Title: Planting willows - a unique custom of the Qingming Festival.
Every year during the Qingming Festival, a variety of activities are held throughout China to commemorate the ancestors and express respect and remembrance for life. In these activities, there is a unique custom - willow cutting, which has become one of the important symbols of the Qingming Festival with its profound cultural connotation and unique form.
Planting willows, as the name suggests, is that on the day of the Qingming Festival, people put willow branches in the cemetery or in front of their homes. This custom originated in the ancient cold food festival, when people forbade cooking on a fire to prevent fires, and could only eat cold food. The willow tree is the first tree to sprout in spring, and the willow branches are soft and easy to weave, so people break the willow branches and weave them into baskets and baskets of various shapes to hold food. This is the origin of the custom of planting willows.
Over time, the form and meaning of willow cuttings have also changed. During the Tang Dynasty, willow planting has become one of the main activities of the Qingming Festival. People not only planted willows in cemeteries, but also planted willow branches in front of their homes, by windows, in fields and other places, meaning to ward off evil spirits and avoid epidemics, and pray for peace. In the Song Dynasty, the custom of planting willows became more prevalent, and people even developed the activity of planting willows into a social activity, in which men, women and children would participate, forming a unique community culture.
The meaning of willow planting is also diverse. First of all, the willow is a respect and nostalgia for life. The willow tree is full of vitality, and the willow planting is like injecting new life force into the deceased life, expressing people's awe and nostalgia for life. Secondly, the willow is a symbol of driving away evil spirits and avoiding epidemics. The willow branches are soft and easy to weave, and it is believed that it has the function of warding off evil spirits and avoiding epidemics, so the willow is planted on the Qingming Festival to pray for the peace and health of the family. Finally, willow planting is also a manifestation of community culture. Through the activity of planting willows, people have strengthened the cohesion of the community and promoted the communication and interaction of the community.
In modern society, although the pace of people's lives has accelerated, the custom of planting willows has still been inherited and developed. Every year on the Qingming Festival, whether it is urban or rural, whether it is the old or the young, willow branches will be used to express the nostalgia for the ancestors and respect for life. Moreover, with the development of science and technology, the form of willow insertion is also constantly innovating. For example, now people can not only plant willows in cemeteries, but also plant willows in virtual cemeteries online, and even use mobile apps to make appointments for tomb sweeping and willow planting services.
In general, willow planting is a unique custom of the Qingming Festival, which has become one of the important symbols of the Qingming Festival with its profound cultural connotation and unique form. It is not only a respect and nostalgia for life, but also a symbol of exorcism and epidemic avoidance, and a manifestation of community culture. In the modern world, we should continue to inherit and develop the custom of planting willows, so that it can become a bridge between the past and the future, between life and death.
In the days to come, let us use the way of willow planting to commemorate our ancestors, express our respect and remembrance for life, pray for the safety and health of our families, enhance the cohesion of the community, and promote community exchanges and interactions. Let the custom of planting willows flourish in our lives and become a part of our culture.