Can you visit the graves on the 15th day of the first lunar month? It depends on the customs of where you live.

Can I visit the graves on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month? The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival, also known as the Shangyuan Festival, and there is a custom of sacrificial offerings in many places. Next, let’s take a closer look.

Can I visit the graves on the 15th day of the first lunar month?

Can

1. According to historical records, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is one of China's traditional sacrificial festivals. As early as the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of Han would hold a sacrificial ceremony for "Taiyi" in Ganquan Palace on the fifteenth night of the first lunar month. People would also offer sacrifices, burn incense, kowtow and pray for blessings in ancestral halls on the night of the Lantern Festival.

2. As time goes by, on the Lantern Festival, people from many places will return home from all directions, gather together, and then after lunch, bring paper money and firecrackers to their ancestral graves to burn paper, worship their ancestors, set off firecrackers, and pay homage to their deceased ancestors.

3. However, due to different customs in different places, some places do not have the custom of ancestor worship on the Lantern Festival. Generally, people go to the tombs to worship before the New Year. New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival are all part of the New Year celebrations, and tomb sweeping is generally not done.

Things to note when visiting graves

Necessary offerings

Necessary offerings: incense, candles, paper money, fruits, snacks, and vegetarian wine.

Specific time

Generally speaking, the best time to visit graves and offer sacrifices is between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. It is not advisable to visit graves before dawn or before sunset.

Dress well

Sacrifice is a solemn thing, so when visiting the tomb, you should dress neatly and look solemn. Don't wear revealing clothes, use rude words, or make loud noises.

Language taboos

When visiting the graves, you must concentrate and avoid saying anything disrespectful to the deceased. Do not look around, do not look closely at other people's graves, do not step on other people's graves, or make comments about other people's graves.

Important recommendations

People with weak destiny should not go to the cemetery alone. In terms of clothing, it is recommended to wear red underwear, red socks, or a red hat, etc.