I’ve written about this before, but today is one of those holidays or festivals that we always celebrated. Obviously I’m not Chinese and Claire wasn’t Chinese, but we’ve spent a fair amount of time in that part of the world and we always found that these Chinese holidays were invariably interesting and always seeped in tradition. Today, April 4 is Qīngmíng jié — the Tomb Sweeping Festival. It takes place every year on the 15th day after the Spring Equinox — this year it’s April 4th.
Qīngmíng Festival is also called Tomb Sweeping Day because it is the time for Chinese people to show respect to their ancestors by cleaning their ancestors’ tombs and placing offerings.
Qīngmíng in Chinese means “clearness” and “brightness.”
Celebrating the Qīngmíng Festival has two halves, equally balanced between sadness and happiness, death and rebirth. Qīngmíng is generally observed quietly among family by visiting the gravesites of relatives and enjoying the outdoors. It’s a really nice time to fondly share stories about ancestors — Chinese or not. That’s the way we usually celebrated it.
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