The Origin and Legend of Tomb-Sweeping Day

The origin and legend of Tomb-Sweeping Day;

The traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day in China began in the Zhou Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,500 years. Tomb-Sweeping Day is first of all a very important solar term. As soon as Tomb-Sweeping Day arrives, the temperature rises, which is a good season for spring ploughing and planting. Therefore, there is a saying that "melons and beans are planted before and after Qingming". Agricultural proverb "Planting trees is not as clear as Qingming". Later, as the days of Qingming and cold food approached, cold food was the day when people banned fire to sweep graves. Gradually, cold food and Qingming became one, and cold food became another name of Qingming and became a custom of Qingming. On Qingming Day, there are no fireworks, only cold food.

There is a legend about cold food:

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. 2 1|

The default sort | Other answers in chronological order ***5 items 20 10-04-03 09:58 Phoenix in the bath | The origin of the 18th traditional festival Tomb-Sweeping Day.

20 10 April 2 15:37 Source: China Broadcasting Network.

Brief introduction 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. "Huainanzi Astronomical Training" says: "Fifteen days after the vernal equinox, the bucket refers to B, and the Qingming wind is coming." According to the centenarian question, "everything grows clean and bright at this time." So it is called Qingming. " As soon as Qingming arrives, the temperature rises and the rainfall increases, which is a good time for spring ploughing and planting. 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". It can be seen that this solar term is closely related to agricultural production.

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.

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.

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. The poem Qingming written by Du Mu, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, said: "There are many rains during the Qingming period, and pedestrians on the road want to break their souls. Ask local people where to buy wine? The shepherd boy pointed to Xinghua Village. " Write about the special atmosphere in Tomb-Sweeping Day.

Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as the outing festival, according to the solar calendar, between April 4th and 6th every year, it is the season of beautiful spring and lush vegetation, and it is also a good time for people to have a spring outing (called outing in ancient times), so the ancients had the custom of going for an outing in Qingming and carrying out a series of sports activities.

To this day, the custom of worshipping ancestors and mourning the dead relatives in Tomb-Sweeping Day is still very popular.

The origin and legend of Tomb-Sweeping Day;

There is a legend about cold food:

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.

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.

Folklore experts explain the origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day in detail, and festivals of various ethnic groups in China have their own characteristics.

2010 April 2 15:3 1 Source: Xinhuanet

Tomb-Sweeping Day, a traditional festival in China, is coming soon. Folklore experts say that Tomb-Sweeping Day has a long history. More than 20 ethnic groups in China have visited Tomb-Sweeping Day, but their holiday customs are different.

Professor Wu Bing 'an, honorary chairman of the Chinese Folklore Society, pointed out that Tomb-Sweeping Day is an ordinary season among the 24 solar terms. According to the twenty-four solar terms, this solar term is suitable for busy farming, and it has entered the busy farming stage since then.

Wu Bingan said that Tomb-Sweeping Day has a history of more than 2,500 years. Tomb-Sweeping Day didn't have the custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors at first, and then it gradually merged with the Cold Food Festival the day before and the day after. The Cold Food Festival was originally a taboo festival in ancient times, and later it was added with the legend that Jin Wengong mourned the benefactor Jiezhi, so sweeping graves at the Cold Food Festival became a common social behavior. After the blending of the two folk festivals, the custom of banning smoking and eating cold food gradually faded, and the custom of ancestor worship became more and more prominent, so Tomb-Sweeping Day developed into an important traditional festival in China.

Western festivals are mostly religious festivals to thank God for their gifts, while orientals, especially China people, have always paid attention to the inheritance from generation to generation because they originated from agricultural civilization. Therefore, for more than 2,000 years, it has become a unique custom for China people to remember their ancestors in Tomb-Sweeping Day.

In addition to the Han nationality, there are more than 20 ethnic minorities such as Manchu, Hezhe, Daur, Oroqen, Ewenki and Xibe in the north, and Zhuang, Dong, Yi, Bai, She, Miao, Yao, Li, Shui, Jing, Qiang, Tujia, Naxi, Buyi and Pumi in the south. Although it is the basic content of Tomb-Sweeping Day to pay homage to ancestors and go for an outing in spring, Tomb-Sweeping Day of all ethnic groups also has their own characteristics: the Zhuang people attach great importance to sweeping their ancestors' graves, and then the whole family will go out and bring colorful plates, meat, incense and paper banners to pay homage to their ancestors' graves; Tujia people will go to the grave to hang green on this day in Tomb-Sweeping Day and eat pig's head meat at home. There is a saying that "Qingming is drunk and the pig's skull stinks"; Some places in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture still retain ancient styles. In Tomb-Sweeping Day, mugwort is collected from the mountains, washed and chopped, mixed with glutinous rice, bacon, garlic sprouts, spiced spices and salt and steamed, which is called "Qingming Ba". (Xinhuanet Shenyang, March 30 th, reporter Wei Yunheng)

Manchus crossing Tomb-Sweeping Day: It's also a family tradition to tie the knot and insert willows.

20 10 April 2 16:03 Source: Xinhuanet

The reporter learned from the Qingming Culture Symposium of the Central Liaoning Urban Agglomeration held on the 27th that Tomb-Sweeping Day is an important festival for multi-ethnic participation. The sacrificial activities of Manchu people in Tomb-Sweeping Day are simple and interesting. From tying a rope to inserting a "Buddha's support" (willow branch), the transmission of family affection continues.

Zhang Deyu, a researcher at Benxi Institute of History and Culture, who mainly studies the history of Ming and Qing Dynasties and the history of Manchu development, revealed the contents of Manchu Qingming Sacrifice from more than 400 Manchu genealogy books collected over the years: inserting "Buddha's support" in front of the grave to show his determination to keep his home and family developing.

Zhang Deyu said that compared with other ethnic minorities' lively Tomb-Sweeping Day, Manchu people are more likely to go to Tomb-Sweeping Day. The Manchu word "Buddha" means willow branches, which is a concentrated expression of shaman culture. This kind of sacrifice of Manchu, like Han nationality, is an extension of knotting sacrifice. The rope of the offspring is more than ten feet long. It's a rope made of five-color thread. From the first generation of ancestors, men wear a piece of cloth to represent a descendant, all the way down, full.

According to records, Manchu people regard willow as a sacred tree, because it develops in early spring, has high survival rate and strong vitality, and can survive as long as willow branches are inserted. The insertion of willow branches indicates that this family will flourish. Experts believe that planting trees in Tomb-Sweeping Day and burying ashes in the ground have also continued this custom.

Zhang Deyu said that genealogy is also an important part of Manchu activities in Tomb-Sweeping Day. If future generations have unfilial behavior, or words and deeds that do harm to family and society, they should be punished with sticks on this day in Tomb-Sweeping Day to educate future generations. (Xinhuanet Shenyang, March 28 th, reporter Jiang Min)

Tomb-Sweeping Day custom

Tomb-Sweeping Day's customs are rich and interesting. In addition to paying attention to the prohibition of fire to sweep graves, there are a series of customs and sports activities such as jogging, swinging, cuju, playing polo and inserting willows. According to legend, this is because Tomb-Sweeping Day wants to ban cold food and fire. In order to prevent the harm of cold food and cold meal to people, we all take part in some sports activities to exercise. Therefore, this festival is a distinctive festival, with both sad tears to sweep graves and laughter for an outing.

Qingming custom of sweeping graves to worship ancestors

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, and Tomb-Sweeping Day's grave-sweeping and ancestor worship became a continuous festival tradition. Bai Juyi, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote in his poem "Cold Food and Wild Hope": "Who cries when birds are singing? The wind blows the paper money in the wilderness, and the ancient tomb is full of spring grass. Li Tanghua reflects poplar trees, full of life and death parting places. " Mysterious desert and heavy spring are crying, but people who are raining at dusk and dusk go home. "Song Dynasty poet Koguryo once described in a poem:" There are many tombs in the north and south, and the Qingming is different. Paper ashes fly into white butterflies, and tears are dyed into red azaleas. "At sunset, not a drop reached Jiuquan on the fox's grave!" Even in today's society, before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day, people still have the custom of going to graves to pay homage to their ancestors: uprooting weeds, placing offerings, burning incense and praying in front of graves, burning paper money and gold ingots, or simply offering a bunch of flowers to express their memory of their ancestors.

Swing is a custom in ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day, China. Swing, that is, lift the rope, move. It has a very long history. It was originally called Qian Qiu, but later it was changed into a swing to avoid taboos. In ancient times, swings were made of branches and tied with ribbons. Later, it gradually developed into two ropes, a pedal swing. Swing plays were popular in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The Chronicle of Jingchu records: "In spring, a long rope hangs on a big tree, and a scholar and a woman sit on it and push it, which is called swinging." Swing was a very common game in the Tang Dynasty, and it became an important part of Tomb-Sweeping Day customs. Because swings can be seen everywhere in Tomb-Sweeping Day, Tomb-Sweeping Day was designated as a swing festival in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and swings were also installed in palaces for queens, concubines and maids to play with. Playing swing can not only improve health, but also cultivate courage, which is deeply loved by people, especially children.

Qingming custom cuju

Bow is a rubber ball, the skin of which is made of leather, and the ball is stuffed with wool. Cuju is kicking the ball with your feet. This is a popular game in ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day. According to legend, it was invented by the Yellow Emperor with the original purpose of training warriors.

Qingming custom shooting willow

Shooting willow is a game to practice archery. According to the records of the Ming Dynasty, pigeons were placed in gourds, then the gourds were hung high on willow trees, and the gourds and pigeons flew out with bows, and the victory or defeat was judged by the height of the flying pigeons.

Qingming custom 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 the emperor. For example, Tang Xuanzong likes cockfighting best.

Qingming custom silkworm flower 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, A?vagho?a Temple in Zhouquan and Double Temple in Qingshi are the most spectacular. A?vagho?a 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. Some of these activities are carried out on shore, and most of them are carried out on ships, which is very characteristic of water towns. In recent years, in the activities of Shixiang in Wuzhen, only a few projects, such as meeting silkworm gods, stepping on white boats and lifting poles, have great potential to be tapped.

Qingming custom tug-of-war

It was called "tug of war" in the early days and "strong hook" in the Tang Dynasty. It was invented at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, which became popular in the military and later spread among the people. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, a large tug-of-war was held in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Since then, tug-of-war has become a part of the Qingming custom.

Qingming outing custom

During the Qingming Festival, spring returns to the earth, and nature presents a vibrant scene everywhere, which is a good time to go for an outing. Our people have kept the habit of walking in Tomb-Sweeping Day for a long time.

Zhao Zhi Heng, director of Tianjin Astronomical Society, said that Tomb-Sweeping Day is usually around March of the lunar calendar, which is the season when the earth is in full bloom. After the long winter, people walked out of the room one by one. 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. 0| Comments

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