Qing Ming Festival - Tomb Sweeping Day

The Qingming Festival usually falls in April in the solar calendar. At the very beginning, it was a very important solar term. The weather gradually turns ... Home > AboutChina QingMingFestival TombSweepingDay 2014/03/28        TheQingmingFestivalusuallyfallsinAprilinthesolarcalendar.Attheverybeginning,itwasaveryimportantsolarterm.TheweathergraduallyturnsniceaftertheQingmingFestival.Havingundergoneconstantevolvement,thedayhasbecomeafestivalfortheChinesepeopletocommemoratetheirancestors.TheChinesepeoplenowprefertochooseQingmingasthetombsweepingday.Withtheconceptofenvironmentalprotectiondeeplyrootedamongthegeneralpublic,itisnowatrendtohaveanenvironmental-friendlytombsweepingday,suchascarryingoutpublicmemorialceremony,publiccommemorationthroughtheInternet,etc.    TheQingmingFestivalisthemostimportantdayforpeopletooffersacrificetoancestors.ItstartedfromtheZhouDynasty,withahistoryofover2500years.Qingmingisoneofthe24solartermsinChina,indicatingthecomingoflatespring,thusthebestplowingandgrowingtime,while"ColdFoodDay"isadaywhenfolkssweeptheancestors'tombsandeatcoldfood.QingmingwasadjacenttoColdFoodDay,solaterontheygraduallybecameonefestival,andthus"ColdFood"becameanothernameforQingming,anddustingthetombandeatingcoldfoodturnedintothecustomsoftheday.Qingminghasevolvedintoafestivalcarryingrichcultureandprofoundmeaning.(www.cultural-china.com) Appendix: RelatedNews: DragonBoatFestival  (2014-05-30) Water-SplashingFestivaloftheDaiPeople  (2014-04-19) EMBASSYOFTHEPEOPLE'SREPUBLICOFCHINAINANTIGUAANDBARBUDAALLRIGHTSRESERVED ChineseEmbassy,McKinnonsWay,St.John’s,AntiguaandBarbuda P.O.BOX1446,St.John’s,Antigua,W.I. http://ag.china-embassy.org/chn/