The Origin of the Qingming Festival

The Qingming Festival is the only day in China that is both a solar term and a traditional festival. Evolving from a solar term guiding agricultural activities into a festival that combines ancestor worship and spring outings, it has mainly undergone a process of integration with the Cold Food Festival and the Shangsi Festival.

The Origin of Qingming: Starting from the Solar Term

Initially, "Qingming" was simply the name of a solar term reflecting phenological changes, appearing as early as the pre-Qin period. Its name derives from the natural scene at this time when "the air is clear, the scenery is bright, and all things are vividly displayed." For ancient people, Qingming was

a crucial time for spring plowing and sowing, as the farming proverb goes, "Around Qingming, sow beans and melons."

The Cold Food Festival: Infusing a Tone of "Mourning"

The reason the Qingming Festival is closely associated with tomb sweeping and ancestor worship is primarily due to the Cold Food Festival.

Origin of the Festival: The Cold Food Festival usually falls one or two days before Qingming. Regarding its origin, the most widely circulated story is that it commemorates Jie Zitui, a loyal minister of the Jin State during the Spring and Autumn Period. Legend has it that Jie Zitui once "cut flesh from his own thigh to feed his lord" to save him. Later, he lived in seclusion with his mother on Mian Mountain. The Duke Wen of Jin set fire to the mountain to force him out, but accidentally burned Jie and his mother to death. Overwhelmed with grief, the Duke ordered a ban on fire and cold food on the anniversary of Jie's death to express his sorrow.

Integration of Customs: During the Tang Dynasty, tomb sweeping during the Cold Food Festival became popular and received official recognition. However, because lighting fires was prohibited during the Cold Food Festival, people could not burn paper offerings. As a result, rituals like tomb sweeping were gradually moved to the adjacent "Qingming" day, when fire was permitted.

The Shangsi Festival: Incorporating the Vitality of "Spring Outings"

The custom of spring outings during the Qingming Festival mainly comes from the Shangsi Festival.

Origin of the Festival: The Shangsi Festival originally fell on the third day of the third lunar month. People would go to the waterside to perform a "purification" ritual, washing away filth and praying for good fortune.

Integration of Customs: Over time, the recreational activities of the Shangsi Festival, such as spring outings and "floating wine cups along winding streams" (qu shui liu shang), were gradually absorbed into the Qingming Festival. This was because the timing was close to Qingming, and the activities resonated with people's desire to get close to nature after the gloom of winter. As a result, people began to enjoy the spring scenery while also tending to tomb sweeping, creating a unique festive atmosphere where mourning and joy coexist.

The customs of today's Qingming Festival everywhere reflect this "integration of three festivals."

The Qingming Festival is precisely such a wonderful occasion. It carries both the solemnity of tomb sweeping, ancestor worship, and reverent remembrance of the past, as well as the joy of spring outings and getting close to nature. It embodies the Chinese people's open-minded and philosophical view of life, where life and death are placed side by side.

The Qingming Festival is the only day in China that is both a solar term and a traditional festival. Evolving from a solar term guiding agricultural activities into a festival that combines ancestor worship and spring outings, it has mainly undergone a process of integration with the Cold Food Festival and the Shangsi Festival.