The difference between winter solstice tomb sweeping and Qingming tomb sweeping

Winter solstice tomb sweeping was popular during the Tang and Song dynasties. The Hokkien/Chaoshan people are immigrants from the Central Plains in the Tang and Song Dynasties, so they have retained this custom. Tomb sweeping during the Qingming Festival was popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

1. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, the Winter Solstice was a day for worshiping heaven and ancestors. On the winter solstice, the emperor would go to the countryside to hold a ceremony to worship heaven. On this day, people would worship their parents and elders. In addition to worshiping one's direct ancestors, any family that has an "ancestral temple" or "ancestral temple" must hold a sacrificial ceremony together with the family, which is called "Winter Sacrifice".

2. According to the Ming Dynasty Gu Qiyuan's "Guest Explanation·Mausoleum Sacrifice" and the Ming Dynasty Shen Defu's "Wanli Yehuobian·Mausoleum Sacrifice" records, the Ming Dynasty court had a set of regular rituals for the Nanjing emperor's mausoleum. As for the sacrificial system, Taizu's Xiaoling Mausoleum has three sacrifices per year, namely the Qingming Festival, Zhongyuan Festival, and Winter Solstice Festival. It also shows the importance attached to winter solstice sacrifices.