As the saying goes, "If three people don't go to the grave, the descendants will be prosperous", who are the "three people"?What is the point of going to the grave?
Qingming Festival is an important ritual in traditional Chinese culture, and it is also a time for us to pay tribute to our ancestors. However, there is a rule in the ancient tradition: "If three people do not go to the grave, the descendants will prosper." ”
So, who exactly does the "three" refer to?What kind of cultural mystery is hidden in this?
In that ancient mountain village, the long tradition of worshipping ancestors is like a clear spring flowing in the mountains, quietly nourishing the soul of every villager. During the Qingming season, when the clouds and mist are filled, the villagers gather together as usual and walk towards the cemetery at the foot of the mountain to express their deep remembrance and endless respect for their deceased relatives.
However, there is a wise man in the village, an old village chief who is over seventy years old, who is the soul helmsman of this mountain village. Whenever Qingming comes, the villagers find in the excitement of worshipping their ancestors that the old village chief is always alone, sitting quietly under the ancient banyan tree at the entrance of the village, with deep eyes, as if staring into the abyss of time.
The people of the village are full of curiosity about the mysterious behavior of the old village chief. A young teacher, named Xiaoyu, is particularly interested in this enigmatic old village chief. So, on a rainy Qingming day, she decided to go under the banyan tree and unravel the story buried deep in the old village chief's heart.
The old village chief sat under the banyan tree, his figure reflected in the rain. Xiaoyu asked softly, "Old village chief, why don't you go up the mountain with everyone to worship your ancestors?"The old village chief shook his head with a smile and said affectionately, "There is a story here, a story about me and my wife. ”
He recounts a time from years ago, when an accident in the mountains took away his beloved wife. Her grave rests in the cemetery halfway up the mountain. The old village chief knew the meaning of that rule, but he chose to silently guard the tradition of worshipping his ancestors. On that Qingming evening, he climbed the hill alone, thinking about his wife in the rain.
The raindrops swirled on the face of the old village chief, and he silently paid tribute on the top of the mountain, feeling the waves of emotions in the deep mountains. He understands that if he is immersed in the thoughts of the past, it may have irreversible effects on his body. Therefore, he chose to watch the safety of the village under the banyan tree at the entrance of the village, guarding the indescribable thoughts.
Xiaoyu listened to it and was full of emotion. She looked at the tears flashing in the eyes of the old village chief, as if she saw a love legend continuing quietly in the clear rain curtain. This small mountain village originally contained such a profound story, and the old village chief is the guardian of this legend.
In that old village, there was a woman who was as beautiful as a flower, and she was praised by the villagers as an Oiran, and her name was Xiu'er. During the Qingming season, the cloud-filled mountain village is always filled with the solemn atmosphere of worshipping ancestors. Villagers walk through the verdant mountains and climb to the cemetery, thanking for the kindness of their deceased ancestors. However, in this beautiful and mysterious ceremony, Xiu'er is often arranged outside the ancestor worship procession, like a lonely flower in the village.
Xiu'er holds a future life in her arms, and her body has undergone earth-shaking changes in the process of pregnancy, as if she is a budding flower. However, ancient traditions tell the villagers that the participation of pregnant women in ancestor worship activities can be detrimental to the fetus. Cemeteries, temples and other places are believed to be full of "yin energy", which may affect the physical and mental health of pregnant women.
Although modern science has questioned this notion, the power of cultural traditions is deeply rooted in the village. Xiu'er's beauty and pregnancy have become a source of ambivalence among the villagers. In order to protect her and the new life that is about to come, the villagers decided to exclude her from the ancestral worship procession, which is both a respect for tradition and a kind of care for the new life.
The clarity of this day was unusual. A young painter named Liu Feng came from afar and heard Xiu'er's story. Touched by the traditions of the village, he decided to paint a picture of the Oiran who had been excluded from the ancestral worship procession, as a tribute to life and reflection on tradition.
In the clear morning light, Liu Feng sat opposite Xiu'er, oil paint dancing on the canvas. He captures the curvature of the smile on Xiu'er's face, while at the same time permeating the image of life in her womb with determination and hope. The painting became a precious gift for Xiu'er and for the entire village.
In another corner of the village, there is a pair of lovely brothers and sisters, Xiao Ming and Xiao Fang. Every year, they always go to the cemetery with their parents to visit their ancestors. However, another traditional rule in the village requires that no child under the age of 10 be brought to participate in ancestor worship.
Xiao Ming and Xiao Fang's father told them that ancestor worship is a solemn thing and that they need to meditate in order to show respect for their ancestors. Their minds are not yet mature, and they are prone to laughing and playing in front of the tomb, which is not only disrespectful to the ancestors, but also may destroy the solemn atmosphere of ancestor worship.
So, Xiao Ming and Xiao Fang were left at the entrance of the village, staring at the cemetery in the distance, and their parents told them that when they grew up, they would be able to better understand the deep meaning of ancestor worship. This scene has become a landscape painting in the village, telling the inheritance and respect for traditional culture.
In the old village, there was a young man named Zhang Jiayu, who was the son-in-law of this village. During the Qingming season, people in the village gather together to go to the cemetery on the hillside to pay respects to their ancestors and express their remembrance and respect for their deceased relatives. However, there is an old adage in the village that a son-in-law may be humiliated by going to the grave.
Zhang Jiayu has always had doubts about this maxim in his heart. He is a hard-working and filial young man, who lives with his wife and works hard for his parents-in-law. However, whenever it was time to worship his ancestors, he always stood at the entrance of the village, looking at the distant hillside, with a trace of helplessness in his heart.
This year, the cherry blossoms of Qingming fell like snow, and the whole village was filled with a faint fragrance of flowers. Zhang Jiayu's childhood friend, Xiao Ming, is a sensitive poet who always records everything in the village with words. He saw Zhang Jiayu's mood, so he decided to use words to solve his doubts.
Xiao Ming wrote a story about his son-in-law's visit to the grave, telling about Zhang Jiayu's days of hard work and filial piety, the deep affection between him and his wife, and the intimate relationship with his parents-in-law. In this story, the son-in-law is no longer a "foreign surname" in the traditional concept, but a part of the family, a continuator of the bloodline.
After the villagers saw Xiao Ming's words, they began to re-examine the role of the son-in-law. Zhang Jiayu also took his wife up the hillside on a Qingming evening to participate in ancestor worship activities. Their arrival did not cause misunderstanding among the villagers, but received a blessed gaze.
In this moment of clarity, the identity of a son-in-law is no longer a burden, but a responsibility and honor. The atmosphere of the whole village has also become more harmonious, and the meaning of ancestor worship is no longer shackled by traditional concepts, but more emphasis is placed on the remembrance and respect of deceased relatives.
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