Why do we visit graves and pay respect to our ancestors during the Qingming Festival? What is the meaning of going outing and paying respect to our ancestors during the Qingming Festival?

Around the Qingming Festival, many people will go to sweep the graves of their deceased ancestors, relatives and friends. Tomb sweeping during the Qingming Festival is a traditional custom that has been passed down for thousands of years. So why do we sweep tombs during the Qingming Festival? What's the point of this?

Why do we sweep tombs and worship our ancestors on Qingming Festival?

1. Remembering our ancestors

Since ancient times, we have attached great importance to filial piety, and tomb sweeping is closely linked to filial piety. Therefore, tomb sweeping on Qingming Festival is a way to respect the dead and honor ancestors. It is an activity for people to express gratitude and reflect the love of blood-related family members. "Will the Chinese really receive blessings from their ancestors who they worship tirelessly every year?" But for more Chinese people: they are not dead, they just live in people's hearts in a different place. Qingming Festival is a time to remember your roots. Some people say that a person dies three times in his life: the first time is when he breathes his last, and then he dies biologically. The second time was when he was buried, people came to his funeral, remembering his life, and he died in the society. The third time was when the last person who remembered him forgot about him, and that was when he was truly dead. Qingming Festival is a festival that faces death directly.

2. Remember the tradition

Tomb sweeping during Qingming Festival is not only a personal matter, but also a kind of inheritance of national spiritual culture. Tomb sweeping is also a manifestation of filial piety. It also inherits the Chinese nation's spirit of "filial piety" and represents not forgetting one's responsibilities. The traditional culture created by our ancestors must never be forgotten.

3. Respect for history

The tradition of tomb-sweeping on Qingming Festival is the spiritual umbilical cord connecting individuals with history. Remembering ancestors is a manifestation of people's respect for life. It is also a kind of awe for past history and respect for the struggles and hard work of ancestors. We should respect history and avoid leaving any man-made omissions.

What is the meaning of outing and ancestor worship during the Qingming Festival?

The meaning of Qingming Festival is condensed in the rituals of ancestor worship and tomb sweeping. "Ritual" often contains many meanings. The reason why "ritual" can last forever is that it is engraved with the imprint of life development. These imprints will remain in people's hearts for a long time no matter how the world changes. The "ritual" travels through time with blood inheritance, allowing future generations to establish connections with their ancestors. If "there are no ancients in front of us and no successors behind us", people will feel great panic. The "rituals" in life are to confirm that we are not alone. When I grew up, I left home and went to work in a faraway city. In order to live a good life, I worked overtime, stayed up all night, fought for my life, met all kinds of people, and ran around in various social occasions. We who have been wandering outside for many years often forget who we are, where we came from and where we can go back to. Qingming Festival is a festival that makes you recall everything. It reminds you where you come from, remember your ancestors, and remember that they once struggled and worked hard for life. Writer Shi Tiesheng once said: "I believe that every person who has lived can add a ray of light to the path of future generations. Maybe it is a superstar, maybe it is a torch, maybe it is just a candle with tears... Our courage to regain life is actually the blessing of our ancestors.