according to the Internet, many people will mourn their ancestors with flowers, money, paper, candles, food and other things when they visit the tomb on the Qingming Festival. What should be prepared for Tomb Sweeping on the Qingming Festival? For those who haven't prepared anything in a hurry, what tributes should be prepared for Tomb Sweeping Day? There are some taboos on Tomb Sweeping Day.
I. what offerings do you bring with you during tomb sweeping
When going to the grave, the offerings prepared for ancestor worship are generally singular, three or five; each of them is also singular, three or five. Tribute should respect religious, national and regional customs. There are no fixed rules. Please refer to the following:
1. Do not use any meat and other meaty things.
2. It's better to offer sacrifices to vegetarians, fruits, snacks, dried fruits, vegetable wine and other foods.
3. You can use the food that your ancestors preferred when they were alive.
In fact, the sacrificial offerings to ancestors are not edible, but they still need to be carefully selected, which is to express the reverence for ancestors. As long as there is a sincere filial piety, the use of relatively simple offerings is still very satisfactory. Second, prepare flowers (now all pay attention to environmental protection) instead of burning paper.
In ancient times, there were many regulations on the sacrifice of the deceased, which are still continuing: during the period of filial piety, you can't wear red clothes, and within three years, you can't paste red couplets for the new year. The rest of the rules have changed: to marry, for example, the deceased can marry in a hundred days. Dai Xiao, after burial, can take down the filial piety cloth. Haircuts, baths, etc. can be done after burning seven.
The core of traditional customs for the dead is to educate future generations and establish a good social atmosphere of "respect, love and respect for the old" through the silent education. As long as we can internalize in the heart and externalize in the line, we have reached the core requirements of traditional customs.
II. What offerings are used for Tomb Sweeping Day
During the Qingming Festival, we make soup rice at home, which is commonly known as "Qingming soup rice". We sacrifice to our ancestors and bless their safety. At that time, every family's offerings for making rice soup were: Fried Tofu with bean sprouts, pickled mustard soup, braised yellow croaker, braised meat, goose, etc. In addition, a plate of green troupe is indispensable in the offering, because it is the symbol of Qingming. Qingtuan is made of Wormwood Leaves mashed with juice and glutinous rice flour. It is inlaid with the stuffing made of cowpea sand or white sugar sesame or soybean flour.
When the incense and candles on the sacrificial table are going to burn out, they will burn some 'silver ingots' made of tin foil to their ancestors to send them off. Laodizi, ordinary people go to the cemetery, usually by boat or foot boating to the countryside near the cemetery, and then walking to the cemetery. However, some families with copper mother of pearl will hire sedan bearers to go to the grave in sedan chairs, so there is a saying of "going to the grave in March and sitting in sedan chairs".
According to Pang Shuhua, a great master in modern times, changes of time and changes of law, during the Qingming Festival in today's era, whether it's making rice soup or going to the grave, are expressions of yearning for ancestors and deceased relatives, and also a traditional folk custom. Take some of your favorite meals with you. Generally, you should pay attention to three kinds. When the fragrance is burnt out, you can take them back to eat.
Three, ten taboos of Tomb Sweeping
1. Low dark air transport: in the morning of tomb sweeping, when washing your face and cleaning your face, if you look in the mirror and find that your forehead is dark, it means that your luck is low. Try to avoid tomb sweeping. If you have to go, you can bring open light protective articles (such as amulets, etc.) to resolve it.
2. Vegetarian food: get up in the morning of the day of tomb sweeping and arrive at the place of tomb sweeping. Try to eat vegetarian food and dress neatly and strictly to show politeness and respect for the ancestors.
3. Pay attention to safety: burn paper money, place supplies, pay attention to fire prevention, ensure safety, carry the items as much as possible, and avoid buying hawkers selling utensils near the sacrificial site. If you have to buy because of the inconvenience of carrying, you should prepare the change in advance, put the small amount of cash in the pocket of the coat which is convenient to take out, and put the large amount of cash in the inner side to avoid being picked up by thieves.
4. Choose a day for memorial service: try to avoid weekends or other peak periods of tomb sweeping, because nowadays the number of private cars is increasing, which will cause travel problems due to traffic congestion. You can choose to take all kinds of public transportation tools, or lengthen the time of tomb sweeping (leaving early and returning late) or mistakenly drive key periods, so as to relieve the pressure of more people and cars on road traffic.
5. Counting at any time: no matter when you arrive at the sacrificial place or when you leave, you should form a good habit of counting your belongings, so as to avoid the inadvertent loss of valuables. For the collective sacrificial ceremony, you should count the number of people at any time, especially the parents with children should take good care of the children, so as to avoid the loss of children due to play.
6. Avoid remote places: don't go to places where there are few people. It's better to form a plan according to the regular route. Don't stay in remote places for a long time to ensure your own safety.
7. Don't disturb other spirits: the graveyard is a place where the spirits live. Don't laugh, scold, slander, run around, urinate everywhere. When you meet other tombs, don't step on the tombstone with your feet, and don't touch other tombstone sacrificial objects. No doubt, when you meet them, you should recite 'I'm sorry, I've disturbed'. The scope of the graveyard should be respectful, and control your mood and attitude, so as not to disturb you Other spirits.
8. Sacrificial time: the best time for tomb sweeping is when the sun is strong. When it's not bright or in the evening, it's not good for the tomb sweepers. Therefore, the best time for tomb sweeping is between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
9. Clean up the cemetery: facing the cemetery of ancestors, we need to clean up the weeds, loosen the soil, and tidy up the surrounding environment, so that the appearance of the cemetery is full and tidy. At the same time, we pray silently in our hearts, hope under the nine springs, and pray for our ancestors to keep their offspring rich and prosperous.
10. Avoid tomb sweeping by pregnant women: Generally speaking, pregnant women should avoid tomb sweeping activities during the Qingming Festival, not only that. Strictly speaking, women are not allowed to take part in such activities, especially after 3 p.m.