Qingming Festival

April 4, 2025 – Across China, families gather today to observe Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day), a 2,500-year-old tradition rooted in both reverence and renewal.

• The origin of Qingming Festival

The Qingming Festival's origins trace back to the "Cold Food Festival" (Hanshi Jie), a memorial day linked to a tragic tale from the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BCE). Jie Zitui, a loyal follower of Duke Wen of Jin, once saved his starving lord by cutting his own flesh as food. Later, Jie refused rewards and hid in the mountains with his mother. To force him out, the duke set the forest on fire, but Jie died in the flames. The remorseful duke banned fires on Jie's death anniversary, creating the Cold Food Festival (eating only cold meals). Over time, this merged with spring tomb-sweeping traditions, becoming Qingming Festival.

• A Festival of Dual Spirit

Beyond remembrance, Qingming celebrates nature's awakening. Families picnic on qingtuan (sweet green rice dumplings), fly kites to "send messages" to the heavens, or hike-a practice tied to the ancient belief that spring outings ward off misfortune. In Hangzhou, willow branches (symbolizing resilience) are woven into wreaths, while Suzhou hosts poetry recitals under blossoming plum trees.

• Activity of the festival

1. Sweep tombs - Clean ancestors'graves and offer flowers/food
2. Burn paper offerings - Symbolic money/items for the afterlife
3. Hold memorial ceremonies - Pay respects with bows and prayers
4. Eat qingtuan - Sweet green rice dumplings (seasonal food)
5. Fly kites - Believed to carry messages to the departed
6. Go spring outings - Enjoy nature's renewal (called "taqing")

As paper ashes settle and spring breezes carry kite strings skyward, Qingming's dual essence endures: grief transformed into growth, and ancestors remembered through living traditions that renew with each passing year.

QiluVac Qingming festival holiday from April 4 to April 6, 2025, wish friends all over the world a happy holiday.