The Legend of Tomb-Sweeping Day

Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as outing festival, outing festival, March festival, ancestor worship festival, etc. It was celebrated at the turn of mid-spring and late spring. Tomb-Sweeping Day originated from the ancestral belief and the custom of worshipping spring in ancient times, which has both natural and humanistic connotations. It is both a natural solar term and a traditional festival. The following are the legends about Tomb-Sweeping Day that I compiled. Welcome to share.

The Legend of Tomb-Sweeping Day (1)

It is said that it began with the "tomb sacrifice" ceremony of ancient emperors and generals, and later people followed suit and became a fixed custom of the Chinese nation to worship ancestors and sweep graves on this day. Originally, the Cold Food Festival and Tomb-Sweeping Day were two different festivals. In the Tang Dynasty, the day of sweeping graves was designated as the Cold Food Festival. The correct date of the Cold Food Festival is from winter to the future 105, around Tomb-Sweeping Day. Because the two dates are similar, Tomb-Sweeping Day and Cold Food merged into one day.

The legend of Tomb-Sweeping Day (2)

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Zhong Er, the son of the Jin Dynasty, was exiled. Hungry and dizzy on the way, the minister meson pushed the meat on his thigh to eat. Later, my son Zhong Er became Jin Wengong, and the loyal minister forgot to recommend him. When Zhong Er remembered this incident, Jiezitui refused to be an official again and lived in Mianshan behind his mother's back. Zhong Er asked Yamakaji to force him out of the mountain, but the fire burned for three days and no one came out. He went up the mountain and found himself and his mother burned to death. On the charred willow tree, there is a big fairy who writes a bloody poem, "May the Lord be always clear when I cut meat and serve you." Therefore, Zhong Er designated the day when Yamakaji was released as Cold Food Festival. The next day, Zhong Er climbed the mountain to pay homage and found that the old willow tree was resurrected. He named it "Qingming Willow", and named it Tomb-Sweeping Day, in order to pay homage and encourage himself to be diligent and clear.

The legend of Tomb-Sweeping Day (3)

The practical significance of Tomb-Sweeping Day is: First, traditional folk festivals. The second is the solar terms of climate change, such as "Tomb-Sweeping Day and Grain Rain are closely linked, and spring ploughing does not delay seed soaking" and "before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day, beans were planted with claws". The third is a spring outing. As a sacrificial festival, it began in the State of Jin in the Zhou, Spring and Autumn Period and became a legal festival in the Tang Dynasty.

Tomb-Sweeping Day was bought with two lives. Jin Xiangong's favorite concubine inherited the throne for her son and killed the prince. Zhong Er, the prince's younger brother, fled abroad and once fainted because of hunger. He followed the courtiers and mesons to cut off his leg meat and baked it for Zhong Er. 19 years later, Zhong Er returned to China and became the famous Jin Wengong in history. He made great contributions, but forgot to recommend him. After being reminded by others, he immediately sent someone to invite him several times. If the meson can't push him, ask him himself. Jiezi pushed the old mother to hide in Mianshan, and sent someone to find it, but she couldn't find it. Therefore, we adopted a counterintuitive theory: let Yamakaji be kicked out. The fire burned for three days and nights, but it didn't come out. It turns out that meson tui and his mother burned to death with a big willow tree in their arms. 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.

To commemorate the meson heap in Jin Wengong, Mianshan was renamed Jieshan, and the day when Yamakaji was released was designated as "Cold Food Festival". On this day, smoking is banned and cold food is eaten throughout the country. In the spring of the second year of Jian 'an, Jin Wengong led the minister to Jieshan to pay homage to the meson heap. When they saw the burnt willow coming back to life, they named it "Qingming Willow" and named this day Tomb-Sweeping Day.

This is the origin of traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as Cold Food Festival, grave sweeping and Tomb-Sweeping Day. It can be said that Tomb-Sweeping Day was bought by meson at the behest of mother and son.

The word "Qingming", which means being honest and clean now, is taken from the advice to Jin Wengong in Jiezi's poems, "Be diligent and clear, and then clear".

Tomb-Sweeping Day was created by Jin Wengong's sacrifice to the late outstanding contribution minister Jiezi. At that time, there was no intention of sacrificing ancestors. Later, people extended, interpreted, chose and used Tomb-Sweeping Day to offer sacrifices to ancestors, forming the traditional culture of offering sacrifices to ancestors in Qingming Festival. "Qingming" is the source of honest and honest realistic vocabulary. In memory of Tomb-Sweeping Day, we will never forget its practical and political significance.

The custom of Tomb-Sweeping Day

Qingming custom includes grave-sweeping, ancestor worship, outing, spring outing and tree planting. , reflecting the dual colors of mourning and memory, with spring fitness as the adjustment. Under the background of modern society, people are constantly transforming and developing the connotation and form of Qingming custom in combination with the development of the times.

Worship of tomb ancestors

Grave-sweeping and ancestor worship are the main activities in Tomb-Sweeping Day. A long time ago, in Tomb-Sweeping Day, people, regardless of rank, visited the graves of their dead ancestors. Grave-sweeping time is not limited to Tomb-Sweeping Day, but varies from place to place. When sweeping the grave, you should first cut all the weeds on the grave, trim the periphery of the mausoleum, then add some new soil to the grave, burn paper money and incense sticks, offer food and wine, set off firecrackers, and finally bow down to your ancestors.

The Chinese nation has attached great importance to ancestor worship since ancient times. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the concept of "respecting harmony and honor is the only national event" was popular, which means that sacrificing ancestors and gods is as important as pacifying the world by force. Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, made comments on this. He said: "Born with courtesy; When you die, you should be buried with ceremony and worship. " He also said, "Death is like life." . It means that the descendants of the family should serve their elders wholeheartedly before they die, and so should they after they die.

Try your best to serve. This is filial piety. Confucianism generally adopts an attitude of putting ghosts and gods aside. They advocate ancestor worship mainly because of superstition, but from the perspective of moral education. Ceng Zi said: "Be cautious and pursue the distance, and the people's morality is thick." That is to say, only in daily life, the descendants of the family often think that their happy life stems from the reproduction of their ancestors, understand the truth that the predecessors planted trees and the descendants enjoyed the cool, and drink water to think of the source, can we maintain the moral quality of that simple, kind and harmonious clan. Later emperors learned the trick of cultivating loyal subjects from this method of cultivating dutiful sons. They believe that their sons and grandchildren who are filial at home will become loyal ministers of the court in the future. Therefore, the implementation of filial piety has become a long-term national policy to maintain national stability, and it is of unusual significance to sweep graves and worship ancestors in Qingming.

After the founding of New China, the contents and forms of tomb sweeping in Qingming have changed significantly. Cremation replaced burial. In recent decades, a new type of cemetery has emerged-cemetery, where people put the ashes of their loved ones together. This kind of cemetery occupies a small area and the form of memorial service is relatively simple, but it largely retains the tradition of tomb sacrifice. Once this new cemetery was introduced, it attracted the attention of the world. Every year before and after Qingming Festival, people always went to suburban cemeteries in an endless stream.

If cremation has brought a new tone of "remembering our ancestors and keeping it simple" to the world, it has been further promoted by the form of scattering ashes in Shan Ye. Premier Zhou Enlai said: "Not keeping the remains is the first revolution of funeral custom, and not keeping the ashes is the second and more thorough revolution. "The ashes fall with the wind and are no longer fixed in a certain corner. The way for future generations to pay homage is naturally simpler.

Of course, the traditional inertia makes the old custom of burning paper money and funerary objects in Qingming still continue in many places, and even absurd superstitious activities have appeared in some places. However, more and more rational people actively respond to the government's call for "helping the rich and helping the poor" and "civilized sacrifice", and a new trend of paying homage to flowers, texting on mobile phones and sweeping graves online has gradually emerged in the society. Especially in the contemporary era when technology is changing with each passing day, the Internet allows people to sweep graves without leaving home. Some young people set up a special page for their deceased relatives on the web page, put photos and other related materials on it, and wrote commemorative words. Before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day, they went online to open a webpage and sent all of my heart incense from afar. Form and thought are also there. This time-saving and labor-saving new commemorative way has been welcomed by people.

spring outing

"The ice on the river disappeared and the grass turned green. Go hiking in 3355. " At the same time, Tomb-Sweeping Day is also a moment full of vitality. People bid farewell to dormant home life, face the bright sunshine in spring, breathe the breath of green grass, walk on soft land and wander in colorful and dancing Yuan Ye. What a cheerful mood it should be at that time!

Speaking of outing amusement, it can be traced back to Confucius. According to The Analects of Confucius, Confucius once discussed his life ambitions with his disciples. When other disciples generously told us their grand blueprint for governing the country and ensuring the country, Confucius did not respond. It was Zeng's turn to say, "In late spring, I put on my new spring clothes, took a bath in Yishui with five or six friends and six or seven children, danced with the wind, hummed folk songs after washing, and set foot on the way home." Confucius smiled and nodded and said, "I agree with your ideal." The dialogue between Confucius and Zeng shows that as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, people had picnic and picnic activities in late spring.

The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival by Zhang Zeduan, a painter in the Song Dynasty, vividly depicts the life scenes of various social groups near Bianjing in the Northern Song Dynasty, with Bianhe as the center. This painting involves many people of different shapes. The characters in the author's paintings, whether sitting in sedan chairs or riding donkeys on foot, performing in the street or selling goods in the market, can't see the slightest sad expression. The whole painting is full of festive atmosphere. It seems that Tomb-Sweeping Day's cheerful atmosphere is not only his sad atmosphere, but also its proper meaning.

Feng Zikai, a modern writer, once recalled the feeling of Qingming's outing with his family when he was a child: "We lived in that narrow century-old house all the year round. When we arrived in the countryside, we felt particularly fresh and comfortable, as if we had traveled all over the world." Therefore, we regard tomb sweeping in Qingming as a supreme enjoyment. He humorously called this kind of outing "spring outing in the grave". "In fact, this kind of good mood for an outing is not only for children, but also for adults. In this article, Feng Zikai mentioned his father's Zhi Zhu Ci. One: "Don't be a spring breeze for another year. Pears in Ruyan Liu are like snow. The family buried the grave five days ago and folded the paper money. " Third: "Both of them are painting lightly, talking and laughing all the way. I saw more pine shade on the riverbank in front of the grave than last year. " Eighth: "the solution will take the oblique light and the water dragonfly team will fly." "win some spring scenery, wild flowers carry boats." It should be said that the Qingming outing provides an opportunity for people who are used to living by the rules on weekdays to release their feelings.

fly a kite

In ancient China, flying kites was not only an entertainment activity, but also an act of witchcraft. People think that flying kites can get rid of bad luck. Therefore, when flying kites in Tomb-Sweeping Day, many people will write all the diseases they know on the kites. When the kite flies high, they cut the kite string and let it float away with the wind, symbolizing that their bad luck and illness have been taken away by the kite. So you can't pick up kites that others fly, otherwise it will be unlucky. This custom is also called "breaking the harrier" in China. Kites have a long history. It is said that the first kite in the world was made of wood by Lu Ban, a famous craftsman in the Spring and Autumn Period, and there were kites made of bamboo at that time. Paper kites appeared in the Han Dynasty, called "paper kites". After the Tang Dynasty, kites became more and more popular as a children's toy. Gao Ding, a poet in the Qing Dynasty, once described the scene of flying kites like this: "The grass grows in February, and the willows on the embankment are drunk with spring smoke. The children came back from school early and were busy flying kites in the east wind. " People added a bamboo flute to the kite, and the day after it was released, it was blown by the wind and made a "whoop" sound, like flying a kite, so people renamed it "kite". The most famous kite festival in contemporary China is the International Kite Festival in Weifang. Since 1984, it has been held in Tomb-Sweeping Day every year, and Weifang is therefore known as "the kite capital of the world".

play on the swing

Swing, originally a women's game, originated very early and became popular in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, especially in the Northern and Southern regions since the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, ancient Tomb-Sweeping Day was also called "Swing Festival". Li Qingzhao, a famous poetess in the Song Dynasty, once wrote: "Stop swinging, get up and straighten your slender hands. The dew is thick and thin, the sweat is light and the clothes are thorough. " Later, swinging was not limited to women, but became a game suitable for both men and women. According to folklore, swinging can drive away all diseases. The higher you swing, the better your life will be.

gamecock

Cockfighting became popular in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and it has developed more fiercely since the Tang Dynasty. Tang Xuanzong liked this kind of entertainment very much, and even set up a "chicken workshop" in the palace to give more than 1000 cocks in Chang 'an to 500 selected children for training. These children are headed by seven-year-old Jia Chang. Because he is good at training cockfighting, he is very popular with Tang Xuanzong. He often gives him and his family valuables such as gold and silk. At that time, the folk song once sarcastically said: "You don't have to be literate when you are alive, and cockfighting is better than reading."

Eat eggs

Tomb-Sweeping Day's eating eggs originated from the custom of forbidding fire in some areas in the pre-Qin period, and forbidding eating cold food for many days. Hard-boiled eggs are the best food reserves to survive this period.

Saving eggs can be roughly divided into two types, one is "painting eggs" and the other is "carving eggs". The former can be eaten, and I believe that eating this kind of egg will not have a headache for a year; The latter is for enjoyment only.

This paper discusses the symbolic significance of Tomb-Sweeping Day's eating eggs, which also contains people's awe and belief in life and fertility.

In the ancient culture of China, the egg was a symbol of fertility and life. Legend has it that Pangu, who created the world, was pregnant in an egg. "The world is like a chicken, and Pangu was born in it." The ancestor of Shang Dynasty was born in "When a bird lays an egg, Ju Dad takes it and swallows it, because it is pregnant". According to folk custom, after giving birth to a child, a woman should give good news to her neighbors and eight families, and also give eggs.

Tomb-Sweeping Day is a day to worship ancestors and sweep graves. There is a folk saying that when sweeping the grave, boiled eggs are broken on the tombstone and eggshells are thrown on the grave, which symbolizes "shelling" and indicates the rebirth of life, hoping that future generations can get ahead.

Spring is the season when everything breeds, which coincides with the meaning of eggs "breeding life". Eggs contain almost all the nutrients needed by the human body. In addition, during the period of Tomb-Sweeping Day, people traveled in succession, and boiled eggs are an ideal food that is easy to carry, which makes eggs a holiday food in Tomb-Sweeping Day.

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