What does the willow branch in Tomb-Sweeping Day mean?
Tomb-Sweeping Day inserting willows is a traditional custom in China, and its meaning has many versions. One is to commemorate Shennong, the ancestor of farming, and forecast the weather; Another way of saying it is to commemorate the deceased relatives and express grief and blessings; Another saying is to ward off evil spirits and keep the family safe. In a word, willow cuttings are an expression and inheritance of China people's history, life and beliefs.
One: in memory of Shennong. It is said that the custom of inserting willows is to commemorate Shennong, the ancestor of farming, who taught the people to cultivate 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.
Two: exorcise ghosts and evil spirits. There is another saying: China people regard Tomb-Sweeping Day, July 30th and the first day of October as the three major ghost festivals. Tomb-Sweeping Day is a season of frequent ghost haunts and great demand. Influenced by Buddhism, Guanyin Bodhisattva held willow branches in her hands and dipped them in water, so many people think that willow branches have the function of exorcising ghosts and evil spirits, calling them "ghost trees". Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty wrote in the Book of Qi Yao Min: "Take Yang Liuzhi to the mansion, and a hundred ghosts will not enter the mansion." Because Tomb-Sweeping Day is a Ghost Festival, people insert willows and wear willows to ward off evil spirits in the season when wicker sprouts.
Three: Commemorative 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.