What are the rules for tomb sweeping? When is the time of tomb sweeping?

Tomb sweeping is a kind of "tomb sacrifice" and also a way to "respect and remember" the ancestors. The custom has a long history. In the north, it is called "going to the grave". In some places, tomb sweeping is called "sweeping the mountain" or "worshiping the mountain". In some areas of the south, it is called "hanging the mountain" or "hanging paper". So, what are the rules for tomb sweeping time?

What are the rules for tomb sweeping?

There are generally two time periods for tomb sweeping. One is during the New Year (some people do it on New Year's Eve, and some do it on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival is also called the Shangyuan Festival, which is one of the "Three Yuan Festivals" of Taoist sacrificial festivals, and it is allowed to visit graves and sweep tombs.). The second is during the Qingming Festival or earlier; in addition, the specific time for tomb sweeping is also important, and it is best to choose between 7:00 and 15:00, when the Yang energy is stronger. It is not appropriate to visit the graves before daybreak or before sunset. However, since most cemeteries are far away from where people live, or even from the cities where people live and work, it is usually not that early, but it is best to complete the tomb sweeping and worship before 3 pm. If you feel low spirits on the day of tomb-sweeping, you can wear jade jewelry on your body, which is said to help stabilize your spirit.

Can we visit graves earlier during the Spring Festival?

People can visit the graves from the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month to New Year's Eve, but in most areas, they visit the graves and pay homage to their ancestors in the afternoon of New Year's Eve. Visiting the graves and paying homage to ancestors is a grand folk activity during the Spring Festival. It is a way to express gratitude and remembrance to ancestors, and to hope that the ancestral spirits will bless their descendants with prosperity, happiness and well-being. If you have the means, you can offer sacrifices to your ancestors before eating the New Year’s Eve dinner and send them back home on the fifth day of the New Year, which means sending them back to their graves. On the morning of the third day of the Lunar New Year, three pieces of yellow paper are lit and sent out of the room with fire. This is to send off the gods and ancestors back to their hometown in the cemetery.

How many days in advance can you visit the graves during Qingming Festival?

You can make it about a week in advance. In the past, there was a folk saying "early Qingming Festival, late 11th Festival". The earlier you commemorate your ancestors on Qingming Festival, the better. It can be done a week or even two weeks before Qingming Festival, and don't rush it all on Qingming Festival. In Lishui, Zhejiang, people sweep tombs three days before and four days after Tomb-Sweeping Day, which is called "the first three and the last four". In some places, it is even wider, called "seven in front and eight in the back". In other words, it is possible to visit the graves seven days before or eight days after Qingming Festival.

How long in advance should we visit the graves during the Qingming Festival?

New grave: refers to a grave that has been buried for no more than 3 years. The first tomb sweeping should be done on an auspicious day within 10 days before the Qingming Festival. The second tomb sweeping should be done on the day before the Qingming Festival. The third tomb sweeping should be done on an auspicious day within 10 days after the Qingming Festival.

Old grave: refers to a grave that has been buried for more than 3 years. The time for sweeping the old grave can be chosen on any day within 10 days before or after the Qingming Festival. It is not necessary to choose an auspicious day. After the date for sweeping the grave is selected, the specific time for sweeping the grave should be chosen at the fifth watch of the morning, that is, before the sun comes out. This is because traditional customs hold that ghosts and gods dare not come out to eat offerings before dawn.