People typically visit their family's graves on Tomb Sweeping Day. Photo: RNZ / Yiting Lin
Regarded as one of the most important traditional rituals in Chinese culture, the Qingming Festival is a time for people to pay respect to their ancestors and family members who have passed away.
The festival, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, falls on the 15th day after the spring equinox in the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, the day is honoured on Friday, 4 April.
As it is also spring in the Northern Hemisphere at this time of year, people typically also take advantage of the warmer weather to participate in outdoor activities.
History
Qingming, meaning "clear and bright" in Chinese, is the fifth of 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar.
The traditional Qingming Festival started in the Zhou Dynasty and boasts a history of more than 2500 years.
It's believed that its origin can be traced back to the commemoration of emperors and nobles who passed away.
Over time, the rituals were picked gradually embraced by the public and passed down to the generations to come.
North Shore Memorial Park in Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Yiting Lin
The festival also has connections with the story of Jie Zitui, an aristocrat who lived sometime during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period (771-221 BC).
Folklore has it that Jie protected Chong'er, a prince from the state of Jin, when he was in exile and even fed him with his own flesh.
When Chong'er came to power, he rewarded people who helped him during his exile but forgot about Jie.
When the prince later realized his mistake, he sought out Jie but failed and the aristocrat refused to meet him.
Chong'er decided to lure Jie out of hiding in a forest with his elderly mother by setting the trees on fire.
The forest burned for days, and Jie was found burnt to death under a willow tree.
To commemorate Jie, fires were banned on that day in subsequent years, meaning people could only eat cold food.
The day became known as the Cold Food Festival (Hanshi Festival), which was later combined with the Qingming Festival due to their proximity in the Chinese lunar calendar.
Tomb Sweeping Day became a public holiday in China in 2008. The occasion is also observed in Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore.
Customs
Burning paper money is often part of the tomb sweeping rituals. Photo: RNZ / Yiting Lin
The Qingming Festival predominantly focuses on tomb sweeping activities.
Family members visit gravesites of their ancestors, clean their headstones, remove weeds, add fresh soil, and offer flowers, food and incense.
Symbolic items including paper money (joss paper), and nowadays paper cars and mansions would be burned as offerings as well.
Certain taboos need to be taken notice of during tomb sweeping commemorations. Participants should avoid taking photos of graves, wearing bright colours or sweeping tombs after 3pm.
Eating, laughing loudly or making harsh comments about those who have passed at cemeteries would also be deemed disrespectful.
Children and those who are pregnant should also refrain from taking part in tomb sweeping activities.
Last but not least, people should not participate in other families' tomb sweeping commemorations.
Other activities
In ancient times, people believed that flying kites could carry away bad luck and negative energy. Photo: 123RF
As the weather is warmer at this time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, people typically take the opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities with family and friends.
The Qingming Festival is also a good time to plant trees due to warm temperatures and a decent amount of rain.
In some parts of China, people put willow branches under their eaves, wear them on their heads or place them on the gates of their homes to fend off evil spirits and disease.
People would also fly a kite - though in ancient times, it had more of a superstitious significance than entertainment.
People believed that flying kites could carry away bad luck and negative energy, so they would write any illness or misfortune on the kites and cut the string when it soared into the sky.
Lastly, tug of war competitions, swings and cuju (an ancient Chinese football game) were also traditional activities to commemorate the Qingming Festival.
Food
Qing tuan, or green glutinous rice balls, is a typical food during the Qingming Festival. Photo: 123RF
Many households eat green glutinous rice balls (qing tuan) during the Qingming festival.
The rice balls are made from a mixture of glutinous rice powder pounded with mugwort and stuffed with sweetened bean paste.
It is believed the rice balls were prepared in advance for the Cold Food Festival as households were banned from cooking hot meals.
The rice balls were also used to worship ancestors, and mugwort is believed to help ward off evil spirits.
Crispy fried dough twists (san zi) are popular in northern China. The fried snack is made from flour that is twisted into loops and deep-fried until golden and crispy.
Some regions also eat boiled eggs during the Qingming Festival, which people believe could bring good health and prosperity.
In some parts of China, the eggs will be dyed different colours.
New trends
Some services offer tomb sweeping on behalf of others who can't be there physically. Photo: RNZ / Yiting Lin
In recent years, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, people have been able to pay tribute to their ancestors through some online services, sending virtual flowers or other offerings to family members who have passed away.
Some services also offer tomb sweeping services on behalf of others who can't be there physically.
In such cases, the entire process would be filmed and the video sent to clients.
With the help of artificial intelligence, some services can "revive" those who have passed away based on an old photo and make them move and communicate with their loved ones.
The practice has been hotly debated, with some suggesting that it's a great way for people to reunite with their deceased family members and others suspecting it might be disrespectful to the dead.
