Do we need to visit graves on Double Ninth Festival? There is a saying that Double Ninth Festival is called Qingming Festival.

Do we need to visit graves on Double Ninth Festival? The Double Ninth Festival is one of China's traditional festivals for worshipping ancestors. Many people visit graves and pay homage to their ancestors on this day. Next, let’s take a look at the relevant content of tomb sweeping and sacrifice on the Double Ninth Festival.

Do we need to visit graves on Double Ninth Festival?

Do we need to visit graves on Double Ninth Festival? The Double Ninth Festival, New Year's Eve, Tomb-Sweeping Day, the Double Ninth Festival and the Ghost Festival are the four major traditional Chinese festivals for ancestor worship. According to Lüshi Chunqiu, in the pre-Qin period, there were activities of offering sacrifices to the Emperor of Heaven and ancestors in September of autumn when crops were harvested to thank the Emperor of Heaven and ancestors for their kindness. Therefore, many places will take the opportunity of climbing mountains during the Double Ninth Festival to pay homage to their ancestors’ tombs and commemorate their ancestors. The custom of tomb sweeping and offering sacrifices on the Double Ninth Festival is still very popular, but the forms of ancestor worship vary from place to place due to different customs. In many places such as Tonglu in Zhejiang, Putian in Fujian, Taiwan, and Singapore, people still "prepare pigs and sheep to worship their ancestors" on September 9, which is called the Autumn Sacrifice. It is understood that today, the descendants of Confucius in the Pearl River Delta will go to the Fengming Ancient Tomb in Baiyun District, Guangzhou to worship their ancestors on the Double Ninth Festival every year - worshipping Taigong, which is an ancient family custom.

Tomb-sweeping customs on the Double Ninth Festival in different regions

Fujian

People in Putian, Fujian also have the custom of worshiping their ancestors on the Double Ninth Festival. They celebrate Double Ninth Festival to worship their ancestors more than Qingming Festival, so there is a saying that March is the Small Qingming Festival and Double Ninth Festival is the Big Qingming Festival. Moreover, the ninth day of the ninth lunar month every year is the day when Mazu passed away. People who believe in Mazu flock to the Mazu temple to offer sacrifices and worship in order to seek her blessing.

Guangdong

The Double Ninth Festival ancestor worship is commonly known as "worshiping Taigong Mountain" in Cantonese, and all family members must participate. The Double Ninth Festival is a day of worship after the harvest to thank ancestors for their kindness and pray for their blessings, so the atmosphere is relaxed and pleasant, without any sorrow. There are many rules and regulations for tomb sweeping and ancestor worship. First, worship the public ancestor, then worship the ancestors of each branch in turn, and finally each family worships its own ancestors.