Is Qingming the lunar calendar or the Gregorian calendar? Is Tomb-Sweeping Day based on the lunar calendar or the solar calendar?
Is Qingming the lunar calendar or the Gregorian calendar? Is Tomb-Sweeping Day based on the lunar calendar or the solar calendar?
Tomb-Sweeping Day is a traditional festival in China, but it is also a festival related to the 24 solar terms. Therefore, for the convenience of calculation, the Gregorian calendar algorithm is used to calculate Tomb-Sweeping Day.
One revolution of the earth is 360 degrees of the yellow meridian, and when the earth reaches zero degrees of the yellow meridian, it is designated as the vernal equinox, and then there is a solar term every time it runs 15 degrees, and there are 24 solar terms in * * *. Therefore, the dates of solar terms in the solar calendar are fixed, because leap years differ by at most two days. The lunar calendar is a yin-yang calendar that reflects phenological changes and guides agricultural time. It also combines the 29.5-day cycle of the lunar phase (the time interval from one full moon to the next). A year is 12 months, but every month is 30 days, which is bound to be different. According to the solar calendar, Qingming can be set on April 5 or 4 (depending on February 29 of that year). Astronomically speaking, on April 5 or 6, when the sun (that is, the position of the sun on the ecliptic) reaches 15 degrees on the ecliptic, it can be designated as Qingming. The lunar calendar is the lunar calendar, and the time interval from one full moon to the next is one month, measured by the cycle of the moon phases. Yang means sun. The solar calendar, also called the solar calendar, takes the earth's revolution around the sun as a year.
Climatic characteristics of Tomb-Sweeping Day
As soon as Tomb-Sweeping Day arrived, the temperature rose. At this time, the temperature in most areas of China has risen to 12' C except the northeast and northwest regions. North and south of the great river, inside and outside the Great Wall, it is a good season for spring ploughing and sowing.
Therefore, there is an agricultural proverb that "before and after Qingming, point melons and plant beans" and "planting trees is not as good as Qingming".
In the north of this season, there is still cold air invading from time to time. In field management, we should pay attention to prevent late frost, otherwise it will cause serious consequences of rotten seedlings in middle rice and dead seedlings in early rice. Therefore, rice planting and transplanting should avoid cold tail and warm head. In the northwest plateau, due to the cold winter and insufficient forage, the resistance of livestock decreases, so it is necessary to guard against the harm of strong cooling weather to old, weak and young livestock after spring.
"During the Qingming Festival, the wheat grows only in the festival". The wheat in the south of Huanghuai is about to start heading, the rape has blossomed, and the wheat in the northeast and northwest regions has also entered the jointing stage. In order to obtain high yield, fertilizer and water management and pest control must be done well in the later stage. Early planting in the north and early planting in mid-season rice in the south of the Yangtze River are both suitable seasons for mass sowing. We should seize the opportunity, seize the sunny day and sow early. "Lihua Qing". At this time, many kinds of fruit trees enter the flowering stage, and it is necessary to focus on artificial pollination to improve the fruit setting rate. Early rice planting in South China should be cleaned up and fertilized in time. Corn, sorghum and cotton will also be planted everywhere.
"Before tomorrow's tea, there will be two buds", and the new buds of tea trees will grow vigorously, so attention should be paid to pest control; Famous tea producing areas are also being mined one after another, and strict scientific management should be carried out to ensure the yield and quality.
During the Qingming period, rainfall increased, especially in the south of the Yangtze River. Although abundant rainfall can meet the needs of the growth and development of various crops, if there is too much precipitation, it will induce wet damage and cause damage to crops, so we should also strengthen prevention.
The custom of Tomb-Sweeping Day
spring outing
Spring outing in Tomb-Sweeping Day is a long-standing custom of China people. March is clear, spring returns to the earth, and nature is full of vitality everywhere, which is a good time to go for an outing. There is a folk saying called "the year of women's Qingming people". Because women in feudal society can't go out casually every day, it is a rare opportunity to go for an outing in Qingming, so women have more fun than men in Qingming. The wind of going for an outing in the Song Dynasty prevailed. The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival by Zhang Zeduan in the Northern Song Dynasty vividly depicts a lively scene of Kyoto people going for an outing in spring.
Pay tribute to the dead at their graves.
Grave-sweeping is the main activity in Tomb-Sweeping Day. It is called "respect for thinking time" for ancestors.
In the Ming Dynasty's "Scenery of the Imperial Capital", it was written: "On the Qingming Festival in March, men and women went to the grave, kowtowed on their shoulders, and Chu Yuanbao was hung behind the sedan chair, which filled the road. Worshippers, drunkards, crying, weeding, adding soil to graves, burning ingots several times, and buying graves with paper money. If you can't see the paper money, it will be a lonely grave.
Cry, don't come back, go to the tree, choose the garden, and get drunk. "Tomb sweeping in Qingming began after Qin Dynasty and gradually flourished in Tang Dynasty. It is recorded in Qing thomas lee: "On New Year's Eve, the cold food and the first frost festival, worshiped and expanded Tsuen Wan. I wear plain clothes to serve the grave, and I have instruments for writing wine and mowing grass. I closed the tree and cut off Cao Jing in a week, so I called it sweeping the grave. " And spread to this day.
In most rural areas of China, in front of Tomb-Sweeping Day, ancestral graves will be cultivated and trimmed. On the day of Qingming, lead future generations to set up incense tables in front of ancestral graves, prepare wine and food, burn paper money, and sincerely pay homage. Every family puts willows in front of their doors to show that they are evoking the spirits of the dead.
Insert willow and pierce willow.
Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty said in the Book of Qi Yao Min: "Take a willow branch and put it on the door. A hundred ghosts ignore others."
In ancient times, Qingming, July 30 and October 10 were the three major ghost festivals, which were the time for ghosts to haunt and search for people. As Tomb-Sweeping Day is a Ghost Festival, people will naturally paste willows to ward off evil spirits. People think that willows can exorcise ghosts, so they are called "wood afraid of ghosts". His thoughts are influenced by Buddhism. Guanyin is to help all beings with willow branches and flowing water. Some places say that inserting willows into the eaves is an eye-catching sign of the house, which is convenient for the return of ancestors' souls. There is also a folk proverb in the Qing Dynasty, "Tomb-Sweeping Day does not insert willows, but beautiful girls become bright eyes", which shows that inserting willows and wearing willows has become a necessary decoration for young men and women in Tomb-Sweeping Day.
In some places, wicker is woven into a reed shape and worn on the head, which means "Qingming does not wear willow, and the afterlife becomes a yellow dog." It is recorded in "Tomb-Sweeping Day at the Age of Yanjing": "When I arrived in Tomb-Sweeping Day, on March 3, Tang Gaozong pulled a wedge on the corner of Weihe River and presented a willow circle to his ministers, saying that wearing it could avoid silkworm poison."
fly a kite
Flying kites is a popular activity in Tomb-Sweeping Day. During their stay in Tomb-Sweeping Day, people will not only play it during the day, but even at night. At night, a string of colorful lanterns will be hung under the kite or on the kite line, which is called "magic lamp" like the twinkling stars at night. In ancient times, some places cut kites flying in the blue sky and let the breeze blow them to the ends of the earth. It is said that this can remove bad luck and bring good luck to yourself.
plant trees
Before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day, the sunshine became warmer and the rain increased, so the survival rate of planted seedlings was high and the growth was fast. Therefore, China has the habit of planting trees in Qingming since ancient times. Others call Tomb-Sweeping Day Arbor Day. The custom of planting trees has been passed down to this day. March 12 every year is the Arbor Day in China.
play on the swing
Swing has a very old history, which was created by Shanrong people in the north during the Spring and Autumn Period. It was originally called Qian Qiu, but later it was changed to a swing to avoid taboos. Swing, as its name implies, moves by pulling a leather rope. This is a custom of ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day in China. In ancient times, swings were mostly made of branches and tied with ribbons. Later it evolved into a swing with two ropes and pedals. Swing can not only exercise, but also cultivate courage, and it is still loved by people, especially children.
To learn more about the holiday arrangements in Tomb-Sweeping Day in 2020, please click the Qingming holiday arrangements in 2020.
For more information about the holiday schedule for 2020, please go to the Holiday Schedule for 2020 (Official Edition).