What are the taboos for visiting graves during the Cold Clothes Festival?

Cold Clothes Festival is one of the traditional festivals in my country for worshipping the deceased and ancestors. The main thing on this day is to burn some paper money, clothes and other things for the ancestors to seek blessings from the ancestors. Therefore, whether it is worshipping or visiting the graves on this day, there are actually certain rules and taboos. Let's learn about them together.

What are the customs of visiting graves during the Cold Clothes Festival?

Worship time

If you are offering sacrifices in an ancestral hall or in front of a tablet, you can do so no matter day or night; if you can only go to a less crowded intersection or on the roadside, you can only offer sacrifices at night.

Ways of worship

The process of worshipping in the ancestral hall or at the memorial tablet is relatively simple. You just need to burn three incense sticks, exchange a few words with the ancestors while burning paper and make a wish for their blessing.

For example, at a road junction, you need to make a circle of flowers, and don't close it up, leaving a small gap, so that it is convenient for the ancestors to receive the offerings. Before burning, burn a part outside the circle first, as a reward for the passing souls, and then burn paper inside the circle, and when burning paper, you can ask the ancestors for blessings.

Offerings

There is no distinction between types of paper money to burn. If you want to burn ingots, you must burn silver ingots, not gold ingots! Because gold ingots are for gods, and silver ingots are for people. The deceased cannot receive gold ingots.

Before worshipping, you should first find another place to burn some paper money for all the past gods in the four lives and six realms, and then burn winter clothes and paper money for your relatives.

Notes on sacrifice

You cannot worship people who died suddenly or unexpectedly;

Infants and children under three years old are not suitable to participate;

Pregnant women and women during menstruation are not allowed to participate;

People who are weak or have a bad luck should not participate in the worship.

What are the taboos for visiting graves during the Cold Clothes Festival?

1. Don't wear brightly colored clothes, plain clothes are fine. Be serious and pious during worship, and don't play around or laugh.

2. When burning paper money, clothes, etc. for deceased relatives, it is best to "note" who is sending it to whom to ensure that the relatives can receive it correctly.

3. Don’t leave in a hurry before the offering is completely burned. Wait until the offering is completely burned before leaving. On the one hand, it is burned thoroughly so that relatives can receive it, and on the other hand, it is also to avoid causing a fire. When leaving, do not look back until you turn the corner.

4. You can take the offerings you bring back and share them, or you can leave them alone, but you must not take other people’s offerings.

5. Do not say offensive words when others are worshipping. This is also a sign of respect.

6. Avoid stepping on ghost paper or burnt paper ashes. If you cannot avoid it, you should acknowledge that you have no intention of offending anyone and say sorry before passing on.

7. The place for sacrifice should be convenient and environmentally friendly, such as a cemetery, doorstep, or crossroads.

8. Dust yourself off before entering the house. One purpose is to get rid of all kinds of dust, and the other is to prevent evil spirits from entering the house.

9. Don’t believe in evil spirits or play games to attract ghosts on the night of Cold Clothes Festival. After all, ghosts can be good or bad.

10. Wash and bathe in advance and get enough rest before offering sacrifice.

Can someone replace me during the Cold Clothes Festival?

Don’t consider the agents on the market, but if there is a wizard with communication skills, he can represent you in the worship.

However, the purpose of sacrificial offerings is to make the ancestors live well in the underworld and to seek blessings from the ancestors. If you can participate, it is best to participate in person to show your sincerity. If you are not suitable to participate, blood relatives and married couples can worship on behalf of each other, which relies on the power of blood.