Can we visit graves on March 3? 2017 Lunar March 3 Do's and Don'ts Query Table

"March 3rd" is a traditional festival for many ethnic groups in China, usually a few days before Qingming Festival. So, can we visit the graves on March 3rd? Is it okay to visit the graves on March 3rd? Let’s take a look at the relevant content about tomb sweeping on March 3rd.

Can we visit graves on March 3rd?

March 3 is also called Shangsi Festival

"March 3rd" is on the third day of the third month in the lunar calendar and it evolved from the Shangsi Festival. The Shangsi Festival itself is a worship activity for people to ward off disasters and pray for blessings. There is no folk custom that prohibits visiting graves and offering sacrifices on March 3rd. Moreover, the third day of the third lunar month is the day for visiting graves in Zhuang areas. Therefore, it is possible to visit the graves on March 3rd.

Ancient records

The poem "Qingming" by Gao Zhu, a poet from Yuyao in the Southern Song Dynasty, goes: "There are many tombs on the hilltops in the north and south, and people go to pay homage to their ancestors on Qingming Festival. Paper ashes fly like white butterflies, and tears and blood turn into red rhododendrons." It describes the scene of tomb sweeping on Qingming Festival in Ningbo during the Song Dynasty. There is an old saying in Ningbo: "Visiting graves on Qingming Festival in March, and starting of summer in April." "The black bamboo shoots are fragrant on Qingming Festival in March, and every family is busy visiting graves." "March 3rd is Qingming Festival, people go to graves to worship their ancestors and go for an outing." Therefore, people in many places choose to worship and sweep graves on March 3rd.