China News Service Client, Beijing, April 5th (Reporter Shangguan Yun) "The pear blossoms are in the Qingming Festival, and the wanderer is half out of the city in search of spring." Tomb-sweeping Day is a day when people remember the dead and remember their ancestors.
At this time, folks also have the custom of outing, flying kites and so on.
It is worth noting that Qingming Festival actually combines different spring festival customs in ancient times. The seasonal food includes Qingtuan, Hanshiyan and so on.
There are also customs such as inserting willows and wearing willows.
Data map: The neatly arranged "Qingming Dumplings" are completed.
Photo by Wu Jianping
It's a festival, it's a festival
Qingming Festival, also known as Qingming Festival, Ancestor Worship Festival, etc., is held at the turn of mid-spring and late spring.
Regarding its origin, it is said that the Qingming Festival originated from ancestral beliefs and spring ritual customs in ancient times. It has both natural and humanistic connotations. It is not only a natural solar term, but also a traditional festival.
Some people say that tomb-sweeping ancestors and outings are the two major ritual themes of Qingming Festival.
The core meaning of tomb-sweeping during the Qingming Festival is to be cautious and follow the distant future. The purpose of remembering the ancestors is to better commemorate their historical achievements and remember the inheritance from blood.
In fact, in ancient times, there were two other important festivals with similar dates to the Qingming Festival, namely the Cold Food Festival and the Shangsi Festival.
At that time, "Cold Food" and "Qingming" were two different concepts.
In the Tang Dynasty, both scholars and commoners regarded tomb-sweeping during the Cold Food Festival as an important ceremony to follow the end.
Slowly, some customs of the Shangsi Festival have gradually moved to the Qingming Festival.
For example, when going to the suburbs to sweep graves, people will take advantage of the bright spring to go out on a green walk in memory of their ancestors to adjust the grief brought by the memory of their relatives.
In the end, Qingming became an important traditional festival centered on ancestor worship and tomb-sweeping, and the integration of cold food customs and activities such as Shangsi outings during the Song and Yuan Dynasties.
Data map: Mahjong Qingming cake display.
Photo by Chen Chao
What are the folk diets?
In addition, the eating customs of Qingming Festival are related to the season of spring, such as Hanshiyan, Qingming group and so on.
According to Wang Juan, a folklore expert, in general, Hanshiyan is made into a swallow shape by mixing jujube puree and flour.
Hanshiyan is a seasonal food during the Qingming Festival in the north.
Qingming regiments generally refer to "green regiments", which can be eaten cold and are very delicious.
Some people also believe that Qingming tea is a good product in dietary folk customs, and Mingqian tea with dew is a treasure in tea.
"Testing new tea with new fire" was a popular fashion in ancient times.
Why wear Liu at this time?
Besides food, there are many other customs on Qingming Festival.
Data map: Citizens visit the Summer Palace in Beijing and enjoy the flowers.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Sheng Jiapeng
Outing is also called spring outing.
When the Qingming Festival comes, the weather has generally become warmer, and the natural world presents a vibrant scene everywhere. One of the meanings of outings is to adapt to the times.
Some people also fly kites during the Qingming Festival.
In the past, when the kite flew into the blue sky, some people would cut off the kite string and let the kite be blown away.
It is said that "planting willows" is an important custom of Qingming Festival.
Willows are vigorous and tend to be the first to sprout new shoots in the spring.
In the past, there was also a saying that the custom of inserting willows meant that it could ward off evil spirits.
"When you don't wear willows during the Qingming Festival, your face will become a beautiful head."
Wang Juan said that in ancient times, wearing willows during the Qingming Festival was often a female activity.
The willow tree has a high survival rate. People believe that wearing willow can cure diseases and also has the meaning of fertility and reproduction.
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