Every Spring Festival and Qingming Festival, many people will return to their hometowns to worship their ancestors. Have you ever noticed that there is a mound on every grave? Even though the coffin was already buried in the ground, why was this mound piled up above? What is the meaning of this?
In fact, this mound has a very important place in funerary culture
In the life of Chinese, red and white happy events are the two most important things. Among them, white affairs mainly refer to funeral ceremonies. In the tombs of all Chinese dynasties, regardless of status, people will carefully choose a piece of feng shui treasure in the hope of resting in peace.
So, what exactly do the words "grave" and "burial" mean? "Tomb" and "tomb" were actually two separate concepts in ancient times. For example, "Pipe" mentions: "The eldest one, the place where the grave of relatives is also located." In ancient times, "tomb" referred to a mound of earth that rose above the ground after burial, while "tomb" referred to the burial place of the dead without mounds of earth and planting trees. Over time, the "tomb" and "tomb" merged to form what we now call the "tomb", which included both the cave in which the person was buried and the mound above, which is commonly referred to as the grave. 
Let's talk about "tomb", the word can also be split into "tomb" and "burial". Among them, "tomb" refers to the fixed facility used to place the body, while "burial" refers to the house where the body is placed. Later, the two words merged to form "burial", in which burial goods were usually placed and the worship of ancestors was expressed. 
China's funeral culture has endured for thousands of years and is still highly respected by people today. This has also developed the habit of Chinese worshipping their ancestors every New Year. So why put a mound of earth on top of the coffin?
This mound is what we usually call sealing. It has a very important significance in Chinese funeral culture. First of all, sealing the soil can help us confirm the location of the grave. Before the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, China did not have the habit of sealing the soil, and it was around the Spring and Autumn period that this tradition began to take shape. The existence of the sealed soil is to allow us to accurately find the graves of our ancestors. 
In addition, the enclosure can also reveal the identity and status of the deceased. In ancient China, there was a clear hierarchy, and people would show the identity of the deceased through the specifications and shapes of tombs. Therefore, the size and shape of the enclosure often reflect the social status of the tomb owner.
Finally, sealing the soil can also play a role in protecting the tomb. For ancient aristocrats, their tombs were usually burglar-proof. The existence of sealed soil can increase the difficulty of tomb robbers excavation, thus protecting the safety of the tomb to a certain extent. 
To sum up, sealing soil plays a very important role in Chinese funeral culture. It not only helps us to determine the location of the grave, but also reveals the identity and status of the deceased, and also serves to protect the tomb. Therefore, we should respect this traditional custom and not easily ignore or destroy the sealed soil on the grave.