The Qingming Festival, also called the Outing Festival, falls at the turn of mid-spring and late spring, which is the 108th day after the winter solstice. It is a traditional Chinese festival and one of the most important sacrificial festivals. It is a day for ancestor worship and tomb sweeping [1]. The traditional Qingming Festival of the Chinese Han people began around the Zhou Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,500 years. Influenced by Han culture, 24 ethnic minorities in China, including the Manchu, Hezhe, Zhuang, Oroqen, Dong, Tujia, Miao, Yao, Li, Shui, Jing and Qiang, also have the custom of celebrating Tomb-Sweeping Day. Although customs vary from place to place, the basic themes are tomb-sweeping, ancestor worship, and outings.
Qingming was originally just the name of a solar term. It became a festival to commemorate ancestors and was related to the Cold Food Festival. Duke Wen of Jin designated the day after the Cold Food Festival as Qingming Festival. In most areas of Shanxi, the Cold Food Festival is celebrated on the day before Tomb-Sweeping Day; in a few places such as Yushe County, the Cold Food Festival is celebrated two days before Tomb-Sweeping Day; in Yuanqu County, the day before Tomb-Sweeping Festival is also celebrated as the Cold Food Festival, and the two days before it are the Small Cold Food Festival. .
Qingming Festival is one of the important "Eight Festivals" in China. It usually falls around April 5 in the Gregorian calendar. The festival is very long. There are two versions: 10 days before and 8 days after; , these past 20 days are all Qingming Festival. Qingming Festival originally refers to the fifteen days after the Spring Equinox. In 1935, the government of the Republic of China designated April 5 as the national holiday Qingming Festival, also known as the National Tomb Sweeping Day [2].
"Almanac": "On the fifteenth day after the spring equinox, when the two fingers are fighting, it is Qingming. At that time, everything is clean and clear. At that time, the air is clear and the scenery is bright, and everything is visible, so it is named Qingming." As soon as the temperature rises, it is a good time for spring plowing and spring planting, so there is a saying that "before and after the Qingming Festival, plant melons and beans." [1]
The origin of the Qingming Festival is said to have begun with the ritual of "tomb sacrifice" for emperors, generals and prime ministers in ancient times. Later, people also imitated it. On this day, they worshiped their ancestors and swept their tombs. It has been followed by generations and has become a kind of ritual of the Chinese nation. Fixed customs. On May 20, 2006, it was approved by the State Council and included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists.
History of the festival
Origin
The legend of Jie Zitui
According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn Period, Chong'er, the prince of Jin Dynasty, went into exile abroad to escape persecution. , on the way to exile, in a deserted place, tired and hungry, unable to stand up anymore. The ministers searched for a long time but could not find anything to eat. When everyone was extremely anxious, the minister Jie Zitui went to a quiet place, cut off a piece of meat from his own thigh, and cooked a bowl of broth for the prince to drink. , Chong'er gradually recovered his energy. When Chong'er found that the meat was cut off by Jie Zitui's own leg, he shed tears.
The statue of Jie Zitui
Nineteen years later, Chong'er became the king, which was the Duke Wen of Jin in history. After he ascended the throne, Duke Wen paid heavy rewards to the officials who accompanied him in exile, but he forgot about Jie Zitui. Many people complained about Jie Zitui and advised him to ask for reward from the king. However, Jie Zitui despised those who strive for merit and reward. He packed his bags and quietly went to Mianshan to live in seclusion.
After hearing this, Duke Wen of Jin was so ashamed that he personally took people to invite Jie Zitui. However, Jie Zitui had already left home and gone to Mianshan. Mianshan Mountain has high mountains, dangerous roads and dense trees. It is not easy to find two people. Someone came up with a plan to burn Mianshan Mountain from three sides to force Jie Zitui out. The fire burned all over Mianshan, but there was no sign of Jie Zitui. After the fire died, people found that Jie Zitui, who was carrying his old mother on his back, had died sitting under an old willow tree. When Duke Wen of Jin saw this, he cried. During the burial, a blood book was found in the hole of the tree, which said: "I will cut my flesh to show my loyalty to you. I hope my lord will always be clear." In order to commemorate Jie Zitui, Duke Wen of Jin ordered this day to be designated as the Cold Food Festival.
The next year, Duke Wen of Jin led his ministers to climb the mountain to pay homage and found that the old willow tree had come back to life. He gave the old willow tree the name "Qingming Willow" and informed the world that the day after the Cold Food Festival would be the Qingming Festival. [5]
Qingming Festival and Qingming Festival
The name of Qingming Festival is related to the characteristics of the weather and physical conditions at this time. "Huainanzi·Tianwen
Introduction to Traditional Chinese Festivals [6]
Xun" written in the Western Han Dynasty said: "Fifteen days after the Spring Equinox, when Dou Zhiyi Yi, the Qingming Wind will arrive. ""Qingming wind" refers to the refreshing and clear wind. "Hundred Questions of the Years" says that "all things growing at this time are clean and bright. Therefore, it is called Qingming." Although Qingming as a festival was only formed in the Tang Dynasty, the Qingming solar term as a time sequence mark has long been recognized by the ancients and has been in the Han Dynasty clearly documented.
The twenty-four solar terms are climate laws summed up by ancient Chinese astronomers and people in their daily life and production practices. They more appropriately reflect the changes in temperature, phenology, rainfall and other aspects throughout the year, and are of great significance to people. Arranging farming, sericulture and other activities on time is of indispensable guiding significance. At Qingming Festival, the temperature warms and rainfall increases, which is a good time for spring plowing and planting. Therefore, Qingming is an important solar term for ancient agricultural production. Farmers' proverbs say, "Before and after Qingming, you plant melons and beans," and "Afforestation is better than Qingming." This is exactly what they say. Cui Shi of the Eastern Han Dynasty recorded in the "Four People's Monthly Orders": "On the Qingming Festival, silkworm concubines are ordered to manage silkworm rooms..." It means that preparations for silkworm rearing began at this time. Among them, "Qingming Festival" is just a solar term, not a festival.
The Qingming solar term provides important conditions for the formation of Qingming Festival customs in terms of time and weather characteristics. This solar term is regarded as one of the origins of Qingming Festival.
[7]
History of development
Integration of Cold Food Festival customs
Qingming was originally just the name of a solar term, and it became a festival to commemorate ancestors and is related to Cold Food Festival . The Cold Food Festival is an earlier festival in ancient China. Legend has it that it was established in the Spring and Autumn Period to commemorate Jie Zitui, a loyal minister of the Jin Dynasty. In fact, from a historical perspective, the ban on fire and cold food mainly reflects the relics of ancient Chinese customs of changing fire. In primitive societies, ancestors drilled wood to make fire. Fire was hard-won, and the tree species used to make fire often changed due to seasonal changes. Therefore, changing fire and exchanging new fire was a major event in the lives of ancient people. Spring and March are the season of changing fires, and people are prohibited from lighting fires before new fires arrive. In the Han Dynasty, the Cold Food Festival was called the No-Smoking Festival because people were not allowed to raise fires on this day. In the evening, candles were lit in the palace and passed on to the homes of nobles and ministers.
The main customs during the Cold Food Festival include the ban on fire and cold food and the grave sweeping, which later became the main part of the Qingming Festival.
Outing[8]
The ancient Chinese attached great importance to worshiping their ancestors. In ancient times, when someone died in the family, only a grave pit was dug for burial without a grave marker, and sacrifices were mainly performed in the ancestral temple. Later, when grave pits were dug, grave mounds were built and ancestor worship was arranged in the cemetery, which provided material support. During the Warring States Period, the trend of tomb worship gradually became stronger.
In the Qin and Han Dynasties, the custom of worshiping and sweeping tombs became more popular. According to the "Book of Han" records, even if Minister Yan Yannian was thousands of miles away from Beijing, he would return home regularly to pay homage and sweep the cemetery. In the Tang Dynasty, both scholars and common people regarded tomb-sweeping during the Cold Food Festival as a ritual to return to their roots and trace their ancestors. Since Tomb-Sweeping Day is very close to the Cold Food Festival, people often extended tomb-sweeping to Tomb-Sweeping Day. Poets' works also often mention cold food and Qingming Festival together. For example, Wei Yingwu said in a poem: "Cold food during Qingming Festival is good, and all the flowers bloom in the spring garden." Bai Juyi also said in a poem: "The crows and magpies are noisy in the dark trees. Who will cry during the cold food during Qingming Festival?" "In view of the common folk custom of celebrating Cold Food and Qingming Festival together, the imperial court formally stipulated in an official document that when Qingming Festival comes, a holiday can be taken together with the Cold Food Festival. This regulation is more than 1,200 years old, which shows that from then on Qingming began to have the color of a national statutory holiday.
During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the Qingming Festival gradually rose from being subordinate to the Cold Food Festival to replacing the Cold Food Festival. This not only means that grave-sweeping and other ceremonies are mostly held during the Qingming Festival, but also the original customs and activities of the Cold Food Festival, such as cold food, Cuju, swing, etc., have also been taken over by the Qingming Festival.
Integration of Shangsi Festival customs
The Qingming Festival later also absorbed the content of another earlier festival, the Shangsi Festival. In ancient times, the Shangsi Festival was held on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar. The main customs were outing and exorcism (bathing in the river to pray for blessings and eliminate disasters), which reflected people's urgent need for mental adjustment after a dull winter. Lu Ji in the Jin Dynasty wrote in a poem: "The late spring day, the weather is soft and pleasant. At the beginning of Yuan Jilong, I swim in the Yellow River." This is a vivid portrayal of people at that time going out to fight against evil spirits and go outing during the Shangsi Festival.
Since about the Tang Dynasty, people have been sweeping tombs during the Qingming Festival, along with outings and recreational activities. Since we have to go to the countryside to visit graves during the Qingming Festival, besides mourning our ancestors, we can also take a walk in the green fields in the bright spring light. It can be regarded as a way to change our mood to mourn and change our mood. Therefore, Qingming Festival is also called the Outing Festival. Children who are playful by nature are often not satisfied with having an outing and recreation only once during the Qingming Festival. Just like the poem by Wang Wei, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, "Young people travel in different days, and there is no need to go to Qingming Festival at the same time."
Subsequent development
The Qingming Festival, which combines the essence of two ancient festivals, finally formed a festival in the Song and Yuan Dynasties that centered on ancestor worship and tomb sweeping, and combined cold food customs with Shangsi outings and other activities. A combination of traditional festivals. The Ming and Qing Dynasties generally inherited the old system of the previous dynasties, and the Qingming Festival still maintained and developed its status as an indispensable festival in spring life. During the Republic of China, on the Qingming Festival, in addition to the original customs of tomb sweeping and outing, tree planting was also identified as a regular project. This is actually just an official recognition of the long-standing folk tree planting custom. [9]
Holiday Changes
The Qingming Festival falls at the turn of mid-spring and late spring, which is 106 days after the winter solstice. Tomb-sweeping activities usually take place 10 days before or 10 days after Qingming Festival (Qingming Festival in the early morning and Cold Food in the evening). In some places, people's tomb-sweeping activities last for a month. Officials often missed their duties when they returned to their hometowns to visit tombs. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty issued a decree to solve the holiday problem.
Began to stipulate a four-day holiday for the Cold Food Festival: "(Kaiyuan) twenty-fourth year (736)"
It rained heavily during the Qingming Festival[8]
February 2 The Eleventh Edict: "The four days of Cold Food and Tomb Sweeping Day are holidays." (Volume 82 of "Tang Huiyao"). According to the edict in the twelfth year of the Dali calendar (777), the Tang Dynasty Yamen had a five-day holiday as usual: "Since then. From now on, we will take a five-day holiday during the Qingming Festival.” In the sixth year of Zhenyuan (790), the number of holidays was increased to seven days.
In this way, officials can calmly carry out tomb sweeping and memorial service. It can be seen that the Cold Food Festival had become a very grand national festival in the Tang Dynasty. "Cold Food Chapter" written by Wang Lengran of the Tang Dynasty said: "Autumn is more valuable than Double Ninth Festival and wax is more valuable in winter. It is not as good as cold food before spring." That is to say, the importance of Cold Food Festival exceeds that of Double Ninth Festival and the year-end wax festival. [10]
The Cold Food Festival in the Song Dynasty also had a seven-day holiday. Volume 1 of "Wenchang Miscellaneous Records" by Pang Yuanying of the Northern Song Dynasty records: "The ancestral temple has six days off every seventy years, seven days each on Yuanri, Hanshi and Winter Solstice.
"Volume 15 of Chen Yuanliang's "Sui Sui Guang Ji" of the Southern Song Dynasty quoted Song Lu Yuanming's "Sui Shi Zai Ji" and said: "The two days before Qingming are the Cold Food Festival, with three days before and after, and seven days off. The people prohibit fire for 140 days, which is called private cold food, and also called great cold food. People in the north use this day to sweep and offer sacrifices to deceased ancestors, as menstruation continues, and there is a common proverb of the Cold Food Festival. ”
In 1935, the government of the Republic of China designated April 5 as the national holiday Tomb-Sweeping Day. [2] On December 7, 2007, the 198th Executive Meeting of the State Council passed the revision of the "National Festivals and Memorial Days" The decision of "Holiday Measures" stipulates that "there will be one day of holiday for Qingming Festival (the day of Qingming Festival in the lunar calendar) [11]. In 2008, Qingming Festival officially became a statutory holiday with one day of holiday. In 2009, it was changed to three days. [12] The Qingming Festival holiday in 2014 is from April 5th to April 7th. [13]
2 Customs Editor
Traditional Customs
In addition to banning fires and sweeping tombs, the customs of Qingming Festival also include outings, swings, Cuju, A series of customary sports activities such as playing polo and swinging[14]
Putting willow trees. According to legend, this is because cold food and fire are prohibited during the Cold Food Festival. In order to prevent cold food from harming the body, people come to participate in some sports activities to exercise. During the Qingming Festival, people are prohibited from using needles or washing clothes, and women in most areas are prohibited from walking. Before evening, a gray line should be sprinkled in front of the door. It is said that it can prevent ghosts from entering the house. Therefore, in this festival, there are not only the sad and sad tears of paying respects to new graves, but also the laughter of outings. It is a unique festival. [1]
Swinging
This is an ancient Chinese Qingming Festival custom. Swing means moving by holding on to the leather rope. It has a very ancient history. It was first called Qianqiu, but later was changed to Swing to avoid taboos. In ancient times, swings were mostly made of tree branches and tied with colorful ribbons. Later, it gradually developed into a swing with two ropes and pedals. Swinging can not only improve health, but also cultivate bravery. It is still loved by people, especially children. [1]
Cuju
Ju is a kind of leather ball. The ball is made of leather and the inside of the ball is stuffed with hair. Cuju means kicking a ball with your feet. This is a game that people loved during the Qingming Festival in ancient times. According to legend, it was invented by the Yellow Emperor, and its original purpose was to train warriors. Playing polo is also one of the Dragon Boat Festival dramas. Polo is played by riding on a horse and holding a stick. It was called Juju in ancient times. There is a sentence in "Famous Capitals" written by Cao Zhi of the Three Kingdoms: "Strike the soil continuously". In Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty, there was a large court for Cuju[15]
Xuanzong, Jingzong and other emperors liked polo. The "Polo Picture" in the tomb of Prince Zhanghuai depicts the prosperity of polo in the Tang Dynasty: in the picture, more than 20 horses are galloping, their tails are tied up, and the player wears a scarf on his head, boots on his feet, and holds a ball. The sticks hit each other ball by ball. "Analysis of Jinzhi" records that the Liao Dynasty regarded polo as a traditional festival custom, and played polo on the Dragon Boat Festival and Double Ninth Festival. "History of the Jin Dynasty·Li Zhi" also records that the Jin people hit the ball on the Dragon Boat Festival. In the Song Dynasty, there was a "playing ball" dance team. By the Ming Dynasty, polo was still popular.
"Xu Wen Tong Kao Le Kao" records that Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty went to Dongyuan several times to hit balls and shoot willows. The long scroll "Xuanzong's Polo Pictures" in the Ming Dynasty shows the scene of Xuanzong enjoying polo. Wang Zhi, an official at that time, wrote a poem about watching basketball on the Dragon Boat Festival: "A thousand-gold horse with jade and a seven-treasure ball with carved inscriptions. Flying in the sky is startled by lightning, and Fu Fen is aware of the stars. The fire page has achieved three victories, and Huanzhuan is the first." Qingyun followed Yi's footsteps and circled the east end of the hall. "There is also a mass horseback riding ceremony in front of Baiyun Temple in Beijing. Polo was also played around the Temple of Heaven in the Qing Dynasty, but it did not disappear until the middle of the Qing Dynasty. Since 1965, antique polo has appeared in Xi'an City, making this ancient sport reappear in China after being extinct for many years.
Outing
Also called spring outing. In ancient times, it was called Tanchun, Xunchun, etc. On the Qingming Festival in April, spring returns to the earth, and the natural world presents a vibrant scene everywhere. It is a great time for outings. Chinese people have long maintained the habit of going outing during the Qingming Festival. [1]
Tree planting
Tree planting during Qingming Festival [15]
Before and after Qingming Festival, the spring sun shines and the spring rain falls. The survival rate of planted saplings is high and they grow quickly. . Therefore, China has had the habit of planting trees during Qingming Festival since ancient times. Some people also call Qingming Festival "Arbor Day". The custom of planting trees has been passed down to this day. [1]
The custom of planting trees during the Qingming Festival originated from the custom of wearing willows and planting willows during the Qingming Festival. There are three legends about wearing willows and planting willows during the Qingming Festival. The oldest legend is that it is to commemorate Shennong, the ancestor who taught people how to farm. Later, it developed the meaning of praying for longevity. A later legend is related to Jie Zitui. It is said that when Duke Wen of Jin led his ministers to climb a mountain to pay homage to Jie Zitui, they found that the old willow tree that Jie Zitui had leaned on before his death came back to life, so he gave the old willow tree the name "Qingming Willow". A later legend is that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty gave willow rings to ministers to express blessings and drive away epidemics[16].
Kite flying
Kite flying is also a favorite activity during the Qingming Festival. During the Qingming Festival, people not only play during the day but also at night. At night, a string of small colorful lanterns are hung under the kite or on the wind-stabilizing wire, like twinkling stars, and are called "magic lanterns." In the past, some people would cut the strings after flying kites into the blue sky and let the breeze carry them to the ends of the earth. It is said that this can eliminate diseases and disasters and bring good luck to themselves. [1]
Grave sweeping
Qingming Festival memorial activities (18 photos)
Combating graves during the Qingming Festival is called "respecting the times" for ancestors. Its custom has a long history.
"On the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" of the Ming Dynasty records: "On Qingming Day in the third month, men and women sweep tombs, carry bamboo poles, hang ingots on the backs of sedans and horses, and the streets are full of charm. People worship, pray, cry, and weed and add soil to the tomb. , burn ingots, and place paper money on the grave. If there is no paper money in sight, the grave will be lonely. After crying, you will go to the fragrant tree, sit in the garden, and get drunk. "In fact, tomb-sweeping existed before the Qin Dynasty. , but not necessarily during the Qingming Festival. Tomb-sweeping during the Qingming Festival was a matter after the Qin Dynasty. It did not become popular until the Tang Dynasty. And it has been passed down to this day.
The Qingming Festival sweeping ceremony should be held in person at the tomb site. However, because each family’s economic and other conditions are different, the method of sweeping the memorial ceremony is also different. "Burning baggage" is the main form of paying homage to ancestors. The so-called "baggage", also known as "package", refers to the parcel sent by filial piety from the Yang world to the "underworld". In the past, Nanzhi Store sold so-called "furoshiki", which was a large bag made of white paper. There are two forms: one is to use a woodblock board to print the Sanskrit transliteration of the "Rebirth Mantra" around it, and print a rosette tablet in the middle to write the area code and the name of the deceased, such as: "The late Zhang Fujun said: The words "Sir Shan Lao" are both a mail package and a tablet. The other type is plain furoshiki, which does not have any pattern printed on it. It only has a blue label stuck in the middle and the name of the deceased can be written on it. Also used as main card. There are many types of money in the baggage. [1]
Inserting willows
On Qingming Festival, Chinese people have the custom of inserting willows. Experts said that there are generally three theories about the origin of the custom of planting willows during the Qingming Festival.
Zhao Zhiheng, director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society, said that it is said that the custom of planting willows is to commemorate the Qingming Festival and willows [15]
"Teaching people to farm" Shennong's ancestor of farming. In some places, people put willow branches under the eaves to predict the weather. There is an old proverb that "willow branches are green when it rains; when willow branches are dry, the sky is sunny." Willows have strong vitality. As the saying goes: "If you plant flowers intentionally, they will not bloom, but if you plant willows unintentionally, they will create shade." Willows will live when they are inserted into the soil. They will live wherever they are inserted. Willows will be inserted every year and they will provide shade everywhere.
There is another saying about planting willows during Qingming Festival: Chinese people regard Qingming Festival, the first half of July and the first day of October as the three major ghost festivals. Qingming Festival is a time when hundreds of ghosts appear frequently and demand a lot of money. Influenced by Buddhism, Avalokitesvara holds a willow branch and dips it in water to save all living beings. Many people believe that willow branches can exorcise ghosts and ward off evil spirits, and call willow branches "ghost-terrible trees." Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty wrote in "Essentials of Qi Min": "Put willow branches on your door, and all ghosts will not enter your home." Since Qingming is the Ghost Festival, when willows germinate, people have planted willows to ward off evil spirits.
Another theory is that this custom is to commemorate Jie Zitui. Jie Zitui burned himself under a big willow tree in order to keep his moral integrity, which made Duke Wen of Jin and his officials and people deeply saddened. The next year, when Duke Wen of Jin led his officials to climb the mountain to worship Jie Zitui, they found that the old willow tree that had been burned had come back to life. Duke Wen of Jin immediately named the old willow tree "Qingming Willow" and broke off a few willow branches on the spot and put them on his head to express his memory. From then on, ministers and common people followed suit one after another, and it became a common practice. Planting willows and wearing willows during the Qingming Festival has become a symbol to commemorate Jie Zitui [17].
Willow Shooting
Willow Shooting is a game for practicing archery skills. According to records from the Ming Dynasty, pigeons were placed in gourds, and then the gourds were hung high on a willow tree. The gourds were shot with a bow, and the pigeons flew out. The victory was determined by the height at which the flying pigeons flew. [1]
Cockfighting
Cockfighting was a popular game during Qingming Festival in ancient times. Cockfighting started from Qingming Festival and lasted until Summer Solstice. The earliest record of cockfighting in China can be found in "Zuo Zhuan". By the Tang Dynasty, cockfighting became popular, not only among private citizens, but even the emperor participated in cockfighting. For example, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty loved cockfighting the most. [1]
Silkworm Flower Fair
"Silkworm Flower Fair" is a unique folk culture in Silkworm Township. During the Qingming Festival in the past, Wutong, Wuzhen, Chongfu, Zhouquan, etc. This folk activity can be found everywhere. Among them, the Silkworm Flower Fair at Maming Temple in Zhouquan and Shuangmiao in Qingshi are the most exciting and grand. Maming Temple is located in the west of Zhouquan Town. It is known as the "King of Temples" in the local area. Every year, the Silkworm Flower Festival is crowded with people and has frequent activities, including welcoming the silkworm god, rocking the speed boat, Nao Tai Pavilion, worshiping incense stools, boxing, and dragon lanterns. There are more than ten activities such as climbing poles, singing operas and so on. Some of these activities are carried out on the shore, and most of them are carried out on the boat, which is very characteristic of a water town.
Festival food
Due to the combination of Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival, some places still retain Qingming cold food
Qingming cold food[15]
The habit of eating cold food during the Ming Festival. In Shandong, Jimo eats eggs and cold pastries, while Laiyang, Zhaoyuan, and Changdao eat eggs and cold sorghum rice. It is said that if you don’t do this, you will be hit by hail. Tai'an eats cold pancakes rolled with raw bitter herbs and is said to have bright eyes after eating them. Jinzhong area still retains the custom of banning fire on the day before Qingming Festival.
In many places, after completing the sacrificial ceremony, the sacrificial food is shared. When people in southern Shanxi celebrate the Qingming Festival, they are accustomed to steaming big steamed buns with white flour, sandwiching walnuts, dates, and beans in the middle. The outside is coiled into a dragon shape, and an egg is stuck in the middle of the dragon body, which is called "Zifu". Steam a big "Zifu" to symbolize the family's reunion and happiness. When visiting the grave, the total "zifu" is dedicated to the ancestral spirit, and the whole family eats it after sweeping the grave. According to an old custom in Shanghai, the steamed cake balls used in sacrifices are pierced with wickers, dried and stored. On the day of the Beginning of Summer, they are fried and given to children. It is said that after eating them, they will not suffer from summer diseases.
There is a custom of eating Youth League balls during Qingming Festival in Shanghai.
The brome grass juice and glutinous rice are pounded together to make the green juice and rice flour blend with each other. Then the fillings such as bean paste and date paste are wrapped in it, and reed leaves are used as the bottom, and placed in a steamer. The steamed green dumplings are bright green in color and fragrant. They are the most distinctive seasonal food during the local Qingming Festival. Some people in Shanghai also like to eat peach blossom porridge during Qingming Festival, and use saury at tomb sweeping and family banquets.
In Huzhou, Zhejiang, every family wraps rice dumplings during the Qingming Festival, which can be used as offerings at graves or as outing belts
Qingming cakes[15]
Dry food. As the saying goes: "The Qingming rice dumplings are firm and firm." Before and after the Qingming Festival, the snails are fat and strong. As the saying goes: "To eat snails during the Qingming Festival, race a goose." Farmers have the habit of eating snails during the Qingming Festival. On this day, they use a needle to pick out the snail meat and cook it, which is called "picking greens." After eating, throw the snail shells on the roof. It is said that the rolling sound on the roof tiles can scare away mice, which is beneficial to silkworm rearing after the Qingming Festival. On Qingming Festival, there will also be a social reception. Families from the same ancestral hall gather together for dinner. For families without ancestral halls, the grandsons from each house of the same great ancestor usually gather together for dinner. The main dishes of Shejiu are fish, tofu and vegetables, and the main wine is home-made sweet liquor. There is a saying in Heshan Town, Tongxiang, Zhejiang that "Qingming Festival is as big as the New Year". Qingming Festival attaches great importance to family reunion for dinner. The following traditional dishes are indispensable on the dinner table: fried snails, glutinous rice with lotus root, sprouted beans, malan head, etc. These dishes are all related to sericulture. Throw the leftover snail shells into the house. It is said that the sound can scare away mice, and the caterpillars will burrow into the shells to make nests and no longer come out to harass the silkworms. Eating lotus root is a wish for silkworms to spin silk often and well. Eating sprouted beans is a win-win for "getting rich". To eat Malan's first-class fresh vegetables, the word "green" is chosen to match the "green" of "Qingming". [18]
Sacrifices and tomb-sweeping
Overall
Qingming Festival is one of the three major ghost festivals in China. "Ghost Festival" is a festival to mourn the dead, which is relative to the festivals for worshiping gods of heaven and earth.
Participants in the Qingming Festival are all citizens, from kings and ministers to ordinary people, who must worship the souls of their ancestors on this festival. Since the Tang Dynasty, the court has given officials holidays so that they can return home to visit their graves. According to the Song Dynasty's "Mengliang Lu", every Tomb-Sweeping Day, "officials and common people go out to the suburbs to scan tombs to pay tribute to the time." There is no limit to men, women and number of people who participate in tomb sweeping, and they often spend their whole family. In this way, the tomb-sweeping activities before and after the Qingming Festival often become a matter for the whole society to participate in person. Within a few days, there is a constant flow of people in the countryside and the scale is very large.
Hope to adopt it, thank you!