Qingming means literally, "clear brightness". It is a springtime festival, in which people celebrate the new season, the onset of planting and the rebirth of nature. The Qingming festival is celebrated two weeks after the vernal equinox and in our Gregorian calendar, the dates usually turn out to be the 4th, 5th, or 6th of April.
In ancient times, Qingming was a happy occasion. It was an occasion for picnicing, kite-flying, singing and dancing. And it was an occasion where young men and women were encouraged to court each other. Interestingly, eggs were significant in the celebration of Qingming. Much like in the Easter celebration of the west, eggs were boiled, coloured and then broken, to symbolize the beginning of life. Trees were also planted by the emperor, while commoners hung branches of willow on the outside of their homes.
Origins
As the story goes, there was once a man named Jie Zitui, who lived in the Shaanxi Province in 600 BC. Jie was a follower of a ruler who was wrongly ousted from his kingdom. Jie was a patriot and he was known for his faithfulness to his ruler. At one point, Jie even saved his ruler's life by offering him the flesh from his own leg, while the man was on the brink of starvation.
Eventually, the ruler came into power and he wanted to honour Jie's loyalty. In his humility, Jie declined. He only wanted to spend the rest of his days living quietly as a hermit. A search party was sent out to look for him in the forest of Mount Mian, where he hid with his mother. The soldiers tried to smoke them out. Unfortunately, Jie and his mother still refused to come out and died in the fire. They were found later, with their arms thrown around a willow tree. The grief-stricken ruler could only honour Jie posthumously with a spiritual tablet. The spiritual tablet was the forerunner of ancestral tablets.
Ancestor Worship
Nowadays, Qingming is celebrated by honouring the dead. Honouring the dead is one of many ways good Confucians demonstrate filial piety. On Qingming Day, families would visit the gravesites of their ancestors. Here, the dead are offered dried foods--these could include dried mushrooms, beancurd & noodles, and steamed buns and cakes. Interestingly, the food is then consumed by the offerers. As part of honouring the dead, people would also spend some time cleaning the gravesite area. They would uproot weeds near the gravesite, wipe the tombstones and decorate the tombstone with fresh flowers.
Feng Shui
Feng Shui translates into "Wind and Water". Many people consult geomancers before buying a house or building a new office. This practice is especially true for those buying a gravesite. A geomancer is a fortune-teller who reads the forces of the wind and water. Some believe that good feng shui will contribute to longevity and success.
In finding a good gravesite, Chinese geomancers would generally prefer a grave that faces south and is near a hillside with protective walls from both the east and the west winds. The nearness to an underground water source is also ideal. It is interesting to note that parts of any cemetary in Toronto with good feng shui could easily be dubbed as "Chinatown", judging by the numbers of Chinese Canadians who cluster near areas with good feng shui.
Burning paper treasures
Part of honouring one's ancestors, was in making sure that they were well-provided for--even after death. Not only was food offered up to the dead, some even feel that material goods were needed in the land of the dead. Up until the Sui period (617 AD), genuine articles were burnt as offerings. Eventually, people thought this practice was wasteful. As well, there was word from the dead that where they resided, counterfeits were just as good as the real thing. So a paper house offered by fire was just as good as a real one. Nowadays, paper gifts to the dead may even include paper-money, houses, lawn furniture, TVs, VCRs, stereo systems, refridgerators an even cars.
Cold Foods
Because Jie Zitui had been killed by a fire, it became a tradition to abstain from lighting fires on Qingming Day. On the day of the festival, people would only eat cold foods that had been prepared the day before. Today, the occasion for eating cold foods translates into a picnic for the family.
Willow Trees
Because Jie had died embracing a willow tree, the willow is believed to have miraculous powers against evil. During the Qingming festival, willow branches are hung on door fronts and used to sweep the tombs.
Kite-Flying
Today in China, Qingming is also known as an occasion for kite-flying. Kite-flying has been an old Chinese pastime. Records about the activity were mentioned as far back as 2,500 years ago. Over the centuries, people developed kites known for their beauty. They were able to make them look like swallows, geese, frogs butterflies, peacocks, crabs or many other animals. They were even able to fashion kites with whistles.