Tomb-Sweeping Day: Honoring the ancestors
Do you know Disney's 1998 Mulan movie? Set in China, it's great for many reasons, but there is one recurring theme in it: The importance of family and ancestors. In the movie, Mulan's ancestors hang out in the family shrine, living their best afterlife and watching over the living members of the family. Mulan, in the meantime, struggles to bring honor to her family and not disgrace her parents. Ancestor worship is so deeply rooted in Chinese culture that it has its own annual festival: Tomb-Sweeping Day. Let's dive into the what, when, and how of this important day!
When to celebrate Tomb-Sweeping Day
Tomb-Sweeping Day falls on the 4th, 5th, or 6th of April each year. The exact date is determined by the Qīngmíng solar term, giving the festival its Chinese name Qīngmíngjié. It's a time when spring is in full bloom, making it perfect for outdoor activities. It even makes it more of a spring festival than the actual spring festival. In 2024, it falls on the 4th of April and is a public holiday in mainland China and Taiwan.
The origin story
Modern Tomb-Sweeping Day is actually a two-for-one festival combining the Cold Food Festival, Hánshíjié (寒食节/寒食節), and Tomb-Sweeping Day, Qīngmíngjié (清明节/清明節). Let's have a quick look at how they came to be.
Cold Food Festival
For this one, we have to go back about 2600 years. Things were not looking great for Chong'er. He was the son of a duke but had to live in exile due to the typical court shenanigans regarding who would become the next duke. Chong'er lived a life of wandering for many years, accompanied only by a small number of loyal followers. One day, bandits stole the group's supplies. Facing severe hunger, one of Chong'er's followers, Jie Zitui, didn't hesitate to cut some flesh out of his thigh to make his master a soup.
Eventually, Chong'er managed to reclaim his position as duke and became really powerful. He highly rewarded the followers who stood by him during his years of exile. Only Jie Zitui got overlooked, despite the sacrifices he made. Angry and disappointed, he decided to live a secluded life in the woods in the mountains together with his mother.
Eventually, Chong'er remembered what Jie Zitui had done for him and wanted to reward him as well. However, Jie Zitui refused to leave his mountain to show up at the court. Chong'er was so determined to talk to Jie Zitui that he set the mountain on fire to force him out. As a result, Jie Zitui and his mother burned to death.
Jie Zitui and his mother enclosed by the flames (Source)
Full of remorse, Chong'er introduced a ban on making fire for one month each year during winter, forcing people to eat cold food. While not enjoyable, people stuck to the custom for many centuries in fear of provoking Jie Zitui's spirit. However, not lighting any fires in the deep of winter led to too many casualties among the young and old. Authorities therefore attempted to ban the festival several times over the course of a thousand years but they failed each time. In the end, they only managed to move it to spring and reduce it to a few days. This goes to show just how important spirits of the deceased are in Chinese culture.
Tomb-Sweeping Day
Filial piety has been a cornerstone of Confucianism for more than 2,000 years and does not end with the death of one's parents. Customs of ancestor worship thus have a very long history in China. However, the ancient Chinese upper class went a bit overboard in their attempts to honor their ancestors. They held so many extravagant ceremonies that the Tang emperor Xuanzong eventually restricted them during the 8th century. He restricted the festivities to once per year during... drumroll, please... spring!
Tomb-Sweeping Day and the Cold Food Festival subsequently merged into a single festival.
Customs on Tomb-Sweeping Day
So what do people do on Tomb-Sweeping Day? Well, there is some actual tomb sweeping involved. Then there are the outdoor activities. And a Chinese festival must of course have some special food, so there's some of that, too.
Tomb sweeping
First up, the tomb sweeping. Families clean the gravesites of their ancestors, removing weeds and making everything neat and tidy. Wealthy families and those living in the country site often have real burial mounds. With the increase of urbanization, most people nowadays opt for cremation instead of burying the deceased. As a result, modern cemeteries are more compact and require very little grave maintenance.
A modern cemetery in Hong Kong (Source)
After the tomb cleaning, people often lay out food as an offering. They also burn incense and joss paper (paper money) to make sure that their ancestors have sufficient means in their afterlife. The ceremony traditionally concludes with kowtowing in front of the grave (kneeling and touching the ground with the forehead). The family then feasts on the food offerings.
Incense and food offerings for Tomb-Sweeping Day (Source)
Outdoor activities
After paying their respects at the gravesites, families and friends often take advantage of the spring weather to enjoy nature. This activity is called tàqīng (踏青) in Chinese, which literally means to tread the green. It often involves hiking or flying kites. Flying kites in the form of animals or characters from folk tales and Chinese opera brings good fortune, as the kites carry any misfortunes into the sky.
Food
Of course, we can't forget about the food. Qīngmíngjié is associated with specific treats, most notably the Qīngtuán (青团/青糰). Qīngtuán are green glutinous rice balls filled with sweet bean paste. The green color traditionally comes from the juice of barley grass which is only edible during spring. Nowadays, you can also use matcha or even spinach to get the color. Another popular dish for Tomb-Sweeping Day are Sǎnzi (馓子/饊子), deep-fried twisted noodles. Both Qīngtuán and Sǎnzi go back to the customs of the Cold Food Festival. They can be prepared in advance and are eaten cold during the festival.
Qīngtuán (Source)
Closing thoughts
Tomb-Sweeping Day really puts a spotlight on the importance of family and filial piety in Chinese culture. Knowing this will help you put a lot of things you encounter during your Chinese learning journey into perspective. And if someone doesn't want to talk to you, please don't set their house on fire to force them to come out 😉
