Qingming Festival, also known as Taqing Festival, line Qing Festival, March Festival, ancestor festival, etc., in the 24 solar terms, only "Qingming", both solar terms, and festivals.

Qingming Festival began about the Zhou Dynasty, has a history of more than 2,500 years, it is known as the Spring Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival and the four traditional Chinese festivals.

The origin of Qingming Festival

Qingming Festival was originally just the name of a solar term, and it became a festival to commemorate the ancestors and the Cold Food Festival.

According to records, at that time, the prince of the State of Jin, Chong Er, was in a very difficult situation when he fled, and Jie Zitui, who followed him, cut a piece of meat from his leg to make soup to satisfy his hunger. Later, he returned to the state of Jin, made the king, and rewarded all his followers, only Jie Zitui refused to accept the reward, with his mother in seclusion in Mianshan, refused to come out to accept the reward, Duke Wen of Jin had no choice but to set fire to the mountain, he thought, Jie Zitui is very filial to his mother, will take the old mother out. Who knows the fire but put meson push mother and son burned alive under a willow tree. In order to commemorate Jie Zitui, Duke Wen of Jin ordered that every year on this day, no fire was allowed, and every household could only eat raw and cold food, which was the source of the Cold Food Festival.

Duke Wen of Jin set the day after the Cold Food Festival as Qingming Festival, and as time went by, people would combine cold food with Qingming. Now, the Qingming festival has replaced the Cold Food Festival, and the custom of worshiping Jie Zitui has also become the custom of tomb sweeping and ancestor worship.

Qingming Festival custom

Visit a grave
Tomb sweeping and ancestor worship is one of the important contents of Qingming. Qingming tomb sweeping, that is, "tomb offering", that is, "thinking of the time of respect" to the ancestors. Generally, they will go to the grave to root out weeds, put offerings, burn incense and paper money, or simply offer a bunch of flowers to express the memory of their ancestors.

Spring outing
It is a good time for people to have a spring outing during the Qingming Festival. Outing is also called spring outing, in ancient times called visiting spring, seeking spring, etc., is a Qingming custom maintained by the folk for a long time. March Qingming, spring, nature everywhere presents a vibrant scene, it is a good time to go outing with the family.

Tree planting
Before and after the Qingming Festival, the spring sun shines, the spring rain falls, the planting of saplings is the easiest to survive, and the growth is relatively fast, so since ancient times, China has the habit of planting trees in the Qingming Festival, and has been handed down to the present.

Green rice ball
Qingtuan is a common traditional snack for Qingming Festival, which has a history of more than 1,000 years. Green tuanzi is pounded with a wild plant called "pulp wheat grass" and squeezed out the juice, which is then mixed with dried water ground pure glutinous rice flour and then started to make tuanzi.

Fly a kite
Flying kites is also a favorite activity during Qingming. During the Qingming Festival, people not only put it in the day, but also put it at night. At night, a string of small colored lanterns are hung under the kite or on the wind steady string, like twinkling stars, which are called magic lanterns. In the eyes of the ancients, flying kites was not only a recreational activity, but also an act of witchcraft: they believed that flying kites could let go of their dirty gas. So many people fly kites in the Qingming Festival, the disaster will be written on the paper, put high and then cut the line, let the kite drift away with the wind, symbolizing the elimination of disease and disaster, bring good luck to people.

Keep healthy during Qingming Festival

The Qingming season is at the intersection of mid-spring and late spring, when the temperature is warming, rainfall increases, the sky is clear and the air is rising, which is one of the most important solar terms for health care. Hurry to follow the pace of Xiaonan, together to understand the way of Qingming health.

Liver qi rises
Qingming health should be "in accordance with the time". It is recorded in the Huangdi Neijing that "in March of spring, this is called Chen, heaven and earth are born, and everything is glorious."
Chinese medicine that "spring and liver corresponding", Qingming season should eat more "soft liver" food, pay special attention to "nourishing the liver", flat liver qi, nourishing liver blood, in order to make Qi and blood harmony, zangfu function normal.

Dispelling cold and dampness

Due to the increase of rain and heavy moisture, some people's joint pain may be aggravated. The increase in air humidity is also more likely to make people sleepy and depressed. Therefore, in the diet should pay attention to choose some warm stomach and remove dampness of food, you can eat more mustard, mugwort and other warm nature of food to disperse cold, warm the body, relieve physical discomfort.

Beware of "hair growing" foods
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that Qingming is the liver-yang rising season, so it is not appropriate to eat bamboo shoots, salted vegetables, beef and mutton, fish and other "hair". People with chronic diseases should remember to avoid food.

Acupoint massage
Between the lines on the big toe and the second toe. It is an acupoint for relieving heart fire.

Spring liver fire, can lead to toothache, cheek swelling, mouth ulcer, nose bleeding and other diseases, which indicates that the fire has entered from the liver meridian into the heart meridian, more knead "line point", you can spread the heart fire from here.

Exercise more
Qingming Festival is a good time for outdoor activities, you can go outdoors to breathe fresh air, appropriate exercise, enhance the body's resistance.