The Qingming Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday that is celebrated in the spring season. Following the Chinese lunar calendar, it takes place on the 15th day after the Spring Equinox, usually landing on April 4, 5, or 6.
Fact #1: Qingming means the weather is clear and bright
Qingming is one of the 24 solar terms or “months” on the Chinese solar-lunar calendar. The Chinese characters for “qīng míng” (清明) literally mean “clear and bright.”
These words refer to the rainy season that’s expected during this time of the year. Think of it like the common English expression, “April showers bring May flowers.” In fact there is a proverb “清明雨渐增，天天好刮风” which means “Qing Ming brings rain and wind every day.”
Fact #2: Qingming is a time to honor your ancestors
The Qingming festival is known in English as Tomb Sweeping Day. It is thought that the rainy weather during this time can drown out the sadness of the grave sweeper.
On this festival, families visit the cemetery to pay their respects to their family members who have passed, clean up their gravesites, and make ritual offerings, such as laying out homecooked meals and burning joss sticks and joss paper.
Fact #3: Qingming is willow season
In ancient times, there was a tradition of wearing willow crowns during the Qingming Festival. Or instead, willow branches were placed under the edges of roofs or at the door. This was done to bring good health and to ward off evil spirits.
Fact #4: Qingming is a popular time to fly kites
Kite flying is a popular activity during the Qingming festival. It’s considered a traditional folk activity. One custom is to write your name on the kite and cut the kite loose once it’s in the air, which was thought to bring good luck. Another alternative to kite flying is to release colorful lanterns at night.
Fact #5: Qingming used to be celebrated alongside the Cold Food Festival
The Cold Food Festival is an ancient festival that’s no longer observed in modern times, though it has influenced some tomb-sweeping customs. In ancient times, there was a superstitious belief that using fire during Qingming would cause violent weather to erupt. So, during the Cold Food Festival, food that did not require heat to cook was eaten. One dish that continues to be eaten today is qīng tuán (青团), a dumpling made from glutinous rice mixed with Chinese mugwort or barley grass that was filled with red or black bean paste.
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