Chapter 356 Chapter 24 Qingming pagoda tree

Although he was scared out of his wits, he didn't dare to say anything. He hurried back home and pretended nothing happened. He didn't dare to go out at night for several days.In the past, he often drank with his drinking buddies before staggering back when the sun went down. Since that time, he has never dared to go out even on cloudy days. But after several days, nothing happened. He couldn't figure out why the girl he had offended didn't come to settle accounts with him.If she didn't come to him, he would miss that girl a little bit.Every time he passed the original road under the scorching sun during the day, he couldn't help but stop and secretly look around when no one was around, hoping to find any clues about the girl.This is of course futile.

In this way, I spent one winter and one spring in the days of worrying and missing, until the next year's Ching Ming Festival. "Ching Ming Festival?" I asked.I believe that all Chinese people know about Ching Ming Festival.But everyone's understanding of Qingming Festival is different.Some know it as a festival for sweeping graves, some know it as a good time for outings, and some know it as one of the three major ghost festivals alongside July and a half and October. Since grandpa is telling this story, I naturally associate Qingming with Ghost Festival, and secretly think what will happen to the person who asks grandpa to collect wild ghosts on this day.

When it comes to Qingming Festival, it is natural to avoid the historical figure Jie Zitui.According to historical records, in the Spring and Autumn Period more than 2,000 years ago, Chonger, the prince of Jin State, fled abroad and lived a hard life. Jie Zitui who followed him cut off a piece of meat from his own leg to satisfy his hunger.Later, Chong'er returned to the state of Jin and became the king of the state (that is, Duke Wen of Jin, one of the five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period). He rewarded all his followers in exile, but Jie Zitui refused to accept the reward. come out.Jin Wengong had no choice but to set fire to the mountain. He thought that Jie Zitui was filial to his mother and would definitely bring his mother out.Unexpectedly, the fire burned Jie Zitui's mother and son to death.In order to commemorate Jie Zitui, Duke Wen of Jin ordered that on this day every year, no fire should be made, and every household could only eat raw and cold food. This is the origin of the Cold Food Festival.

The Cold Food Festival is the day before the Qingming Festival. The ancients often continued the activities of the Cold Food Festival until the Qingming Festival. Over time, people combined the Cold Food Festival with the Qingming Festival.Now, the Qingming Festival has replaced the Cold Food Festival, and the custom of worshiping Jie Zitui has also become the custom of sweeping graves during the Qingming Festival. This is my understanding of the origin of the Ching Ming Festival, and it is also the explanation that the school teacher told us. But my grandfather told me that this is just one way of saying the origin of Qingming Festival, and there is another way of saying that ordinary people seldom know.But after hearing what my grandfather said, I feel that the second statement is more reasonable.

Grandpa said that the ancients had the custom of welcoming spring, and the weather at the beginning of March in the lunar calendar is just the time for spring, which is suitable for people to carry out various activities, including outings and even "wild marriages".So the most important festival in spring is also at this time.There was no custom of sacrifice and sweeping in the early Qingming Festival, and the activities of Qingming Festival are the same as other festivals in early March. Tomb-sweeping day is one of the twenty-four solar terms. The twenty-four solar terms are a calendar formulated according to the solar calendar, not a festival itself.Qingming coincides with the beginning of March in the lunar calendar, which coincides with the ancient spring festivals Shangsi Festival and Cold Food Festival. Over time, Qingming has also become a part of spring festivals.

Today, Shangsi Festival has disappeared from the Chinese festival spectrum, but it used to be one of the most important festivals of the year.Before the Han Dynasty, it was set as Si Day in the first ten days of March, but later it was fixed as the third day of the third lunar month.According to records, the Shangsi Festival has become popular in the Spring and Autumn Period.What is said in "Late spring, spring clothes are completed, five or six crowned, six or seven boys, bathing in Qiyi, dancing in the wind, singing and returning" is written about the situation at that time. In the earliest days, people would go outing and take a bath by the river on the Shangsi Festival.In addition, this day also has the function of "exorcising evil spirits", which the ancients called "exorcising the side bath".In ancient times, the function of festivals was to exorcise evil spirits and avoid disasters. For example, the actual reason for "climbing the heights on the Double Ninth Festival" was to avoid the plague at the foot of the mountain.

The Shangsi Festival also has the function of courtship and mating. The so-called "Victors and women, Yi Qi flirt with each other, and give them peonies" also occurred during this period. This tradition has been affecting the Tang and Song Dynasties. There is a sentence "The weather is new on March 3rd, and there are many beautiful people by the water in Chang'an".However, later, as the society became more civilized, the theme of wild marriage was replaced by begging for a child. Later, the Shangsi Festival formed the custom of offering sacrifices to Nuwa Temple and women begging for a child by the river.

"Qingming also has the meaning of Yehe?" This is the first time I heard this saying.But I have to trust Grandpa, he has a much deeper understanding of ancient things than any teacher who taught me Chinese. "Yeah." Grandpa nodded, "Just like when Zhuyeqing always chooses the evening or rainy days when looking for Zhang Jiu, the ghost also chooses a day when looking for someone. That girl who was offended by him chose such a time." "Is it not only he who misses the girl, but the girl who misses him too?" I asked. Grandpa laughed and said, "You're an adult, so I won't shy away from telling you this. Think about it, if that girl is unwilling, can she let a drunk man rape her?"

I sighed in my heart, is this called Lang Youqing and Concubine Interesting? The man told his grandfather that during the Qingming Festival, he went to visit his mother's grave and found a small locust tree growing beside the grave.Since he didn't bring any digging tools with him before he went to sweep the grave, it took him a lot of effort to pull out the little locust tree from the soil by its roots.When he finished this, the sky darkened. On the way home, I had to pass by the place where I met that girl. Because more than half a year later, he was not as scared as before, and an inexplicable hope grew like weeds.

He didn't know whether the locust tree growing in front of his mother's grave was a good omen or a bad omen, so he didn't dare to throw away the little locust tree that he pulled out, so he had to bring the little locust tree back with mud. When he walked to the place where the strange memory was left here last year, he stood for a while holding the little locust tree.He looked around, as if he was waiting for someone to come on a date; and he seemed to be afraid of meeting someone, as soon as he saw that person come out, he would run away immediately.