【Commentary】The 2023 Qingming Festival is coming, and this year Qingming happens to be in leap February. And there is a saying circulating among the people: "If the leap month Qingming does not go to the grave, the calamity will come to the door." Is that really the case? Folklorists say there is no historical basis for this claim.
【During the same period】Wang Juan, researcher of folklore at the Department of Chinese, Peking University
In fact, there was no such saying in ancient times, and I think this is a saying with local colors. For example, some areas in Shandong may have this custom, "every double do not worship", worried that someone will die, if I go to the sacrifice in the double month, it will bring another death or something. With the spread of the Internet, many local customs have been amplified, and people are also paying special attention, with a curious mentality, but there is no scientific basis and no history. Don't worry if (Qingming) is okay to go to the grave on the same day, in fact, it doesn't matter.
So why is there a leap month? Wang Juan introduced that China's current two calendars, the Gregorian calendar and the lunar calendar, have a difference of about 11 days between the Gregorian year and the lunar year. The lunar calendar needs to adopt the method of "19 years and 7 leaps" to regulate, that is, arrange 19 leap months in 7 years, and the rules for setting leaps are determined according to the twenty-four solar terms.
【During the same period】Wang Juan, researcher of folklore at the Department of Chinese, Peking University
China has two sets of calendars, one related to the sun and the other related to the moon, the two are inconsistent, so it has to be adjusted after a while. Every four years we say that there is a leap month, usually in the first half of the year. Another element is that there are guaranteed two solar terms in a month, if you only have one solar term in this month, I will adjust it in the way of leap months. So the leap month is actually a strategy to align the solar calendar with the lunar calendar, and it is not a sign. Whether leap February or leap March is better, or leap months is better, it has nothing to do with this.
【Explanation】In fact, in addition to sacrificing and sweeping tombs, stepping on the youth to appreciate spring and flying kites are also traditional folk customs of the Qingming Festival. Wang Juan suggested that people can go out of their homes during the Qingming holiday and go to the countryside to feel the vitality of spring and understand the meaning of life.
【During the same period】Wang Juan, researcher of folklore at the Department of Chinese, Peking University
The Qingming of the ancients, its main activity is to go on an outing, to feel life outside, experience life, see the vitality of all things, we are willing to integrate with nature. Things like flying kites, kicking, swinging, and painting eggs are actually a pursuit of life. Therefore, it is better to pay more attention to stepping or various game activities, which can better reflect the meaning of Qingming Festival.
Reporter Lang Jiahui reported from Beijing
Responsible Editor: [Luo Pan]