Qingming Festival 2022 - China Travel

Qingming Festival, or Ching Ming Festival, is called Pure Brightness Festival or Tomb-Sweeping Day in English. It usually falls on April 4 ... HomeChineseCultureChineseFestivals QingmingFestival2022 WrittenbySallyGuoUpdatedMar.22,2022 QingmingFestival,orChingMingFestival,iscalledPureBrightnessFestivalorTomb-SweepingDayinEnglish.ItusuallyfallsonApril4or5.In2022,theQingmingFestivalfallsonApril5.  QingmingFestivalisalsothe5thofthetraditionalChinese24SolarTerms,meaning“thedaysaregoingtobewarmandbright(whennotraining)andthevegetationturnsgreen.”Itisadayforpeopletogooutfortombsweepingandspringoutings. SimpleFactsonQingmingFestival ChinesePronunciation:QīngmíngJié/ching-mingjyeah/清明节 Datein2022:April 5th PublicHolidayin2022:April3toApril5 WhyCelebrated:animportantdaytopayrespecttothedeadandcommemorateancestors. WhattoDo:tomb-sweeping,springouting,kiteflying,treeplanting,eatingsweetgreenriceballs QingmingFestivalTraditions-WhatdoChinesepeopledoatQingmingFestival? TherearevariousinterestingtraditionsandactivitiesforChinesepeopletocelebrateQingmingFestival.Themostimportantonesaretomb-sweeping,springouting,kiteflying,treeplanting,andhangingwillowbranches. 1.TombSweeping-AMust-DoonQingmingFestival Themostimportantcustom forthefestivalistombsweeping.Traditionally,Chinesepeoplebringtea,wine,food,incense,firecrackers,andzhiqian(josspapermadetoresemblemoneyandburnedasanofferingtothedead)whenvisitingthetombsoftheirancestors. Peopletakefoodstuffsasanoffering,burnfirecrackersandzhiqian,coverthetombwithsomenewsoil,insertseveralverdantbranchesonthetomb,andworshiptheirancestorswithkowtows.Afterthisroutinepeoplewouldgobackhomeandeatfamilydinnertogether. Visitingtombsandhonoringancestors Today,itisforbiddentoburnincense,firecrackers,andzhiqianinmanycitiesinChina,sopeoplepresentfreshflowersinstead,usuallychrysanthemumsandlilies. 2.SpringOuting QingmingFestivalfallsinearlyAprilwhentheweatherwarmsupandeverythingcomestolife.Itissuchagoodtimeforaspringouting,Taqing(踏青)inChinese,toenjoythefreshairandrelax.  SpringoutinginLongsheng,Guilin 3.KiteFlying DuringQingmingFestival,Chinesepeoplenotonlyflykitesinthedaytimebutalsoflythematnight.Theyattachstringsoflittlelanternstotheendofthekite,whichlookslikeblinkingstars.ThelanternsarecalledMagicLamps. Itissaidthatifyoucutthestringafterthekitehasflownintotheskyandletitgofreely,itwillwardoffsicknessandbringyougoodluck! 4.TreePlanting ThesunshineandrainaresufficientduringQingmingFestival,whichmakesforahighsurvivalratefortreesplantedatthistime.HenceChinesepeoplewouldliketoplanttreesuponQingmingFestival’sarrival. 5.HangingWillowBranches TherearealsosomeplaceswearingsoftwillowbranchesorhangingthebranchesongatesduringQingmingFestivaltoexorciseevilspirits.BecauseaBuddhistGoddessGuanyinoftenshowsuptosavelivingbeingswithawillowbranchinavaseofwater.Peoplebelievethatthegoddessusesthemysteriouswaterandwillowbranchestoscareawayevils. AnothersayingofthecustomofhangingwillowbranchesontheQingmingFestivalistocommemorateJieZitui(seethe“origin”below). QingMingFestivalFood–WhattoeatatQingmingFestival? InSouthChina,peoplearelikelytoeatSweetGreenRiceBallswhengoingonspringoutingsduringQingmingFestival.Itisaseasonalsnackmadefromamixtureofglutinousriceflourandgreenplantjuicethenstuffedwithsweetenedbeanpasteormeatflossandeggyolk. InNorthChina,peopleeatcoolfoodslikedatecakesandpastriespreparedbeforetheQingmingFestival. SweetGreenRiceBalls,Qingtuan(青团)inChinese QingMingFestivalOrigin-WhenDidtheQingmingFestivalBegin? OriginatingintheZhouDynasty,QingmingFestivalhasahistoryofover2,500years.ItOriginatedfromtheColdFoodFestivalwhichrememberedJieZitui,anoblemanduringtheSpringandAutumnPeriod(770-476BC).   LiJiwasaconcubineofDukeJinXian.Atthattime,onlythefirstbornoftheempresscouldsucceedtothethrone.However,LiJiwantedherownsonXiqitobethenextemperor.Sheplottedtomurderthecrownprince,Shensheng,makinghimcommitsuicideindesperation.ChongEr,theyoungerbrotherofShensheng,hadtoexiletoavoidthedisaster. Duringhisexile,ChongErsufferedalot.OnceChongErwassohungrythathefainted.JieZituicutapieceoffleshoffhisleg.ThenhecookeditintothebrothandfedChongEr,whichsavedChongEr. In636BC,ChongErfinishedhisnineteenyearsofexileandcamebacktohismotherland.Hebecametheruler,knownasDukeJinWen,oneofthefivefamousoverlordsduringtheSpringandAutumnPeriod. TheDukewantedtorewardJieZituigreatlyandofferedhimahighofficialinthepalace.However,theuprightJierefusedandwenttoMt.Mian(inJiexiuCounty,southwestShanxiProvince)withhisoldmothertoavoidseeingtheDuke. InordertofindJie,theDukemadeanordertosetafireonthemountaintoforceJietogodownthemountain.Thefireburnedfor3daysandnightsbutJiedidn’tshowup. TheDukeandhisofficialswentupthemountainandfoundthedeadbodiesofJieandhismotherunderaburnttree.InthetreeholebehindthebackofJie,theyfoundapieceofclothwithapoemonitwritteninblood. ThepoemsaidJie’srealreasontoleaveandexpressedhiswishthattheDukebecomearighteousoverlordinthefuture. TheDukeputthepoemawaycarefullyandburiedJieandhismotherunderthebigcharredwillowtree.ForcommemoratingJie,DukeJinWenchangedthenameofMt.MiantoMt.Jieandbuiltatempleonthemountain. LaterhedecreedthedayofsettingfiretothemountainberememberedastheColdFoodFestivalacrossthecountry.Everyyearonthisdaypeopleshouldnotusefireandonlyatecoldfood. Thenextyear,theDukeandhisfellowscametothetomb.Theyfoundtheoldwillowtreehadsurprisinglycometolife. Lookinguptothewillowtree,theDukefeltlikehesawJieZitui.DukeJinWenpinchedabranchfromthewillowtreeandplaiteditintoacircletowearitaroundhishead.Aftersweepingthetomb,theDukenamedtheoldwillowtree“QingmingWillow”andtheday“QingmingFestival”.Qingmingmeans“pureandbright”. TraveltoChinaduringtheQingmingFestival PickingspringtealeavesinHangzhou AprilisoneofthebestmonthstovisitChinaastheweathergetswarmerandsomeplacesareattheirbestforsightseeing.ToexplorethebestofChina’slocalspring,ourtraveladvisorsandexperiencedtourguideswillavoidpubliccrowdsandhelpyoucreateaflexibletouritinerary,tailor-madeinyourway.Havealookatoursampletourpackagesandgetsomeinspiration! 8-DayBeijing,Xi’an,andShanghaiTour  4-DayGuilin,Yangshuo,andLongjiTour NeedHelp? Requestacustomitinerarytodayandgetonestepclosertoyourpersonalizedtrip CreateYourTrip