Tomb-Sweeping Day gas custom
In the history of China, it has long been a custom to eat cold food, forbid fire and pay homage to ancestors. After the Tang Dynasty, the Cold Food Festival gradually declined, so it became a continuous festival tradition for Tomb-Sweeping Day to sweep graves to worship ancestors. In today's society, before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day, people still have the custom of paying homage to their ancestors: uprooting weeds, placing offerings, burning incense and praying at the grave, burning paper money and gold ingots, or simply offering a bunch of flowers to express their memory of their ancestors.
Step 2 go for an outing
Tomb-Sweeping Day is a good time to go for an outing, so it has become an important part of Tomb-Sweeping Day customs. Ancient women could not go out casually on weekdays, and it was a rare opportunity for Tomb-Sweeping Day to visit the grave. Therefore, in Tomb-Sweeping Day, women have more fun than men, and there is a folk saying called "Women's Qingming Year".
Step 3 insert willow
Tomb-Sweeping Day is the time when willows sprout and smoke is green. There are folk customs of folding willow, piercing willow and inserting willow. When people go out for an outing, they break off some wicker branches, which can be played with in their hands, woven into hats and worn on their heads, or taken home and inserted on the lintels and eaves. The custom of inserting willow is related to avoiding epidemic.
Step 4 entertain
In addition to the above-mentioned custom of sweeping graves to worship ancestors, walking in the green and inserting willows, there are a lot of entertainment habits in Tomb-Sweeping Day that have been loved by people for thousands of years, such as hooking, flying kites, swinging, shooting willows, cùjū, etc., which were all the rage for a while, but are rare now.
5. Traction hook
"Hook" is an ancient name, but it is actually a modern tug of war. According to legend, in the Spring and Autumn Period, in order to attack the State of Wu, the State of Chu used the hook movement to enhance people's physique. It is mainly based on a hemp rope, and its two ends are divided into many small ropes. In the competition, a big flag is the boundary. At the command, the two sides pulled the rope hard, and the drums sounded with the music. The two sides cheered and shouted, which was very lively.
Step 6 fly a kite
Flying kites is one of people's favorite activities in Tomb-Sweeping Day. The ancients believed that if someone was sick, they could write down or draw their illness on the kite, tie the kite in the air with a string, let it fly to the sky, cut the cable, and the disease disaster would fly away with the kite. Later, kites gradually developed into a popular outing entertainment.
Step 7 swing
Swing was originally called Qian Qiu. Swing is a custom in ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day, China. A swing with branches as a frame, ribbons tied and two ropes and pedals can not only improve health, but also cultivate courage. It is loved by people, especially children.
8. shoot willow trees
Shooting willow is a game to practice archery. According to the records of the Ming Dynasty, shooting willow is to put pigeons in a gourd, then hang the gourd high on the willow tree, shoot the gourd with a bow, and the pigeon flies out, and judge the victory or defeat by the flying height of the flying pigeon.
9. Cuju
Besides ancestor worship and grave sweeping, there are various outdoor activities in Tomb-Sweeping Day, such as hiking, outing and swinging. While paying homage to the sorrow of remembering, it also blends the atmosphere of enjoying spring with joy. Among these activities, "Cuju" is a very interesting activity. Cuju, the predecessor of football, is made of leather and stuffed with wool.
10, cockfighting
In ancient times, cockfighting competitions prevailed in Qingming, which began in Qingming and lasted until the summer solstice. The earliest record of cockfighting in China can be found in Zuo Zhuan. In the Tang Dynasty, cockfighting became a common practice, not only among the people, but also among the emperors. For example, Tang Xuanzong likes cockfighting best. [6] Mrs. Hua Rui, a five-generation poetess, wrote a poem: "Next to the Qingming small hall of cold food, there is a chicken farm in the colorful building. My wife, the royal family, saw ten beds of red quilts first. " A cockfighting competition was held in the palace, and the quilt of 10 was used as a bet, so it was very interesting.
1 1, silkworm festival
Silkworm Flower Festival "Silkworm Flower Festival" is a unique folk culture in Silkworm Township. During the past period in Tomb-Sweeping Day, this folk activity was held in Wu Tong, Wuzhen, Chongfu and Zhouquan. Among them, Aśvaghoṣa Temple in Zhouquan and Double Temple in Qingshi are particularly spectacular. Aśvaghoṣa Temple, located in the west of Zhouquan Town, is known locally as "the king of temples". Every year, there are many activities, such as welcoming the silkworm god, rocking the clippers, making trouble in Taiwan Pavilion, worshiping incense benches, boxing, playing dragon lanterns, lifting poles and singing operas.