Qing Ming Festival
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar is divided into 24 solar periods and Qing Ming (Pure Brightness) is the first day of the fifth period. It falls at the point when Spring turns to summer, around the tenth day of the third lunar month.
On this day, whole families go to their ancestral grave site to sweep the graves of their forefathers and make offerings to them - a ritual that shows how mindful the Chinese are of where they come from.
Origins - The Story of Chong'er and Jie Zitui
The Qing Ming Festival has its origins in the Cold Food Festival (Hanshi Jie) of ancient times. On the Cold Food Festival, people could only eat cold food or pre-cooked food. Heating by fire is not allowed. Do you know why?
This custom is said to have originated from the Spring and Autumn Period (770-475 B.C.). In the state of Jin, there were evil men who wanted the Duke of Jin's eldest son, Chong'er, dead. Jie Zitui, Chong'er's loyal retainer, smuggled him out of the state of Jin in the middle of the night.
Because Chong'er had always shown concern for his people's welfare, Jie tried his best to take care of Chong'er during his exile. Once, when they were on the verge of starvation, Jie even cut out a piece of his own flesh to feed Chong'er. He did this in the hope that when Chong'er finally returned to the state of Jin, he would be a benevolent and dutiful ruler.
More than a decade later, Chong'er finally became Duke Wen of Jin. He then rewarded all those who had given him assistance during his exile. However, he forgot all about Jie. He only remembered Jie when someone reminded him, and he immediately sent for him so that he could get his reward.
But Jie had already gone into the mountains with his mother to live a life of seclusion. Duke Wen and his ministers looked for him in the mountains but to no avail. Just then someone suggested that they set fire to the mountains. Jie was well known for being a filial son, thus he would surely escape the blaze with his old mother.
The fire burnt for three days and three nights but Jie still did not appear. After the fire died down they found Jie with his mother on his back under a willow tree. Both had been burnt to death. Duke Wen then regretted what he had done and was extremely saddened. He decreed that this day be the Day of Cold Food. No one was to use fire. Everyone had to eat cold food for a day to honor Jie Zitui's loyalty.
In ancient times, the Cold Food and Qing Ming Festivals were both observed. The Cold Food Festival preceded the Qing Ming Festival by one or two days. The rituals for both festivals also bore strong resemblance to each other. In time, the Cold Food and Qing Ming Festivals merged into one.
Sweeping
Sweeping the graves of one's ancestors is something descendents do as a sign of respect. A proper sweeping consists of three steps: cleaning the grave, making offerings to ancestors and burning ceremonial money.
Cleaning the grave was just what it sounds like - removing weeds, making necessary repairs, and repainting the gravestone engravings.
After the clean up, families made offerings of meat and fruit to the guardian spirit of the graveyard (Hou Tu) followed by incense offerings to their ancestors.
There are different ways to burn ceremonial money in different parts of China. Joss paper is usually burnt, however, in some places it is not burnt but tossed into the air. Then there is the practice of placing a stone over pieces of yellow and white or multi-colored joss paper on the gravestone, the front of the grave and at the Hou Tu's alter. The offering of joss paper represents wealth given to the ancestors for use in the underworld - it also shows that the descendents have visited the graves!
The rituals of grave sweeping have been simplified by the Chinese in modern times. After sweeping the graves, families offer fruit and flowers to their ancestors and remember them in their hearts. Whatever the rituals may be, Qing Ming Festival is an expression of the filial spirit of the Chinese and the respect they have for their forefathers.
Want to know more here is a Link.
http://www.chinatown-online.co.uk/pages ... gming.html