Celebrating Tomb Sweeping Day (Qingming Festival): Traditions and Cultural Heritage
Written by Clementine |
China has several major traditional festivals, including the Chinese New Year, Lantern Festival, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival. Among them, the Qingming Festival is an important day for honoring ancestors. Qingming is one of Chinaās 24 solar terms, which objectively reflect seasonal changes in temperature, rainfall, and phenology. Ancient farmers used these terms to plan agricultural activities. However, as a festival, Qingming differs from a mere solar term. While solar terms mark the sequence of seasons and phenological changes, festivals include customs and commemorative significance.
The Qingming Festival is a day for ancestral worship and tomb-sweeping. Most Han ChineseĀ and some ethnic minoritiesĀ observe this tradition during Qingming. Also called the TombĀ Sweeping Day, it falls between April 4th and 6th on the Gregorian calendar, when spring is in full bloom and nature is rejuvenated. This period is ideal for spring outings, know as āTa Qingā in Chinese. Hence, it has become customary for people to enjoy outdoor activities and sports during the Qingming Festival.
What Is Qingming Festival
In Chinese, the Qingming Festival is called āęø ęčā (QÄ«ngmĆng JiĆ©), which means āPure Brightness Festival.ā It reflects the clear and bright weather during this time of the year.Ā In traditional Chinese culture, the Qingming Festival is a holiday for commemorating ancestors and deceased loved ones. The main ritual is tomb-sweeping, accompanied by activities such as spring outings and tree planting. The festival embodies the values of remembering oneās roots, uniting the community, welcoming spring and staying healthy, as well as caring for nature. Du Muās poem QingmingĀ paints a beautiful ink-wash picture, with spring rain, cowherds, and wine shops. The poetās hurried footsteps lead us through the poetic sentiment of the Qingming Festival.
Zhang Zeduanās Along the River During the Qingming FestivalĀ transports viewers to another festive scene: a forest of shops, bustling crowds, and diverse carriages, horses, and boats. The painting captures a scene of busy activity and prosperity. Today, the Qingming Festival still holds an important place in peopleās daily lives. Honoring ancestors, remembering the past, paying tribute to martyrs, and looking forward to the future to create a happy and beautiful future. These are the themes of Chinese celebrations.
Along The River During The Qingming Festival
The famous Chinese Painting Qingming Shanghe TuĀ (ęø ęäøę²³å¾) by Zhang Zeduan in North Song Dynasty describes the scene around Bianhe River inĀ Kaifeng City.Ā For over a thousand years, this painting has enjoyed great fame and popularity, inspiring numerous copies and imitations. Many public and private collections around the world hold various replicas and forgeries. The painting currently housed in the Palace MuseumĀ in BeijingĀ is widely recognized as the original Song Dynasty version.
This work vividly documents the urban landscape of the Northern Song Dynastyās capital, Dongjing. It also shows theĀ living conditions of people from all social strata in the early 12th century China. It reflects the prosperous economy of the time and the customs, daily lives, and cultural practices of the people, including their clothing, food, shelter, and transportation.
As an encyclopedic representation of the Northern Song period, Along The River During The Qingming FestivalĀ holds immense historical, archaeological, and artistic value. It is considered a national treasure of China, a testament to the prosperity of Bianjing during the Northern Song Dynasty, and a reflection of the urban economic conditions of that era.
When Is Qingming Festival
Chinese Tomb Sweeping Day usually falls on the 4th, 5th, or 6th day of April.
The length of a year is determined by the movement of the sun, and the twenty-four solar terms are also defined by the sunās position. The dates of these terms generally do not change significantly from year to year. However, a tropical year actually lasts 365.2422 days, while the calendar year is set at 365 days. This results in an excess of 0.2422 days (equivalent to 5.8 hours) each year. Consequently, the specific timing of each solar term is postponed by 0.2422 days annually. Over four years, this accumulates to 0.9688 days, nearly a full day.
To be more precise, the Gregorian calendar includes a leap year system, with an extra day (February 29th) added every four years. If the postponement causes the timing of a solar term to cross midnight into the next day, or if a leap year causes it to shift to the previous day, the date of the solar term will change. However, the date variation will only occur within a three-day range. In recent decades, the date of Qingming has consistently varied between April 4th and April 6th.
Year |
Qingming Festival Date |
2024 |
Apr. 4 |
2025 |
Apr. 4 |
2026 |
Apr. 5 |
2027 |
Apr. 5 |
2028 |
Apr. 4 |
āĀ Related reading: China Public Holidays & Important Festivals in 2025
Qingming Festival HistoryĀ & Why Is Qingming Festival Celebrated
Agricultural Roots and the Emergence of Qingming
In ancient society, agriculture was highly valued, and the success of crops was closely related to natural climatic conditions such as sunlight and rainfall. To better plan their farming activities, people observed and summarized the patterns of phenological and astronomical changes, forming a system of four seasons and eight solar terms. Gradually, this system was refined into the twenty-four solar terms, and Qingming was one of them.
The arrival of Qingming marks the prime time for spring plowing. However, in the festival system of that time, Qingming was inconspicuous. Because the ancient Shangsi Festival and the Cold Food Festival were much richer in content and fell around the same time, overshadowing Qingming.
Interaction with Other Festivals
Firstly, the Shangsi Festival was an important occasion for purification and riverside bathing activities. People would go to the river in groups to bathe, hoping to wash away the bad luck of the year. The Cold Food Festival, which usually falls about 105 days after the Winter Solstice, commemorates Jie Zitui.
In the past, the Cold Food Festival and Qingming were two separate concepts: the former was a holiday with no fire allowed, while the latter was a solar term. However, due to calendar variations, Qingming sometimes overlapped or was close to the Cold Food Festival, leading to a gradual merging of their customs. Before the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Cold Food Festival was more popular than Qingming, with entertaining customs like floating cups on winding streams and floating eggs on water. This situation lasted for quite a long time until Emperor Xuanzong of Tang officially included tomb-sweeping on Qingming in the ritual codes.
Evolution and Modern Significance
As society developed, the focus of these festivalsā customs underwent subtle changes. During the Song Dynasty, the commodity economy was relatively prosperous, and peopleās living standards had improved, giving them more energy to celebrate festivals. The ritualistic purification activities of the Shangsi Festival diminished, while the cultural connotations of spring outings and tomb-sweeping became more prominent, becoming core themes of Qingming.
Since the Tang Dynasty, Qingming has integrated the customs of the other two major festivals, becoming richer and more fascinating. The focus of peopleās celebrations shifted more and more towards Qingming. Later, considering various factors, Qingming made a remarkable comeback, surpassing the Shangsi and Cold Food festivals in popularity. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Cold Food Festival had almost disappeared, and Qingming became the dominant spring festival, with tomb-sweeping and spring outings as its two most important themes.
Qingming Festival Food
China has a wide variety of delicious foods. Different festivals also have their own special foods. For example, zongzi (rice dumplings) are eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival, and mooncakesĀ are enjoyed during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Similarly, the Qingming Festival has its own unique foods.
Qingtuan
Qingtuan was originally an offering used during tomb-sweeping on Qingming Festival in the Jiangnan region. Its skin is made from a mixture of glutinous rice and non-glutinous rice, and the filling is relatively coarse. It is said that Qingtuan is made by mixing juice from mugwort leaves with glutinous rice, pounding them together until the rice absorbs the juice and turns into a bright green paste.
Jujube Cake
Jujube cake is one of the ten famous pastries in the āManchu Han Imperial Feast.ā Originally a royal pastry in the Qing Dynasty, it was once known as the top palace pastry. It has a rich aroma, a delicate sweetness, and is rich in nutritional components such as Vitamin C, protein, calcium, iron, and vitamins.
Sanzi
In various regions across China, there is a custom of eating Sanzi during the Qingming Festival. Sanzi is a fried food that is crispy and delicate, historically known as āHanju.ā Although the custom of fire prohibition and cold food during the Cold Food Festival is no longer popular in most parts of China, Sanzi, associated with this festival, remains a beloved snack.
āĀ Related reading: The 15 Most Popular Chinese Dishes
What Do You Do on Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping Day Traditions)
There are quite a few traditions of Tomb Sweeping Day well kept from ancient time in China.
Ancestor worshiping
On that day, families would take some wine, fruit, dessert, and drinking water to their ancestorsā tomb for worshiping. At the same time they will bring some after-life money (a kind of paper money especially printed for the dead), paper jacket and paper living goods to tomb to burn.
Though burning paper things to ancestor is superstitious today, Ancient Chinese cultureĀ believes people go to the under-ground world when they pass away where have no thing to support their daily life. AndĀ the daily utensils need to be offered by their relatives still alive. After cleaning tome and paper things burning, families will enjoy the eatable things in front of the tomb. That equals to a reunion meal with their ancestor to some extent.
Spring Outing
If weather allows, people would go for spring trip. Most of them would choose city skirt or some large park to have some bright sunlight, to feel gentle spring breeze and to see the brand fresh color of Spring. Some people may look for some wild vegetable and boil them to try the most natural and fresh taste.
Flying KitesĀ & Lighting Lanterns
Flying kites is a favorable outdoor activity in China. In ancient time, people flew kite in both day time and night time. At night, people may tie several light lanterns to kite. When the kite is high in the sky, the lanterns looked like twinkle stars. Some people may cut the kite sting when the kite fly to sky. They believed the future bad fortune would gone with the kite.
In some regions, lanterns are also used during the Qingming FestivalĀ in China. Families light lanterns and place them near graves or in rivers to guide the spirits of their ancestors and show respect.
Holiday Tour
Together with the weekend before or after the Tomb Sweeping Day, Chinese people couldĀ usuallyĀ have a 3 days Tomb Sweeping Day Holiday. After the ancestor, people would take the chance to do a Spring Trip.Ā Nowadays people take the tree days holiday to have a short tour to nearby cities. So the Tomb Sweeping Day Holiday is one of the peak season for domestic tourist.
Greeting
āHappy xx Festivalā seems a very common greeting during festivals. However, when it comes to the Qingming Festival, this blessing might seem rude. Some people argue that since tomb sweeping and commemorating deceased relatives are major customs of the Qingming Festival, it is inappropriate to say āwish you happiness.ā Others, however, point out that the festival also includes light-hearted and fun activities such as spring outings and tomb-sweeping, therefore it can be a cheerful occasion.
Setting aside the day of the Qingming Festival itself, during the rest of the Qingming period, it is acceptable to say āhappyā. Because it is when a group of young people simply goes out for a spring outing, a picnic, or participating in social activities aimed at relaxation and entertainment. But an even betterĀ and common option would be to wish someone a peaceful Qingming.
āĀ Related reading: Chinese Traditional Festival Activities
Qingming Festival in Other Asian Countries
Besides China, Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore also celebrate Qingming Festival with unique customs. In Vietnam, itās called āTangyuan Festival,ā combining tomb-sweeping with the Cold Food Festival. Koreans visit graves on April 5th, offering flowers and food. In Malaysia and Singapore, Chinese communities clean graves and offer incense, flowers, and food, though itās not a public holiday.
