[ad_1]
Apart from the Chinese New Year, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Winter Solstice, the Qingming Festival is one of the most important days in Chinese culture.
Qingming, when directly translated into English, means “clear and bright” and the festival is sometimes called the Tomb Sweeping Festival.
On the day of the festival, which falls on April 4 this year, Chinese families will visit the graves of their deceased ancestors to fix the site, as well as perform prayers and leave offerings.
In terms of astronomy, “Qingming” is one of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese calendar, when an astronomical event or natural phenomenon would occur.
On Qingming Day, the Sun will be at celestial longitude of fifteen degrees.
In the past, the climate around Qingming would be perfect for farmers to start sowing their seeds, and thus Qingming was an important seasonal symbol for agricultural society.
This festival is believed to be among the oldest Chinese celebrations, with some suggesting that it has been celebrated for the past 2,500 years.
There is a legend that tells the origins of the festival, and the story takes place in the Warring States and the spring and autumn periods (770-475 BC.
According to the story, Prince Chong’er of Jin was forced to leave his home due to a succession crisis and thus was forced to wander in exile.
Accompanied by a fellow nobleman named Jie Zitui, the disgraced prince suffered hardships in the form of hunger and cold.
Realizing that the prince might starve to death, Jie decided to sacrifice part of his own thigh to cook and feed the prince.
Upon being informed of Jie’s action, Chong’er promised to return her good deed when she was in a position to do so.
After nearly two decades, Prince Chong’er finally returned to Jin to take his rightful place as duke.
Although he rewarded his loyal followers, the new duke unfortunately did not remember Jie, who was against raising the matter anyway.
Undaunted, Jie withdrew and took his mother with him to their new residence in the forest of Mount Mian.
Finally, realizing his mistake, the duke tried to remedy the situation by searching for Jie, but could not find him in the thick forest.
In a highly questionable move, the duke ordered his men to set fire to the forest to force Jie out.
Unsurprisingly, the poorly planned action resulted in the deaths of Jie and his mother, and the duo met their end alongside a willow tree.
Deeply regretting his actions again, the duke ordered his people to live without fire for the next three days in memory of Jie.
Therefore, for a short time, people turned to eating cold foods, a practice that would become part of what is now the dark Hanshi Festival or Cold Food Festival.
A year later, the duke visited the mountain to pay his respects to Jie, when he discovered that the burnt willow was blooming once more.
He then decreed that the day after the Hanshi Festival would be celebrated as the Qingming Festival, a day meant to honor the dead.
While the Hanshi Festival is no longer held, the Qingming Festival certainly is, and some elements from the previous festival survive through the second.
In later centuries, the wealthy fell in love with each other to make an expensive show of paying their respects to the dead.
Consequently, the annoying Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (AD 685-762) decreed that Qingming was the only day of the year when the population could pay their formal respects.
In Qingming, tomb sweeping is the most important activity besides leaving offerings for the deceased.
Living family members will often weed around their ancestors’ grave, placing fresh soil and sometimes flowers in their place.
Some families will bring offerings of food to leave at the grave, often the deceased’s favorite food during their lifetime.
As family members young and old kneel to offer prayers to ancestors, fire sticks and paper offerings are also burned, and most Chinese families stick to paper money, which is believed to be a valid currency in the afterlife.
In modern times, paper offerings have become increasingly sophisticated, with paper models of mobile phones, cars, mansions, and clothing being common.
Some traditions have even gone virtual, unsurprisingly in the Covid-19 era, with online shrines dedicated to the deceased where visitors can leave virtual offerings.
While some restrictions have recently been put in place due to the pandemic, it appears that many Chinese families are likely to continue the ancient Qingming traditions.
After all, remembering your ancestors is a way of reflecting on your roots and how far you have come thanks to the sacrifices of those who came before.
