The Most Suitable Flowers for Tomb Sweeping During Qingming Festival
An introduction to the most suitable flowers for tomb sweeping during the Qingming Festival and the plants that bloom during the festival, offering small experiences in plant cultivation. The following is a detailed introduction.
What Flowers Are in Full Bloom During the Qingming Festival?
Peach blossoms, plum blossoms, pear blossoms, Chinese primroses, lilies, begonias, narcissus, Chinese primroses, white magnolias, purple magnolias, kaffir lilies, begonias, cherry blossoms, tulips, etc.
During the Qingming Festival, everyone has the custom of sweeping tombs. After visiting the tombs, they often buy some flowers to place in front of their deceased relatives' graves. However, there are various taboos in the selection of flowers. So, what kind of flowers are most suitable for tomb sweeping during the Qingming Festival?
What Is the Most Suitable Flower for Qingming Tomb Sweeping?
In traditional Chinese Qingming Festival, to express the beautiful expectations of the revival of all things in spring and the cycle of life, tender willow branches and bright peach blossoms are often used for tomb sweeping. Nowadays, chrysanthemums and carnations are favored by the public for their elegant fragrance and clean color. In many European countries, chrysanthemums are also used as cemetery flowers.
Generally speaking, white flowers symbolize mourning. Choosing white chrysanthemums, white lilies, or calla lilies for tomb sweeping is more appropriate. White roses, gardenias, or other plain-colored flowers symbolize regret and remembrance. Some people prefer simple and tenacious plants like蓬莱松, gladiolus, and sweet flag. Yellow flowers can also symbolize mourning, among which the use of yellow chrysanthemums is the most common.
Of course, there is no need to stick to these customs when sweeping tombs. The type of flower can be chosen based on the deceased's age and preferences. Choosing flowers like forget-me-nots, yellow roses, red roses, and paradise birds is also acceptable. It depends on the individual.
If the deceased is an elderly person, the proportion of red and pink fresh flowers can be appropriately increased. These warm colors can better reflect the deep思念 of the descendants. It should be noted that, unless special circumstances, it is best not to use flowers with strong fragrance and bright colors to avoid giving the impression of disrespecting the deceased.
Most of the fresh flowers used during the Qingming Festival are bundled into bouquets. The color elements of the flowers should be light, with white as the main color and yellow as the secondary,点缀 with purple. The flowers for the Qingming Festival bouquets can be chosen from the following: calla lilies, carnations, gladiolus, chrysanthemums, celosia, roses, forget-me-nots, etc.
The Most Suitable Flowers for Tomb Sweeping During the Qingming Festival
The flowers used for tomb sweeping during the Qingming Festival are mainly to express a feeling of remembrance. The main color is white, such as white lilies, white calla lilies, or white or yellow roses. White and yellow flowers mixed with a few branches of purple forget-me-nots can place a bunch of flowers in front of one's family's grave, symbolizing deep思念.
What Flowers Are Good to Send for Qingming?
Generally, white flowers symbolize mourning. Choosing white chrysanthemums, white lilies, or calla lilies for tomb sweeping is more appropriate. White roses, gardenias, or other plain-colored flowers symbolize regret and remembrance. Some people prefer simple and tenacious plants like蓬莱松, gladiolus, and sweet flag. Yellow flowers can also symbolize mourning, among which the use of yellow chrysanthemums is the most common.
The flowers offered for Qingming Festival tomb sacrifices are mainly bundled into bouquets. The overall color should be light, with white as the main color, yellow as the secondary, or点缀 with purple. Flowers mentioned above can be chosen as options.
With the passage of time, modern tomb-sweeping flowers are no longer constrained by traditional forms. Many people are willing to choose flower types based on the deceased's age and preferences. For the elderly, yellow or white chrysanthemums can be offered; for peers, in addition to yellow and white chrysanthemums, light-colored lilies and gentian are also good choices; for friends, you can choose the flowers the deceased liked or those that best express your sorrow for them.
Conclusion: The most important thing about Qingming Festival tomb-sweeping is to mourn the deceased and express one's grief. Under this premise, traditional flowers like chrysanthemums can be offered, but it is not necessarily limited to traditional choices. Flowers like forget-me-nots, yellow roses, red roses, and paradise birds can also be used depending on the situation. However, it should be noted that, unless special circumstances, it is best not to use flowers with strong fragrance and bright colors to avoid giving the impression of disrespecting the deceased.
Flower Language for Qingming Festival Tomb Sweeping
White Chrysanthemum
Flower Language: Purity, Nobility
Suitable for: Family and friends
Suggested Combination: Yellow chrysanthemum, Gerbera
Spring is the season of revival. Are you also looking forward to the beautiful expectations of the cycle of life? Bring fresh flowers to pay tribute to your ancestors. White chrysanthemums are the most common choice. Their elegant and clean charm symbolizes respect for the deceased and conveys feelings of sorrow and remembrance, hoping they will bless the living in heaven.
Yellow Chrysanthemum
Flower Language: Missing
Suitable for: Family and friends
Suggested Combination: White chrysanthemum, Forget-me-not
Holding a bunch of golden yellow chrysanthemums to pay tribute to one's ancestors has become the most popular Qingming Festival tradition. The deep longing in this bright color becomes even more distant and long-lasting. Yellow chrysanthemums, due to different cultural meanings in the East and West, are used to express相思 in the East, especially in China, and to mourn the dead in the West.
Calla Lily
Flower Language: Unswerving Loyalty
Suitable for: Lover, Friend
Suggested Combination: Pink/White Rose, Forget-me-not, Full Star
Did you know that the calla lily, which symbolizes happiness and purity, is not necessarily used only for weddings? The elegant white calla lily, wrapped in thick kraft paper and placed in front of the portrait of the deceased, brings back the wonderful memories...
Forget-me-not
Flower Language: Eternal Love, Unchanging Heart
Suitable for: Family, Partner, Friend
Suggested Combination: White Rose, White Lily
The name "Forget-me-not" is quite romantic: it is said that an ancient European knight paid the price of his life to pick a bunch of flowers for his beloved girlfriend, and these flowers were forget-me-nots. This purple dream flower has the magic power to take your思念 to the dreamed Eden. Perhaps, no flower is more suitable for expressing this unspoken emotion: "Please remember me, hoping that it's not too late, I will come back to give you happiness."
White Rose
Flower Language: Respect, Purity, Pure Love
Suitable for: Lover, Partner, Friend
Suggested Combination: Forget-me-not, Full Star, Bamboo
The sacred and pure white rose, with its elegant and beautiful appearance, has been given multiple meanings, but the eternal love remains unchanged. A white rose paired with a few branches of purple forget-me-nots is fresh and elegant, expressing all the missing in silence. The simple and affordable price is also a good reason to choose white roses.
Qingming Festival Flower Etiquette
For Elders: Yellow or white chrysanthemums can be offered.
For Peers: Yellow or white chrysanthemums can also be chosen. Additionally, light-colored lilies and gentian are also good choices.
For Friends: Choose the flowers the deceased liked.
Taboos to Note When Sweeping Tombs During the Qingming Festival
In the Qingming Festival, sweeping tombs has become a custom that has been流行 for many years, and this custom has been popular since ancient times. But what is the reason for sweeping tombs during the Qingming Festival? And what should be paid attention to during the tomb-sweeping period? So, what are the taboos for sweeping tombs during the Qingming Festival?
1. Pregnant women should avoid sweeping tombs
It is generally better for pregnant women to avoid participating in tomb-sweeping activities during the Qingming Festival. For the safety of the fetus, it is not recommended for pregnant women to participate. Also, women with their periods should avoid such activities.
2. Avoid wearing bright colored clothes
It is not appropriate to wear bright red or purple clothes to visit graves during the Qingming Festival, as this is disrespectful to one's ancestors. Everyone should avoid wearing such clothes during these activities. However, some people may overlook this and accidentally use red accessories. Both内衣 and undershirts should not be red, except for the year of one's zodiac sign.
3. Outsiders should not participate in others' tomb-sweeping
It is considered taboo for outsiders to participate in others' tomb-sweeping during the Qingming Festival, as it may bring unnecessary trouble. After all, they are not family.
4. Do not take photos at the cemetery
Everyone visits the cemetery to pay homage to their ancestors, not to play around. When sweeping tombs, one should be respectful and careful, and should not take photos or pose for pictures at the cemetery.
5. Repair the cemetery
If there are weeds or plants growing on the grave, they must be cleared and the surroundings cleaned up to make the cemetery look tidy. This is the most important point to remember. Tomb-sweeping is all about cleaning up.
6. Avoid sweeping tombs when feeling unwell
Those who are sick or weak, or who have been unlucky recently, should avoid participating in tomb-sweeping activities, as they are in a low-point state and may easily attract negative energy.
9. Qingming Festival sweeping tomb time
The best time for sweeping tombs is when the sun is strong, which is after 9 a.m. and before 3 p.m. It's best to finish the Qingming Festival tomb-sweeping activities before 3 p.m. The Qingming Festival can be celebrated from five days before and after the festival, including the day of the festival itself. However, on the day of Hanshi Festival (the day before Qingming), it is not appropriate to sweep tombs.
In Chinese history, the custom of Hanshi Festival, which禁止 fire and honors the dead, has evolved into the continuous tradition of Qingming Festival tomb-sweeping. Even in today's society, people still have the custom of visiting graves to sweep tombs during the Qingming Festival: clearing away weeds, offering sacrifices, burning incense, and offering paper money and gold ingots, or simply placing a bunch of fresh flowers to express remembrance for the deceased.
History of Qingming Festival
The Qingming Festival is a traditional and important festival in China. It is actually related to the Hanshi Festival. As history has developed, what is the development history of the Qingming Festival?
Merged Hanshi Festival Customs
Originally, the Qingming Festival was just a term for a solar term. Its evolution into a festival for honoring ancestors is related to the Hanshi Festival. The Hanshi Festival is an ancient Chinese festival, said to have been established in memory of Jie Zitui, a loyal minister of the Jin State. In fact, from a historical perspective, the ban on fire and cold food during the Hanshi Festival mainly reflect the traces of the ancient custom of changing fire. In primitive society, fire was obtained by drilling wood, and firewood species often changed with the seasons, so changing fire and obtaining new fire were important events in the lives of ancient people. In spring, it was time to change fire, and during the period when new fire was not yet available, people were forbidden to make fire. The Hanshi Festival was also known as the "No Fire Day" in the Han Dynasty, as people were not allowed to light fires at home, and only at night could fires be lit in the palace, and the fire was passed on to the nobles and ministers.
Customs during the Hanshi Festival mainly included禁火 cold food and the later main content of the Qingming Festival, which is sweeping tombs. The ancient Chinese attached great importance to ancestor worship. In ancient times, when someone died, only a grave pit was dug for burial, and no tomb mound was built. Ancestor worship was mainly conducted in ancestral temples. Later, tombs began to be built with tomb mounds, and ancestor worship was moved from ancestral temples to tombs, which provided a physical basis for the custom.
In the Warring States period, the custom of tomb-sweeping became increasingly popular. According to the "Han Shu," high officials like Yan Yan would often return to their hometowns to sweep tombs, even if they were thousands of miles away. In the Tang Dynasty, whether it was scholars or common people, they all considered tomb-sweeping during the Hanshi Festival as a ritual to return to one's roots. Since the Qingming Festival is close to the Hanshi Festival, people often extended tomb-sweeping to the Qingming Festival. Poets also often mentioned both Hanshi and Qingming in their works, such as Wei Yingwu's lines: "Qingming Hanshi is good, spring gardens are full of flowers." Bai Juyi also has lines: "Owls and magpies cry in the twilight, who is crying on the day of Hanshi?" The government, seeing that the custom of combining Hanshi and Qingming had become a习惯, officially stipulated that during the Qingming Festival, people could take a holiday together with Hanshi Festival. This regulation has been in place for more than 1,200 years, indicating that since then, the Qingming Festival has begun to take on the color of a national法定 holiday.
During the Song and Yuan dynasties, the Qingming Festival gradually rose from being a festival attached to Hanshi to replacing Hanshi. This was not only reflected in the fact that tomb-sweeping and other rituals were mostly held during the Qingming Festival, but even the customs of cold food, cuju, and swinging during the Hanshi Festival were incorporated into the Qingming Festival.
The above introduction to the most suitable flowers for tomb sweeping during the Qingming Festival and the plants that bloom during the festival is provided by (Green Plant Enthusiast Network) for you. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited!