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Is Qingming Festival the same as cold food festival? What's the difference between Qingming Festival

Qingming Festival is a traditional Chinese festival. On this day, a lot of tourists go home to worship their ancestors and visit their tombs. It's very grand. It's similar to the cold food festival in ancient times, but the two are essentially different. Qingming Festival is two days after the cold food festival, so it's different.

Qingming Festival is one of the 24 solar terms in the lunar calendar. It is 108 days after the winter solstice at the turn of mid spring and late spring. The traditional Qingming Festival of the Han nationality in China began in the Zhou Dynasty, with a history of more than 25000 years. "Lishu": "fifteen days after the spring equinox, dou Zhiding, for Qingming, when all things are clean and clear, cover when the gas is clear and Jingming, all things are obvious, so it is named. As soon as the Qingming Festival comes, the temperature rises, which is a good time for spring ploughing and planting. Therefore, there is a saying that "before and after the Qingming Festival, plant melons and beans". Qingming Festival is a festival to sacrifice ancestors. The traditional activity is tomb sweeping.

Qingming Festival is an important traditional folk festival in China. It is one of the eight important festivals: Shangyuan, Qingming, Lixia, Dragon Boat Festival, Zhongyuan, mid autumn, winter solstice and new year's Eve. Generally speaking, it is on April 5 of the Gregorian calendar, but the festival period is very long. There are two versions: the first eight days of the 10th day and the first ten days of the 10th day. All of them belong to the Qingming Festival in the past twenty days.

The origin of Qingming Festival

The origin of the Qingming Festival, it is said, began with the ceremony of "Tomb sacrifice" of the ancient emperors and generals. Later, the folk also followed suit. On this day, it became a fixed custom of the Chinese nation.

There is also a famous legend about Qingming Festival:

It is said that in the spring and Autumn period, Chong'er, the son of Jin, was exiled to avoid persecution. On his way to exile, he was tired and hungry in a lonely place and could not stand up any more. I couldn't find anything to eat for a long time. When everyone was very anxious, I pushed him to a quiet place and cut a piece of meat from my thigh. I cooked a bowl of meat soup for him to drink. Chong'er gradually regained his spirit. When Chong'er found that the meat was cut by jie'zitui, he shed tears. Nineteen years later, Chong'er became the king of the state, which was the Duke of Jin in history. After he became the emperor, Duke Wen paid a heavy reward to the officials who accompanied him in exile, but he forgot jiezitui. Many people argue against jiezitui and persuade him to ask for reward from the king. However, jiezitui despises those who strive for reward. He packed up and went to live in seclusion in Mianshan.

Hearing this, Duke Wen of Jin was so ashamed that he took people to invite jiezitui himself. However, jiezitui had left for Mianshan. Mianshan mountain is high and dangerous with dense trees. It's not easy to find two people. Someone offered a plan to burn Mianshan mountain from three sides, forcing jiezitui out. The fire burned all over Mianshan, but there was no sign of jiezitui. After the fire died, people found that jiezitui, who was carrying his old mother, had died sitting under an old willow tree. Duke Wen of Jin saw this and wept. At the time of burialing, a blood book was found in the hole of the tree. It said: 'cut the flesh and serve the king with all your heart. I hope the Lord is always clear and bright. "To commemorate jieziti, Duke Wen of Jin ordered that this day be designated as cold food festival.

The next year, Duke Wen of Jin led his officials to mount a mountain to pay a memorial service, and found that the old willow died and rose. Then he gave the old willow as "Qingming willow" and told the world that the day after the cold food festival would be Qingming Festival.

What's the difference between Qingming Festival and cold food festival

Originally two festivals with different meanings

Cold food festival, also known as "no smoking Festival", "cold Festival" and "hundred and five Festival", is one hundred and five days after the winter solstice of the lunar calendar and one or two days before the Qingming Festival. It is the beginning of the day when the festival, no fireworks, only eat cold food. Before the Sui and Tang Dynasties, "Qingming Festival" only refers to one of the 24 seasons that distinguish between seasonal alternation and agricultural operation. The main item of the cold food festival is that families are not allowed to smoke and eat cold food, and the time is in the cold winter season. Due to the close time and influence of Qingming Festival, the customs of sacrifice and sweeping, outing, swing, Cuju, lead hook, fighting eggs and so on have been gradually increased in the development of later generations. The cold food festival stretches for more than 2000 years before and after, which is known as the largest folk day of sacrifice.

Cold food festival is related to the ancients' understanding of nature. In China, the rebirth of new fire after cold food is a transitional ceremony of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, which reveals the information of season alternation, symbolizing the beginning of new season, new hope, new life and new cycle. Later, it had the meaning of "gratitude" and emphasized the memory and gratitude of "the past". Cold food, no fire, cold food, sacrifice to the tomb. During the Qingming Dynasty, take a new fire and go outing.

Qingming Festival is an important traditional folk festival in China. It is one of the eight important festivals: Shangyuan, Qingming, Lixia, Dragon Boat Festival, Zhongyuan, mid autumn, winter solstice and new year's Eve.

Cold food and Qingming in Tang Dynasty

Before the Tang Dynasty, cold food and Qingming were two successive festivals with different themes. The former was nostalgic and mournful, while the latter was seeking new things to protect their lives; the two had a close relationship. The purpose of fire prohibition is to produce fire, and the purpose of sacrifice is to protect life. This is the internal cultural connection between cold food and Qingming. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the imperial court fixed the custom of folk tomb sweeping in the form of decrees in the cold food festival before the Qingming Festival. Because the cold food is closely related to the Qingming Festival in time, the cold food festival custom has long been related to the Qingming Dynasty, and the tomb sweeping has also been extended from cold food to the Qingming Dynasty. With the passage of time, as the main item of cold food festival - no smoking and cold food, it has been gradually weakened, and cold food festival has gradually been replaced by Qingming Festival.