What are the traditional customs and etiquette of Tomb-Sweeping Day's offering sacrifices to old friends?
1. Why does Qingming Festival say "Qingming Festival to Mountain"
Here, the Qingming Festival refers to the meaning of sweeping the grave. Many cemeteries in the south and south of the Yangtze River are on mountains, so they are called worshipping mountains.
In the north, it is commonly known as sweeping graves or going to graves. It means the same thing, that is, an activity to sacrifice the dead. The poem Qingming written by Du Mu, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, said: "There are many rains during the Qingming period, and pedestrians on the road want to break their souls. Ask local people where to buy wine? The shepherd boy pointed to Xinghua Village. " Write about the special atmosphere in Tomb-Sweeping Day. In China, ancestor worship is associated with filial piety. If you don't participate in ancestor worship, you are unfilial and forget your ancestors.
2. Is there any ethnic division in sweeping graves in Tomb-Sweeping Day?
Tomb-Sweeping Day's grave-sweeping, known as "respecting time" for ancestors, is the biggest grave-sweeping day in China. Therefore, most Han people and some ethnic minorities in China visit graves in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Some ethnic groups will hold similar activities on other days.
3. What is the usual procedure of offering sacrifices to mountains in Tomb-Sweeping Day?
According to the custom, the order of sweeping is to sweep the grave first, that is, to clean the cemetery.
Secondly, sacrifice, this procedure is very important, one is to mourn, and the other is to feel the same way with the ancestors, because the mountain has a spirit without a master, and the ancestors have a master without a spirit. Only by feeling the same way with the ancestors can we better obtain the aura of mountains and rivers. This is feng shui.
When sweeping graves, people come to the cemetery with food, wine, fruit, paper money and other items, offer food to the graves of their loved ones, then burn paper money, cultivate new soil for the graves, repair the graves, fold some fresh green branches and put some paper money on them to show that there are descendants in the graves, and then kowtow. Then sit around and eat and drink; You can also fly kites and even compete with each other for related activities. Women and children will also fold some Yang Liuzhi nearby and put on steamed food with wicker. Others put wicker into reeds and put them on their heads, saying, "If you don't wear willow in Qingming Festival, you will become a yellow dog in the afterlife." Namely: modify the cemetery-burn incense-eat meat-toast-sacrifice-shoot off …
4. Is it better to sacrifice the mountain in Tomb-Sweeping Day as early as possible?
No, according to your own situation, it's better to be at 5-7 o'clock, which is Yin Shi. In the ancient calendar, it was one. Of course, it is generally not so early now, but Dr. Zheng reminded his friends that it is best to end the Qingming Festival before 3 pm, because the yang has gradually subsided and the yin is gradually flourishing. If people are unlucky, they are easily haunted or harassed by ghosts.
5. Can pregnant women in Tomb-Sweeping Day go to worship the mountain?
Generally speaking, pregnant women should avoid the Qingming Festival, not only that. Strictly speaking, it's best for women not to take part in such activities when they have their period, especially after 3 pm.
6. Can Tomb-Sweeping Day worship his ancestors at home?
Tomb-Sweeping Day should have been held in the cemetery in person, but for various reasons, many people can't go back to their hometown to attend the Qingming Festival, so they can also worship their ancestors at home. The method is to put worship food on the balcony or living room at home, face the hometown, light three sticks of incense, bow three times and meditate on related words. Then, burn paper money for sacrifice.
7. What flowers should Tomb-Sweeping Day buy to mourn the dead?
It is usually chrysanthemum, because chrysanthemum is regarded as a flower of sustenance in ancient China, which means missing and nostalgia. White chrysanthemum is the most suitable, and it can also be matched with some green grass, such as lily, green leaves and carnations, which will be more beautiful. Huang Juhua is called Longevity Chrysanthemum, which is more suitable for visiting patients.
8. Why does Tomb-Sweeping Day look at his forehead in the morning?
On the morning of sweeping the grave, before washing, look at your forehead in the mirror to see if there are dark circles under your eyes. If there is, it means you are unlucky. It is recommended to avoid sweeping graves as much as possible. If you must go, you can wear jade with you (ancient jade works better).
9. Do you need to fast before sweeping the grave?
It is best to fast before sweeping the grave: when you start sweeping the grave, it is best not to eat food or vegetarian food, and to dress neatly to show courtesy and respect to your ancestors.
10. Why do you need to give incense to the land of mountain gods when sweeping graves?
When sweeping graves, in addition to placing incense sticks, flowers, fruits, paper money, wine and other things that ancestors loved to eat before their death (the number of sacrificial gifts is random), we should also light incense sticks and burn incense to the land of mountain gods in charge of the cemetery, because the land of mountain gods is the patron saint of the cemetery. After that, you kowtow respectfully to your ancestors and offer flowers, then burn cymbals and drink a libation (that is, sprinkle wine on the ground to represent a toast to your ancestors). After the ceremony, you can eat and drink, and then you can go after lighting the incense.
1 1. Why don't you laugh or scold when you sweep the grave?
Because the cemetery is the home of ghosts, so don't cross the graves and offerings, don't make a noise, don't laugh and curse, don't swear, don't run around and touch, and don't urinate anywhere. This is not only disrespectful to ancestors, but also a nuisance to nearby gods. You can't trample on other graves or criticize the design of graves, which will be considered blasphemy. If you encounter a bad atmosphere, you will get into trouble and go home.
12. Why should we be careful when taking photos in the graves of our ancestors?
In China, ancestor worship is not only to commemorate ancestors, but obviously to worship and pray for the dead. Dr. Zheng specially reminded his friends that no matter the grave sweeper himself, grave sweepers and cemeteries, they should be careful when taking pictures in the graves of their ancestors. When taking pictures, it is even more taboo to take other people's graves into the camera. Otherwise, your fortune is likely to decline and be unbalanced in all aspects.
13. What is the burning burden in Tomb-Sweeping Day?
"Burning baggage" is a form of paying homage to ancestors. The so-called "baggage", also known as "parcel", refers to the postal parcel that Xiao sent from Shi Yang to the underworld. The so-called "wrapping skin" is to paste a big bag with white paper. There are two forms: one is a woodcut version with Sanskrit transliteration of "Death Mantra" printed around it, and a lotus memorial tablet printed in the middle with the name of the deceased who received the money, such as "The late Zhang Fujun was afraid of the boss in Yunshan", which is both a package and a memorial tablet. The other is plain foreskin, which does not print any patterns. Just put a blue sign in the middle and write down the name of the deceased. Also used as a master card.
There are many kinds of money in the luggage:
First burn paper, nine k white paper, and smash four rows of round money, five for each row;
Second, Mingbi, which is copied after foreign currency tickets are available in the world, is written with the words "Paradise Bank", "Ghost Bank" and "Hell Bank", with a pattern of □ capital, mostly with a huge face value, and a Buddhist "death curse" printed on the back;
3. Fake foreign currency, with hard paper as the core and wrapped in silver foil, suppressing the same pattern as the prevailing silver dollar at that time;
Fourth, the "death curse" printed in red on yellow paper is round money, so it is also called "death money";
Five, with gold foil and silver foil stacked ingots, hammers, and some string into a string, with a colored paper ear at the bottom. In the old society, no matter rich or poor, there was a burning burden. On that day, a confession case was set up in the ancestral hall or the main room of the family house, with the luggage in the middle. In front of it, there are offerings such as jiaozi, cakes and fruits, burning incense and holding candles. After the whole family salutes according to their generations, they can be incinerated outside the door. When incinerating, draw a big circle and leave a gap in the direction of the cemetery. Burning three or five pieces of paper outside the circle is called "special delivery."