What does it mean to hang green during Qingming Festival? Why do this?

Some people say that the things on the graves were hung during the Qingming Festival. As the name suggests, they should be called Guaqing, so they are often written as Guaqing. Indeed, this is more suitable for the occasion, and it seems to imply the following meaning: "hang up" and "hang up", so that the debts owed to the ancestors can be paid off.

Some people say that it is more practical to call tomb-sweeping during the Qingming Festival "Guaqing" because going out for an outing is a traditional custom of the Qingming Festival. The ancients also called the Qingming Festival the Outing Festival. When spring comes back to the earth during the Qingming Festival, it is full of vitality. It is a great time for outings. People combine ancestor worship and tomb sweeping with outings, which not only cultivates sentiments, but also promotes physical and mental health. Therefore, visiting tombs and sweeping tombs is naturally called "hanging Qing".

Historical origin

The folk custom of worshiping ancestors has been around for thousands of years and is an ancient festival with profound significance. According to historical records, during the Three Kingdoms period, tomb worship has become an indispensable ritual activity. "Hanshu. Yan Yannian Biography" records that even if the Yan family left Beijing thousands of miles away, they would "return to the East China Sea to sweep tombs" during the Qingming Festival. As ancestor worship and kinship awareness became stronger and stronger, tomb sacrifices that were not standardized in ancient times were also included in the "Five Rites". Later, the court's promotion also made tomb sacrifice activities more popular.

Why do we sweep tombs during Qingming Festival? This is because winter turns to spring and vegetation sprouts. When people go to their ancestors’ graves, they will personally check whether the graves have collapsed due to the coming of the rainy season, or whether they have been burrowed by foxes and rabbits. During the sweeping ceremony, weeds were removed from the tomb, new soil was added, pigs were offered as sacrifices, incense was burned, paper money was burned, and simple sacrificial rituals were held to express memory of the ancestors.