Entering the Tomb Sweeping Festival customs all over the country

25 out of 56 ethnic groups in China celebrate the Tomb Sweeping Day. Although customs vary from place to place, tomb sweeping and ancestor worship and outings are the basic themes. Influenced by Han culture, 24 ethnic minorities have also had the custom of Qingming Festival. In addition, the customs of people in different regions are also different. Let's take a look.
Jiangsu Qingming Festival
Rowing party
The custom of the Tomb Sweeping Day in Jiangsu Province is that Taizhou farmers hold a boat race on the Tomb Sweeping Day, which is called "holding the boat". People in Zhenjiang make tea with seven pieces of willow leaves. It is said that drinking it can brighten your eyes. The villagers near the Chuanshan Mountain in Dantu County still retain the old custom of "looking at Mian" (Mianshan). The old custom in Shanghai is to eat peach blossom porridge and purple bamboo shoot tea on the Tomb Sweeping Day. It is also a custom to worship Li Tai and welcome the city god on patrol. Fangmao Mountain in Wujin County took the Qingming Festival as the day when the Mother of the Dragon was incarnated, and villagers competed to pray.
Customs of Qingming Festival in Anhui Province
Willow planting on Qingming Festival
Huizhou Prefecture made wine in Taoxinquan during the Qingming Festival. On the Qingming Festival in Guichi County, women made rice cocoons to sacrifice to silkworm sisters, praying for a good harvest of silkworm. Jingxian County calls Qingming Festival "Willow Insertion Festival". During the Qingming Festival of Shouchun, every family planted willows and hung paper money on the tomb tree, which was called "milk wild ghost".
Customs of Qingming Festival in Zhejiang Province
On the Qingming night in Haining County, silkworm breeders will wrap their silkworms under cotton padded clothes when they sleep. It is said that silkworms are easy to breed only when they are popular. Jiaxing County eats green snails on Qingming night, which is called "picking green". There is a dragon boat play at Qingming Festival in Haiyan County. The Qingming hairpin willow in Taizhou Mansion is called Quxiang Jiuniang. When Shaoxing people go to the grave, they should prepare some candies and biscuits, called "grave fruit", and send them to children living near their ancestral graves. On the third day of the third month, it was called Shangsi in ancient times. Zhang people call it the three-day festival to worship ancestors and tombs. The Quan people refer to the tomb as the tomb of the Qingming Festival; Taste, spring festival festival. Offering cakes, controlling livestock, hanging paper money, and returning to food. Cake is made of flour, wrapped with vegetables, and fried with oil. To taste the ritual of tomb, rich and noble families should visit each other for two or three years. When women and children return, they put banyan branches in buns, which is ominous. The custom of the Qingming Festival in Hebei Province is to cut willows and see flowers in Dong'an County during the Qingming Festival. On the fifth or seventh day before the festival, someone will visit the tomb. On the day of Tomb Sweeping Day, they will offer sacrifices to their ancestors in their own hall. Yongping Mansion takes the day before the cold food as the maggot day to make acyl sauce. Official sacrificial altar. Qingcheng men and women go out for outings, see flowers, pick vegetables and hairpin willows. There is a proverb that says, "When you don't wear willows on the Tomb Sweeping Day, you will have a beautiful face.". The Qingming Festival in Yuanshi County is also known as the Flower Festival. People buy flowers, buy wine and feast for guests.
Customs of Qingming Festival in Shandong Province
Cockfighting
In Zhaoyuan, Jimo, Linqu, Linqing and other places, new soil should be added to the grave during the Tomb Sweeping Festival. It is said that this is to build houses for ancestors to avoid rain leakage in summer. In Weihai, Qixia, Huangxian and other places, the whole family will eat steamed bread and dishes together after sacrificing their ancestors' tombs, which is called "room food" or "祊 society". In northern Shandong, the custom of "fighting chicken" in the Northern and Southern Dynasties was also preserved. The children in Binxian County, on this day, top each other with boiled eggs. Whoever breaks the eggs first will lose. Qishan, Boshan and other places cook a pot of millet rice for the cattle to eat on the Tomb Sweeping Day, which is called "rice cattle". There is a proverb that says, "Beat thousands and scold thousands, and have a meal on the Tomb Sweeping Day".
Customs of Qingming Festival in Hunan Province
The willows planted at the Qingming Festival in Changsha Mansion are called "chronicling the years". In the early morning of the Tomb Sweeping Day in Yongzhou Mansion, water is drawn. After several months, its taste and color will remain unchanged. It is especially good for making wine. The agricultural proverb of Xintian County: "When it is clear and bright, everything will become.".
Customs of Qingming Festival in Shanxi Province
Tan Huang'er
The Qingming Festival in Hequ County uses millet flour as a cake, which is called "Tan Huang Er". On the Qingming Festival in Shouyang County, both boys and girls wore ribbon cutting paper on their heads in a string, which is said to be a legacy of the ancient "Colorful Victory". People in Yicheng County pre cooked black noodles with jelly, sliced them on the Tomb Sweeping Day, and served them with soup. Jiezhou Qingming stopped all needlework. It is said that those who sew on this day will become blind. Pinglu County Children's Tomb Sweeping Day sends wheat on their heads to pray for longevity. The Tomb Sweeping Day in Henan Province is a custom in Gongxian County. The son-in-law also sacrifices to the ancestral tombs of his wife's family. People offer sacrifices to Qingmiao, Niuwang and Hongshan gods. In Mengjin County, young seedlings are planted in wheat fields during the Qingming Festival.
Customs of Qingming Festival in Shaanxi Province
During the Qingming Festival in Xingping County, in laws presented paper money to each other and worshipped each other's tombs. Every family in Fuping County invited the spring water from the famous mountain to worship a god at Qingming Festival. It is called "swimming" to prepare sacrifices to pray for harvest. After the Qingming Festival in Tongzhou County, fold willow branches and insert doors; And paper money is pasted on the tree trunk, which is said to prevent insects and ants. In Luochuan County, steamed buns are eaten during the Qingming Festival. The buns are decorated with birds and snakes around them. It is said that Jiezi was protected by birds and snakes when he was pushed up to Mianshan, so it was taken as a souvenir.
Customs of Qingming Festival in Sichuan Province
In Chongqing, Wanxian and other places in eastern Sichuan, there was a custom of "Shangye Tomb". Before and after the Tomb Sweeping Day, three or two women went to the countryside for a picnic together with wine and food. Men, whether they know each other or not, can enjoy themselves. In Shifang and other places, women dipped shepherd's purse flower in oil and threw it into the water. It was called "oil divination" according to the pattern on the water surface. In Chengdu, fried rice balls are sold, which are colored and strung with lines. They are called "Joy Group". Guangxi Qingming Festival Custom Hengzhou villagers take willow leaves and snails to bathe their eyes in water during the Qingming Festival. It is said that they can make their eyes bright. After cleaning the tomb in Xingren County, white paper was used as a long banner to hang on the head of the tomb, which was called "standard grave" or "hanging green". During tomb sweeping in Kaiyang County, the chief mourner on duty will prepare wine and food for sacrifice. After the ceremony, relatives and friends will have a feast nearby, which is called "picnic".
Customs of Qingming Festival in Jiangxi Province
Xinjian County paid homage to the Qingming Festival, and spring cakes were used as an example. The Qingming Tomb Sweeping Ceremony in Yongfeng County lasted three to seven times. In addition to the routine sacrifice, rice flour is also used as fruit, which is called cocoon fruit, or pressed glutinous rice as cake, which is poured with sugar juice, which is called rice fruit. It still has the tradition of cold food. In Anyi County, the Qingming Festival was held only for men and women.
Customs of Qingming Festival in Guangdong Province
Ruyuan County calls the 10th day before the Tomb Sweeping Day "no wind", and the county people wear peach leaves on their heads. After the Tomb Sweeping in Puyang County during the Qingming Festival, the chief mourner presided over the ceremony. After cooking the tomb sweeping offerings, they were invited to eat. Guangning County Tomb sweeping during the Qingming Festival is called "Mountain Worship".
Customs of Qingming Festival in Fujian Province
Moisturizing Cake Vegetable Moisturizing Cake
During the Qingming Festival in Fuzhou, there were a lot of tourists in the eastern suburbs. Most of them picked wild vegetables and cooked them, which were called boiled vegetables. When Hui'an people sweep tombs, they put paper kites and blow wheat pipes. Quanzhou Qingming eats "Run Cake" and makes "Zuomi Kueh", which is a spherical snack. It is said that the Qingming Festival can increase the strength of the feet by eating Zuemu Kueh. Children under the age of ten also paste colored flags for play on Tomb Sweeping Day. Taiwan's Tomb Sweeping Day custom Zhangzhou people usually visit their graves on March 3 (commonly known as the Three Day Festival), while Quanzhou people visit their graves on the Tomb Sweeping Day. As for the difference of this day, there is a saying that Zhangquan people often fight with each other because they buy vegetables during the Qingming Festival. Therefore, after the government intervened, it was stipulated that Zhangzhou people should visit tombs on the Third Day Festival and Quanzhou people on the Tomb Sweeping Day.