Chinese Qingming Festival

Chinese Qingming Festival (清明节 clearness and brightness) falls on early April every year, it is a day to remember and honour one's ancestors. Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food and libation to the ancestors.

In ancient China, Qingming was by no means the only time when sacrifices were made to ancestors. In fact such ceremonies were held very frequently, about every two weeks, in addition to other important festivals. The formalities of these ceremonies were in general very elaborate and expensive in terms of time and money.

In an effort to reduce this expense, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty declared in 732 AD that respects would be fomally paid at the tombs of ancestors only on the day of Qingming. This is the custom that continues to date.

People will visit their ancestors' graves. They will clean up, remove weeds and sweep away leaves. This is why Qingming is also known as the Grave Sweeping Day.

At this time, people also visit the graves of military heroes in public cemeteries, expressing their respect by placing a bouquet of freshly cut flowers.

According to traditional Chinese lunar calendar which divides the year into 24 periods based on the position of the earth as it orbits the sun, Qingming also marks the start of spring plowing in China's north, and of spring sowing in the south. It is usually a time to celebrate the fact that the winter winds and snow are gone, the spring rain has eased up a little, and springtime has come.

Other Chinese Traditional Festivals