The Origin and Customs of Tomb-Sweeping Day
Qingming is one of the 24 solar terms in China. Because the 24 solar terms objectively reflect the changes of temperature, rainfall and phenology throughout the year, ancient working people used them to arrange agricultural activities. However, Qingming, as a festival, is different from pure solar terms. Solar terms are symbols of phenological changes and seasonal order in China, while festivals contain certain customs and activities, which have certain commemorative significance. Therefore, this festival is a distinctive festival, with both sad tears to sweep graves and laughter for an outing.
Tomb-Sweeping Day is a traditional festival in China, and it is also the most important festival to worship ancestors and sweep graves. Grave-sweeping is commonly known as going to the grave and offering sacrifices to the dead. Most Han people and some ethnic minorities visit graves in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Because the days of Qingming and cold food are close, cold food is the day when people ban fire to sweep graves. Gradually, cold food and Qingming become one, and cold food has become another name of Qingming and a custom of Qingming period. Tomb-Sweeping Day doesn't move fireworks, but only eats cold food.
According to the old custom, when sweeping graves, people should bring food, wine, fruit, paper money and other items to the cemetery, offer food to the graves of their loved ones, then burn the paper money, cultivate new soil for the graves, break some green branches and insert them in front of the graves, then kowtow and worship, and finally go home after eating and drinking.
Contrary to the sadness of Tomb-Sweeping Day's grave-sweeping, people can also enjoy life on this beautiful spring day.
Flying kites is also the most popular activity in Tomb-Sweeping Day. During their stay in Tomb-Sweeping Day, people not only wore it during the day, but also at night. At night, a string of colored lanterns is hung under the kite or on the wind-stabilizing stay, like twinkling stars, which is called "magic lamp".
Before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day, the spring is bright, the spring is bright, and the spring rain is falling. The planted seedlings have high survival rate and fast growth. Therefore, China has the habit of planting trees in Qingming since ancient times. Some people even call Tomb-Sweeping Day Arbor Day. The custom of planting trees has been passed down to this day. 1979, the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) stipulated March 12 every year as China's Arbor Day. This is of great significance to mobilize people of all ethnic groups in China to actively carry out activities to green the motherland.
Qingming Festival
Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the 24 seasonal divisions in China, which is held from April 4th to 6th every year. After the holiday, the temperature rose and the rainfall increased. This is the best time for spring ploughing and sowing. But Tomb-Sweeping Day is not only a season to guide farm work, but also a commemorative festival.
Tomb-Sweeping Day is a combination of sadness and happiness.
This is the most important sacrifice day. At this time, both Han people and ethnic minorities offered sacrifices to their ancestors and swept graves for the sick. Besides, they don't cook on this day, only cold food is served.
Han Shi (Cold Food Festival) is usually the day before Tomb-Sweeping Day. Since our ancestors often extended this day to Qingming, they later merged.
Every time I go to Tomb-Sweeping Day, all cemeteries are crowded with people who come to pay homage to the grave. The traffic became very heavy on the way to the cemetery. Today's customs have been greatly simplified. After a little grave sweeping, people will provide food, flowers and the favorite of the dead, then burn incense and paper money, and bow before the memorial tablet.
Contrary to the sadness of grave sweepers, people also enjoy the hope of spring on this day. Tomb-Sweeping Day is a time when the sun is shining, trees and grasslands turn green and nature is full of vitality again. Since ancient times, people have had the custom of spring outing. There are tourists everywhere at this time.
People like flying kites in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Flying kites is not limited to Tomb-Sweeping Day. It is unique in that people fly kites not during the day, but at night. A string of small lanterns tied to a kite or kite string looks like shining stars, so it is called "God's Lantern".
Tomb-Sweeping Day is also the time to plant trees, because the survival rate of saplings is high and trees grow fast. In the past, Tomb-Sweeping Day was called Arbor Day. However, since 1979, "Arbor Day" has been designated as March 12 according to the Gregorian calendar.