When is Tomb-Sweeping Day in 2022 and when is Tomb-Sweeping Day?
There is a folk saying that April 5th is Tomb-Sweeping Day, but in real life, the exact date of Tomb-Sweeping Day is not fixed, that is, what people call Tomb-Sweeping Day must be on April 5th. This is because Tomb-Sweeping Day's algorithm is different, and we can't just look at the traditional lunar calendar and the new calendar. As far as Tomb-Sweeping Day is concerned, it was originally one of the 24 solar terms, and now the 24 solar terms are divided according to the position of the sun on the ecliptic-the longitude of the sun.
What is the solar ecliptic? The earth goes around the sun once a year, which is 360 degrees of the yellow meridian. Divide 360 degrees into 24 equal parts, each part is 15 degrees, and each part is a solar term, so there are 24 solar terms. However, the current Gregorian calendar adopts another method when dividing the share of the solar calendar, so the solar calendar is divided into the same 365, so there are 365 days. There is a ratio between 24 equal parts and 365 equal parts, which sometimes leads to a difference of one day in solar terms. Therefore, the date of Tomb-Sweeping Day is sometimes April 5, and sometimes it is April 4 when it passes through Tomb-Sweeping Day.
However, the calculation rules of traditional festivals such as Mid-Autumn Festival, Lantern Festival and Spring Festival are different, mainly based on the lunar calendar. The so-called lunar calendar means watching the moon go round and round, that is, when the sun shines directly on the equator, we will usher in the vernal equinox among the 24 solar terms. At this time, the longitude of the yellow meridian is 0. When the sun reaches the longitude 15 degrees, we will have a sunny day. This method has been used for more than 300 years since 1645. You can also use the ancient luminous astronomical method. Look at the Beidou bucket handle pointing, bucket handle pointing to the southeast, and it will be clear in the Z position.
Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as March Festival, is a day of sacrifice and one of the legal holidays in China. Tomb-Sweeping Day holidays have existed since ancient times, and the holiday time of each dynasty is different. The rise of Tomb-Sweeping Day began in the Tang Dynasty. In the Tang Xuanzong era, cold food and Qingming were on holiday together. Tomb-Sweeping Day is also known as the National Tomb Sweeping Festival. 1935, the government of the Republic of China clearly stipulated that April 5th was a national holiday in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Since 2008, Tomb-Sweeping Day has become a legal holiday in China.
The time in Tomb-Sweeping Day may be different every year. April 4th to April 6th in the new calendar may be Tomb-Sweeping Day. In 2022, Tomb-Sweeping Day time falls on April 5th of the lunar calendar, and Tomb-Sweeping Day is the fifth of the 24 solar terms, which falls on the fifth day of the third lunar month. Although Qingming is a festival, it is different from pure solar terms. Seasonal order and phenological changes are signs of solar terms, while festivals contain customs, rituals and spiritual beliefs. There are two important factors in the formation of Tomb-Sweeping Day, one is ancestor belief, and the other is sacrificial culture. Inheriting faith and family ethics is an important carrier of Tomb-Sweeping Day.