China News Service, Beijing, April 4 (Reporter Shangguan Yun) Among the many traditional festivals in China, "Qingming" is a special one. It is both a solar term and a festival, with both natural and humanistic connotations.
"Suddenly I saw willows planted in every house, and I knew today was the Qingming Festival." People cherish time, go out for outings on the occasion of the Qingming Festival, taste a series of delicacies such as Youth League, and express their importance to the festival through various long-standing customs.
So, how did Qingming transform from a solar term into a festival step by step? What other unpopular foods are there? What are the meanings of the customs of "inserting willows" and "wearing willows"?
This solar term is very ancient
Qingming, as a solar term, has been established for a long time. It is a time concept, and its establishment is related to astronomical phenomena.
Data map: Every year around Qingming Festival, spring plowing is carried out in various parts of China. Photo by Zhang Wenjun
"Solar terms are a way for the ancients to calculate and divide time based on changes in the sun's cycle and position." Wang Juan, a professor at the Chinese Department of Peking University, mentioned that according to ancient literature, as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties, solar terms were already A unit of time.
It is generally believed that the complete record of the twenty-four solar terms appeared in "Huainanzi Tianwenxun" of the Han Dynasty.
People have also set different phenological reference standards for each solar term, such as the three periods of Qingming including "Tongshihua" and so on. Nowadays, there is also a saying among the people that "before and after the Qingming Festival, plant melons and beans."
When does it “transform” into a holiday?
So when did Qingming “transform” into a holiday? This has to talk about Cold Food Festival and Shangsi Festival.
The Cold Food Festival was an important festival in ancient times, and there are different opinions on its origin. At first, its customs were relatively simple, and the overall style tended to be sad, which was not suitable for the vibrant characteristics of spring.
Later, the date of the Cold Food Festival changed. According to the calendar at that time, it was roughly 105 days after the Winter Solstice, which meant that the festival was moved to spring, close to the Qingming Festival.
Moreover, the Cold Food Festival often lasts for more than three days, so the "Qingming" solar term just falls within its festival period. Therefore, many activities during the Cold Food Festival will be held during the Qingming Festival, such as tomb sweeping, outing, swinging, etc.
These customs gradually changed the nature of the Qingming solar term, and to a certain extent, prompted it to slowly evolve into a festival. Wang Juan believes that around the Tang Dynasty, Qingming gradually became a festival.
Interestingly, during the Tang Dynasty, another important festival, the Shangsi Festival, reached its heyday. Cui Hao of the Tang Dynasty wrote in a poem, "The imperial city is full of spring, and the capital is full of people." It describes the grand scene of people coming out of the city in great numbers.
Data map: Ancient Qingming rituals are performed at the ruins of Dabaoen Temple. Photo by Yang Bo
However, the Shangsi Festival gradually declined after the Song Dynasty. An important reason is that the activities of this festival were incorporated into the Qingming Festival. From a time point of view, the dates of Shangsi, Hanshi and Qingming are not much different.
Wang Juan introduced that Qingming was originally a solar term, perhaps because the word "Qingming" has more spring imagery than Shangsi and Hanshi, and is more like the name of a spring festival, so people chose to use "Qingming". In addition, there was a holiday during the Qingming Festival in ancient times.
Why go on an outing at this time?
In fact, tomb-sweeping during the Qingming Festival was not the only festival activity of the ancients. For the ancients, the more important or meaningful thing was the custom after tomb-sweeping, that is, outing.
In the "Mengliang Lu" written by Wu Zimu of the Song Dynasty, it was recorded that at that time, people, rich and poor, came out of the city, played and sang loudly, and made noisy outings.
"Spring festivals are often open-ended, and many customs guide people to get out of their homes and get close to nature." Wang Juan said that there are many entertainment interactions, including Cuju, swinging, tug-of-war, etc., which can not only keep fit Body, and quite interesting.
The history of outing is quite long. There is an activity in the Shangsi Festival called "Cure the Harvest". It is said that this custom originated from ancient times. Spring is often held on Si day in early March, and there are activities such as bathing, picking orchids, playing, drinking and so on.
In addition, the ancient custom of eating floating eggs during the Shangsi Festival has also been preserved in the current Qingming Festival. As Wang Juan said, Qingming is a lively festival and a festival that stimulates the desire for life.
Besides Qingtuan, what else can I eat?
Every year around Tomb Sweeping Day, it is a common phenomenon that "Qingtuan" sells well, and various flavors of Qingtuan are very popular among people.
Data map: Various youth groups. Photo by Chen Chao
Some people say that in ancient times, people made qingtuan balls for sacrifice. Over the long years, the function of qingtuan as a sacrificial object gradually weakened and became a seasonal snack.
Of course, among the various rich foods during the Qingming Festival, in addition to Qingtuan, there are also Zitui Yan, stone cakes and the like. Due to local differences, the food in the south at this time mainly includes cocoon balls, Qingming rice dumplings, etc.
Why insert willows?
"The willows are green and the willow leaves are in full bloom, and the clouds are low on the river." Qingming Festival is in spring. At this time, the sky is clear and the air is clear, and the willow trees are showing new green, which is a lively scene.
"Putting willows", "wearing willows" and "shooting willows" are all important customs of Qingming Festival. Wang Juan explained that firstly, willow trees have strong vitality, and planting willows symbolizes good wishes for the reproduction of offspring; secondly, people believe that willow branches can ward off evil spirits, so they plant willows in their homes and wear them on their heads.
Data map: Shooting willows is a unique game in ancient China for practicing archery skills. It is also one of the ancient customs of China’s Qingming Festival. Photo by Guo Pengcheng
Interestingly, there is also a folk saying that "if you don't wear a willow during the Qingming Festival, a beauty will become a bright head." This also means that wearing a willow at this time symbolizes cherishing and retaining the good years and life.
"Many of the solar terms or festivals created by the ancients are media for the transmission of knowledge or values, such as ancestor worship during the Qingming Festival and some games. They are actually communication activities with heaven, earth and people, telling people to be grateful to their ancestors and embrace nature." Wang Juan said.
Because of this, she believes that we should pay attention to traditional festivals, strengthen our cultural identity through customs that contain traditional culture, and establish a good order for communication between people. (over)