QINGMING FESTIVAL 清明節
曾子曰: 慎終追遠，民德歸厚。慎終者，喪盡其哀。追遠者，祭盡其敬。人君行此二者，民化其德，皆歸於厚也。(論語)
Tseng Tzu: “Conduct the funeral of your parents with meticulous care and let not sacrifices to your remote ancestors be forgotten, and the virtue of the common people will incline towards fullness.”
Qingming Festival is a significant Chinese traditional holiday. It falls on the first day of the fifth solar term 節氣. It is on the 15th day after the Spring Equinox. Coincidentally, Qingming Festival and Easter fall on April 4, 2021.
It is believed that Qingming Festival was originally held to commemorate Jie Zitui 介子推 who lived in the Spring and Autumn Period in the Jin Kingdom. Chong Er 重耳 was the prince who was falsely accused of rebellion and was exiled to a mountainous region, suffering hunger and dejection. One of his entourage of officials, Jie, altruistically cut some flesh from his thigh to make soup for the prince to save him from dying of hunger. Chong Er eventually became Duke Wen, 晋文公. Jie resigned and moved to live in the mountain with his aged mother. Duke Wen kept sending him messages to invite him back to the kingdom; but he declined.
Ill-advised by his official, Duke Wen set fire to the three sides of the mountain to force Jie to exist. Sadly, Jie and his mother died in the fire; he left a note: “割肉奉君盡丹心，但願主公常清明…勤政清明復清明。” Feeling very repentantly, Duke Wen ordered that no fire should be lit, and only cold food be eaten on that day 禁忌烟火,只吃寒食 as well as on the anniversary of Jie’s death to memorialize him, initialing the Cold Food Festival 寒食節. 春城無處不飛花，寒食東風御柳斜。龍蛇四海歸無所，寒食年年愴客心。虛沾焦舉為寒食，實藉嚴君賣卜錢。風雨梨花寒食過，幾家墳上子孫來？He also commanded that the day after Hanshi Festival to be Qingming Festival, which has evolved to be a day to honor and pay respect to our deceased family members and ancestors by visiting their graves.
Tomb sweeping 掃墓 is the most important custom in the Qingming Festival. There are many rituals including sweeping dirt away around the grave sites, and cleaning the headstones. Flowers and foods such as roast pork, steamed chicken, fruits and wine are traditionally offered. Non-food offerings such as candles, incense, joss paper, paper money and paper replicas of cars, clothing, shoes, etc. that are presumably dispatched to the spirit world via burning for the deceased to use in the afterlife. After the worship is over, the family consumes the food like a family outing, signifying a family reunion with the deceased.
Around Qingming, the weather starts getting warmer, rainfall increases, the sun shines brightly, the leaves and grass turn green, and flowers begin to bloom. It is the time for people to blissfully enjoy the greenery of spring outdoor 踏青. 南園春半踏青時，風和聞馬嘶。青梅如豆柳如眉，日長蝴蝶飛。等閒識得東風面，萬紫千紅總是春。人樂清明三月天，也隨人賞萬花園。芳草綠野恣行事，春入遙山碧四周。花開紅樹亂鶯啼，草長平湖白鷺飛。梨花風起正清明。
Qingming has been depicted in many Chinese poems. 杜牧: 清明時節雨紛紛, 路上行人欲斷魂。 借問酒家何處有, 牧童遙指杏花村。高翥: 南北山頭多墓田，清明祭掃各紛然。紙灰飛作白蝴蝶，淚血染成紅杜鵑。黃庭堅: 佳節清明桃李笑，野田荒塚自生愁。雷驚天地龍蛇蟄，雨足郊原草木柔。白居易: 烏啼鵲噪昏喬木，清明寒食誰家哭。風吹曠野紙錢飛，古墓壘壘春草綠。棠梨花映白楊樹，盡是死生別離處。The most legendary painting pertaining Qingming is ‘Qingming Shanghetuor Life along the River at Qingming’ 清明上河圖 created by the renowned painter, Zhang Zeduan 張擇端.
Qingming promotes and invigorates the Confucian ethic of filial piety 孝. 子曰：「夫孝，天之經也，地之義也，民之行也。」「人之行，莫大於孝。」「教民親愛，莫善於孝。」「夫孝，德之本也。」Furthermore, it brings the family together annually, a family reunion.
About the author:
Dr. Patrick Lau was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to the U.S. after high school. He retired from the VA Northern Indiana Heath Care System where he served as Chief Radiologist and moved to Florida with his wife in 2011. He was an active member & contributor of IACA and ICMA while in Indiana. Dr. Lau is also a scholar of art and literature and a prolific writer, he has been a dedicated columnist for Indy Asian American Times since 2010.