Qingming Festival

Categories:: Cultural
Tags:: Family Food
Where:: China
Date change rule:: First day of the fifth solar term of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar (early April)
Holiday emoji:: 🪦

Qingming Festival arrives every April 5, marking a profound time for remembrance and renewal. This ancient Chinese observance invites families to honor their ancestors, clean gravesites, and enjoy the blossoming spring. Plan a visit to a local park, prepare traditional foods, or share stories of those who came before.

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Expected Qingming Festival Deals

While Qingming Festival is not typically a commercial holiday, businesses catering to Chinese communities or those interested in cultural recognition may offer special services or products. Asian grocery stores like H Mart and 99 Ranch Market often stock traditional foods like qingtuan and glutinous rice balls. Specialty shops selling incense, paper offerings, or tea, such as Ten Ren Tea, may see increased demand. Cultural centers and organizations might host workshops or educational events. We will update this page with confirmed live cultural events and relevant offerings as April 5 approaches.

Platform Guide for Qingming Festival

Facebook

Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #QingmingFestival. Share photos of family gatherings or traditional offerings.

Instagram

Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #QingmingFestival. Post visuals of spring outings, traditional foods, or ancestral altars.

YouTube

Subscribe to @NationalToday for holiday video content. Create a short video explaining the traditions of Qingming Festival.

Qingming Festival Hero

Jie Zitui

Jie Zitui was a loyal retainer to Duke Wen of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. According to legend, he followed the duke into exile and, when the duke returned to power, Jie Zitui refused honors, preferring a reclusive life. The duke tried to force him out by burning a forest, but Jie Zitui died in the fire with his mother. The Qingming Festival is said to have originated from the Cold Food Festival, established by the duke in his honor, where fires were forbidden.

Qingming Festival timeline

7th Century BC

The Legend of Jie Zitui

During this festival people hang willow branches in memory of Jie Zitui, an official who cut his own flesh to feed a starving prince named Chong'er.

1976

Premier Zhou Enlai Honored

Thousands honored the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, Zhou Enlai, during the Qingming Festival. It's customary to honor deceased political figures and martyrs during this time.

2008

It's officially a public holiday

China only recently declared this a public holiday, despite the Festival's ancient history.

Qingming Festival FAQs

When is Qingming Festival?

In 2027, Qingming Festival will be observed on Monday, April 5, continuing its tradition as a time for family remembrance and outdoor activities.

What are the main traditions of Qingming Festival?

Beyond grave cleaning, Qingming is a day for families to gather, share meals, and enjoy the spring weather, often including activities like picnicking and planting trees, symbolizing renewal and continuity.

How many people observe Qingming Festival?

Across China and in Chinese diaspora communities worldwide, the festival sees widespread participation, with families making annual pilgrimages to ancestral graves and engaging in cultural practices.

Is Qingming Festival a public holiday?

In these regions, people typically receive a day off to travel, visit family, and perform ancestral rites, underscoring the festival’s cultural importance.

How to Observe Qingming Festival

Visit your ancestors' tombs
Sweep the tomb, make traditional cold food offerings, and lay lilies and chrysanthemums on tombstones.
Fly "God's Lanterns"
It's traditional to fly kites with a string of little lanterns tied onto them. People fly kites at night as well.
Burn money at night
The Chinese believe that burning currency notes as offerings to the dead will help one buy things in the afterlife.

4 Things To Consider Before Your First Qingming Festival

Not all Chinese celebrate
It might be a public holiday, but only 24 ethnic minorities in China celebrate.
Pre-Qingming tea is more expensive
In Chinese tea culture, tea leaves picked before this date are considered to be of higher quality and fetch a bigger price!
It means "pure brightness"
In Chinese the word Qingming means "pure brightness," and since this festival comes at the beginning of spring, the sun shines brightly.
A food festival too
In the South of China people eat "qingtuan," a tasty rice and barley dumpling; the Tujia ethnic group eats pig heads; and the Miao minority enjoy a pastry called Qingming.

Why Qingming Festival is Important

The Chinese honor their ancestors
Ancestor worship is a very important part of Chinese culture and this is one of the four important Chinese festivals dedicated to ancestors.
It brings the hope of spring
Spring is in the air during Qingming Festival; it's a time for family outings as well as planting.
It has great historical importance
Originating in the Zhou Dynasty, the Qingming Festival has a history that spans more than 2,000 years.