Today is Qingming Festival: the air is clear and the scenery is bright, everything appears

News on April 4th of this month, today is the Qingming Festival among the 24 solar terms in our country. "Qingming" means that the ice and snow melt, the grass and trees are green, the weather is clear, and everything is prosperous. During the Qingming Festival, the air is clear and the scenery is bright, and everything appears, hence the name. Qingming is both a solar term and a festival. When it comes to Qingming Festival, many people will think of the famous saying "It rains heavily during the Qingming Festival, and pedestrians on the road want to die." Yes, when the Qingming Festival comes, the temperature rises and the rainfall increases. It is a great time for spring flowers to bloom.

清明节

Qingming Festival, also known as the Outing Festival, is one of the traditional Chinese festivals and one of the most important sacrificial festivals. It is a day for ancestor worship and tomb sweeping. In traditional society, Qingming Festival is a particularly grand festival. In addition to sweeping tombs and paying homage to deceased relatives, it is also a festival for outings and getting close to nature. Tomb Sweeping Day 2023 will be ushered in at 9:12:52 on April 5th.

▲ Screenshot from Cloud Calendar

Based on the observation of the sun’s shadow, 24 nodes are determined in a year, and each The day a node refers to is called a solar term. In a year, the beginning of spring is the beginning, and Qingming is the fifth period. Every year on April 4 or 5, when the sun reaches 15 degrees of longitude, it is the Qingming solar term. The time it takes for the earth to orbit the sun is called the "tropical year" or "solar year". Since the Qing Dynasty, the vernal equinox has been set as 0 degrees. Every 15 degrees the sun travels on the ecliptic is not a specific 24 moments, rather than A specific 24 days. However, the actual length of a tropical year is 365.2422 days, and the length of a calendar year is 365 days, so there will be 0.2422 more days (equivalent to 5.8 hours) every year, and the specific moments of the solar terms will also be "postponed" by 0.2422 days every year; in this way Come, almost one day after accumulating 4 years. This is also the reason why Qingming Festival is sometimes on April 4th instead of April 5th.

Origin of the Festival

The origin of Qingming Festival is said to have begun with the "tomb sacrifice" ceremony of ancient emperors and generals. Following suit, worshiping ancestors and sweeping tombs on this day has been followed by generations and has become a fixed custom of the Chinese nation. The custom of commemorating ancestors during the Qingming Festival is related to the Cold Food Festival. Legend has it that the Cold Food Festival was established in the Spring and Autumn Period to commemorate the loyal minister Jie Zitui of the Jin Kingdom.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Chong'er, the prince of Jin Dynasty, went into exile abroad to escape persecution. During his exile, he was tired and hungry in an uninhabited place and could not find food. Later, thanks to the fate of Jie Zitui, he cut his legs to satisfy his hunger. Saved Chong'er's life. Nineteen years later, Chong'er became the king, that is, Duke Wen of Jin. After that, 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, but Jie Zitui had retired to the mountains and forests.

Later, Duke Wen of Jin led people to invite Jie Zitui, but he could not find him, so someone proposed a plan to burn the mountain from three sides to force Jie Zitui out. In the end, the fire burned all over, but there was no sign of Jie Zitui. After the fire burned, people found that Jie Zitui, who was carrying his old mother on his back, had died sitting under an old persimmon tree. When Duke Wen of Jin saw this, he cried. When he was pretending to be dead, a blood book was found in the hole of a tree, which read: "I will cut my flesh to show my loyalty to the king. I hope my lord will always be clear and bright." 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 a crowd to celebrate mountain climbing and worship their ancestors, and found that the old persimmon tree had come back to life. He gave the old persimmon tree the name "Qingming Persimmon" and informed the world that the day after the Cold Food Festival would be the Qingming Festival.

Qingming Climate

During the 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. During this period, the daily average temperature in most farming areas in my country has risen to above 12°C, and there is a busy scene of spring plowing everywhere. The climate in South China is warm and spring is in full swing. But it is often said: "The Qingming Festival cuts off the snow, and the Grain Rain cuts off the frost." Before and after the Qingming Festival, cold air still invades from time to time, even causing the daily average temperature to fall below 12°C for more than 3 days in a row, causing the middle rice seedlings and early rice seedlings to freeze to death. Therefore, rice sowing and transplanting should avoid the warm tail and cool head. In the northwest plateau, livestock have been affected by the severe winter and insufficient forage, and their resistance is weak. It is necessary to strictly guard against the harm to old, weak and young livestock caused by the strong cooling weather after the beginning of spring.

In addition, western South China is often in a period of spring drought. The rainfall in early April is generally only 10 to 20 mm, less than half of that in Jiangnan. Although eastern South China has more spring rain, the rainfall in early April is generally only 20 to 20 mm. 40 mm, natural precipitation is not enough to meet the needs of agricultural production, and it must be supplemented by water storage. In addition, May and June are the months with the most snow and ice in the year, so defenses against snow disasters should be strengthened.

Qingming Customs

Comb-sweeping tombs and worshiping ancestors

In Chinese history, it has long been a custom to eat cold food, ban fire, and pay homage to ancestors. People have the custom of visiting tombs to pay homage to their ancestors around the Tomb Sweeping Day: eradicate weeds, place offerings, burn incense and pray in front of the tombs, burn paper money and gold ingots, or simply offer a bouquet of flowers to express their memory of their ancestors. Tomb-sweeping existed before the Qin Dynasty, but not necessarily during the Qingming Festival. Tomb-sweeping during the Qingming Festival was something after the Qin Dynasty. It did not become popular until the Tang Dynasty. And it has been passed down to this day.

Swinging

Swinging means to move 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. The swing play was already popular in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. "Records of the Years of Jingchu" records: "In the spring, long ropes were hung on tall trees, and ladies and gentlemen in colorful clothes sat on them and pushed them. It was called swinging." Swinging was already a very common game in the Tang Dynasty, and became a Qingming Festival important content of festival customs. Because swings can be seen everywhere during the Qingming Festival, the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties designated Qingming Festival as the Swing Festival, and swings were also installed in the palace for the queens, concubines and maids to play. Playing on the swing can not only improve health, but also cultivate bravery. It is still loved by people, especially children.

Cuju

Ju is a kind of leather ball. The skin of 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.

Outing

is also called spring outing. In ancient times, it was called Tanchun, Xunchun, etc. On the Qingming Festival in March, spring returns to the earth, and nature 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. Legend has it that the Qingming Festival outing existed a long time ago. According to the "Old Book of Tang Dynasty": "In February of the second year of the Dali calendar, I was lucky enough to have an outing in Kunming Lake." It can be seen that the custom of outings has long been popular. Du Fu's poem "Let's go for an outing by the river and look back to see the flag." In the Song Dynasty, outing became popular. The genre painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" by the famous Song Dynasty painter Zhang Zeduan vividly depicts the lively scene of the Qingming Festival centered on the Bianhe River outside Bianjing. In this scroll, there are more than 550 people, more than 50 livestock, more than 20 boats, and more than 20 cars and sedans. The grand occasion of the Qingming Festival outing can be seen.

She willow

She willow is a game to practice 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 pigeons flew.

inserting willows

It is said that the custom of inserting willows is also to commemorate the founder of agriculture, Shennong, who "taught the people how to farm". 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. Wherever they are inserted, they will live wherever they are inserted. Willows will be inserted year after year, and they will become shade everywhere.

The following are ancient poems about the Qingming Festival:

It rains heavily during the Qingming Festival, and pedestrians on the road feel like they are dying. ——Du Mu's "Qingming"

Where can I find the restaurant? The shepherd boy points to Xinghua Village in the distance. ——Du Mu's "Qingming Festival"

Don't sigh in plain clothes because of the dust, you can still go home during the Qingming Festival. ——Lu You's "The First Spring Rain in Lin'an"

When the swallows come to Xinshe, the pear blossoms lag behind the Qingming Festival. ——Yan Shu's "Broken Arrangements and Spring Scenery"

Spending the Qingming Festival without flowers and wine, my interest is as low as that of a wild monk. ——Wang Yucheng's "Qingming"

During the Qingming Festival, I went out to the suburbs, and the willows in the lonely mountain city reflected the gate. ——Yang Huizhi's "Cold Food to the Minister Zheng Qi"

The wild tang flowers have fallen, and the Qingming Festival has passed in a hurry. ——Xin Qiji's "Niannujiao·Shu Dongliu Village Wall"

The crows of magpies make noise in the dark trees, who will cry when eating cold food during the Qingming Festival. ——Bai Juyi's "Cold Food Wild Hopes"

Tingxuan is lonely near the Qingming Festival, drinking with the remaining flowers, and suffering from last year's illness again. ——Zhang Xian's "Qingmen Yin·Spring Thoughts"

A county official has no time but his deputy envoy. The cold festival of the year is Qingming. ——Wang Yucheng, "Drinking Alone on Qingming Day"

The moonlight in the atrium was clear and bright, and countless poplar flowers passed by without a shadow. ——Zhang Xian's "Magnolia·Yimao Wuxing Cold Food"

Qingming Festival is so close, but we are guests from far away. ——Cao Zu's "Remembering the Drinking Companions of My Youth and Years"

How much love there is, there is no place to talk about it, like the falling flowers and catkins on the Qingming Festival. ——Wei Chengban's "Yu Gezi·Liu Rumei"

The tung flowers are blooming, and the rain suddenly clears them. ——Liu Yong's "Magnolia Slowly and Tung Blossoms Blooming"

It's Qingming in an instant, and the flowers can't be carried on Xiyuan Road. ——Wu Wenying's "Red Lips: The Qingming Festival"

The pear blossom wind blows during the Qingming Festival, and the wanderer is halfway out of the city in search of spring. ——Wu Weixin's "Qingming Festival at Su Di"

It's just after Qingming Festival, and I gradually feel the sadness of spring. ——Li Guan's "Die Lian Hua·Spring Evening"

The Qingming Festival is important in the emperor, and people are worried about themselves. ——Meng Haoran's "Qingming Festival"

There are mountains all around the country during the Qingming Festival, and no one will miss home during the Qingming Festival. ——Gao Qi's "The Lords Presented to the Palace during the Qingming Festival"

I tried to go up to the Wu Gate to take a peek at the county. There was new smoke in several places during the Qingming Festival. ——Zhang Ji's "Lumen Jishi"

Qingming weather. I will always be intoxicated with sorrow. ——Du Anshi "Crane Soaring into the Sky·Qingming Weather"

The swallows return and the flowers fade. It’s early and the Qingming Festival has passed. ——Nalan Xingde's "Red Window Moon, Swallows Return and Flowers Wither"

The Qingming Festival has passed, and I can't bear to look back. The clouds lock the Zhulou. ——Zhu Shuzhen's "Beautiful Eyes, The Wind and the Sun are Soft"

Thousands of green strands greet each other. Dancing smoke and sleeping rain pass the Qingming Festival. ——Yan Jidao "Huanxi Sha·February Breeze to Bicheng"

There are a few flowers on the branches of the remaining apricots. Ciao Hong hates Qingming Rain. ——Zhao Lingjue's "Butterfly Loves Flowers - I want to lose my clothes but the cold is not gone"

Listen to the wind and rain during the Qingming Festival. The flower inscription of sorrow and grass. ——Wu Wenying "Wind in the Pines·Listen to the Wind and Rain to Spend the Qingming Festival"

The tung flowers are in bloom, and the rain suddenly washes away the Qingming Festival. ——Liu Yong's "Magnolia Slowly and Tung Blossoms Splendor"

Good wind and hazy moon on Qingming night, blue and red pavilions are built by the historian. ——Bai Juyi's "Qingming Night"

During the Qingming festival, the peach blossoms smile, but the wild graves only give birth to sorrow. ——Huang Tingjian's "Qingming Festival"

There are many tombs on the north and south hills, and the Qingming Festival is different. ——Gao Zhu's "Wine Drinking on the Tomb-Sweeping Day"

After the wind and rain, the pear blossoms and the cold food, how many graves are there descendants? —— Gao Qi's "Send off Chen Xiucai and return to the sand to visit the tomb"

Eyes full of hairsprings When the catkins are falling and the red apricots are blooming, there will be a sudden clear rain. ——Feng Yansi's "Magpies Stepping on the Branches·Qingming Festival"

This article was originally from "Today's Qingming Festival: Don't forget to return home in search of spring, paper candles mourn the ancestors" published on April 5, 2018. It has been modified.

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