Sometimes called Tomb Sweeping Day or the Pure Brightness Festival pure brightness is the English translation of Qingming , it's an annual event to remember and honor ancestors and celebrate the warming weather.
It's both reverent and fun. The present observance of the holiday is credited to Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, who declared a formal holiday for the Chinese to respect their ancestors to prevent wealthy citizens from holding too many extravagant ceremonies. Qingming always falls on the first day of the fifth solar term of the traditional Chinese calendar, which is the 15th day after the spring equinox: April 4, 5 or 6.
A modern-day Ching Ming Festival is a time of reflection and remembering those who have passed. Families visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and tidy up the gravesites. They sweep and pull weeds from the places where their loved ones rest and make repairs if needed. They place fresh flowers, willow branches said to ward off unwelcome ghosts and food offerings on the graves. Traditional Ching Ming foods include sweet green rice balls, peach blossom porridge, crispy cakes, snails and eggs.
Because of the historical significance of cold food, these foods are usually cooked a day or two ahead of time. Learn about another Chinese tradition: Chung Yeung. Ching Ming is more than honoring those who have passed. The early spring date makes it naturally a celebration of life , beauty and the season of renewal.
As part of Ching Ming celebrations, many families will picnic at the cemetery, fly kites, take a walk and play tug-of-war. It's also a good time for planting flowers and trees, which many families will also do together. These activities are time spent with generations of loved ones sharing memories of those who have gone before them.
There are no mounds and often, no grass at all. Instead, row after row of stone tablets are usually constructed with concrete paths running between them. At urban cemeteries like this, very little grave maintenance is required.
In the countryside, once the graves are cleared, offerings are usually placed at the foot of the burial mounds or on the semi-circle of cement in front of those graves that have been cemented over. What is left as an offering varies by family and by region.
Firecrackers are now banned in most cities, so on or around the Qingming Festival, relatives of those who are buried in cities may simply visit the graves, burn some incense and leave some flowers.
Since Qingming Festival falls in early spring every year, it usually coincides with some of the first warm days of the year. Another popular Qingming activity is kite-flying.
Colored lanterns are often attached to kites in the evening so that they twinkle as they travel through the sky. Traditionally, people believe that they can increase their chances of having good luck by cutting the strings of their kites and letting them float away instead of reeling them back in. The dumplings are often stuffed with some sort of filling such as sweet red bean paste.
These are deep fried salty dough twists which are cooked in advance and allowed to cool and dry. They are eaten cold and are often seasoned with sesame seeds. Qingming Festival remains an important holiday in China, providing many people with the chance to pay their respects to their ancestors and spend time enjoying the great outdoors. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Anne Meredith June 30, Chinese Holidays.
Table of Contents How did the Qingming Festival originate? What do people do during Qingming Festival? Duke Wen. Jie Zitui The front. Free minute Trial Lesson. Flying kites is enjoyed by many people, young and old, during the Qingming Festival. Swinging is another activity for children. A special food for the festival is called qingtuan, or sweet green rice balls made from glutinous rice soaked in and colored by green plant juice and stuffed.
In addition, people believe that eating an boiled egg on Qingming will bring good health for the year. Some people also draw paintings on the boiled eggs before eating them. Another folk custom is to knock boiled eggs against each other for fun. Actually, one of the most important and long-lasting customs of Qingming is "taqing" , meaning spring outing, as this is the time when the sun shines soft and bright, the trees and grass become green and flowers blossom.
Today, Qingming is a national holiday. Some traditions of Qingming have brought problems, say, traffic jams and air pollution or even forest fires caused by firecrackers and paper money burning. As part of a greener Qingming campaign, people have been encouraged to pay tribute to their ancestors and deceased beloved ones online, or burn less or no paper money. In pics: spring scenery across China.
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