When is the Cold Food Festival every year?

People often wonder whether the Cold Food Festival and Tomb-Sweeping Day are on the same day, but they are not. Because there is no smoking on the day of the Cold Food Festival, it is named "Cold Food Festival". According to the 24 solar terms, the Cold Food Festival is the 105 day from winter to the future.

Before the calendar reform in Tang Ruowang in Qing Dynasty, the Cold Food Festival was held two days before Tomb-Sweeping Day. After the calendar reform in Tang Ruowang in Qing Dynasty, the Cold Food Festival was the second day in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Nowadays, many regions integrate the Cold Food Festival with Tomb-Sweeping Day and celebrate it on the same day.

According to legend, the Cold Food Festival is to commemorate the introduction of the Spring and Autumn Period. Jie Zhitui is an important minister of Zhong Er, the son of the State of Jin. In the internal struggle of Jin State, Zhong Er escaped from Jin State with Jiezhitui. When he was exiled, food was scarce. Jie Zhitui cut off the meat on his thigh and gave it to Zhong Er for stew. Zhong Er was very moved. When Zhong Er became the monarch of the State of Jin, he also used Jietui at first. With the passage of time, Zhong Er gradually forgot Jie Zhitui's kindness. Jie Zhitui was disappointed, so he resigned and retired with his old mother.

Later, Zhong Er remembered that there was no intermediary around him, so he looked everywhere and there was no whereabouts. Later, I learned that Jie Zhitui lived in seclusion with her mother in the mountains, which were mountainous. It is difficult to find a clean retreat, but clean retreat is very filial. If he burned the mountain, Zhong Er knew that Jiezhitui would definitely come out with his mother on his back. He never imagined that the fire burned for three days and nights, but Jiezhitui didn't come out. Later, it was found that Jie Zhitui and his old mother were burned to death in the mountains. In order to commemorate Jie's push, everyone is reluctant to cook on that day, and the custom has become a "cold food festival" since its spread.