The custom of Tomb-Sweeping Day

Shanxi: Ming Festival is the most grand festival for ancestor worship in spring, and it is customarily called "Ghost Festival". Shanxi's old folk song, "Qingming drizzle makes people sad, wild flowers bloom in the desert (indigenous fans), and shovels are carried on the shoulders with sacrifices, all of which come to the grave first", vividly summarizing people's mood and the characteristics of sweeping graves at that time. In spring, people repair houses to prevent rain leakage in summer. When the living are associated with the dead, graves in the fields often collapse after the wind and rain. The biggest feature of going to the grave on Qingming Festival is to eradicate weeds in the grave and raise the grave with new soil, which is customarily called repairing the yin house, showing the grief of children and grandchildren for their ancestors. In the south of Shanxi, both rich and poor, men and women come to visit graves, indicating that future generations are missing their ancestors. In the northern region, it is mostly men's business to sweep graves, while women generally don't. In Datong, Pingyao and other places, it is one evening, and old-fashioned women will burst into tears outside the gate. "There was a cry in the village, which was sad when it was introduced." Tomb-Sweeping Day goes to the grave, and most places in the south of Shanxi don't burn incense or paper, so there are things like money hanging in front of the grave. There was a saying that "the river on Qingming Festival is white". The reason is that the Cold Food Festival is used to banning fire, and Tomb-Sweeping Day is during the Cold Food Festival. Most places in northern Shanxi have to burn all the money and other things on the grounds that they will not be transferred to their ancestors unless they are burned. Datong and other places are used to going to the grave during the day and burning money at home at night. In Hequ and other places in northwest Shanxi, it is an old custom to bring wine and vegetables to the grave and then eat and drink in front of the grave, which means drinking and eating with ancestors. In Wenxi and other places in the south of Shanxi, jujube cakes are used to roll in front of the grave when going to the grave. Legend has it that it is to tickle the dead old man. In Jinzhong Jiexiu and other places, when going to the grave, the offering is a cake shaped like a snake. When you get home, put the bread in the yard and dry it before eating. The old people pay attention to treating diseases, the source of which is that cold food is forbidden to fire. After going to the grave in southern Shanxi, you should pull out some wheat seedlings and insert pine branches, cypress leaves or wicker on the door to ward off evil spirits. There are many willow cuttings in the north of Shanxi. Elsewhere, some wicker was inserted in the grave. In Tomb-Sweeping Day, people in the south of Shanxi want to steam steamed buns with walnuts, red dates and beans, which is called Zifu. With the blessings of sons and grandchildren, they all bring the blessings of their ancestors. Every family should make bean jelly, cut it into thin slices and eat it with soup. Shovel withered grass and rub it on the kang mat, which is called driving scorpions away. In the southeast of Shanxi, people have willow branches and dead leaves on their heads. Women should stick gold ornaments (headdresses) on their temples. In northern Shanxi, it is customary to have black bean sprouts, which are eaten with corn bread and black bean sprouts stuffing. Northwest Shanxi pays attention to making cakes with millet flour, commonly known as "spreading Huang Er", and Luliang area will receive a female husband the day after Tomb-Sweeping Day, commonly known as "fresh fire". Tomb-Sweeping Day, the province's popular "swing". Pay attention to the first three days and the last four days. After the sun rises, girls and wives should show their charm. You must stop moving when the sun goes down. Legend has it that before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day, all ghosts would come out to swing at night, and people were afraid to compete with ghosts. Although absurd, it also reflects the traditional psychology of respecting the dead and hoping that the deceased relatives can have fun with the living. Flying kites in Tomb-Sweeping Day is also very popular. In the streets of the fields, happy children can be seen everywhere, running hand in hand in long lines. In Tomb-Sweeping Day, people avoid injections and washing clothes, and women in most areas avoid walking. Before evening, a gray line should be spread in front of the gate, which is said to prevent ghosts from entering the house. The coexistence of sadness and joy, respect and fear is the biggest feature of Tomb-Sweeping Day folk activities. Before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day, there will be "March 3rd". March 3rd was called Shangsi Festival in ancient times. In ancient times, the third day of early March was called "Shangsi", also known as "Shisan". After the Three Kingdoms Wei Dynasty, this festival was fixed on the third day of March and has been inherited ever since. According to the Book of Rites of the Later Han Dynasty, "the fourth day of the month when officials and people are clean on the east running water is a great day to wash away dirt and phlegm." Later, on March 3 every year, everyone went to the water to play and drink, which became a custom. Shanxi old saying "March 3rd, sunny, beautiful on both sides of Fenhe River". On March 3rd, many people went for an outing. Women in southern Shanxi beat the bedroom wall with wicker, which is called "throwing scorpions". After the fight, stick a "Guanyin Liufu" to ban scorpions. Scorpions are forbidden in northern Shanxi, and the custom is to celebrate Grain Rain Festival. "No Scorpions in Grain Rain" should be posted on every wall, and a picture of a rooster eating scorpions is posted on the Kitchen God seat, named "Grain Rain Chicken". Stickers and paintings are accompanied by a proverb (also called curse): "I am a god in heaven, and I will protect all people in the lower world." Every rainy day, I will definitely take scorpion essence. " Big Dipper, Big Dipper, I'm in a hurry! "Wait a minute. On March 3, the folk also evolved into a ritual activity. There are two kinds of offerings in the northern region, the "Zhenwu God" and the "Queen Mother of the West", and the offering to the Queen Mother is called the "Flat Peach Club". Most of the southern regions offer sacrifices to Hua Tuo. Xiangfen custom goes to Huatuo Temple to burn incense, and each person has to offer a rooster, and acupuncture the cockscomb to bleed as a sacrifice, commonly known as the "Thousand Chicken Club". On March 3, women in southeastern Shanxi used to dig wild vegetables in the wild and eat them after processing, which is called cutting all diseases. Northwest Shanxi picked wild vegetables to eat before and after the Grain Rain Festival. Elm and rice flour are also used as bait to steam the noodles into pieces, which is called "Elm Puppet". It tastes soft and delicious. On March 3, people in northern Shanxi used it to make vinegar. Taiwan Province Province: China has a vast territory and the climate in the north and south is different, so Tomb-Sweeping Day varies from place to place, from the second day of February to the third day of March. Tomb-Sweeping Day, Taiwan Province Province, is the105th day from the winter solstice of the previous year, and Tomb-Sweeping Day, a native of Zhangzhou, Taiwan Province Province, is on the third day of the third lunar month. The customs in Tomb-Sweeping Day, Taiwan Province Province are similar to those in southern Fujian. The time for the Hakka people in Taiwan Province Province to worship their ancestors and sweep graves begins after the Lantern Festival, and the date is decided by each family until the Qingming Festival. The custom of people sweeping graves in Taiwan Province Province can be roughly divided into two types: one is sweeping graves in general, with simple rituals and sacrifices, and most of them are just rice cakes, cakes and cakes; The second is to repair the ancestral graves, and the sacrifices are also quite grand. Sacrifice generally includes all kinds of sacrifices, twelve kinds of vegetables, cakes and so on. When sweeping the grave, you must stick "tomb paper" around the grave (cut into rectangles with five-color paper). There are small stones on every piece of paper, and a pile must be placed on the tombstone. This ceremony, commonly known as "hanging paper", is money for ancestors. If it is to repair the tomb, that is, to repair the ancestral grave, the whole family gathers in front of the grave to eat red eggs, and the eggshells are scattered on the cemetery, which contains the auspicious meaning of metabolism and endless life. While sweeping graves, we should also pay homage to the landlords (with small stone tablets) who have stood by for a long time guarding the cemetery and resting their ancestors. On the one hand, it is a kind of comfort, but also means gratitude. There is also a special custom in Taiwan Province Province. If there is a happy event at home this year, you should renovate the grave when you sweep it, put a small red light (oil lamp) in front of the grave and take it home when you go home. It is said that it can attract more happiness and auspiciousness. In the rural areas of Taiwan Province Province, a group of children came to beg for money after each grave-sweeping. The more people come, the more developed the family will be in the future, and the owners will be willing to give money or money to those children. Later, due to the decrease of cemeteries in Taiwan Province Province, an urn was implemented. Many people put the urn on the urn tower and go to the urn tower to worship whenever they go to Tomb-Sweeping Day, which also plays the role of ancestor worship. Due to the gradual change of people's concept, the ceremony of sweeping graves has also been omitted. Zhoushan: Tomb-sweeping Zhoushan people are commonly known as going to the grave to worship their ancestors. When paying homage, out of respect for ancestors, people cut weeds, trim the wood and move the soil to cultivate graves, so it is called sweeping graves. Then light incense, candles, and offerings such as snails, green cakes, striped cakes and plates. Old-fashioned parents lead the whole family to kneel and kowtow, while new-style parents bow and salute. After the ceremony, bamboo sticks were inserted at the top of the grave, paper money and money were burned, and "hemp money" (which is a green cake with a round shape and a diamond shape) was distributed to the children watching the grave. After going to the grave, I have to make "Qingming soup rice" when I go home. It is worth mentioning here that there is a feature in the offerings of Lao Dinghai when he went to the grave. Many dishes are cold dishes, as well as Qingming special snacks-green cakes and striped cakes, which can be eaten cold. It can be seen that although the custom of the Cold Food Festival has long declined, its spirit remains in the Qingming diet custom and lasts for a long time. In addition, there is a custom among the people in Laodinghai. On this day in Tomb-Sweeping Day, women in suburbs and fishing villages put cauliflower and Artemisia annua on their heads and willows in their doors. As the saying goes: "Qingming wears flowers, and there is a mother in the afterlife; Qingming Dai Zhiqing, there are relatives in the afterlife; There are willows in Qingming, and there are mother-in-law in the afterlife. " Go for an outing, also known as spring outing, exploring spring and seeking spring. During the Qingming Festival, the sky is high and the clouds are light, and it is calm. Since ancient times, people like to swim in the countryside in beautiful spring. Grave-sweepers often choose the nursery and queue up instead of returning after the sacrificial ceremony, which has evolved from a simple sacrificial activity to a simultaneous outing. From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, the custom of spring outing was also popular in Laodinghai. Whenever Tomb-Sweeping Day, everything revives, the vegetation turns green, and the fields are bright and fragrant. Private schools and schools in urban areas will have a few days of spring break, so that students can follow their parents to the suburbs to sweep graves for a spring outing. In addition, Laodinghai also has the custom of flying kites in spring outing. Flying kites is commonly known as paper kites in Zhoushan. Whenever the spring breeze is warm, there are always many people happily enjoying the fun of flying paper owls in green fields and open areas of cities. Those paper owls are swaying in the breeze, most of them are tile owls, followed by butterfly owls and eagle owls, and the most conspicuous owls are centipede owls, which are colorful, patchwork, very interesting and beautiful. It is said that flying kites is a meaningful cultural and recreational activity, which can exercise, cultivate sentiment and enjoy beautiful spring scenery.