The Qingming Festival
The Qingming Festival
As one of the four great traditional Chinese festivals, the Qingming Festival already has more than 2500 years. You may have heard about the Cold Food as well, then if there are any relationships between them? Let’s find out together!
The Qingming Festival is the most important traditional Chinese festival to sweep tombs and pay respect to the deceased ancestors. If you want to know Qingming Festival, then you need to know the Cold Festival first.
What is Cold food Festival?
Legend has it that the festival originated from the Cold Food or Hanshi Festival, which commemorates Jie Zitui a loyal official of the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period.
Jie followed his master Prince Chong’ er, who was forced to exile because of persecution. In extreme hardship Jie once cut flesh from his thigh and cooked it as his master’s food. Later on, Chong’er returned to his native country and became king of the state of Jin. As soon as he ascended throne, he rewarded his followers in his time of need but forgot Jie. Many people complained about the injustice and advised Jie to seek reward from the king. Jie despised these acts and retreated to Mianshan Mountain with his mother.
The king felt great regret upon knowing the fact. After his vainly painstaking efforts of trying to retrieve Jie the king followed the advice of setting fire to the mountain with the purpose of forcing them out However, Jie and his mother refused to go out and were finally burnt to death
In honor of Jie Zitui, mindful of his loyalty, the king buried him in Mianshan, built a temple, and ordered a ban on fire and cold food on the day of Jiezi's death.
The king fixed the date of Jie's death as the Cold Food Festival and another day following it as the Qingming Festival. As a result of the affinity of the two festivals, the two festivals gradually merged into one. Eventually, in the Southern Song Dynasty, the Qingming Festival replaced Cold Food Festival completely.
Sweeping tombs and commemorating the deceased ancestors, among others, are two important customs during the Qingming Festival. On that day people set out offerings, burn incense and joss paper, tend to the tombs, and kowtow to show respect to their ancestors.
I remember when I was young, my parents treated this day very important. My mother prepared the offerings and my farther went to the market to buy some incense and joss papers. After all these, we go to tombs to show our respect.
In addition Qingming is also one of the 24 seasonal division points in Chinese calendar falling on one day from the fourth to sixth of April every year. Upon the arrival of Qingming, the temperature is on the rise and it is good time to sow plants in spring, which can be reflected in a Chinese saying : people start to sow beans and plant melons before and after the Qingming Festival.
