Qing ming-it also called tomb-sweeping day.it falls on April 4th or 5th.that is a special day for the living to show love and respect to their dead friends or relatives.people often go to sweep the tomb and put the meat,wine in front of the tomb.one interesting thing is that people burn the paper money for the dead.

Qing ming is a time to remember th edead and the dearly departed.more important,it is a period to honour and to pay respect to one’s deceased ancestors and family members.because itrein forces the ethic of filial piety,qing ming is a major chinese festival.

Iiterally meaning “clear”(qing) and “bright”(ming),this chinese festival falls in earlyspring,on the 106th day after the winter solstice.it’s a “spring” festival,and it is an occasion for the whole family to leave the home and tosweep the graves of their forebears.Chinese being practical people this sweeping of the graves is given and extended period,that is,10 days before and after qing ming day,among some dialect groups a whole month is allocated.

Qing ming is popularly associated with jie zi zhui,who lived in shanxi province in 600 b.c. legend has it that Jie saved his starving lord’s life by serving a piece of his own leg.When the pord succeded in becoming the ruler of a small principality,he invited his faithful follower to join him.However,Jie declined his invitation,preferring to lead a hermit’s life with his monther in the mountains.

Believing that he could force Jie out by burning the mountain,the lord ordered his men to set the forest on fire.to his consternation,Jie chose to remain where he was and was burnt to death.to commemorate Jie,the lord ordered all fires in every home to be put out on the anniverysary of Jie’death.thus began the “cold foodfeast”,a day when no food could be cooked since no fire could be lit.

The “Cold Food” festival occurson the eve of qing ming and is often considered as part of the qing ming festival.as time passes,the qing ming festival replaced the “cold food” festival.whatever practice is observed,the basic observation of qing ming is to rememver one’s elder by making a special effort to visit their graves,ashes orancestral tablets.to make the visit even more meaningful,some time should be spent to remind the younger members of the family of the lives and contribution of their ancestors,and the story of Jie zi zhui who choose death over capitulation.