The qingming festivalThe history and customs

What are the custom of the qingming festival?

About the origin of tomb-sweeping day one:The legend of the interface of the push

According to legend the spring and autumn period, jin prince chong 'er to escape persecution while in exile, in exile on the way, in a wild place, tired and hungry, can no longer stand up.Followers get along while also can not find a bit to eat, are all very anxious, along with the minister meson away to a quiet place, from his own thigh cut off a piece of meat, cooked a bowl of soup let childe drink, chong 'er gradually restored the spirit, when chong 'er found meat is jie zitui cut off his leg, shed tears.

Nineteen years later, chong 'er the monarch, also is in the history of the state.Acceded to the throne after the article and heavy recompense was exiled to accompany him, forgot jie zitui.Many people jie zitui Ming gravamen, advised him to face jun for reward, but jie zitui most despise those who take credit for reward.He packed with quietly to the continous mountain seclusion.

After the duke wen heard, mo and shame, personally take people to please jie zitui, jie zitui, however has been away from home to the continous mountain.Mountains and high risk, cotton, lush trees, it was hard to find two people, someone come, from the three sides of the fire continous mountain, force the jie zitui.The fireThrough continous mountain, did not see the figure of jie zitui, after the fire, has been found back to the old mother jie zitui had sat an old willow tree died.Duke wen said, wail.Encoffin, from the tree hole found a blood - top write a way: "cut meat to serve you all steps, hopefully the tetrarch temperamental predominance.In memory of jie zitui, duke wen ordered that day would be a cold.

In the second year the state leads the mountain shrine, found the old willow death and resurrection.Then give old willow as "ching Ming liu", and spake unto the world, a day after the cold as the tomb-sweeping day.[5]

About the origin of tomb-sweeping day 2:Solar term qingming festival and qingming festival

The name of the ching Ming festival and phenological characteristics about weather at this time.The western han dynasty "huai south son" astronomical xun said: "15 days after the spring equinox, bucket refers to b, is clear to the wind."The wind of "wind" is fresh and bright and clean.At the age of the best ask, has said "all things grow at this time, are clean and bright and clean.The reason of the tomb-sweeping day."Are formed in the tang dynasty just as tomb-sweeping festival, but as a symbol sequence clarity of throttle already are known, the ancients of the han dynasty has a clear record.

The 24 solar termsIs the ancient Chinese astronomers and the public summed up in the life and production practice of weather patterns, suitable to reflect the change of the respect such as temperature, phenology, rain all the year round, of farming people in accordance with the arrangements, and other activities are indispensable.The qingming festival, warming temperatures, rainfall increased, as spring recovery and good time.So clear for ancient agricultural production is an important part of the solar terms.Before, during and after the farmer's proverb says "some melon seeds beans", "afforestation, qingming festival", it is said that this truth.The eastern han cui w "and four" records: "qingming, silkworm concubine, cure of silkworm rearing room......" say is when to start preparing sericulture.The "tomb-sweeping day" was just a solar term, not a holiday.

Qingming festival throttle on phenological characteristics in time and weather provides an important condition for the formation of the ching Ming festival customs, the throttle is regarded as one of the origin of the qingming festival.

The development history about tomb-sweeping day

Cold fusion custom

Qingming festival is just a solar term first name, it become a time to remember the dead and the dearly associated with cold.Cold is the earlier festival in ancient China, the legend is in the spring and autumn period in honour of the loyalty of the state of jin jie zitui.In fact, from the practical perspective of history, mainly reflects the fire ban cold food custom relics of ancient Chinese to fire.Primitive society, the ancestors' simulated flight, it has not come easily, make fire tree species often changing due to seasonal change, therefore, change of fire and for new fire is a great event in the ancient life.Spring in March when the change of season, fire people at the time of the new fire not to, to ban the fire.Han dynasty called cold smoking section, for the day the people the somebody else not their torches, just by the palace lit candle at night, and will fire to officials as home.

During the customs of cold food, mainly include fire ban cold food and later became a tomb-sweeping day the main content of the martyrsThe grave。

Ancient Chinese pays more attention to worship our ancestors.In ancient time, when someone died in the home, dig the grave burial only, do not build the grave-mound logo, mainly in the ancestral temple worship.Later, in digging the grave also build the grave-mound, will arrange at the cemetery to worship ancestors, there is a material.During the warring states period, the wind of MuJi gradually.

Qin and han dynasties era, martyrs tomb culture more prosperous.According to hanshu records, minister YanYanNian even leave, also want to martyrs cemetery of returning home on a regular basis.In the tang dynasty, both scholars and civilians, it will be cold grave as a return to the section of instrument, due to the tomb-sweeping day is apart from the cold is very close, people often will also grave extended to the tomb-sweeping day.Poets works, tend to be cold food, and clear, such as wei yingwu himself a poem said: "well good, clear spring park hundred flowers open."Bai juyi has poem said: "the black crow magpie noise faint trees, clear well who cry."Court given the cold food, qingming and folk have been turned down, formal rules in the form of official documents, the tomb-sweeping day arrived, may holiday together with the cold.This rule has more than 1200 years ago, since then the qingming festival begins with the colour of a national legal holiday.

Song and yuan period, ching Ming festival gradually by is attached to the status of the cold, to replace the status of the cold.Not only is this tablegraveGrave and ceremony held in the tomb-sweeping day, even the cold original customs activities such as cold, cuju, swing, etc., have also been under all the qing Ming festival.

Fusion of shangsi festival custom

Qingming festival also absorbed another earlier later appeared on holiday - the content of the third quarter.Shangsi festival at the beginning of the lunar March 3rd, the ancient custom is mainly for an outing and oninousness an (linhe bath, blessing to eliminate evil), reflects the people after a dreary winter in urgent need of the psychological needs of mental adjustment.Found that there was poem wrote: "up late in the day, the weather is soft and fine.Zhuo yuan 3 at the beginning of the third, use the Yellow River."Is at that time people in shangsi festival oninousness an, is the vivid reflection of the outing.

About from the beginning of the tang dynasty, people at the same time of tomb-sweeping day, also accompanied by walk in recreation activities.Due to the tomb-sweeping day grave is to go to the outskirts, in mourning ancestors, by the way, in the spring sunshine import green fields, is not a way of regulating weight conversion mood.Therefore, qingming festival has also been called TaQingJie.That being a naughty child, always not satisfied with the outing amusement only occur in the tomb-sweeping day, as the tang dynasty poet wang wei poem "youth day for travel, need not clear and shangsi".

The follow-up development

The essence of the two ancient festival tomb-sweeping day, finally with ancestor worship in song and yuan period to form a grave as the center, the cold food customs and shangsi outing activities such as combining traditional festival.In Ming and qing dynasty old continues the former generations, tomb-sweeping day still adhere to and develop their life in the spring a necessary wide margin status.During the period of the republic of China, ching Ming festival this day, in addition to the original grave, outing, such as customs, planting trees were identified as regular project, this is but actually to a folk long planting customs official recognition.