Qingming Festival 清明節 April 5, 2008

 

 (Burning paper gifts for the departed)

Today is Ching Ming Festival which also named Qingming Festival (traditional Chinese: 清明節; simplified Chinese: 清明节; pinyin: Qīngmíngjié). It means Clear and Bright Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival on the 104th day after the winter solstice (or the 15th day from the Spring Equinox), usually occurring around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar (see Chinese calendar). Every leap year, Qingming is on April 4. Since this year is leap year, so today Apr 4 is Qingming.

 

Astronomically, it is also a solar term (that we called in chinese: 節氣 ). In solar terms, the Qingming festival is on the 1st day of the 5th solar term, which is also named Qingming. Its name denotes a time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime (” Treading on the greenery” or in chinese: 踏青 ), and also to tend to the graves of departed ones (That’s why people used to go to visit graves on that day or before that date). Nowadays, it is an official public holiday in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Even now, the Mainland China government has also set today as public holiday since this year.

 

What do people bring for visiting graves?

• Mostly, people will bring a big Roasted Pig, Paper gifts (which made by paper  in different forms : mobile phone, slippers, golds, paper notes, a servant, computer……), Fruits, bomsticks, Flowers, etc.  Actually,there are many other things that people would bring to visit graves lol~

Qingming was also in literature, the most famous and well known one by poet Du Mu.

 (Du Mu ,杜牧)

The poem titled “Qingming” by Du Mu

Traditional Chinese	Simplified Chinese	pinyin
清明時節雨紛紛	清明时节雨纷纷	qīng míng shí jié yǔ fēn fēn
路上行人欲斷魂	路上行人欲断魂	lù shàng xíng rén yù duàn hún
借問酒家何處有	借问酒家何处有	jiè wèn jiǔ jiā hé chù yǒu
牧童遙指杏花村	牧童遥指杏花村	mù tóng yáo zhǐ xìng huā cūn

*(The above chinese should read from Left to right in every row)* 

English translation

A drizzling rain falls like tears on the Mourning Day;
The mourner’s heart is breaking on his way.
Where can a hostel be found to drown his sadness?
A cowherd points to Xing Hua village in the distance.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ching_Ming_Festival