The Ching Ming ('Qingming') Festival is a 2,500-year-old Chinese custom observed primarily by Han Chinese on the Chinese mainland. It also derives from the Hanshi or Cold Food Festival,
The Ching Ming Festival will be celebrated on April 5 this year. Typically, the festival is celebrated 15 days after the vernal equinox, as calculated by the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. It occurs on the first day of the fifth solar term. Additionally known as Chinese Memorial Day, Tomb-Sweeping Day, and Ancestors Day. Chinese families visit and tidy the tombs of their deceased relatives on this day. Several festival activities include tomb cleansing, ancestral worship, the burning of joss sticks and paper, and the creation of ritual offerings. Learn more about this culturally significant holiday by reading on.
The Ching Ming (‘Qingming’) Festival is a 2,500-year-old Chinese custom observed primarily by Han Chinese on the Chinese mainland. It also derives from the Hanshi or Cold Food Festival, which commemorates the legend of ‘Jie Zitui.’ According to the legend, Jie Zitui once cut the flesh from his thighs to prepare soup for his master, Prince Chong’er, while he was in exile. When the prince regained his power and was elevated to duke, he attempted to summon Jie to court. Jie observed political corruption and decided to retire to the forest.
The duke ordered the forest to be set on fire in an attempt to eliminate Jie, but Jie and his mother perished in the blaze. The duke, overcome with remorse, erected a temple in his honour. People refrained from lighting flames for a month to honour Jie’s memory. Since the use of fire was prohibited during the festival, people were required to ingest cold food. Due to the consumption of cold food during cold winters, the month-long festival caused hardship, malnutrition, and a few fatalities. Consequently, it was shortened to three days in China during the period of the three kingdoms. The festival was also moved to the spring to prevent additional deaths during the severe winters.
Even after 2,500 years, the tradition of cleaning the tombs of loved ones and ancestors during the Ching Ming Festival remains prevalent in China.
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The most important pastry of the day is “Qingming,” which is prepared with glutinous rice flour and freshly-pressed wormwood juice.
The monuments are decorated with chrysanthemums on Ching Ming Day.
As an offering to their deceased relatives, people sometimes burn products or money.
On May 20, 2006, the festival was designated as one of China’s national cultural heritage events.
It is also known as the Qingming Festival, which literally translates to “Pure Bright Festival.”
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | April 5 | Tuesday |
| 2023 | April 5 | Wednesday |
| 2024 | April 4 | Thursday |
| 2025 | April 4 | Friday |
| 2026 | April 5 | Sunday |
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