What Is the Qingming Festival?

The Qingming Festival, also known as the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, Outing Festival, Spring Festival, or Ancestors’ Day, is traditionally observed between April 4 and April 6 each year. It is a traditional Chinese festival dedicated to honoring ancestors, visiting and cleaning their graves, and remembering deceased family members.

The Qingming Festival originated from ancient ancestor worship and spring sacrificial rituals. It carries both natural and cultural significance: it is not only one of the traditional markers of the changing seasons but also an important traditional festival. Along with the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival, Qingming is regarded as one of the four major traditional festivals of China.

According to traditional accounts, the custom of Qingming can be traced back to the ancient practice of imperial and aristocratic tomb sacrifices, which is believed to have begun around the Zhou Dynasty, more than 2,500 years ago. Originally, Qingming was simply the name of a solar term in the traditional Chinese calendar. Its development into a festival for commemorating ancestors was closely connected with the Hanshi Festival (Cold Food Festival).

The Hanshi Festival and the Qingming Festival were originally two separate occasions. During the Tang Dynasty, tomb-sweeping and ancestral worship were traditionally carried out during the Hanshi period. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, Qingming gradually became more prominent and eventually took the place of Hanshi as the main occasion for tomb sweeping and ancestor worship. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, many of the customs inherited from earlier periods continued, and the traditions of honoring ancestors and mourning deceased relatives remained widespread.

Influenced by Han Chinese culture, various ethnic minority groups in China also developed their own Qingming traditions. Although customs differ from region to region, tomb sweeping, ancestor worship, and spring outings remain the central themes of the festival.

Qingming also includes a variety of outdoor recreational activities, such as swinging, cuju (an ancient Chinese ball game), flying kites, tree planting, and tug-of-war. Traditional foods associated with the festival include Zitui Yan, sweet fermented rice porridge, and Qingtuan, a type of green glutinous rice dumpling.

Qingming traditions are not limited to mainland China. Due to the historical and cultural influence of Chinese communities, the festival is also observed in various forms in countries and regions such as Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore.