Tomb Sweeping on Qingming: A Traditional Custom 从传统习俗讲清明扫墓

选择清明前后扫墓很合理
Why Chinese sweep tombs around Qingming
在清明节，天气逐渐回暖，自然界空气清新，春光明媚，景物鲜明，所以叫“清明”。堪舆学认为，清明前后正是阳气上升的时候，天地间阴阳之气交换旺盛，正是活人与亡人进行“精神交流”的最佳时间，后人到先人的墓地上去拜祭打扫，会获得一年的心灵平安。先人的陵墓在清明节经过后人的打扫修理和添土护坡，可以防止杂草蔓延和水土流失，使墓地气象一新，生机勃勃。后人看到这种景象会感到祖先的在天之灵已经得到安息，先人虽已逝去，但通过扫墓使先人和后人仍然联系在一起，保持着和谐的关系。应该说，古人定在每年的清明节去扫墓是很合理的。
The weather around Qingming Festival gets warmer as the air becomes fresher and the day turns brighter and more beautiful with sunshine. The landscape is clean and clear, as the name “Qingming” derived from. According to Chinese geomancy custom, it is around Qingming that yang-qi rises, and the exchange of yin qi and yang qi between heaven and earth is frequent; therefore, Qingming is the most suitable time for living people to make spiritual communications with dead souls. Descendants come to visit their ancestors’ tombs, conducting ancestor worshipping rituals and sweeping those tombs. It is believed that this will give them inner peace for the whole year. This annual tomb sweeping takes care of weeding and cleans up the area to welcome a fresh and vigorous spring. Scenery of a new spring is believed to symbolize how the souls of their ancestors rest in peace. Although ancestors are no longer with us, they are still connected with us spiritually. Tomb sweeping is our way to maintain harmonious bond with ancestors. This is why tomb sweeping is held each year during Qingming Festival since ancient time.
古人清明节吃冷食
Ancients ate cold food on Qingming Festival
在古代，清明节前一天为寒食节，也有人认为清明节就是寒食节，寒食节是春秋战国时期晋文公为纪念介子推而确定的，清明期间禁烟火吃冷食的习俗在历史上流传了很长时间，但这种习俗到了近代就几乎消失了，现在很多人都不知道有个寒食节。不过，现在仍有不少人在扫墓之前吃冷食或食素，他们这样做是表示对祖先的尊敬。
In ancient times, the day before Qingming Festival is the Cold Food Festival. The Cold Food Festival was celebrated by Duke Wen of Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period of ancient China with the purpose of memorizing Jiezitui. There is a long history custom of prohibiting fire and eating cold food during Qingming, but these are not as common in modern times. only a few would know about Cold Food Festival. However, lots of people also eat cold or vegetarian food before sweeping tombs to show their respect to ancestors.
扫墓7时至17时最好
Better to sweep tombs between 7:00 and 17:00
从堪舆学角度讲，扫墓要选择好时间，最好选在阳气比较旺的时候，一般来说，上午7时后到下午5时前最好，天还没亮和日落西山时不宜扫墓。如果扫墓那天精神不振，可佩戴玉器在身上，据说佩戴玉器可以起到稳定精神的作用。扫墓时要衣着整齐，神情肃穆，不要粗言粗语，大声喧哗，更不能说对亡者不敬的话。扫墓时要专心致志，不要东张西望，不要细看别家坟墓和踩踏别家坟墓，或对别家坟墓评头品足，在墓地照相留念也是不适宜的。孕妇、病人、7岁以下的小孩最好不要去扫墓。
According to Chinese geomancy custom, the best time to sweep tomb is when yang-qi is the strongest. Normally, it is between 7 o’clock in the morning and 5 o’clock in the afternoon, and it’s not advisable for tomb sweeping after sunset or when the sky is dark. If one is not in a good spiritual condition, he or she may wear some jade article to stabilize one’s spirit. One should dress himself or herself properly and wear a solemn and respectful face. It’s not allowed to say any rude word, talk loudly, or speak any disrespectful word about the dead. One should concentrate when sweeping tombs instead of gazing around or looking into details of or stepping on tombs of others. In addition to being overcritical with others’ tombs, it is also disrespectful to take pictures among tombs. Pregnant women, those who are sick, and children under seven years of age are not permitted to sweep tombs.
扫墓回来之后，大部分人都感到有些疲劳，这时，应该洗个澡，换一换衣服。按古代习俗，在进家门之前要跨火盆，古人认为这样可以驱除阴气。
After the tomb sweeping, many will feel tired. It’s time to take a shower and change clothes. According to ancient custom, one should step over a fire pan before entering the door to remove ying qi.
穿黑色衣服庄重肃穆
Wearing dark means solemn and serious
有些人认为，扫墓时忌穿黑色衣服，要穿红色或黄色等颜色鲜艳的衣服，理由是黑色衣服容易招惹阴气，这种看法是没什么道理的，穿黑色衣服庄重肃穆，可以表达对先人的哀思，扫墓时反而不宜穿大红大绿的衣服，这种衣服与扫墓的气氛不协调，还是穿素色衣服比较适宜。
Some people think that one should wear bright colors, like red and yellow, instead of black clothes. Their reason is that black clothes attract yin qi, which is unreasonable. Wearing dark means solemnity and seriousness, the right way to express grieves to our ancestors. It is considered disrespectful to dress in bright colors.
还有人认为清明节不要买鞋，因为“鞋”与“邪”同音，买鞋会招惹邪气，其实这只是心理作用而已，这个时候买鞋不会给自己带来坏运气。
Some also believe that one should not buy shoes on Qingming Festival because shoe and evil are pronounced in the same way in Chinese, and buying shoes may attract evils. However, this is merely a superstition from an ancient time. Buying shoes on Qingming won’t bring bad fortune to anyone.
随着时代的变迁，人们在清明节祭拜祖先，已经没有太多禁忌，只是于坟前上香祷祝，铲除杂草，放上供品，燃纸钱金锭，或简单地献上一束鲜花，以寄托对先人的深深的怀念。今天，传统的墓地祭祀也有了新的变化，仪式越来越简化和创新。尤其在城市里，一束鲜花、一条黄丝带、一封“寄往天堂的信”等绿色环保的祭奠方式正在被越来越多的人所接受。
As time passes, there are less taboos during the time to conduct ritural on Qingming Festival. The remaining rituals are praying in front of the tomb while lighting incense, removing weeds, providing offerings, lighting paper money and gold ingots, and decorating the tomb with some flowers to entrust their memories about their ancestors. Today, the traditional tomb worshipping has changed, and the rituals become more simplified and innovated. Especially in the cities, some environmentally friendly offerings, such as flowers, a yellow ribbon or “A Letter to the Heaven”, are accepted by more and more people.