Qingming Jie
清明的时间点在公历每年4月4-6日。清明节又叫踏青节，是中国传统节日，也是最重要的祭祀节日之一，是祭祖和扫墓的日子。
The festival is called Qīngmíng Jié in Standard (Mandarin) Chinese, literally "Pure Brightness Festival" or "Clear and Bright Festival". The name suggests a time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of spring time, but it is mostly noted for its connection with Chinese ancestral veneration and the tending of family graves.
So what will Chinese do during Qingming Festival?
扫墓 (sǎo mù) sweep tombs
In the early morning, Chinese people drive cars or take buses and swarm into the graveyards. They walk to their died relatives' tombs, sweep and tidy the tombstones, offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks and incense. They kneel in front of the tombstones and talk to their died relatives. They also burn the paper-made silver ingot to their died relatives and hope they live a good "life" in the other world.
踏青 (tà qīng) have a spring outing
踏青 (tà qīng)
Not only is it a day for commemorating the dead, it is also a festival for people to enjoy themselves. “Spring Outgoing” means going out to appreciate the beautiful scenes of nature. And so Qingming is not just a blue time for remembrance, but also a green time for fun.
插柳 (chā liǔ) plug the willow
Some people also carry willow branches with them during Qingming or plug willow branches in their gates, because they think these willow branches can help ward off the evil ghosts that wander around during Qingming.
放风筝 (fàng fēng zheng) fly kites
What makes flying kites during this festival special is that people cut the string while the kite is in the sky to let it fly free. It is said this brings good luck and diseases can be eliminated by doing this.
吃青团 (chī qīng tuán) eat green riceball
Like other Chinese festivals, Qingming also has its own typical food, which is "青团". "青" is "green" and "团" is "rice dough". This color comes from a kind of grass, and rice is the sticky rice which also makes the rice dumpling you eat on Lantern Festival. And with the bean paste filling, this snack is very sweet.
Feel free to contact the Editor "DC" to know more.
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