Qingming Festival

Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, is an important traditional festival in China. Qingming Festival falls around April 5, it’s a time for people to not only commemorate their deceased ancestors, but also get out and enjoy nature.

Qingming Festival dates back from Zhou Dynasty and has a history of more than 2500 years. Ancient emperors would hold the ceremony of offering sacrifices to ancestors during the Tomb-Sweeping Day, and later people began to follow the custom. Meanwhile, Qingming Festival also has a meaning of Cold Food Festival. In the old Spring and Autumn Period, Chong’er, king of the Jin state, established the Cold Food Festival to commemorate the loyal minister Jie Zitui. On that day, the whole nation cannot light fire for cooking, and they could merely eat cold food. Because the two festivals are only one or two days apart, Cold Food Festival is regarded as Qingming Festival.

Tomb Sweeping Day is one of the 24 solar terms. During that time, the temperature rises and all things revive, people sow seeds and hang out together.

1. Kite flying

In the past, people flied kites in the sky and then cut the string. It is said that this can ward off disease and bring good luck.

2. Spring outing

In ancient times, it was called Tanchun and Xunchun. During the Qingming Festival, Spring comes back and nature is full of vitality, it is really a good time for getting out. So Chinese people keeps this habit from generation to generation.

3. Willow branches inserting

Willow is a symbol of great life force, so people believe they have a function of warding off ghosts. Tomb-Sweeping Festival is one of the three major Chinese ghost festivals, people insert willow branches next to gates to disperse ghosts.

Qingming Festival has an extraordinary cultural significance in China. On the one hand, it can maintain people’s emotional needs to remember their ancestors and strengthen relationships between families. On the other hand, it will unite Chinese at home and abroad, and enhance the cohesion of the Chinese nation.