Those who have passed away do not celebrate their birthdays.
Ordinary people do not celebrate birthdays after they pass away, but great people who have passed away also have "birthdays". That is because the living people appreciate the "merits" of the deceased while they were still alive and miss the heroes who have passed away. This is the origin of "in commemoration of the xx birthday of xxx".
Generally, after death, death anniversaries are more important than birthdays. In order to remember the previous generation, people celebrate death anniversaries instead of birthdays. The living people celebrate their birthdays, and the dead people celebrate their death anniversaries. People who are alive should remember the day they were born, and people who have died should remember the day they died.
The death day means the death day of an ancestor is called the death day, and a banquet and sacrifice on the death day is called the death day. "Death anniversary" used to be called "death anniversary". Death anniversary is the day when a person died. From "Book of Rites: Sacrifice of Righteousness": "A gentleman has a lifelong mourning, which is also called the death day."
In addition to days like Qingming Festival, family members, relatives and friends will also sweep graves and burn money on that day. , worship the dead. "Death Day" also has another meaning, which refers to a day when, according to past superstitions, it is not appropriate to do something.
Pay attention to the difference
The "sacrifice to the sun" that people say during the Qingming Festival is a positive structure, in which "sacrifice" is an attributive; in ancient times, the "sacrifice to the sun" used to worship the sun god is an verb. Object structure, in which "sacrifice" is the dominant verb. The "sacrifice day" people refer to during the Qingming Festival refers to the "day of sacrifice or memorial ceremony".
The "Sun Festival" mentioned in ancient Chinese books is different from this. "Sun Festival" is one of the important rituals in ancient my country. The emperor set up a large altar to worship the sun god every spring equinox.
For example: "Guan Zi Qing Chong Ji" says: "Winter ends and spring begins. The emperor goes out of his country forty-six miles to the east and goes to the altar. He wears green clothes and wears green clothes, carries jade, and takes the jade prison with him. , the princes, ministers and officials followed the people and called it "Sacrifice to the Sun". Another example: "Book of Rites: Sacrifice Law" says: "The Shaolao is buried in Taizhao, which is the time of sacrifice; it is close to Kantan, which is the sacrifice of the cold and heat. The palace also serves as a memorial day. "
"Death anniversary" refers to the day when the ancestors died. According to traditional customs, banquets, drinking and various entertainment activities are prohibited on this day, so it is called the "Death Day".
For example: "Book of the Later Han: Biography of Shentu Pan" says: "I lost my father at the age of nine...on every anniversary of his death, he would go without food for three days." Another example: Lu Xun in "Zhun Feng Yue Tan·Li" Said: "Of course we should be filial to our relatives, but the way to deal with the death has been included in the rituals, and each has its own rituals, such as worshiping the anniversary of death, praying for longevity, etc."
"Death anniversary" is over Also called "anniversary of death". "Death Day" also has another meaning, which refers to a day when, according to past superstitions, it is not appropriate to do something.
Reference for the above information: Baidu Encyclopedia-Death Anniversary