Stories about Qingming Festival

Story 1:

Qingming Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals in China. It is not only a festival for people to pay homage to their ancestors and remember their martyrs, but also a bond for the Chinese nation to recognize their ancestors and, more importantly, get to know their ancestors. Look at your own shortcomings, correct yourself, and lead future generations. Understand the value of life, remove the dry branches and dead leaves left by our ancestors, retain the new shoots that can be used for reference, and promote positive energy. From generation to generation, the correction day has been clearly observed, which falls on April 4-6 of the Gregorian calendar every year.

The Qingming Festival has a history of more than 2,500 years. In ancient times, it was also called the Outing Festival, March Festival, Ancestor Worship Festival, Tomb Sweeping Festival, Tomb Sweeping Festival, Ghost Festival, etc. [1] It, along with the Hungry Ghost Festival on July 15th and the Winter Clothes Festival on October 1st, are known as the three famous "Ghost Festivals" in China. Qingming Festival falls around April 5th in the Gregorian calendar and is one of the twenty-four solar terms. Among the twenty-four solar terms, only Qingming is both a solar term and a festival.

In 2013, Qingming Festival was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists.

Story 2:

The name of Qingming Festival is related to the characteristics of the weather and conditions at this time. "Huainanzi Tianwen Xun" written in the Western Han Dynasty said: "On the fifteenth day after the spring equinox, when Dou Zhi Yi is on the second day, the Qingming wind will arrive." "Qingming wind" refers to the refreshing, clear and pure wind. "Hundred Questions of the Years" says that "all things growing at this time are clean and bright. Therefore, it is called Qingming." Although Qingming as a festival was only formed in the Tang Dynasty, the Qingming solar term as a time sequence mark has long been recognized by the ancients and has been in the Han Dynasty clearly documented.

The twenty-four solar terms are climate laws summarized by ancient Chinese astronomers and people in their daily life and production practices. They more appropriately reflect the changes in temperature, phenology, rainfall and other aspects throughout the year. They are of great significance to people. Arranging farming, sericulture and other activities on time is of indispensable guiding significance. At Qingming Festival, the temperature warms and rainfall increases, which is a good time for spring plowing and planting. Therefore, Qingming is an important solar term for ancient agricultural production.

Farmer proverbs say, "Before and after Qingming, order melons and plant beans" and "Afforestation is better than Qingming." This is exactly what they say. The "Four People's Monthly Orders" of Cui Dynasty of the Eastern Han Dynasty records: "On Qingming Festival, order silkworm concubines and manage silkworm rooms..." It means that preparations for silkworm rearing began at this time. Among them, "Qingming Festival" is just a solar term, not a festival.

The Qingming solar term provides important conditions for the formation of Qingming Festival customs in terms of time and weather characteristics. This solar term is regarded as one of the origins of Qingming Festival.