The origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day, original text.
1, the origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day
According to legend, in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Jin Xiangong's concubine killed the prince in order to let her son inherit the throne, and Shen Sheng was forced to commit suicide. Shen Sheng's younger brother, Zhong Er, went into exile to escape the scourge. During his exile, Zhong Er suffered humiliation. Most of the courtiers who went out with him went out one after another.
Only a few loyal people have been following him. One of them is called meson push. On one occasion, Zhong Er fainted from hunger. In order to save Zhong Er, Jiezitui cut a piece of meat from his leg, cooked it with fire and gave it to Zhong Er. Nineteen years later, Zhong Er returned to China and became the monarch, that is, Jin Wengong, one of the famous five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period. ?
After Jin Wengong came to power, in addition to meson push, he offered many rewards to courtiers who shared his joys and sorrows. Someone defended meson in front of Jin Wengong. Jin Wengong suddenly remembered the past and felt guilty. He immediately sent someone to ask meson to take the imperial court to be rewarded as an official. However, after several trips, the meson could not be pushed. Jin Wengong had to please. However, when Jin Wengong came to the meson pusher's house, he saw that the door was closed. Jiezitui didn't want to see him, and had already been hiding in Mianshan (now southeast of Jiexiu County, Shanxi Province) behind his mother's back.
Jin Wengong asked his body guard to search Mianshan, but he couldn't find it. So, someone had an idea, saying, it is better to let Yamakaji go, set fire on three sides, leave one side, burn it and the meson will come out. Jin Wengong ordered the promotion of Yamakaji. Unexpectedly, the fire burned for three days and nights. After the fire was put out, the meson was not pushed out after all. Looking up the mountain, the mother and son were holding a charred willow tree and were dead.
Jin Wengong looked at meson push's body and cried for a while. Then I buried the body and found that the back of meson push was blocked by a willow hole, as if there was something. Take out a look, turned out to be a skirt, with a blood poem:
I hope your master is always clear. ?
It is better to be a ghost than to accompany you as an exhorter. ?
If your master has me in his heart, remember that I often reflect. ?
I have a clear conscience in Jiuquan, diligent and honest. ?
Jin Wengong hid the bloody book in his sleeve. Then meson tui and his mother were buried under the charred willow tree. To commemorate Jiexiu, Jin Wengong ordered Mianshan to be changed to Jiexiu Mountain, and an ancestral temple was built on the mountain, and the day when Yamakaji was released was designated as the Cold Food Festival, telling the whole country that it is forbidden to set off fireworks and firecrackers on this day every year and only eat cold food. ?
When he left, he cut a charred willow and made a pair of clogs in the palace. He looked at it every day and sighed, "What a pity." The "first step" is the name of ancient people's subordinates respecting each other between superiors or peers, which is said to come from it. ?
The following year, Jin Wengong led his ministers to go hiking in plain clothes to show their respect and condolences. Walking to the grave, I saw the dead old willow tree resurrected, with thousands of green branches dancing in the wind. Jin Wengong looked at the resurrected old willow tree and seemed to see the meson push. He walked up to him respectfully, lovingly squeezed a branch, braided it into a circle and put it on his head. After the sacrifice, Jin Wengong named the revived old willow "Qingming Willow" and named it Tomb-Sweeping Day. ?
Later, Jin Wengong often took a bloody book with him as a souvenir, urging himself to take power. He is diligent and honest, and strives to govern the country well.
Since then, the people of Jin have been able to live and work in peace and contentment, and they are very nostalgic for Jietui, who has made outstanding contributions and is not looking for wealth. On the day of his death, it is forbidden to set off fireworks in memory of him. It is also made of flour and jujube paste into the shape of a swallow, strung with willows and inserted in the door to summon his soul. This thing is called "pushing swallows" (also called intermediary pushing).
Since then, cold food and Qingming have become grand festivals for the people of the whole country. Whenever there is cold food, people don't make a fire to cook, but only eat cold food. In the north, people only eat cold food prepared in advance, such as jujube cakes and wheat cakes. In the south, there are mostly green balls and glutinous rice and sugar lotus roots. Every time I go to Tomb-Sweeping Day, people put wicker in a circle and put wicker branches in front of the house to show their memory. ?
In March and April, when spring is bright, pink and green, one of the most important festivals in China's traditional customs is Tomb-Sweeping Day. Tomb-Sweeping Day is now a national grave-sweeping festival. According to Sunday, it is around April 5, and according to the lunar calendar, it is the first half of March. The ancients divided a year into 24 solar terms and used this calendar to sow and harvest. Qingming is one of the twenty-four solar terms, fifteen days after the vernal equinox. According to the saying of "always asking questions": "Everything is long, clean and bright at this time. So it is called Qingming. "
Therefore, "Tomb-Sweeping Day" was originally the name of the solar term, and later, with the custom of banning fire from sweeping graves, Tomb-Sweeping Day was formed.
2. The origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day
Every year around April 5th, Tomb-Sweeping Day is a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. There is also a touching legend about the origin of this festival.
More than two thousand years ago, the state of Jin was in civil strife, and the son of Jin went abroad.
On the way, Zhong Er and his party got lost in a mountain. Zhong Er hasn't eaten for days and nights, and he is dizzy and weak with hunger. Chen Jietui secretly cut a piece of meat from his leg and cooked a bowl of broth for Zhong Er. Zhong Er wolfed down his meal and asked, "Where did this meat come from?" Meson tui told him the truth.
Zhong Er was moved to tears and said, "How can I repay you in the future for treating me like this?" Jiezitui said earnestly, "I don't ask for anything in return. I hope your master won't forget the pain of cutting his flesh, and find some ways to run the country and be a wise monarch (jan).
Nineteen years later, he finally returned to the state of Jin and became a monarch. This is Jin Wengong. He saw the advantages of meson push and wanted him to be a big official. So he sent someone to ask meson for help several times. Jiezitui refused to be an official, but he refused. Jin Wengong himself answered the door again. But when I got to the meson salesman's house, I saw that the door was locked. It turned out that Jiezitui didn't want to see him, so she hid in the mountains behind her old mother's back.
Jin Wengong sent someone to look for it. However, it is too easy to find someone in the barren hills! A minister suggested that it is better to let Yamakaji go, ignite on three sides, and leave one side behind, and the meson will definitely come out. Jin Wengong agreed. It burned for three days and nights, but no mesons were pushed out.
After the fire went out (xI), people went into the mountains to look for it, and found Jiexiu and his old mother sitting under a charred old willow tree, dead. Jin Wengong said, and burst into tears. When he sent someone to bury Jiexiu, he found a bloody book written by Jiexiu in the hole of the old willow tree, which read: "May the Lord be clear forever.
Jin Wengong hid the bloody book in the sleeve (repair), buried the mother and son under the charred old willow tree, and ordered that this day be designated as the Cold Food Festival. On this day every year, every family is forbidden to make a fire to cook, and can only eat cold food cooked the day before.
In the second year, he led the minister to sacrifice Ji. When they came to the swamp, they saw the old willow tree dead and alive, with thousands of green branches dancing in the wind. Jin Zhanggong looked at the resurrected old willow and seemed to see the meson push. After the sweeping ceremony, Jin Wengong named this old willow "Qingming Willow" and named the day after the Cold Food Festival Tomb-Sweeping Day.
Jin Wengong has always taken the book of blood written by meson as his motto (Ming), urging him to be in power. He is diligent and honest, and runs the country well. People live and work in peace and contentment, and miss meson push very much. Every time I go to Tomb-Sweeping Day, everyone will hold various activities to commemorate him.
Slowly, Tomb-Sweeping Day has become a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. On this day, people will offer sacrifices (si) to deceased relatives or great men and sweep graves (mu). Some people even wear wicker rings on their heads and stick wicker branches in front of and behind their houses to show their memory.