Spring Festival ancestor worship taboo: 4 people do not go to the grave, 3 people do not add soil including ** read in advance.
The Spring Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals of our Chinese nation, and there are many customs during the Spring Festival, among which ancestor worship is an important custom activity during the Spring Festival, and it is also a time for us to express our admiration and gratitude to our ancestors.
However, there is also a need to go to the grave to worship ancestors. In ancient times, there was a lot of attention paid to this aspect, so it was still spread in many places"Four did not go to the grave, and three did not add earth"said.
What does this mean? Which four people cannot go to the grave, and which three cannot add earth? The Spring Festival is coming, and we still need to know!
First, let's talk"Fourth, do not go to the grave"。This means that there are four categories of people who are not suitable for graves. These four categories of people are the elderly over 70 years old, sons-in-law, people who are sick or recovering from a serious illness, and children under the age of 3. Why can't they sweep the graves? There are several reasons for this.
For the elderly over 70 years old, their physical functions have deteriorated and they have limited mobility, and it is quite tiring for them to walk and climb up the mountain to visit the graves, and may even pose a potential safety risk. At the same time, when elderly people in their 70s go to the grave to pay respects to their ancestors, it is easy to remember the past, causing emotional atmosphere and fluctuations, which is also not good for health.
Therefore, whether from a physical or psychological point of view, for the safety and health of the elderly, family members should consider not allowing the elderly to sweep the grave.
Sons-in-law are traditionally regarded as outsiders, and there used to be a saying that if a son-in-law went to sweep the graves of their ancestors, they would be considered unlucky or disrespectful to their ancestors. There is such a saying among the people:"The son-in-law went to sweep the graves of the ancestors, which was disrespectful to the ancestors"。
In fact, this is understandable, in ancient times, this was very important for the inheritance of the family, and everyone wanted their descendants to inherit it. Under normal circumstances, only when there is no male in the family, will a son-in-law go to the grave for him, so it is considered unacceptable and easy to become the object of people's gossip.
Although this notion has faded in modern society, in some places, sons-in-law are still considered one of those who should not go to the grave.
As for those who are sick or recovering from a serious illness, they should also not go to the graves, which is better understood. This is because they are physically weak and need to rest and recover. Grave sweeping will overwork them and will not be conducive to physical recovery. On the other hand, cemeteries are generally remote and have a harsh environment, which makes them prone to contracting diseases or aggravating their illnesses.
The last type is children under the age of three, because the child is still very young, it is very inconvenient to walk, and it needs to be held by an adult, or carried on his back to walk, which is equivalent to a burden, so young children do not understand anything, and it is easy to be afraid when they go to the wilderness, and it is reasonable not to go.
Next, let's talk"3 people who don't add to the earth"。It is a very important custom to go to the grave and add soil. In my hometown, going to the grave and adding soil is the act of dressing and covering the ancestors with quilts. What's more, adding soil is actually a kind of marking behavior, indicating that the tomb has descendants, and it has been swept by others, so it will not be wrong.
However, there are also rules for adding soil, and in general, it is better to take soil from the periphery of the cemetery than to dig inside the cemetery. In addition, there are three categories of people to whom soil cannot be added, namely young children, seniors over 60 years old, and pregnant women.
Children are young, their physical development is not yet fully mature, and their mobility and self-protection ability are limited. If they are asked to add mud, accidents or improper handling can lead to dangerous situations. Therefore, for the safety and health of their children, parents should prevent them from adding soil.
Seniors over the age of 60 also have problems with deterioration of physical functions, which makes them less mobile and more prone to injury. In addition, older people have fragile bones and are prone to fractures and other accidents. At the same time, there is another very important reason, that is, the old people are getting older, and the big and small things in the family should be left to the younger generations to do, so adding soil should not be done by the elderly.
Finally, pregnant women are a special group that also needs to be physically healthy and mentally happy in order to give birth to a healthy next generation. The addition of soil will bring a burden on the body and safety risks, which is not conducive to the physical and mental health of pregnant women and the development of the fetus.
In addition to the above four categories of people and three categories of people, there are also some people who should not sweep the grave or add soil. For example, people with severe mental illness or mental instability, as well as people with physical disabilities or mobility issues.
Of course, these precepts are not absolute, nor do they mean that it is not appropriate for everyone to sweep graves or add soil. In practice, we must make reasonable judgments and choices according to each person's actual situation and local customs.
For example, many families now have only one son, and in the absence of a son, only the daughter and son-in-law go to the grave. Therefore, we should also pay attention to scientific and reasonable treatment of some traditional rules and customs of our ancestors, and avoid blind obedience and superstition.