of visiting tombs to pay homage to their ancestors before and after Qingming Festival: weeding out weeds, placing offerings, and placing offerings on the tombs. Offer incense and pray beforehand, burn paper money and gold ingots, or simply offer a bouquet of flowers to express your memory of your ancestors.
Swinging
Swinging is an ancient Qingming Festival custom in my country. 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. The swing play was already popular in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. "Records of the Years of Jingchu" records: "In spring, long ropes were hung on high trees, and ladies and gentlemen in colorful clothes sat on them and pushed them. It was called swinging." Swinging was already a very common game in the Tang Dynasty, and became a Qingming Festival important content of festival customs. Since swings can be seen everywhere during the Qingming Festival, the Qingming Festival was designated as the Swing Festival during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Swings were also installed in the palace for the queens, concubines and maids to play. Playing on the swing can not only improve health, but also cultivate bravery. It is still loved by people, especially children.
Cuju
Ju 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.
She willow
She willow 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.
Cockfighting
Cockfighting was a popular game during Qingming Festival in ancient times. Cockfighting started from Qingming Festival and lasted until 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 "Silkworm Flower Fair" is a unique folk culture in Silkworm Township. During the Qingming Festival in the past, people in Wutong, Wuzhen, Chongfu, Zhouquan, etc. This folk activity can be found everywhere. 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 as the "King of Temples" in the local area. Every year, the Silkworm Flower Festival is crowded with people and has frequent activities, including welcoming the silkworm god, rocking the speed boat, Nao Tai Pavilion, worshiping incense stools, 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.
Tug of war
In the early days, it was called "Lianhu" and "Gouqiang", and in the Tang Dynasty it was called "tug of war". It was invented in the late Spring and Autumn Period, became popular among the military, and later spread among the people. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, a large-scale tug-of-war competition was held during the Qingming Festival. Since then, tug-of-war has become part of the Qingming customs.
Outing
During the Qingming Festival, spring returns to the earth, and nature 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.
Zhao Zhiheng, director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society, said that Qingming usually falls around the third month of the lunar calendar, which is the time when spring returns to the earth. After a long and cold winter, people are stepping out of their homes and going outdoors to explore the breath of spring - either outing in the fields or enjoying the outdoors. These outings are called "outings." Outing, also called spring outing. In ancient times, it was called Tanchun, Xunchun, etc.
Legend has it that the Qingming Festival outing existed a long time ago. According to the "Old Book of Tang Dynasty": "In February of the second year of the Dali calendar, I was lucky enough to have an outing in Kunming Lake." It can be seen that the custom of outings has long been popular. Du Fu's poem "Let's go for an outing by the river and look back to see the flag." In the Song Dynasty, outing became popular. The genre painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" by the famous Song Dynasty painter Zhang Zeduan vividly depicts the lively scene of the Qingming Festival centered on the Bianhe River outside Bianjing. In this scroll, there are more than 550 people, more than 50 livestock, more than 20 boats, and more than 20 cars and sedans. The grand occasion of the Qingming Festival outing can be seen.
Zhao Zhiheng said that since spring arrives at different times across the country, the outing festivals come first and last. The second day of the second lunar month is the Outing Festival in Fujian, and the third day of March is the Outing Festival in Shaanxi. Since spring comes very late in Beijing and Northeast China, outings don’t start until the fifth day of May. Since outing is a meaningful custom, it has been passed down from generation to generation.
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." 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: It turns out that the Chinese regard Qingming, half of July and the first day of October as the three major ghost festivals, when ghosts appear and beg for help. 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.
The Han people have a custom of "breaking willows to say goodbye": Baqiao is a bridge across the water in the east of Chang'an. Han people send guests to this bridge and break willows to say goodbye. Li Bai has a poem that goes: "Willows color every year, and Baling is sad to say goodbye." In ancient times, on both sides of the Ba Bridge in Chang'an, the embankment was ten miles long, with a willow per step. Many people going east from Chang'an came here to say goodbye, and broke willow branches to say goodbye to their relatives, because "willow branches" "" is homophonic with "stay", which means to retain. This custom originated from "The Book of Songs. Xiaoya. Picking Wei" in "In the past, I have gone, and the willows are still there". Use willows as a parting gift to express the inseparability, the inability to bear to see each other, and the reluctance to leave. Willows are a symbol of spring. Willows swaying in spring always give people a sense of prosperity. "Breaking willows to say goodbye" contains the wish of "spring is always here". The ancients broke willows to see each other off, which also means that leaving a loved one in the hometown is like a willow tree that leaves a branch. It is hoped that when he goes to a new place, he can quickly take root and sprout, just like a willow branch that can live anywhere. It is a kind of good wish for friends. Ancient poems also mentioned a lot of breaking willows to say goodbye. Quan Deyu's poem of the Tang Dynasty: "New knowledge breaks willows as gifts"; Jiang Baishi's poem of the Song Dynasty: "I fear there will be no green willow branches on other roads"; Guo Deng's poem of the Ming Dynasty: "I see off travelers every year and break all the willows on the roadside in border towns." Chen Weisong's poem of the Qing Dynasty: "How many wicker sticks are left now? Wait for discounts." Not only will people feel sad when they see willows, but they will also be moved when they hear the song "Folding Willows". Li Bai's "Listening to the Flute in Luo City on a Spring Night": "I heard the broken willows in this nocturne, and who can't feel the love for my hometown?" In fact, willows can have many symbolic meanings, and the ancients gave willows various emotions, so it is reasonable to borrow willows to express feelings. Something happened.
Qingming Festival is the time when willows sprout and turn green. Folks have the custom of breaking willows, wearing willows and inserting willows. When people go out for an outing, they break off a few willow sticks. They can hold them in their hands and play with them, or they can make them into hats and wear them on their heads. They can also take them home and insert them on the lintels and eaves of the house. There are proverbs such as "If you don't wear a willow during the Qingming Festival, a beautiful woman will have a bright head" and "If you don't wear a willow during the Qingming Festival, you will turn into a yellow dog after death", which shows that it was a very common custom in the old days to fold willows during the Qingming Festival. It is said that willow branches have the function of warding off evil spirits, so wearing willows is not only a fashionable decoration, but also has the effect of praying for blessings and warding off evil spirits. Planting willows during the Qingming Festival may also be related to the custom of begging for new fires with willow branches during the Cold Food Festival in the past. Today, it seems that breaking off willow branches at will is a kind of damage to the trees and should not be promoted.
Planting trees
Before and after the Qingming Festival, when the spring sun is shining and the spring rain is falling, the saplings planted have a high survival rate and fast growth. 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.
Fly a kite
Fly a kite. Flying kites during Qingming Festival is a popular custom. Pan Rongbi of the Qing Dynasty wrote in "Records of Successes in the Imperial Capital": "When sweeping tombs during the Qingming Festival, all the men and women from the city came out of the suburbs, holding cups and boxes, looking at each other from the hubs of wheels. Each carried a spool of paper kite, and after sweeping the sacrifice, they cast a bow in front of the tomb. Better." The ancients also believed that the Qingming wind was very suitable for flying kites. "Qing Jia Lu" says: "The wind of spring comes from bottom to top, and the kites rise because of it, so there is a proverb of 'flying broken harriers during the Qingming Festival'." For the ancients, kite flying was not only a recreational activity, but also a A kind of witchcraft behavior: they believe that flying kites can let go of their own evil spirits. Therefore, when flying kites during the Qingming Festival, many people write down all the disasters they know on paper kites. When the kite flies high, they cut the strings and let the kites float away in the wind, symbolizing that their diseases and bad smells will be blown away by the kite. Taken away.