清明节清明節
Qīng míng jié cing1 ming4 zit3
- When
- The Qingming solar term (清明), around 4–5 April — a solar-calendar date, not a lunar one
- Calendar
- Solar term
Summary
Qingming, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, falls on the Qingming solar term in early April. Because it tracks the sun, not the moon, it lands on a near-fixed Western date (4 or 5 April). Families tend ancestral graves and enjoy the first warmth of spring.
History
Qingming as a tomb-sweeping day absorbed the much older Cold Food Festival (寒食节), which honoured Jie Zitui, a loyal retainer who died on a mountain his lord set alight; for the Cold Food days no fires were lit, so food was eaten cold. Over time the solemn remembrance merged into the Qingming solar term the following day.
What people do
Families visit ancestral graves to clean the headstones, pull weeds, offer food and flowers, and burn incense and paper money. It is also a spring outing — “treading the green” (踏青) — with kite-flying and walks; in the Jiangnan region people eat green, mugwort-tinted rice balls (青团).
Festival idioms
- 慎终追远慎終追遠 shèn zhōng zhuī yuǎn san6 zung1 zeoi1 jyun5 to pay careful attention to one's parents' funerary rites
- 饮水思源飲水思源 yǐn shuǐ sī yuán jam2 seoi2 si1 jyun4 lit. when you drink water, think of its source (idiom); gratitude for blessings and their well-spring
- 落叶归根落葉歸根 Luò yè guī gēn lok6 jip6 gwai1 gan1 Getting Home, 2007 PRC comedy-drama film directed by 張揚|张扬[Zhang1 Yang2], starring 趙本山|赵本山[Zhao4 Ben3 shan1]
- 春暖花开春暖花開 chūn nuǎn huā kāi ceon1 nyun5 faa1 hoi1 (lit.) springtime when the weather is warm and flowers are in bloom (idiom)
- 鸟语花香鳥語花香 niǎo yǔ huā xiāng niu5 jyu5 faa1 hoeng1 lit. birdsong and fragrant flowers (idiom); fig. the intoxication of a beautiful spring day
- 莺歌燕舞鶯歌燕舞 yīng gē yàn wǔ ang1 go1 jin3 mou5 the warbler sings and the swallow dances
- 生机勃勃生機勃勃 shēng jī bó bó sang1 gei1 but6 but6 (idiom) vibrant; full of vitality
- 风和日丽風和日麗 fēng hé rì lì fung1 wo4 jat6 lai6 moderate wind, beautiful sun (idiom); fine sunny weather, esp. in springtime
Public-holiday status
- Mainland China Public holiday
- Taiwan Public holiday
- Hong Kong Public holiday
- Macau Public holiday
Lunar and Western dates
| Year | Lunar date | Western date |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | The Qingming solar term (清明), around 4–5 April — a solar-calendar date, not a lunar one | Fri, Apr 4, 2025 |
| 2026 | The Qingming solar term (清明), around 4–5 April — a solar-calendar date, not a lunar one | Sun, Apr 5, 2026 |
| 2027 | The Qingming solar term (清明), around 4–5 April — a solar-calendar date, not a lunar one | Mon, Apr 5, 2027 |
| 2028 | The Qingming solar term (清明), around 4–5 April — a solar-calendar date, not a lunar one | Tue, Apr 4, 2028 |
| 2029 | The Qingming solar term (清明), around 4–5 April — a solar-calendar date, not a lunar one | Wed, Apr 4, 2029 |
| 2030 | The Qingming solar term (清明), around 4–5 April — a solar-calendar date, not a lunar one | Fri, Apr 5, 2030 |
| 2031 | The Qingming solar term (清明), around 4–5 April — a solar-calendar date, not a lunar one | Sat, Apr 5, 2031 |
| 2032 | The Qingming solar term (清明), around 4–5 April — a solar-calendar date, not a lunar one | Sun, Apr 4, 2032 |
| 2033 | The Qingming solar term (清明), around 4–5 April — a solar-calendar date, not a lunar one | Mon, Apr 4, 2033 |