Today, of course, is Easter \u2014 but it\u2019s also a special day in Chinese culture. Both faithful readers know that I\/we celebrate a lot of Chinese holidays \u2014 not because either of us have any particular ties to China, but because they\u2019re interesting and almost all seeped in tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, is one of those interesting Chinese holidays. Every year on the 15th day after the Spring Equinox, Chinese people celebrate Q\u012bngm\u00edng ji\u00e9 \u2014 the Tomb Sweeping Festival. This year it happens to fall on Easter \u2014 April 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is said that the Q\u012bngm\u00edng Festival was originally held to commemorate a loyal man living in the Spring and Autumn Period (770 – 476 BC,) named Ji\u00e9 Zitui. Ji\u00e9 cut a piece of meat from his own leg in order to save his hungry lord who was forced to go into exile when the crown was in jeopardy. The lord came back to his position nineteen years later, and forgot Ji\u00e9 Zitui. But later he felt ashamed and decided to reward him. However, Ji\u00e9 had locked himself up in a mountain with his mother. In order to find Ji\u00e9, the lord ordered that the mountain should be set on fire. Later Ji\u00e9 was found dead with his mother. In order to commemorate Ji\u00e9, the lord ordered that the day Ji\u00e9 died was Hanshi (Cold Food) Festival \u2014 the day that only cold food could be eaten. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second year, when the lord went to the mountain to sacrifice to Ji\u00e9, he found the willows revived, so he gave instructions that the day after Hanshi Festival was to be Q\u012bngm\u00edng Festival. Later, the two festivals were combined as one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Q\u012bngm\u00edng Festival is a time for a number of different activities \u2014 one of the main ones being tomb sweeping. Others include taking a spring outing and flying kites. Some customs have been lost over the years like wearing willow branches on the head. The festival is a combination of sadness and happiness.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But of all the activities, tomb sweeping is regarded as the most important custom in the Q\u012bngm\u00edng Festival. Cleaning the tomb and paying respect to the dead person with offerings are the two important parts of remembering past relatives. Weeds around the tomb are cleared away and fresh soil is added. The dead person\u2019s favorite food and wine are taken to sacrifice to them, along with paper resembling money, that is burned in the hope that the deceased are not lacking in the afterlife. In return for this it is believed that ancestors will bless their living family members and help them have a prosperous year in the temporal world. At the end of the entire ceremony all the family members gather around the tomb and throw up colored papers in the air to heaven for blessing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, the modern world has effected the way the Q\u012bngm\u00edng Festival is celebrated today\u2026 the modern version has gotten more materialistic. Paper goods in the form of cars, smart phones, iPads and other technological gadgets are made especially for this occasion, but people still ask for wealth and luck in return. And today, people that live too far from their ancestors tombs are now able to send flowers, candles or food through the Internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So even though in many places, the festival has been modernized, it\u2019s still not only a day for remembering and honoring the departed, but also a day to be spent with family outdoors or traveling in the colors of spring after a long, gray winter.
Happy Easter \u2014 and \u2014 Q\u012bngm\u00edng.
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today, of course, is Easter \u2014 but it\u2019s also a special day in Chinese culture. Both faithful readers know that I\/we celebrate a lot of Chinese holidays \u2014 not because either of us have any particular ties to China, but … Continue reading